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tales-from-the-workplace

‘Was I hired by mistake?’: New hire starts their first day only to be sent home because nobody knew they were coming, they start questioning whether they should quit

‘Was I hired by mistake?’: New hire starts their first day only to be sent home because nobody knew they were coming, they start questioning whether they should quit

The first day of starting a new job is not at all as exciting as one imagines it to be. You always expect it to be a great new adventure and that people will welcome you with open arms, but that is often not the case. There are so many logistics when it comes to adding a new employee to a company, that the first day is usually just a chaotic bureaucratic mess, and you might go home at the end of the day and question whether or not you made a mistake. The important thing to remember is that ever…
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Boomer manager reprimands employee for failing to complete a task, despite him providing no guidance on how to do it, employee quits on the spot: 'This is why you are on the verge of bankruptcy'

Boomer manager reprimands employee for failing to complete a task, despite him providing no guidance on how to do it, employee quits on the spot: 'This is why you are on the verge of bankruptcy'

Employees who decide to quit their terrible jobs often face the dilemma of – on what terms do they want to leave said jobs? Sometimes, all you want to do is tell your soon-to-be former manager just how awful it was working for them, and air out all the reasons they made you hate the job. However, you might not want to burn any bridges and leave on bad terms, because you never know when you might run into those people again, or if you ever find yourself in need of something from them, so saying…
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'My job owes me $20,000': After 7 months of paying employees less than they owed, company corrects their mistake, then refuses to give any back pay claiming it's not allowed

'My job owes me $20,000': After 7 months of paying employees less than they owed, company corrects their mistake, then refuses to give any back pay claiming it's not allowed

What would you have chosen if you had to choose between fighting for what is rightfully yours and keeping your job? This might sound like a terrible choice to make, and it is, but unfortunately, many employees have to make that choice whether they like it or not. Imagine you discovered that your company has made a mistake in your paycheck and has been paying you less than you deserve for over 7 months. Even after the company admitted to the mistake, they still refuse to pay you back for the 7 m…
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‘It's not up to you’: Job applicant goes over recruiter's head and submits her application directly, she gets the job, only for employer to demand she pays the recruiter a fee

‘It's not up to you’: Job applicant goes over recruiter's head and submits her application directly, she gets the job, only for employer to demand she pays the recruiter a fee

No matter how awful your job might be, you should take comfort in the fact that you do not have to look for one. It seems like every time we hear about the job market and the chances of securing a job these days, it just keeps getting worse and worse. If you are looking for a job currently, take comfort, as this story might give you some tips on how to properly secure a job. OP (original poster) sent their application to a firm through a recruiter and was told by that recruiter that the firm de…
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‘Why won't you fire the dude?’ Manager discovers employee is stealing money, informs owner, only to be blamed for not stopping it and have the stolen amount deducted from their pay

‘Why won't you fire the dude?’ Manager discovers employee is stealing money, informs owner, only to have the stolen amount deducted from their pay for not stopping it

Although we love to judge managers here, being one is not an easy task. It is challenging to be responsible for multiple employees, as each step they take reflects directly to their manager. So when we hear stories of managers taking a hit because of something their employees did, we do feel for them, as we know that some managers are just trying to do their jobs as best as they can, just like the rest of us. When the manager (OP, original poster) in this story discovered one of their employees…
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‘Buddy, you're not special’: New hire throws a public fit after not getting the office he wanted, leading coworkers to report him and get him fired in response

‘Buddy, you're not special’: New hire throws a public fit after not getting the office he wanted, leading coworkers to report him and get him fired in response

When people start new jobs, usually, they tend to keep their heads low and just survive the first couple of weeks. That does not mean they do not make friends, or do their job as well as they can, it just means that they try not to cause any trouble, or stir up issues for other people in the company. The new hire in this story didn't get the memo on how one should behave at a new job, and if there is one person who should have kept their heads down, it is this guy. Right of the bat, he behaved…
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‘The CEO didn't like it’: Remote employee gets reprimanded after his daughter appeared on camera during a late-night meeting, leading employee to reconsider his position

‘The CEO didn't like it’: Remote employee gets reprimanded after his daughter appeared on camera during a late-night meeting, leading employee to reconsider his position

Do you remember that one viral video in which a reporter reports live from his office and then his kid comes in the room, followed by their nanny, who panickly drags the kid out of the room, all while their father apologizes profusely to the viewers? If not, I largely advise you to watch it, because it is hilarious. I am bringing this video up because we could all relate to what happened in the video, and the humanity everyone showed in it. Since working from home became such an intricate part…
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‘They can't keep getting away with this’: Manager comes to work sick and gets employee sick as well, then demands they spend hundreds of dollars on a doctor's note

‘They can't keep getting away with this’: Manager comes to work sick and gets employee sick as well, then demands they spend hundreds of dollars on a doctor's note

Being forced to bring proof to work for being sick should simply not be a thing. We are all adults, there is no reason why we should not be believed when we say we feel bad enough that we cannot go to work. Even if one is not truly and wholeheartedly sick, if they feel like they are not up to going to work on a certain day, absolutely nothing will happen if they just stay home for a day without providing a doctor's note. The fact that the manager in this Reddit story had the audacity to request…
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'Everything is my fault to him': Employee walks out, leaving business in chaos after micromanager unfairly blames him for mistakes made by trainee

'Everything is my fault to him': Employee walks out, leaving business in chaos after micromanager unfairly blames him for mistakes made by trainee

Dealing with clients is not a simple undertaking. That being stated, how would you react if your micromanaging employer followed you around the office all day long? The story below is an account of a frustrated employee. The original poster (OP) worked in customer service for a considerable amount of time. As a result, one might think he was immune to the everyday chaos. But when his boss reprimanded him twice in one day for things he hadn't even done, it became too much for him to handle, and…
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‘I have never heard of this policy’: Boss freezes employee's pay after he returns from vacation but 'fails to report back to work', leading to a dispute when he is not paid for weeks

‘I have never heard of this policy’: Boss freezes employee's pay after he returns from vacation but 'fails to report back to work', leading to a dispute when he is not paid for weeks

Apparently, some workplaces are so out of touch with their employees that they sometimes fail to notice when employees leave for a vacation and never return to work. How do these workplaces deal with this situation, you ask? They ‘freeze’ every employee's pay once they go on vacation, until said employee returns and declares to HR they are back to work. This means that if you came back to work after a vacation, and weren't aware that you had to call HR and tell them personally that you were bac…
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‘Empty everything? You got it!’: Employee cleverly complies with security guard's demands to empty everything in their bag, resulting in line holdup when more employees follow suit

‘Empty everything? You got it!’: Employee cleverly complies with security guard's demands to empty everything in their bag, resulting in line holdup when more employees follow suit

No matter where you work, security checks are always important, and should not be taken lightly. We should be grateful that we are taken care of in that regard, and that we feel safe when we go to work every day. That being said, security checkpoints can get a little bit annoying, especially if the guards there are not nice people. For example, the employee in this Reddit story found a clever and funny way to get back at a demanding X-ray guard at their place of work. OP (original poster) works…
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‘Respectfully, no’: Employee hands boss their two weeks notice, only for boss to demand they stay for two months, leading to a schedule conflict with new job

‘Respectfully, no’: Employee hands boss their two weeks notice, only for boss to demand they stay for two months, leading to a schedule conflict with new job

Why is it that when employees quit, they usually have to stay at their job for at least another two weeks, but when they get fired, they leave the same day without any additional work? Those two weeks since you hand in your notice and until your actual last day are always extremely awkward. Everyone at the office knows you quit, and basically have no interest in working with them anymore, the actual work you do feels pointless, and your manager is probably trash-talking you behind your back. Is…
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‘You're not my boss, don't question me’: Micromanager accuses employee of undermining his authority after they ask for help, employee quits and walks out mid-shift in response

‘You're not my boss, don't question me’: Micromanager accuses employee of undermining his authority after they ask for help, employee quits and walks out mid-shift in response

‘You’re not the boss of me' is normally a sentence you would hear a child tell their parents or friends. You would not expect to hear this sentence in a workplace when a boss tells it to one of their employees. Yet, there are managers out in the world who behave like literal children in their workplace, and nobody bats an eye. They love their power, hate relinquishing control, and sometimes just bully their employees for fun. Take the boss in this Reddit story for example. OP (original poster)…
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‘Always take your PTO’: Employee quits while having 100 hours of unused PTO, expects to receive payout in last paycheck, only to get paid $1 per hour

‘Always take your PTO’: Employee quits while having 100 hours of unused PTO, expects to receive payout in last paycheck, only to get paid $1 per hour

For some unknown reason, there are employees who do not feel the need to use all of their PTO. They are fine with their PTO just sitting there, not being used for what it is meant to do – give people a break. I am a firm believer that PTO is there to be used, and I don't think I ever let a year pass by in a company without using all of the time off I am entitled to. For one, because how can a person go through an entire year without taking time off? And second, because letting it just sit there…
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‘I have a big mouth’: Hardworking employee gets denied a raise so they inform boss of quiet quitting, only to get fired on the spot instead

‘I have a big mouth’: Hardworking employee gets denied a raise so they inform boss of quiet quitting, only to get fired on the spot instead

Having a conversation with your boss asking for a raise is something employees should seriously prepare for, and not take lightly. One should come with receipts and proof of all the hard work they've been putting into the company, while also providing data that supports their claim for more pay. The more prepared you are for this conversation, the higher your chances of actually getting what you are after. Even so, many employees get denied when asking for a raise, and then they have to decide…
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‘Cool, great start…’: Job candidate ghosts business owner after he sends them unhinged texts about the position and accuses them of being unprofessional

‘Cool, great start…’: Job candidate ghosts business owner after he sends them unhinged texts about the position and accuses them of being unprofessional

Your first interaction with the people you intend to work with says a lot about the workplace you are about to enter, and it should not be ignored, no matter how much you need a job. If you sense that a job, or more specifically, a manager, interacts with you in a matter that raises red flags, you should definitely reconsider your position there. Luckily, the person who wrote this Reddit post was in a position where they could say ‘no’ to the position they were being offered. After receiving a…
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