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toxic-workplace

‘Everyone was bitter about it’: Boss refuses to pay employees for mandatory work trip

‘Everyone was bitter about it’: Boss refuses to pay employees for mandatory work trip

There are so many problematic layers to this tale of a horrible boss and her underpaid employees. Not only were they pressured to attend a mandatory unpaid work trip, but also they were threatened with retaliation if they failed to go. Furthermore, when the employees arrived, they learned that they were expected to share hotel rooms with their coworkers. And here comes the best part: in each room, two coworkers were given one bed to share. It doesn’t get more lawsuit-worthy than that. Now, did…
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‘Let go after one day’: New receptionist pressured to work longer shift on first day, gets fired after standing up to boss

‘Let go after one day’: New receptionist pressured to work longer shift on first day, gets fired after standing up to boss

Typically when you accept a position, you and your new employer have agreed upon some set rules and expectations that neither party is meant to violate. In non-toxic work environments, we call this a contract. But in toxic work environments around the world, contracts tend to not matter to awful employers. When this happens, do not forget your power as an employee, even if you’re a new employee, to stand your ground. This thread was posted to Reddit by u/marora25 , who was hired primarily as a…
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‘Someone was stealing from the party fund’: Engineer devises plan to catch thieving nepo-baby the next time he steals from the office party fund

‘Someone was stealing from the party fund’: Engineer devises plan to catch thieving nepo-baby the next time he steals from the office party fund

It’s one thing to have to deal with an annoying nepo-baby in the office; it’s quite when that nepo baby has not only proven himself to be incompetent but also that he’s been stealing from the communal party fund. This is the fund that the Redditor manages and that employees to for the office Christmas party. Clearly, this nepo-baby thought he was so slick that he would never get caught in the act. Thankfully, this engineer used his skills to create a contraption that would not only catch his le…
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'I'm afraid to go back to work': Employee makes the mistake of becoming her problematic coworker's best friend, now requests to move offices

'I'm afraid to go back to work': Employee makes the mistake of becoming her problematic coworker's best friend, now requests to move offices

There is a reason why one should never get too close to one's coworkers. Now, you are meant to see these people five days a week for at least eight hours a day. Of course, it is totally natural to make friends with at least some of your coworkers. You can't ignore the fact that you see them more often than your real friends. Furthermore, grabbing a drink or a bite to eat after work is a natural extension of those relationships. You are by no means obligated to do so, but it is not a blurring bo…
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'I even have a fake degree hanging up in my study': 15+ times people lied on their resumes and got the job

'I even have a fake degree hanging up in my study': 15+ times people lied on their resumes and got the job

Did I miss the memo or is everyone embellishing their resumes these days? I understand the concept of editing your resume to make it more tailored to a specific job you're hoping to get. For instance, if you're applying for a job in social media and you want to be sure your CV is highlighting your actual experience in that field, you might edit your resume so that you can go into greater detail on that subject. That being said, fabricating degrees and prior experience is something that is far t…
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'My colleagues have literally been brainwashed': Sales team pressured to give $100 each for a group gift to their boss, one worker refuses and causes rift

'My colleagues have literally been brainwashed': Sales team pressured to give $100 each for a Holiday gift to their boss, one worker refuses and causes rift

Company Holiday gifts should flow down the chain, not upward to management. Employees are pressured to take on extra duties and responsibilities all the time under the sometimes false promises of promotions and rewards. So after an entire year of that pressure, how is it this common that employees might then be doubly pressured to pitch in money to give a gift to their boss? I suppose if this kind of gift-giving were reciprocated, that would be slightly more acceptable. I suppose if it were man…
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'We can’t go home early anymore? Sure! Not a problem:' Manager protects team by maliciously complying to new rules, changing scheduled hours during shifts so workers can leave early

'We can’t go home early anymore? Sure! Not a problem:' Manager protects team by maliciously complying to new rules, changing scheduled hours during shifts so workers can leave early

Staying until the end of the day when your work is complete should not be a sign of a good employee. If the work is done well, nothing else should be questioned. Staying late is a sign of poor boundaries between work and life, nothing more and nothing less. Let this also be a friendly reminder that any extra work or help with other tasks after one's regular work expectations are fulfilled is a gift and a favor, not an added responsibility. Thankfully, in this story, we have the rare instance of…
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Update: 'Her boss does this every year': Boss makes workers fight over a piñata filled with money at the Christmas Party

Update: 'Her boss does this every year': Boss makes workers fight over a piñata filled with money at the Christmas Party

Why does it feel like this is giving Squid Game ? This boss decided that it was a good idea to have his employees fight over a piñata filled with money at the office Christmas party year after year. You would think given recent cultural conversations about toxic work environments that perhaps this dude would rethink this annual practice, but nope! This year, he decided to do it yet again. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit by u/schotte420 , whose girlfriend worked at this m…
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'They fired me for not showing up to a shift they didn't schedule': New employee blamed for company's online training malfunction, fired before starting

'They fired me for not showing up to a shift they didn't schedule': New employee blamed for company's online training malfunction, fired before starting

Who wants to work at a company that can't even get their training program to work? Let's go a step further. Who wants to work at a company that blames new employees for their total dysfunction and lack of organization? Although the circumstances of this employee's dismissal were certainly not ideal, it's fair to say that they dodged a bullet early and that it's better this way. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit, and folks in the comments section were quick to add suggestio…
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'Are you refusing to help your coworkers?': Manager pressures employee to help with holiday decorating competition, employee resists then maliciously complies

'Are you refusing to help your coworkers?': Manager pressures employee to help with holiday decorating competition, employee resists then maliciously complies

The ways in which the Holidays creep into the workplace can result in completely unwanted behavior from coworkers and managers. This can manifest itself at Holiday parties, and in this case, Christmas decoration competitions. This Redditor shared their story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit, chronicling how every year, the various departments at their office participate in a decorating competition. This sounds fun in theory, but in practice, it's just extra work. OP w…
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'[Boss] started screaming like a petulant child': Tech worker poached by rival dealer, worker gives boss the opportunity to match the offer, boss loses it

'[Boss] started screaming like a petulant child': Tech worker poached by rival dealer, worker gives boss the opportunity to match the offer, boss loses it

Here's a friendly reminder that giving two weeks' notice is a courtesy, not a requirement. And if you are met with anger or resistance or any unwanted tension from your employer during those final two weeks, you have absolutely no obligation to stay. This tech worker at a dealer learned that the hard way after being poached by a rival dealer. He was fully transparent to his boss that if the other owner accepted his asking wage, he would consider it but would give his current boss the opportunit…
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'He enjoys firing people': Airline service provider's PTO retroactively denied by conflict-friendly new manager, employee claps back

'He enjoys firing people': Airline service provider's PTO retroactively denied by conflict-friendly new manager, employee claps back

There is nothing like a new manager coming in and messing up the structure and workflow that was functioning so well for literally everyone else. It's a classic conundrum that can manifest itself across all industries. That being said, it becomes particularly infuriating when these sudden changes affect you personally. This airline service provider submitted a PTO request for the Holiday season way back in October. The request was approved and all was well. But the new manager, who apparently w…
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'[Boss] expected her employees to share beds': Principal demands teachers share beds for mandatory unpaid work trip, one teacher refuses, gets reprimanded

'[Boss] expected her employees to share beds': Principal demands teachers share beds for mandatory unpaid work trip, one teacher refuses, gets reprimanded

There are so many potential red flags when it comes to work trips. Let's start with expenses. If it's not all-expense paid, there better be a good reason. That doesn't mean the flight and hotels. I'm talking breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, and snacks. That's right, we workers are not playing around anymore. Then there's the issue of the quality of the hotel. Do not settle for your boss getting some janky old room at the nearest motel. The situation needs to be just as convenient and nice for…
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'Employer is trying [...] to force me to resign': Boss tries to cheat employee out of unemployment compensation, also denies PTO request

'Employer is trying [...] to force me to resign': Boss tries to cheat employee out of unemployment compensation, also denies PTO request

Someone make sure this employee is getting in touch with a lawyer ASAP. If you are new to the workforce, please take this unsolicited advice from this group of complete non-experts here at FAIL Blog: do not ever let your boss try to pressure you into signing a resignation letter. If you have or have ever had a boss try to get away with this nonsense, please know that they could not be more transparent in their ridiculous attempts to get out of providing any unemployment compensation. Now, there…
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'We didn't sell enough to pay you guys': Bakery owner late on payroll, employee calls her out, boss send condescending text

'We didn't sell enough to pay you guys': Bakery owner late on payroll, employee calls her out, boss sends condescending text

Imagine your boss not paying you and then giving you a lecture about your inability to handle finances well! It takes a special kind of cognitive dissonance and tunnel vision to have that level of audacity. It's the kind of narcissistic “main character syndrome” behavior we have seen in a lot of anecdotes about horrible bosses here at FAIL Blog. What's especially amusing here, however, is that when this boss was backed into a corner about being late on payroll, instead of owning up to her mista…
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'I have cost the company $12. I quit': Employee shamed for scanning food item incorrectly, quits on the spot, managers have to scramble

'I have cost the company $12. I quit': Employee shamed for scanning food item incorrectly, quits on the spot, managers have to scramble

Managers who make a big fuss over small mistakes should be careful. Otherwise, they might end up losing all their employees one by one. No one is saying that being detail-oriented on the job is not important. Of course, it's important. But there's a way to motivate employees to pay attention to those details without making them feel like nothing they do is correct. Moreover, it's also equally important (if not more so) to empower your employees and make them feel welcome, at the very least. Her…
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