Oftentimes, when starting a new role, it doesn't end up being quite what you'd imagined. Delusions of grand inspiration fade like a mirage in the desert in the face of the reality of menial tasks and repetitive labor. After all, as we're consistently proclaiming, an interview is a two-way street, and the company is trying to sell themselves to the most desirable candidate they can get—often for as low of a price as possible—just as much as the candidates are trying to sell themselves to the com…

Generally, your working life, including everything that comes with it, is reserved for—well, work—including your laptop, phone, and such that your employer has provided for you. By contrast, your personal stuff is for your own personal use, and that's why it's—well, personal. There are very obvious things you should and shouldn't use each device for, and those things should be kept separate. Sure, these lines can blur and often will—after all, not everything is black and white.

Before movie streaming was even a concept, you had to physically take yourself to a video store . Back in the day (the 1990s, in this case) when you wanted to watch a film, you had to visit a Blockbuster or a Hollywood Video location. These were glorious rooms full of video tapes , and later DVDs entered the mix. The place was full of people at any time of day. You would usually rent a few movies for under $5 a peice, and would return them within a week or so, just like you would with a library…

There is no shortage of stories online consisting of a misguided manager who establishes a blanket “No overtime” policy that ends up getting maliciously complied with by some worker or group of workers to the tune of disastrous results. It's probably wisest at this point to never implement any policy that strictly forbids workers from working overtime. Instead, set the expectation that any necessary overtime will be worked before forcing those overtime workers to jump through as many hoops as p…

There is a reason why you should avoid giving your boss your phone number if you can help it. Sometimes, you don't have a choice, but what you do have control over is when you choose to respond to your boss. The reality is that engaging with your boss is part of your paid employment. Therefore, you really only need to do it when you're on the clock. It can be hard to draw those boundaries, especially in this day and age when it's nearly impossible to unplug. However, if you do manage to establi…

There are moments in everyone's working lives when management goes too far and everyone knows it. These are the kinds of moments when you look across the room at your coworker and you immediately question if they are thinking what you're thinking. Perhaps there is a clear look in their eyes or perhaps there is a slight nod, the kind of exchange that signifies, “Are we doing this? Yes, yes we are." What happens next is the kind of solidarity among employees people only dream of… if only the circ…

The working arrangement is a relatively simple one: You provide your time and skills to your employer, and they provide you with a paycheck. Management likes to snazz this up and conceive unnecessary complications that weave a longer, meandering line between these two endpoints, but no matter how large of a labyrinth they build, those two endpoints remain in the same place. Things like being told you and your coworkers are a “family” “crew” or “partners," or the use of any other euphemisms to a…

As they say: It takes all kinds. It's our differences, our unique skills, perspectives, and experiences, that make us who we are, distinctive in our approach and demeanor from the other folks. The sum of our parts makes us decidedly better at different things, and when we band together, there's no telling what we can accomplish. While that's all feel-good and hunky-dory, and while we should always seek never to judge, it's worth recognizing that, sometimes, these unique traits come together to…

Every human resources department has been known for some shady behavior to protect the interests of the company rather than the interests of the actual humans who work there. Ironic, much? We all have these kinds of stories, particularly ones that involve employee benefits like paid time off. It's a tale as old as time: an employee requests vacation time for an important event like a wedding or a funeral, their boss approves said vacation time, then shames them in some way as the dates actually…

Sometimes, the best way to inform your boss that their newly implemented policy is flawed is by showing not telling. Lots of workplace practices are put into place in such a way that seems smart and productive in theory… until it's not. Of course, the people who are enforcing said policies often want them to work and refuse to hear any criticism from the people who actually have an understanding of how their workflow looks. This boss was running into some legal trouble and couldn't pay for any…

What part of “time OFF” do these employers not understand? This technician had been working at the same HVAC company for 15 years and saw it expand from virtually nothing to a business that employed over 100 other technicians. Unfortunately, the dynamics within the company changed a bit after it was sold to a larger monopoly. Now, the technician's typical five weeks of vacation time were reduced to two weeks, and seniority didn't really matter at all anymore. Despite these changes, the technici…

We're pretty sure toxic bosses are not allowed to do this anymore… This boss decided it was appropriate to fire his hourly employee on the same day that the employee filed for more state-protected paternity leave, a privilege that his boss doesn't normally grant to his other employees as well. First of all, let's start by acknowledging that granting maternity and paternity leave should not be seen as a privilege in anyone's else, nor should workers be rewarded for not taking their full time off…

We often talk about how HR is not your friend here on FAIL Blog. That being said, there are always good apples everywhere, and you know with certainty that some of these HR professionals have seen some wild stuff. It could be during the hiring process, when HR employees and hiring managers end up hearing some pretty ridiculous demands or inappropriate remarks from potential job candidates. It could be a crazy story from a boss or CEO, who has pretty backward standards when it comes to workplace…

In every work environment, there tends to be a work mom, someone who isn't necessarily in charge but serves as an emotional support figure. However, apparently, not all work moms are universally supportive… In this instance, we have a work mom who may have started out that way but perhaps due to cultural differences or simply due to a false sense of superiority, she started to manipulate those around her with incessant insults and unkind comments. At first, the Redditor who shared this story th…

Can you imagine getting on this guy's bad side? This Redditor was working as a warehouse associate at a non-profit and helped employ his friend Jim, who was having a host of job problems (meaning he was a difficult employee who would move from job to job frequently). However, OP made sure that Jim would adjust well to the workflow and work dynamics at the warehouse, despite the annoying behavior of two other coworkers and the negligent behavior of their boss. OP, Jim, and a third friend of thei…

When you're pushed too far, sometimes you just can't take the heat anymore. These workers know the feeling all too well, and they shared the moments that were the final straw before they quit their job on the spot. As much as you try to vet a company before you join, you just don't know what your job will really be like. You can keep an eye out for red flags during the interview process, but you won't really know what it's like until you spend a few weeks emailing with your boss or calling clie…