FAIL Blog
Advertisement

tales-from-the-workplace

'You've got to be kidding me...': Micromanager demands employee clock out during downtime, yet demands on-site availability ‘just in case’

'You've got to be kidding me...': Micromanager demands employee clock out during downtime, yet demands on-site availability ‘just in case’

The workspace is equally, if not more, significant than the task at hand. It is essential that the people in charge of overseeing you truly want you to succeed. Still, how would you respond if, in an attempt to save a few bucks, your manager tried to clock you into and out of the shift every time there was an off-peak hour? The story below is an account of a confused employee. The original poster (OP) works at a kayak launch. He'd been employed by the same company for a considerable amount of t…
View List
Job candidate gets job offer that requires him to move states, only the employer refuses to send the contract before he moves: ‘Just come here and get started’

Job candidate gets job offer that requires him to move states, only the employer refuses to send the contract before he moves: ‘Just come here and get started’

You don't have to be a lawyer to know that a contract is one of the most important concepts humans have come up with. You also don't have to be a historian to know that it is one of the first social concepts humans have come up with. It is a massively important social construct that has allowed communities over the centuries to build and live in peace and so it should not be taken lightly. When one first starts a job, the very first thing they should be doing after accepting it is to sign a con…
View List
Advertisement
After getting fired from their job, employee leaves a bad review about management, then discovers their boss left a fake review in response: ‘He gave himself a glowing review’

After getting fired from their job, employee leaves a bad review about management, then discovers their boss left a fake review in response: ‘He gave himself a glowing review’

Being able to leave an honest review on anything is one of the most beneficial tools of the internet. Building a community that wants to share their experiences for the sake of other people is an advantage that we should appreciate much more than we do. Take your workplace for example. In many companies, there are hundreds of employees who go through their work day in the offices and have a working relationship with coworkers and management. When an employee leaves, they should have the opportu…
View List
Overworked employee takes up more duties as coworker leaves without notice, only to discover that same coworker got promoted to the position they were both after: ‘I feel betrayed’

Overworked employee takes up more duties as coworker leaves without notice, only to discover that same coworker got promoted to the position they were both after: ‘I feel betrayed’

Every employee wants to prove themselves in their workplace, if not for their own sense of accomplishment, then so they can prove to their managers that they are hard workers and are worthy of future promotions and reinforcement. The problem is, that there is a very thin line between proving your worth and being exploited, and managers love to cross that line in order to get more out of their employees, without having to pay for it. It seems like the employee in this Reddit story has also been…
View List
'You need a lesson in etiquette...': Ferry crew kick entitled passenger off ship after his demands caused massive delay, resulting in 24-hour layover

'You need a lesson in etiquette...': Ferry crew kick entitled passenger off ship after his demands caused massive delay, resulting in 24-hour layover

If you want to get what you want rather than what you deserve, there are situations when it is preferable to be wise rather than righteous. The story below is an account of a frustrated car ferry worker. The original post (OP) details a previous interaction with a haughty client. The ship was preparing to set sail on a scorching summer's day. Even though the deck was nearly full and OP lacked the necessary area to carry the freight, he offered to load a little MG, if they didn't mind the strain…
View List
Advertisement
 'No thanks, boss': Manager forces employee to work remotely during their PTO, then writes them up for it, employee reports manager in response

'No thanks, boss': Manager forces employee to work remotely during their PTO, then writes them up for it, employee reports manager in response

When you are on vacation, there is no reason whatsoever for you to have to deal with work. Unless your job physically saves lives and makes the world a better place, there is nothing that cannot wait for you when you return from your much-deserved time off, and employers who cannot accept that, do not deserve to even have employees. That is why I am pleased with how this Reddit story turned out because the manager didn't get away with what they did to their employee. OP (original poster) shared…
View List
Manager purposely excludes temp employee when giving away ‘office treats’, employee finds a clever way to make them regret that decision: ‘You should have included me’

Manager purposely excludes temp employee when giving away ‘office treats’, employee finds a clever way to make them regret that decision: ‘You should have included me’

Sometimes a decision can lead to a very costly mistake, one that could have been avoided if people simply used their heads. Take this manager on Reddit for example, all he had to do was give his devoted temp employee a donut, exactly how he gave the rest of his employees one, and everything else could have been avoided. Why would you want to make someone feel so underappreciated after all the hard work they have put in your firm? What's in it for you? A couple of dollars saved on a donut? Safe…
View List
Entitled coworker demands free lunches and rides to work from other employees, they refuse, leading to an office dispute: ‘Who do you think you are?’

Entitled coworker demands free lunches and rides to work from other employees, they refuse, leading to an office dispute: ‘Who do you think you are?’

Being nice to other people can get you really far in life, really fast, all you have to do is treat other people the way that you want to be treated. We're not saying that by simply being nice you will become the next president of The United States, but you can accomplish and get a lot of a respectful attitude towards others. For example, the employee in this Reddit story started her job by acting extremely entitled and demanding. She expected her managers and coworkers to provide her with free…
View List
Advertisement
‘How much of a pay cut is the CEO taking?’: Employee drags company through the mud after they inform her of pay reduction due to company's 'financial struggles'

‘How much of a pay cut is the CEO taking?’: Employee drags company through the mud after they inform her of pay reduction due to company's 'financial struggles'

There is nothing more satisfying than reading a story about an employee who stands up to the corporation when it tries to do them wrong. And this Reddit story is, well, not quite that. OP (original poster), got an email from the company she works for asking her to accept a pay cut to her salary, and after careful consideration, OP decided to give the company a piece of her mind regarding their request. She answers the email with a sharp and criticizing response, airing out everything she thinks…
View List
Job candidate walks out of interview after waiting 45 minutes for manager to arrive, gets called out for being unprofessional: ‘Sorry, employment is a two-way street’

Job candidate walks out of interview after waiting 45 minutes for manager to arrive, gets called out for being unprofessional: ‘Sorry, employment is a two-way street’

Every job candidate out there should approach interviews with the mentality that employers need employees just as much as employees need employment, it is a two-way street. The interview process is a test for the employer no less than it is for the candidate, as they both are there to see if the place of work could be a match. There is no reason an employer should not treat their candidates with as much respect as they expect to be treated themselves. Which is why I think the job candidate in t…
View List
‘This will be deducted from your paycheck’: Boss refuses to pay employee until they go back home and get their forgotten work badge, employee reports boss to upper management

‘This will be deducted from your paycheck’: Boss refuses to pay employee until they go back home and get their forgotten work badge, employee reports boss to upper management

When you are in the process of looking for a new job, there are a few things you cannot know about the job until you actually start it, things that you can't really ask about while you are interviewing. One of those things is how the place of work tracks employees' work hours. There are places that demand you clock in and out every day using a physical card, there are places that simply require you to clock in with an app on your phone, and there are places that don't really care when you get t…
View List
Advertisement
‘Why did you even hire me?’: Employee gets fired after only 4 days on the job, manager claims it's because they couldn't afford to have someone train them

‘Why did you even hire me?’: Employee gets fired after only 4 days on the job, manager claims it's because they couldn't afford to have someone train them

The first days of a new job are always the most stressful. You feel the constant need to prove to your manager that they made the right choice to hire you, even when you probably know nothing about the job and don't have anything to show for it yet. Which is why it is surprising that the one who feels the pressure is the new hire when the employer is the one who actually has a lot to prove. Having someone properly train a new employee to do the job right, is the real challenge, a challenge that…
View List
'It's 83°F inside the office': Boss refuses to fix broken AC in the office, demanding employees increase sales so the company could ‘afford the repair’

'It's 83°F inside the office': Boss refuses to fix broken AC in the office, demanding employees increase sales so the company could ‘afford the repair’

As soon as summer arrives, every office out there starts to deal with conflicts among employees regarding the AC. There is always that one coworker who wants the office to be freezing even when everyone else's teeth are chattering, and that battle continues up until the AC remote mysteriously vanishes and is nowhere to be found. As much as this battle can be quite annoying, and can cause certain coworkers to silently curse that one individual who insists the office's temperature would not rise…
View List
‘He's going to burn out in no time’: Boss prepares employees for upcoming layoffs by demanding they all train the overworked new hire so he can take over their jobs

‘He's going to burn out in no time’: Boss prepares employees for upcoming layoffs by demanding they all train the overworked new hire so he can take over their jobs

When a new employee enters the company, they might do everything in their power to prove themselves and their worth to their managers. Sometimes, that eagerness to prove oneself can be overdone and can create too high expectations towards the new employee. By always saying ‘yes’ to things, overworking, and trying to impress everyone in the office, one can find themselves burned out rather quickly. Much like what happened to the new hire in this Reddit story, who seemed to have wanted to prove h…
View List
Advertisement
'If you want me gone, you would have to fire me': Micromanager pressures employee to quit their job by criticizing all their work, employee finds a way to use manager's methods against him

'If you want me gone, you would have to fire me': Micromanager pressures employee to quit their job by criticizing all their work, employee finds a way to use manager's methods against him

Why do managers go through all the effort of hiring people to work for them if they only intend to bully those employees until they leave? What's in it for them to make their employees regret the decision to accept that job? Who does that help? While I understand some managers are not actually fit to manage other people, and that can cause a lot of tension between those managers and their employees, the manager in this Reddit story definitely seemed like he was acting as a bad manager on purpos…
View List
‘I simply didn't want you to come’: Entitled coworker gets excluded from coworker's birthday party, confronts entire office about it, but gets shut down by the birthday celebrator

‘I simply didn't want you to come’: Entitled coworker gets excluded from coworker's birthday party, confronts entire office about it, but gets shut down by the birthday celebrator

Is there a stage in our lives when we should stop throwing birthday parties to ourselves? Probably. Birthday parties are overrated, pointless, and most importantly, a cause for drama. It does not mean one should not enjoy their birthday and celebrate the day they were born, but when you are 30 and still get excited about balloons and birthday cakes, drama is surely on the way. This Reddit story is a good example of that drama, and although I do not think the drama was the fault of the birthday…
View List
Advertisement

Hot Today

Advertisement