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toxic-work-environment

'Early is on time, on time is late': Boss accuses employee of being the 'queen of tardiness,' employee stands her ground

'Early is on time, on time is late': Boss accuses employee of being the 'queen of tardiness,' employee stands her ground

Bosses who are annoying about promptness should be focusing their attention on far more pressing matters. Whatever happened to focusing on their own tasks and responsibilities? Whatever happened to ensuring that the employees on their team are supported and fulfilled (well, as fulfilled as they can be given the circumstances of work)? Whatever happened to minding their own dang business? In work-related matters such as this, we often go back to our mantra that if the work gets done and gets don…
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'I was still on the receiving end of pettiness':: Employee moves away from coworkers, they leave an urn on her desk with the message 'ashes of problem employees'

'I was still on the receiving end of pettiness':: Employee moves away from coworkers, they leave an urn on her desk with the message 'ashes of problem employees'

It's giving middle school behavior, not workplace professionalism. When it comes to office dynamics, it can be common for some healthy, playful teasing among coworkers. This kind of behavior is always risky, though, since there's a fine line between teasing and bullying. Furthermore, this is a work environment and not a friend group hangout. Teasing of any kind can be quickly misinterpreted. Now, when it comes to this group of terrible coworkers, we think it's crystal clear that this goes far b…
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'This was a massive waste of my time': Cashier forced to get a doctor's note so she can drink water during her shift, doctor writes savage takedown of management

'This was a massive waste of my time': Cashier forced to get a doctor's note so she can drink water during her shift, doctor writes savage takedown of management

It comes as no surprise that at most companies, management tends to periodically enforce tone-deaf rules that can make employees feel undervalued. Sometimes that comes in the form of a new organizational structure, altered schedules, or reinforcing certain ways of doing things that employees know with certainty do not work. However, it comes with the territory of working at a company where management is largely absent but weirdly strict. In this case, we have a pharmacy that shall not be named…
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'My colleagues are all 8am until 5:30pm. My contract is for 9 to 5pm': HR makes a mistake with new employee's contract, employee refuses to let them change it

'My colleagues are all 8am until 5:30pm. My contract is for 9 to 5pm': HR makes a mistake with new employee's contract, employee refuses to let them change it

If HR makes a mistake like this, that's on them, not the employee! Employees are expected to be diligent in their paperwork, so shouldn't we expect the same from our managers and HR staff when they're drafting our employment contracts? There are so many instances as employees where we are expected to own our mistakes and stick with them. Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to all the horrible bosses out there because folks, it's a two-way street! This thread was posted to Reddit by u/Ex…
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'No talk of raise, promotion, or even when they'd get a replacement': Coworker gets denied promotion, employee asked to take on their work without a raise, quits

'No talk of raise, promotion, or even when they'd get a replacement': Coworker gets denied promotion, employee asked to take on their work without a raise, quits

Let this story serve as a cautionary tale: always be sure to get the raise before you take on the extra work. This employee and their coworker learned that the hard way, though the coworker had a much harder time. Once upon a time, their team of three was a well-run machine. It was just the two of them and their manager, the work was well-divided, and everyone enjoyed a healthy separation between their job and their personal life. Eventually, their manager left for a better opportunity. Rather…
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Top Ten ‘HR Is Not Your Friend’ Stories

Top Ten ‘HR Is Not Your Friend’ Stories

We know that the HR team members are humans too, but that doesn't make us friends! You might be one of those working folks who has managed to successfully form friendship bonds with your coworkers. Perhaps you have a work spouse. Perhaps you occasionally grab a drink with your team outside of work hours. Perhaps you text each other memes and pop culture news every day. Obviously, this kind of friendship is necessary. You're spending more time with your coworkers than with most people in your li…
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'Stay calm, she is only joking': Man gets called an embarrassing name in front of his colleagues, but HR shrugs it off

What would you do if none of your coworkers defended you from name-calling?
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'Don't believe I have the flu?': Night shift worker forced to come into work despite illness, maliciously complies and gets sick in front of boss

'Don't believe I have the flu?': Night shift worker forced to come into work despite illness, maliciously complies and gets sick in front of boss

Some toxic work environments have got to amend their sick day policies. Here, we have an employee who was told that he had to come into work to be assessed about whether or not they were truly sick enough. The Redditor explained that as a night shift supervisor, there were instances in which this kind of assessment was important. However, when it came to illness, it's better for everyone involved if employers just took the employee's word for it. Not only is it best for everyone involved health…
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'I am fed up': Boss's girlfriend rejects the way employee does her job, employee maliciously complies and quits

'I am fed up': Boss's girlfriend rejects the way employee does her job, employee maliciously complies and quits

It's one thing for your boss to boss you around, as it is literally their job to do that. It's quite another when the person bossing you around is your boss's girlfriend. This bookstore employee came up with a system to manage customer orders that involved a little extra double-checking when each order was processed but ultimately meant fewer phone calls confirming orders to customers, as repeat phone calls were clearly bothering the customer base. Sounds like a pretty good system and the emplo…
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'It’s now 15 days late': Ex-boss refuses to send final paycheck to former employee, employee considers filing class action lawsuit

'It’s now 15 days late': Ex-boss refuses to send final paycheck to former employee, employee considers filing class action lawsuit

One of the joys of the Internet is the ability to learn all about someone's problem and see how they handled it and what their options were so that if you were in a similar situation, you would know exactly what to do. This is especially true of workplace drama, where social taboos around money and work can keep employees and coworkers from communicating with one another when something is up. But that's where the Internet steps in, and in this case, we have a Reddit story that maps out just wha…
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'Tell me how you provide value to the organization': CEO confronts employees in the elevator as layoffs approach

'Tell me how you provide value to the organization': CEO confronts employees in the elevator as layoffs approach

Having a conversation with your CEO is not necessarily easy, especially if he's asking you to defend your presence at the company during an elevator ride.
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'I was never asked to buy donuts again': New employee constantly bothered about needing to buy donuts for everyone in the office, maliciously complies

'I was never asked to buy donuts again': New employee constantly bothered about needing to buy donuts for everyone in the office, maliciously complies

Some office traditions can boost overall morale, while others can cause bad blood among coworkers. Sure, in theory, the concept of having weekly treats provided by a different coworker is fair, fun, and democratic. However, there are certain coworkers who have such intensity when it comes to these office traditions that these weekly snack parties no longer provide the fresh bit of community and enjoyment that they once did. Now, they are a competitive, mean-spirited hassle. Perhaps once it felt…
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'I do all of their work': Boss takes credit for employee's work, CEO tells employee she is making no impact on the company

'I do all of their work': Boss takes credit for employee's work, CEO tells employee she is making no impact on the company

Imagine learning that your boss has been taking credit for all of your work and that the CEO of your company has absolutely no idea what you do on a day-to-day basis. We all know that when situations like these arise, the truth is often the exact opposite of what the CEO has seemingly gathered. The truth is probably that the employee's day-to-day is filled with fulfilling not only their personal job responsibilities but also with picking up the slack as a result of the subpar work of everyone e…
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'My old boss finally [got] what he deserved': Employee denied promotion despite already doing the work, maliciously complies and gets fired, store forced to close

'He answered that I was not qualified, nor smart enough to do this job': Employee denied promotion, maliciously complies and causes store to close down

The number of red flags based on this boss's behavior alone is astronomical. Let's start with his refusal to promote this employee, who shared his story via Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. The employee was more than qualified for the position after having worked at the store for several years directly under the last person who had the job. Additionally, he had stepped in to take over the position for a period and proved his worth. Yet somehow, his boss refused to acknowledge his contr…
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'My job took away our chairs': New manager reprimands employees, makes them stand for full eight hour shifts

'My job took away our chairs': New manager reprimands employees, makes them stand for full eight hour shifts

It should be required to permit sitting down when needed for any and all jobs.
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'Approve my 1-week PTO or accept my 2-week notice': IT guy denied PTO request until after he trains his nepo baby boss, employee gives ultimatum

'Approve my 1-week PTO or accept my 2-week notice': IT guy denied PTO request until after he trains his nepo baby boss, employee gives ultimatum

There are some ridiculous demands that employees simply should not have to put up with at work. For instance, if you are guaranteed a certain amount of vacation days, there shouldn't be any sort of “quid pro quo” agreement involved. If those days are guaranteed per the employee's contract, there should be no negotiation whatsoever. This Redditor shared a story about how his new boss, who just so happens to be the CEO's
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