Now that it's the Holiday season, we are unfortunately subjected to that time of year when we have to get gifts for more people than we'd like. The idea of having to participate in an annual Office Secret Santa on top of all that other shopping is truly too far. Thankfully, I have never been asked to participate in one, and honestly, thank goodness. I'm not quite sure what I've done in my life to deserve that luxury, but I'll take it. Knowing myself, if I were pressured to be a part of an Offic…

When your boss tells you to “figure it out” in a certain tone of voice, you know they mean business.

This is the mysterious case of one manager who isn't sure if she fired an employee , or if she quit. In any workplace, people will have personalities that mismatch. That can be a big issue if it's between a manager and someone they work with every single day. And this employee sounds like a hot mess to be honest. The OP, u/indieOsam, was one employee's manager , and she quickly realized that this worker was going to be a handful. There are a few bright red waving flags: for one, the employee wa…

This company's HR department has nothing better to do than make up creative punishments for their employees. Human Resources is supposed to be there for employees, or so they say. But, repeat after me: HR is there to protect the company , not the individual employees. They're there to protect the company from legal issues that could arise from things employees do, which is why HR is able to hire and fire people as they wish. No matter how great the HR is at your company, in the long run, they w…

Sometimes, the best way to get revenge on your manager is by being as direct as possible. That means making it clear that they are the ones who are making your life at work all the more challenging. That means calling them out when you can. Sometimes, it's the only way you can actually stand up for yourself. Now, personally speaking, I would never do what this employee did. I'm too much of a people pleaser to name my work enemy in a company-wide email, but I understand that this person felt the…

Okay, be honest: what's the worst way you've ever answered an interview question ? This topic could unite us all. No matter how long you've worked, no matter how qualified and prepared you are, every person gets nervous going to job interviews. It's a universal fear, and for many people, it's just one of those things you have to do every few years in order to advance your career. For every five or ten interviews you do, you might get offered the job one time---or not at all. It's brutal out her…

HR might not be your friend, but they can certainly hear and see everything. Let's take a moment to consider the good HR reps out there and to think about all the unnecessary drama they have witnessed. Most of these folks do not take any pleasure in cleaning up everyone else's mess. Sometimes, these messes can be a result of tension among coworkers; other times, they can be physical messes. These ridiculous and cringeworthy stories have been compiled from this r/AskReddit thread, and they certa…

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…

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…

What do you do when you have a coworker with a body odor issue? Picture this: you're at your desk at work and you're trying to focus on your daily tasks. Just as your brain locks into focus, you start to smell something funny. At first, you think it's coming from you. You smell your armpits to make sure you put on deodorant this morning. You quickly realize that it isn't you at all. In fact, it's the new coworker who's sitting right behind you. Your brain starts spiraling as you try to figure o…

We know that the HR team members are humans too, but that doesn't make us friends! You might be one of those working folks who has managed to successfully form friendship bonds with your coworkers. Perhaps you have a work spouse. Perhaps you occasionally grab a drink with your team outside of work hours. Perhaps you text each other memes and pop culture news every day. Obviously, this kind of friendship is necessary. You're spending more time with your coworkers than with most people in your li…

Imagine working hard all day, only to watch your boss goof off all day. That's what this employee had to deal with with their boss Shannon, who believed she was above everyone else at her job. Shannon had an ideal workday. As OP writes, Shannon spent most of her days slipping out of the office for “meetings." These weren't actual meetings spent with clients or colleagues, discussing strategy or planning for the future. No, instead, Shannon spent her time grabbing long lunches with her friends,…

Don't miss these waving red flags during your next job interview. It just might save you from wasting your time at a job that treats you terribly! One time, I went to a job interview that seemed a smidgen suspicious. The interviewer gave me the wrong interview time — midnight instead of noon — but I thought maybe it was just a chance for me to prove that I had a sharp eye for catching errors. Then, after the actual interview (at noon, not midnight), the place hired me within about twenty minute…

Job applicants often forget that they have more power than people think they do. In this case, we have a candidate who was lucky enough to be in a more choosy position with their job search. For instance, if a potential employer refused to disclose important information like salary from the get-go, this Redditor would withdraw their application immediately. Power to you, sir! Here's where things got messy. This one hiring manager had been messaging the applicant and requesting more information…

If HR wants to treat their employees like children, then their employees have free rein to act like children. We have written about a host of ridiculous company rules here at FAIL Blog, and this “required reflective essay assignment” is the newest addition to the pile. Essentially, this employee was misinformed about the mandatory orientation during the onboarding process at his new job. Part of this came from confusing scheduling changes on behalf of HR, so it was certainly not the fault of th…

This employee tried over and over to tell their boss that they were making a mistake . Some bosses just always want to think they're right. U/Ars-Torok had a great malicious compliance story to tell, and while it's a long story, it's totally worth the read. The OP writes that while rising through the ranks of this company, they worked with a few different bosses. One was a great boss who could solve anything… and the other was Steve. Steve was the kind of boss who thinks they are right 100% of…