We all know how hard it is to advocate for yourself in the workplace. It's so easy to take on more responsibility than what your job typically requires of you, and before you know it, you've set a precedent that you can take on all this extra work for no extra pay. Eventually, you burn out, and you realize that there is not much you can do to salvage the situation unless you talk to your boss directly about your workload and your pay. You finally psyche yourself up to have this meeting. You wal…

Your first day at a new job is nerve-wracking and awkward, as you're just getting used to your new surroundings, and meeting a ton of new people that may or may not end up making your life difficult. Getting along with new coworkers is a hard task, because you haven't quite made your name yet in the office or industry you're working in, and people can take advantage of the fact that you're new. My own anxiety only begins to wean once I'm a few months in, and less embarrassed to stand up for mys…

Best way to get back at your boss? Give them a fake gift! Apparently, that's the lesson learned after this Redditor got some much needed petty revenge on her manipulative and problematic employer. First off, let's start with some background on this guy. He forced OP to work 13-hour shifts with no OT while feeding that whole “paying your dues” narrative. Additionally, he would have outbursts, both verbal and physical in the workplace. However, at the same time, he kept pestering OP to get him fr…

If they come up with an excuse to not give you a raise right then and there, they aren't likely to change their minds any time soon. There are a lot of nonsensical reasons your bosses might give when they're denying your raise and/or promotion. They could pretend there's a freeze on raises given the current fragile economy. Or they could make up an excuse about some bogus rule regarding when they grant raises and promotions. That second reason was exactly the line that was fed to this employee,…

Businesses love to brag about their company culture , but their curated image doesn't always match the reality of working there. These employees, who replied to u/terpkawa's question, had a lot to say about that. The OP asked Redditors about the times they worked for companies that touted amazing cultures or benefits, but then really did not deliver. It's nearly impossible to tell from the outset what it'll be like to work somewhere, no matter how closely you look for red flags during the inter…

When working retail and customer service, you're playing a constant tug-of-war with customers over policy, laws, and even the simple ethics of trading—and it's not uncommon to have someone standing in front of you passionately quoting some piece of slightly relevant legislation their aunt's friend told them about, with flecks of spittle flying in all directions. The only problem is that they clearly don't fully comprehend the trading act that they're quoting, but there's no way they're going to…

This sounds like any job candidate's worst nightmare.

Some of these pranks took major dedication. If I had the kind of follow-through that these folks had, I would definitely go as far as these people. I mean, if one can barely get through one's work tasks each day, how does one find the time to play a prank on one's annoying coworkers? However, if I could find that time and motivation, I'd be taking lots of inspiration from these Redditors, who shared their office pranks via this r/AskReddit thread. Some of these pranks include the classic “stapl…

Receiving a pay raise of just $1 would be slightly offensive after proving your loyalty for nearly five years.

There's always that coworker who throws shade at everyone else for having boundaries at work.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you… unless of course, that hand isn't yet feeding you. Sometimes you can't know these things beforehand. As told by u/kaltics, this is a story of petty revenge that went a little further than initially intended. OP was working as a retail store manager but was promptly demoted during a mass redundancy thanks to their boss and the obvious managerial differences they had between them. Upper management, huh? OP was mad enough that they were seriously considering qui…

Picture this: you get called into a Zoom meeting with your boss and HR. You have a suspicious feeling what this call could be about… You've been hearing about the possibility of layoffs. You've been preparing yourself emotionally for this moment. You take a few deep breaths, try to smile your way through the pain, and you log onto the Zoom call. Just when your boss says the exact words you were praying they wouldn't say (those words being “today is your last day”), all of a sudden, you've been…

Well, which one is it? Useless or essential to the business? Contrary to what some managers believe, you don't get to have it both ways. If you treat your staff poorly, they're probably not going to have your interests—or the interests of the business—close to heart. Conversely, treating staff with decency and giving them agency will help you maintain a thriving and successful business. No one likes to have their hand held, no one likes to be micromanaged, and certainly, no one is going to reac…

We know all too well at this point that job postings can misrepresent aspects of a position, but we're not sure we've seen someone go through the entire hiring process and learn just how different her responsibilities would be after the fact… until now. This candidate went through multiple rounds of interviews thinking she was up for an “assistant” position. She was content with the amount of work and responsibilities that were laid out for her throughout the hiring process. However, once she f…

As a new boss, this person assumed she already knew everything there was to know about her new role . Unfortunately for her, the employees at this place knew exactly what would happen if she didn't do her job correctly. This OP shared their story of the time they worked in an elder care facility . They write that when they first began the job, they had a great boss who seemed to really care about the patients, ensuring that they were well cared for and had plenty of activities to fill their day…

This coworker was a bit too easy to talk to in the office. We've all had these coworkers among us. The ones who manage to be able to talk incessantly throughout the work day. Meanwhile, you're sitting there wondering how they're able to get all their work done every day. Personally, I am not one of these coworkers. Sometimes, it's been hours since I spoke last because I get a bit too laser-focused. Sometimes, I'm simply not in the mood to socialize. So you can imagine that I was at first a bit…