It's always fascinating when bosses decide to get petty right before one of their employees walks out on them. They have absolutely nothing to gain from being savage and they're probably risking their already lukewarm reputation, yet sometimes folks in authority cannot help themselves. This boss had a habit of taking credit for other people's work, and he even did so when his employee (now off to bigger and better things) fixed a major tech issue at work. Not only did he get petty, but he had t…

This woman told a whopper of a lie, but she wasn't expecting to be called out . Customers learn their behaviors by reinforcement. While it might seem obvious to you to be pleasant to the person on the other end of a phone call , not everyone acts that way. Some folks have been conditioned to believe that the louder and more demanding they act towards customer service reps, the faster their problem will be solved. In reality, as call center workers will tell you, this is almost never the case. M…

This is such a satisfying story (for workers, not bosses). One employee shared this story from a company they used to love, but which quickly went sour after a merger . Despite what managers or HR want to tell you, mergers aren't often positive developments for the current employees. U/allgoodnamestaken98 writes that at the factory they were working at, a merger caused a great workplace to tank, all because three different managers were each trying to prove they were the best. This boss told hi…

These coworkers are at an impasse, it would seem. In some workplaces, peoples' competitive nature can be a positive. When employees are competing to gain clients or meet a financial target, that can make the bonds between workers stronger. It helps to grow camaraderie, and a sense of purpose as you work those same 40 hours each week. Other offices have a different dynamic: employees start to work against each other. This can happen for numerous reasons---for example, having a toxic boss breathi…

This boss claimed to be “old school,” but in reality, he was just creating a toxic work environment. You'll probably encounter toxic bosses at some point in your career. You'd think to be a manager, you'd have to prove your communication skills are on point. But no. Instead, this boss manages to make every conversation and task as arduous as possible.

When you get fired, usually you have an idea of what went wrong… even if it wasn't necessarily your fault. But here, we have an instance in which an employee was told they violated so many rules and genuinely had no clue what was meant by that. After some investigating, they discovered that a manager had it out for them ever since the employee refused to break a customer's large bill four months ago. Talk about a particularly specific vendetta to hold against someone! While I personally have ne…

Ahh… the holiday season, a time of year best spent with family and loved ones over incredible meals and through the sharing of thoughtful gifts. With images of bright, cheery, rosy-cheeked faces, Christmas lights, and decorations—maybe a little snow and mistletoe—it's a joyful time intended to bring out the human spirit, gratitude, and goodwill. Well, it should be no surprise to any of us that these optimistic ideas don’t meld well with workplaces. Stark grey walls with hard, cheap furniture. G…

Did you know that the kids these days are referring to the 90s as the “late 1900s"? If that sentence made you want to check your scalp for gray hairs, you're not alone. Aging happens to every living being, and there's nothing we can do about it. We're just along for the ride as trends change and lingo transforms. It's like that saying about how the past is a foreign country. We had less tech back then, and everything was different. In school, our teachers assured us that we'd need to know how t…

People often forget that in any job search, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. That means that no matter what your level of desperation is, always keep in mind that you still have the power of choice during your interview and search process. That means that you should feel empowered to ask questions and not just the basic fundamentals like salary and benefits. You should feel entitled to ask your interviewer about their experience at the company, what their concerns…

Every so often, your coworker asks you to do a favor for them. It might be to proofread an email, grab something from the kitchen, or brainstorm for 15 minutes. However, giving them a free manicure is not exactly the kind of favor one expects to be confronted with at work. This employee's coworker admired their nails and asked them what they were using. You would think the conversation ended there, and the coworker would just take it upon herself to purchase the same product as the employee. Ho…

Isn't it funny when managers try to act like the know what they're doing but it's actually painfully obvious that they have NO idea and they are just talking as a power move? It's so comical and, honestly, sad. If you're a clueless manager, let me let you in a on a little secret: nobody cares that you're in charge, they care about getting their job done efficiently and acting their wages. So, as a quick PSA to managers, stop making it about you being high up on the executive ladder, we all know…

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…

There was a time when being fired was something to be ashamed of, but these days, companies love to hire and fire expeditiously. It's almost a rite of passage for those who work in retail or fast food. And if it doesn't happen to you, it'll certainly happen to one of your coworkers. The thing about customer service jobs is that you unfortunately have to serve customers, a lot of whom have no intentions of ever treating employees with respect. You're supposed to brush off their repeated insults,…

There are some things that even your strict boss should not be able to argue with at work. We've seen several instances of bosses overstepping and overreacting when they have no business doing so. We often see this manifest itself when people request well-deserved paid time off or take a mental health day. Bosses who can't step outside their own stress and experiences tend to react this way out of a place of selfishness, whereas you know you have a good boss when they are able to take a step ba…

This pool salesman has been on the job long enough to know that some customers can't be convinced to buy the products they need. Customers often like to think they know everything about a product just because they own it. In this case, the owner of a pool was pretty sure he knew everything he needed to know about his swimming pool. How hard could it be to maintain one little pool? All you have to do is fill it and empty it seasonally, and put in some chlorine or salt. Right? Surely there's noth…

There are many heartless acts toxic bosses commit in order to keep a “well-oiled machine” running, but reprimanding employees for having family emergencies is about as bad as it gets. Everyone