Sometimes the warning signs that you might not want to work somewhere are readily apparent as if someone commissioned them to be made in neon and hung in the lobby for all to see. Other times, they're not so obvious, and it's highly likely you won't notice them until you've started working there and have learned to read between the lines. These workers came together in a viral internet thread to share their stories and experiences to help uncover some of the things that we might be missing in i…

Rules are usually there for a reason, but sometimes that reason is that a middle manager was bored and didn't have any actual work to do to pass the time. https://amp.cheezburger.com/20248581/i-am-in-dress-code-boss-shortsightedly-bans-shorts-but-not-kilts This worker was told off for wearing shorts to work by their new boss. They went home and consulted the employee handbook and were disappointed to find that the defined dress code backed up the boss's tirade. However, the dress code said noth…

What often gets lost in translation in our workplace culture is how important leave is. In fact, it's just as important as the work itself. From a business-first perspective, you need to be able to maintain an appropriate work-life balance in order to remain at peak effectiveness. Even if you're someone who is all about your career, taking time off will help you come back refreshed and reinvigorated—with the right headspace and fresh ideas to tackle your job. This worker shared their story of h…

Taking credit for your subordinate's work is a part of being in charge. After all, if you're managing the team, delegating, and making things work, you deserve it—partly. However, it's incredibly important to give credit where credit's due and recognize the people who actually did the work, came up with the ideas, and put in the time; pretending you did it yourself is dishonest and a good way to get a whole lot of bad karma barreling down on you. Plus, you might end up in a circumstance like th…

The illusion of power is absolutely real.

Interviewing for a new job can be tough, especially when the employer has unreasonable expectations about the job they're hiring for. Common examples of this will be wildly unmatched desired levels of experience versus compensation on offer or an advertised position that has just too many duties for one person to reasonably attend to. This usually means that the job is a non-starter and not worth pursuing. The employer is constantly going to be disappointed by the tasks that aren't being comple…

The leave approval process exists for one reason and one reason only: To ensure that workers have a proper guarantee and assurance that they will be able to be absent on the submitted dates before spending money and making social commitments. It's a rather simple process, black and white, really; can the employee take leave or not? Yes or no? Well, this manager decided to introduce a whopping massive grey area into the middle of “Yes” or “No” by first saying yes, forgetting they had approved th…

This manager found their workload increased dramatically when their co-manager was fired for a ridiculous reason. They then had to operate the entire store alone, which was rife with unique issues. The boss continued to be pettier and pettier. When they finally hired a replacement co-manager, they expected the manager to "cut their hours" immediately, which led to the titular confrontation. This thread was posted to r/MaliciousCompliance by the manager in the story, Redditor u/A-Stackhouse. Whe…

Problems will present themselves in our lives with a constant certain predictability—it's how we go about solving those problems that determines the course it will take. Say you have a bad boss or are otherwise unhappy with your job—what do you do? Do you sit and silently suffer, day after day, week after week, month after month? If you don't have to, why should you? Take your life into your own hands and find something better. That's what this worker has done following advice they received whe…

Here's a classic story of a boss acting out of line and getting her comeuppance.

Sometimes the student becomes the teacher—and sometimes, the student-teacher becomes the teacher of the teacher-student. Funny how life works like that, isn't it? The moral here is that you shouldn't ever assume that you know everything just because you're in charge; in fact, you'd do best to assume the opposite… A great leader is constantly learning themselves—after all, everyone has something to teach you—and identifying and utilizing other people's strengths is how you build a successful tea…

Sudden loss for a thing that was great about your life can cause grief—even when that thing was your job. Sometimes it will be a sudden change of ownership or leadership; sometimes, it is the same leaders making sweeping changes in policy to increase profits. Sometimes it's a smaller change within your team, maybe a coworker or boss you like leaving for a new role. This last scenario normally ends up with you working closely with someone who you like significantly less than the coworker they're…

Revenge is a dish best served salty!

Sometimes dealing with management is like dealing with a toddler: You can't just tell them their ideas are bad; you need to apply a negative stimulus — resulting from the idea itself — that shows them why their idea is bad. Trying to simply explain something to either a toddler or a manager is going to get you nowhere — and probably trigger an emotionally deregulated tantrum. That's what this tanker driver decided to do when their manager flat out told them that they weren't going to be paid fo…

There's a certain sanctity that needs to be acknowledged when it comes to scheduled leave.

Sometimes, someone just has it out for you for some reason… and there isn't much you can do about it. Realizing that not everyone you meet is going to like you is a tough but important pill to swallow, but the sooner you learn to accept that, the less energy, stress, and time you'll spend trying to win that person over, and you will be able to move on with your life. It's a little harder to do this when that person is your boss, but the same principle applies. All you can do is pack up, find a…