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tales-from-the-workplace

'Never gonna happen': Micromanager assigns overworked employee more responsibilities, then cuts his pay in half, leading employee to leave company high and dry

'Never gonna happen': Micromanager assigns overworked employee more responsibilities, then cuts his pay in half, leading employee to leave company high and dry

The world of business isn't always fair. People would do whatever it took to succeed and build a name for themselves in the industry. That being stated, how would you react if your employers, who were strapped for cash, decided to offer you a fake promotion along with a pay cut? The story below is an account of a frustrated employee. The original poster (OP) had been employed by the same company for over a year. A few weeks ago, OP's managers approached him and said they would like to give him…
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'You've got to be kidding': Inexperienced new employee abruptly leaves IT company after senior employee fails to help him adjust to the workload

'You've got to be kidding': Inexperienced new employee abruptly leaves IT company after senior employee fails to help him adjust to the workload

In this world, there are two kinds of people: those who are obsessed with technology and those who are afraid of it. The two sorts would never waver in their positions as they are on opposite ends of the technological spectrum. The story below is an account relayed by an IT worker. The original poster (OP) tells the tale of how the company brought on an unseasoned employee to perform a task for which he had no prior experience or training. At first, OP tried to help the man, but after some time…
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‘I already moved on’: Manager demands former employee train new hire, despite them already starting a new job

‘I already moved on’: Manager demands former employee train new hire, despite them already starting a new job

Not every employee who quits their job does it because they hated it. Some actually have a good relationship with their manager and hold a special place in their hearts for their place of work. Because of that, when the moment to leave arrives, they are actually happy to train the new hire and help the company as much as they can before they leave. Unfortunately, that dream situation doesn't happen to many, and a lot of employees don't enjoy the process of training their replacement, like the p…
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'I was too stunned to speak': Boss tries to earn social approval by mocking overworked employee during meeting, coworkers back them up instead of taking his side

'I was too stunned to speak': Boss tries to earn social approval by mocking overworked employee during meeting, coworkers back them up instead of taking his side

The relationship you have with your boss is almost as important as your personal relationships at home. Employees spend more than 8 hours a day with their employers, and likely rely on them with every step they take on their job. They don't have to become best friends, but it is still important to maintain a good relationship with the person who is basically in charge of your professional life. I would not call the relationship that is being described in this Reddit post a ‘good working relatio…
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Mechanic bulldozes entire field, taking down army infrastructure after commanding officer orders him to level field 'no matter what'

Mechanic bulldozes entire field, taking down army infrastructure after commanding officer orders him to level field 'no matter what'

It is crucial that you communicate your expectations to everyone around you. Having said that, as someone who always says what they mean and means what they say, in the event that you were given an order by superiors, would you simply follow it without question or would you make an effort to comprehend the reasoning behind it to prevent future annoyances? The story below tells the tale of a clever transport officer who, although fully aware that he is setting himself up for failure, opts to fol…
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'I'm being singled out': Boss ‘quietly fires’ employee after they report upper management for taking their tips

'I'm being singled out': Boss ‘quietly fires’ employee after they report upper management for taking their tips

If there is one thing that employers cannot stand, it is their employees speaking up for their own rights. You should be as quiet as possible in the workplace, and never ever even consider raising issues that are related to your work and/or your employers. An employee who does this kind of thing will probably regret it later on. Much like the employee in this Reddit story, who thought they were doing the right thing, but their employer definitely did not agree. OP (original poster), noticed tha…
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‘That’s not how bonuses work': Employees refuse to accept bonus after boss announces they would have to put in extra hours to get it

‘That’s not how bonuses work': Employees refuse to accept bonus after boss announces they would have to put in extra hours to get it

A quick message to any employer who might be reading this–if you want to make your employees feel appreciated, rewarding them by making them work more is never the right answer. Never. Don't even try to think about it. Instead, try and reward them with the only thing that is actually considered a reward for any working adult… money (shocking, I know). Simply give them a nice bonus or holiday treat or whatever you want to call it, because trust me when I say that the only way your hardworking em…
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'Keeping up with inflation is not a raise': Employee quits after getting a 50 cent raise, then finds a job that pays double, leaving company in the dust

'Keeping up with inflation is not a raise': Employee quits after getting a 50 cent raise, then finds a job that pays double, leaving company in the dust

Every young adult who has a job these days, in this economy, has realized how impossible it is to keep up with inflation. No matter how many graphs have been published showing how much the cost of living has risen in the past 20 years, compared to the average monthly pay, the gap just keeps on growing. So when an employee asks for a raise in their pay, after being a top performer and doing an exceptional job, raising their salary to keep up with inflation, doesn't actually count as a raise. It…
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'You fire one of us, you fire all of us': Senior staff member fired for arriving late, coworkers band together to rehire the underappreciated worker

'You fire one of us, you fire all of us': Senior staff member fired for arriving late, coworkers band together to rehire the underappreciated worker

Since the job market is the one place where it is perfectly acceptable to look out for your best interests, it can prove to be a horrible place for the faint of heart. Your family's health and welfare should come first. Because of this, you will be taken aback by the story that follows, as workplace loyalty is rare and hard to come by. The Original Poster (OP) works as a mechanic. Having worked for the same company for a few years, he was largely satisfied. That all changed, though, when one of…
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'I'm just doing my job...': Hotel clerk pushed to the brink after wife demands access to husband’s hotel room despite not being listed on the booking confirmation and refusing to verify her marital status

'I'm just doing my job...': Hotel clerk pushed to the brink after wife demands access to husband’s hotel room despite not being listed on the booking confirmation and refusing to verify her marital status

Serving customers is never an easy job, but working long hours and meeting high standards of service in the hotel industry makes it particularly difficult. The following story comes from an unhappy front desk employee at a hotel. The Original Poster (OP) has extensive experience working in the hotel industry, thus he is aware of security regulations and protocols. But when a particularly demanding visitor stormed into the hotel demanding access to her partner's room, OP's wits were put to the t…
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'You should have thought about it sooner': Nanny arrives at new job and immediately gets sick, boss refuses to give her a day off

'You should have thought about it sooner': Nanny arrives at new job and immediately gets sick, boss refuses to give her a day off

Being a full-time nanny can either be the best job of your life or the worst, it all depends on the family that you are working for. If the parents are chill and supportive, you can have the best time with their kids and actually become part of the family. But, if the parents are harsh and inconsiderate, the job can easily become a burden and a frustrating experience, even regardless of how the kids themselves behave. Unfortunately, the family in this Reddit story resembles the latter. OP (orig…
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‘With one click I lost everything’: Boss assigns employee with complicated task unrelated to his field, employee makes mistake that costs him his job

‘With one click I lost everything’: Boss assigns employee with complicated task unrelated to his field, employee makes mistake that costs him his job

People make mistakes, that is not news to anyone here. People make mistakes in relationships, friendships, with family, at school, and yes, at work as well. You can't expect people to be completely perfect, and if you do, well, that is another mistake to throw in the mix. The employee in this Reddit story has made a grave mistake on the job, and he owns up to it, even if it wasn't 100% his fault. The boss asked him to help with a task that was unrelated to OP's (original poster) job description…
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‘Too little, too late’: Employee quits job after HR cuts 30% of his pay, management begs employee to stay claiming they didn't know about the pay cut

‘Too little, too late’: Employee quits job after HR cuts 30% of his pay, management begs employee to stay claiming they didn't know about the pay cut

Some employers have an incredibly hard time grasping the idea that their actions have consequences, even when it concerns their trusty employees. As an employer, you might think you can put your employees through basically anything without them doing anything about it, but thankfully, that is often not the case. Much like the story of this employee on Reddit. The employee, OP (original poster), had been working incredibly hard to get his company to achieve all its targets and succeed in its fie…
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‘Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me’: After blaming an inexperienced design engineer, sales rep gets hit with karma and loses his job

‘Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me’: After blaming an inexperienced design engineer, sales rep gets hit with karma and loses his job

The business environment is competitive. Individuals often prioritize their own advancement over the well-being of those around them when climbing the corporate ladder. They are dedicated to achieving their objective and will do whatever it takes to get there. That being said, how would you react if you found out that someone on your crew attempted to sabotage you in order to protect themselves? The story that follows is that of an inexperienced design engineer who is picking up the rules of th…
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‘This would bankrupt me’: Company demands employee pay back their entire yearly salary after they find out about their second job

‘This would bankrupt me’: Company demands employee pay back their entire yearly salary after they find out about their second job

Many companies have unexplained issues with the concept of their employees working a second job. While it is understandable that a company would want to make sure that their employees won't also work for a competitor, when a company forbids an employee from working another job altogether, that is a major red flag. A place of work should not dictate what an employee does on their time off, no matter what. The employee in this Reddit story had to deal with a lot of red flags regarding their job.…
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‘They fired me without even telling me’: Woman gets fired while on maternity leave, finds out about it from coworker who has been informed she quit

It can be alarming to think that some employers have no issue with firing employees while they are on maternity leave. Even though most countries have laws against exactly that, unfortunately, it still happens to a lot of employees. Which is exactly what happened to the woman in this Reddit story (OP, original poster). A few months after going on maternity leave, she contacts her boss to talk about her return to her job, with accommodation to her now being a new mother. Her boss probably didn't…
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