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toxic-boss

Boss takes away construction workers' stereo, middle manager defends the team and buys them a new one: 'He didn't expect me to advocate for them'

Boss takes away construction workers' stereo, middle manager defends the team and buys them a new one: 'He didn't expect me to advocate for them'

Imagine being such a micromanager that you feel the need to enforce what music your employees can listen to while they work. As I am sure you are all well aware, music is one of the few things that can provide momentum and levity through the difficult monotony of the workday. What's more, the employees in this scenario are construction workers. They have to do tough manual labor, oftentimes in the heat, day in and day out. If they want to listen to music on a stereo while they work, they should…
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'If I catch that you were slacking off or lying, you are fired': Law partner demands summer associate to update him on whereabouts at all times, malicious compliance ensues

'If I catch that you were slacking off or lying, you are fired': Law partner demands summer associate to update him on whereabouts at all times, malicious compliance ensues

This is what it looks like when justice is served. This law partner may have been working in the industry for decades, but his outdated way of approaching workplace dynamics became a major problem. It seems like he's the kind of boss who chooses one lowly employee to direct all of his anger and frustration toward, as if there is nothing said person can do to meet his desires sufficiently. Unfortunately for this summer associate , they became the target of all his antics. Most of this unfair tre…
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Accountant forced to cover front desk, coworkers see company salaries on his computer screen, they all quit: 'The other employees were livid'

Accountant forced to cover front desk, coworkers see company salaries on his computer screen, they all quit: 'The other employees were livid'

Here's a good rule of thumb: if an employee is handling confidential information, then it's probably not a good idea to let them do their work out in the open. This accountant tried to warn his new manager that it wasn't a good idea for him to cover the front desk on this particular workday, as he was doing payroll (and was the only person in the company capable of handling payroll). It wasn't that the accountant felt “above it" in any way; he knew that from time to time, the accountants in his…
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'There is no such thing as business ethics': Top HR nightmare stories featuring entitled bosses and unprofessional coworkers

'There is no such thing as business ethics': Top HR nightmare stories featuring entitled bosses and unprofessional coworkers

Working in human resources requires keeping a lot of drama to yourself. This poses a problem for those of us on the internet who want all the juicy gossip about all the messed up workplace environments so that we can feel ever so slightly better about our own messed up workplace situations. Thankfully, these HR employees were bold enough to share their stories and spill the tea for the rest of us. It comes as no surprise to report that the vast majority of these anecdotes involve those at the t…
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‘Enough was enough’: Tired team fired by boss after complaining about unreasonable expectations regarding workload

‘Enough was enough’: Company employees confront management about overwhelming workload, boss fires entire team as a result

Entitled bosses can lose out on great talent as a result of their massive egos. “He is now down to 2 employees from the 9 he started with.”
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'[My] signed 20k contract is [...] nowhere to be found': HR informs employee that his signing bonus is $10K instead of promised $20K

'[My] signed 20k contract is [...] nowhere to be found': HR informs employee that his signing bonus is $10K instead of promised $20K

Always document everything!
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Boss asks employees to take $5,000 out of each paycheck to be team players: 'My management actually has the nerve to ask me to be paid less'

Boss asks employees to take $5,000 out of each paycheck to be team players: 'My management actually has the nerve to ask me to be paid less'

Imagine gathering for a company meeting and hearing about all the great work everyone's doing, only to be asked to take massive pay cuts. This was not exactly the greatest display of a healthy company culture. Essentially, this executive at the company, who rarely shows her face and has next to no relationship with the Redditor and the other coworkers on their team, decided that the best way for the company to remain healthy was for everyone to elect a certain amount of money to be deducted fro…
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'I am so sick of these meetings': Micromanager adds 10+ hours of meetings to employee's schedule to review why not enough work is getting done

'I am so sick of these meetings': Micromanager adds 10+ hours of meetings to employee's schedule to review why not enough work is getting done

Let this story serve as yet another reminder to managers and supervisors everywhere that if it can be communicated in an email, there is absolutely no need for a meeting. Here is another tale of a micromanager who seems to be so concerned with their employee's level of productivity and has zero self-awareness considering the fact that they have been repeatedly adding 10+ hours of meetings every week. But then again, who is genuinely surprised here? Micromanagers never realize that they are ofte…
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'When I say I'm not available, I mean it': Employee berated by boss after last minute schedule outside his available hours

'When I say I'm not available, I mean it': Employee berated by boss after being scheduled outside his available hours

This manager has some audacity for placing blame on their employee!
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20+ lame corporate gifts and bonuses for longtime employees: 'It was a pen. Not a nice pen.'

20+ lame corporate gifts and bonuses for longtime employees: 'It was a pen. Not a nice pen.'

Never underestimate your employer's ability to let you down. Picture this: your annual review is coming up. You're coming on five years at a company without a meaningful promotion or raise despite always receiving encouraging and positive feedback. You have made it known over the past several months that you really would like something meaningful this time around. Finally, the day has arrived. You walk into the meeting and your boss immediately thanks you for all of your hard work. He says he h…
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'I no longer work here, remember?': Employee's two-week notice rejected, asked to leave immediately but still help with transition, she claps back

'I no longer work here, remember?': Employee's two-week notice rejected, asked to leave immediately but still help with transition, she claps back

Bad bosses can't have their cake and eat it too!
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Employee gets demoted, salary gets cut in half despite four years at the company: 'I now make less than the new college graduate I trained in last year'

Employee gets demoted, salary gets cut in half despite four years at the company: 'I now make less than the new college graduate I trained in last year'

Imagine putting in four years at a company and expecting a glowing performance review, only to learn that instead, you are being demoted and your salary will be cut in half effective immediately. The justification, of course, was not exactly specific either. In fact, the employee's tasks and responsibilities had not exactly changed month after a month in the “new” position. Of course, the boss found silly and meaningless synonyms to replace the Redditor's former job description to make it seem…
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Employee figures out toxic boss is watching their every move and no one else, plans payback: ''The camera is pointed directly at me'

Employee figures out toxic boss is watching their every move and no one else, plans payback: 'The camera is pointed directly at me'

It's easy to feel like your boss is always watching over you like a hawk, and nine times out of ten, they have more important things to be doing than monitoring your every move. However, every so often, you may find yourself in a sticky situation where your greatest suspicions have been confirmed, and you are stuck in one of those toxic work environments that everyone writes about on the internet these days. When this happens, the key is to immediately start thinking about ways to protect yours…
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'Sorry, boss. I got other plans': Boss confronts employee about not attending weekend work party, employee tells boss to reschedule work events for the actual work day

'Sorry, boss. I got other plans': Boss confronts employee about not attending weekend work party, employee tells boss to reschedule work events for the actual work day

Socializing with one's coworkers is important, but why does it have to take up so much of one's personal time? Sure, these events are typically not in the office. They might be at a bar, a restaurant, or the boss's home, which is ten times nicer than anything you could ever afford. The reality of the matter is that regardless of location, you're still networking with your coworkers. You're still on the job. It doesn't matter if food and drink are on the company because your time is actively bei…
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Fast food worker quits without notice, manager tries to get away with paying minimum wage for his final paycheck: 'The pay is still void because there was no two week notice'

Fast food worker quits without notice, manager tries to get away with paying minimum wage for his final paycheck: 'The pay is still void because there was no two week notice'

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder that giving two weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement. If you do end up quitting without giving two weeks, that does not mean you are relinquishing any other prior rights as an employee. To translate to this specific scenario, your boss cannot dock your final pay because of your choice to quit on the spot. In this instance, we have a fast food employee who used to work at a very well-known establishment famous for its donuts (if you catch our drift).…
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20+ times bosses caught their employees breaking the rules: 'Employees honestly think I don't notice when they're ASLEEP!'

20+ times bosses caught their employees breaking the rules: 'Employees honestly think I don't notice when they're ASLEEP!'

No employee can be “on” all the time. Everyone needs a break during the work day to recharge, zone out, and center
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