Workplaces that rely on scheduled shift work often have an unhealthy obsession with said schedule, holding it in as paramount even when it extends out of the bounds of sanity or reason. Things like scheduled leave, availability—or, as it turns out, even being fired—have little importance when it comes to a scheduled shift… If it's on the schedule, you'd better be there no matter what. Managers who aggressively adhere to this schedule often act as if it were scripture passed to them from a highe…

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…

Gyms aggressively seek to enlist as many members as possible, seemingly with the hope that none of them will actually use the facilities provided. Instead, keeping members paying monthly to keep the gym's barcoded tag on their key ring like some expensive subscription-based accessory. They just as aggressively prevent you from ever canceling your membership, ensuring that the entire engagement unravels with the same clarity and certainty as riddling with a sphinx. It's not unheard of for gyms t…

One of the least-liked staff members at this college dorm was thrilled to point out when other people broke the rules. Then, when it was her own fault she broke the rules, she backpedaled. Even if you strive to have a gossip-free and peaceful workplace, people like the Karen in this story make it hard to keep the peace. When an employee decides they're better than their colleagues , and decides to police their every move, you'd better believe that every other worker is going to avoid that perso…

The bustling pace of urban life is often seen as an affront to those who have only known the relative peace of pastoral living. The two lifestyles are presented as opposite sides of the same coin, with neither capable of existing with the other—on account of the fact that the encroaching bounds of metropolitan life dissolve the countryside like a seltzer tablet in a glass of water. This story originated from a user who claimed to have found it in a comment on a different Reddit thread, neglecti…

This person's "dirt cheap" home came with a catch — an unceasing HOA.

Punishment: A negative stimulus administered in response to you doing something that you shouldn't have done in order to discourage you from doing it again. The hope here is that this would be severe enough to prevent further instances of the behavior. While that's all well and good, the punishment needs to fit the crime… if it's not severe enough, the behavior will probably just continue, especially when the person you're trying to incentivize isn't particularly incentivize-able—probably becau…

Where to begin with this one, beats me… One worker cleverly got out of doing their job for an entire day after showing up at a location for work, and getting kicked off the grounds. How did it even get to that? You will find out in a minute. So, what happened goes as follows… The OP was working at a large supermarket chain in England a few years ago, and because other stores were short staffed, OP was often asked by managers to drive and fill in. One day, management asked them to drive a couple…

These salon workers have a long wait list, so they can afford to pick and choose which customers they'll serve. I wish more businesses were run this way. As u/MissAcedia shared, she works at a day spa that is very busy. Due to their long wait list of customers wanting a nice hair cut or day at the spa, their days are packed full. So when customers act up or get upset about scheduling issues, it's no problem for the OP to take them out of her calendar. After all, if you provide a great service,…

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…

Some bosses have such low self esteem that they need to push their workers to see their ‘worth’, and you know what happens when people try too hard… they get the opposite results they would expect. That is exactly the case for this young micromanager who OP literally called ‘Babyboss’ in their post. The OP was very valued by their company because they had specialized education, and a deep understanding of a certain subject that was not disclosed in the post. I assume the subject of the work was…

Airport security is full of arbitrary rules. Having to pay ridiculous fees in order to make your luggage ever so slightly lighter is just one of many. Let's not forget that there is also all the TSA nonsense, and sometimes, the rules are wildly different depending on the airport. Sometimes you have to put all your bags in one cart, sometimes you have to separate everything, and sometimes they're so backed up that no one has to take their shoes off (which makes you question the effectiveness of…

This choosing beggar finally got what she asked for. As a student, u/Zelmung got some real-world experience at their law school's student program. The OP shares that the service offered people free legal advice, while the student volunteers helped guide their clients through the process. That is a win-win — people in need can find resources, and students can gain insight into the logistics of a case. But as the OP found out, you can't pick your clients. They need help, and they come to the law…

If you're late, you're late — and your boss might not care about your excuses. A baffling thing that some people do is tell you that there are no excuses for your actions. Then, they still want you to explain yourself. So the conversation will start by your boss demanding to know why you're late. You then say that you were late because you had car trouble , or perhaps your nanny cancelled last minute, or any other good reason for not being on time. Even the best employees in the world won't mak…

Workplaces love to advertise their great benefits, especially if they offer generous vacation allowances.

Some people just want to watch the world burn. But when you're the one guy who's only job is to prevent destruction from consuming the job site, that's exactly what you're trying to avoid. For some supervisors, especially the arrogant kind with a ‘i-can-do-no-wrong' attitude, being the safety guy at a construction site doesn't actually mean anything. They just want to trot around, puff their chest, and tell everyone what to do– even if it's the wrong call.