It's important for job seekers to know what to ask if they are worried about a toxic work environment. Oftentimes, it takes experience in a prior toxic workplace to know what those red flags are. However, every so often, there is a friend or colleague who is willing to share their tough experiences so that you don't have to endure the same trials and tribulations. Consider this the polar opposite of “paying your dues,” an outdated concept that tends to allow for the continuation of bad workplac…

In every office, there is at least one uptight coworker and one coworker who thinks he's a good guy but is a total devil. The former example can certainly be annoying and frustrating at times, but it's par for the course in a workplace environment. However, the latter is a wildly toxic presence that often needs to be excised immediately. With this story , we have a prankster who shared his “win” against an uptight coworker, only to get completely roasted in the comments section. Most folks joke…

Why is it that so many bosses are too concerned with enforcing minor rules rather than focusing on what should be their priorities? The answers are almost related to money and ego. If it's money, you have a boss who can only think about budget, budget, budget, and nothing else. There's no concern for the wellbeing of your employees and, in some cases like this one, there isn't even much thought given to the overall wellbeing of the company (i.e. sometimes, overtime is necessary to keep things a…

HR's logic doesn't get much more flawed than this. Imagine having a sick coworker who needs to go on medical leave but their employer will only let them do so if the other employees donate their own PTO time to said medical leave. We have so many questions about the logistics of this. First of all, is the CEO or head honcho going to donate their PTO? Something tells me the answer to that question is a resounding no. Secondly, how is this even allowed? This kind of guilt tripping will make emplo…

It's almost inevitable that traveling with your boss will lead to an uncomfortable situation. These unforeseen circumstances typically cannot be prevented, but at the end of the day, you're forced to navigate a cringeworthy dynamic with your employer that will make returning to the office after the work trip all the more bizarre and challenging. These cringe moments can include an odd quirk or eccentricity you learn about your boss or your boss learns about you. For instance, I once had a boss…

It seems like everyone has had at least one job that made them dread going into work every day . It's the kind of job that gives you a pit in your stomach as you set your alarm clock for the next day. As you drive to work, you're gritting your teeth thinking about what irritating thing your boss or coworkers are going to do that day. Sometimes it takes a little while to realize you dislike your job. But once you realize, it gets harder and harder to be happy there. You might start daydreaming a…

This former employee refused to go quietly. Unfortunately, he was let go after just six weeks at the company due to sudden mid-quarter layoffs. That meant with such little time at the company, he would not be able to put this on his resume as such a brief stint there most certainly would raise eyebrows rather than help him find work elsewhere. This, along with poor management and a toxic work environment, led him to ensure that his final acts would be petty. When he was asked to return his work…

At what point will hiring managers just acknowledge that the reason why people are applying is always ultimately about a paycheck? Sure, sometimes there can be passion that motivates an applicant to apply for a particular position, but a paycheck is a paycheck and people need money to live. That's the point of work. With that in mind, no one should dress a job up to be anything else during the application process. It also should not be a bad thing if a candidate states that they want a certain…

There is a special place in heaven for employees who discover loopholes and share about them with their fellow coworkers. It’s perhaps the most rewarding phenomenon within the battlefield that is toxic workplace culture. The only thing better than discovering a loophole within company policy is, well, being treated well by your company. However, we’re realists over here, and we understand that proper treatment of all employees is merely the stuff of dreams. This story, however, surely provides…

Imagine how this employee's wife responded to this guilt-tripping. It probably does not bear repeating, but maternity and paternity leave are an inherent part of workers' rights. We all know that being a parent of someone at any age is a full-time job in and of itself. Being the parent of a newborn is like having five full-time jobs at once, and that does not include someone's actual full-time job. To that end, there is no point, especially in this day and age, in a toxic boss trying to shame a…

Imagine finally summoning the courage to quit your job, and when you finally do, they refuse to leave you alone. Make no mistake: it takes a ton of courage to work oneself up to the place of finally calling it quits. At this point, an employee in this situation has likely considered every pro and con. By the time they schedule a meeting to confront their employer, they have 100% made their decision. So begging and pleading will not do any good. Furthermore, if the employer is totally blindsided…

Sending a message to the wrong recipient is a classic mistake that most of the time, is minor. Sending an embarrassing workout video to your entire team of new coworkers is not exactly a minor error. Thankfully, I have yet to find myself in a similar situation where I have embarrassed myself to that extent in a workplace environment. However, I have on occasion texted an unkind thought about a family member or a date to that very person. There may be ways to unsend messages now given advancemen…

Sometimes, abrupt decisions need to be made, but in this case, a heads-up would have been nice. The fact that the head honchos in this scenario decided to wait until all staff had gone home one night only to shut down the store indefinitely at 9:28 pm already signals the incompetence of management. But of course, it only gets worse. With absolutely no warning, this toxic boss decided to notify the entire staff via text message that everyone was getting let go. What gets us is the hypocrisy of p…

Sometimes, embellishing a resume can come back to haunt you forever. Obviously, honesty is the best policy, but it can be tempting to over-exaggerate in such a competitive job market. It can be hard to stand out. Sometimes, it's even accidental. Perhaps the way you phrased something on your resume gave the hiring recruiter the wrong impression of your skillset. Look, we know that scenario is likely quite rare, but we often side with job candidates here at FAIL Blog. This time, however, we're go…

This one goes out to the people who have to deal with die-hard football fans on a regular basis. Perhaps this person in your life is your partner, and every Sunday night during football season is filled with lots of shouting at the TV. Perhaps it's a family member who refuses to talk about anything else at the dinner table, even when it's between seasons. Or if you're like this employee, perhaps that big football fan in your life is your employer and you simply cannot relate to their obsession.…

Some managers need to learn to have some patience. Not every issue is worth the time and energy to throw a tantrum and get on a high horse. There are often far more important things to be done and far more productive ways to channel any frustrations. But when has a manager ever listened to what we have to say over here at FAIL Blog? This manager certainly did not take our advice. She also clearly had some major anger management issues, considering that when she confronted a server about a hash…