FAIL Blog
Advertisement

toxic-workplace

'I'm not okay with this': Partner advocates for location tracking of all lawyers in the firm, associate refuses

'I'm not okay with this': Partner advocates for location tracking of all lawyers in the firm, associate refuses

We all have paranoia about sharing our locations with friends and family indefinitely. What if a friend finds out I'm at a party they weren't invited to? What if my mother sees that I'm home and therefore thinks it's ok to pop by? These are all valid concerns that are worthy of strong consideration before agreeing to share your location with someone in your life. Now, imagine that the stakes were higher and the person requesting that you share your location with them is your boss. Wouldn't you…
View List
'We have to fire you because you are too expensive': Employee gets fired, demands compensation for a full year then starts working for competitor

'We have to fire you because you are too expensive': Employee gets fired, demands compensation for a full year then starts working for competitor

Imagine getting told by your boss that you're too expensive for your job and then costing them way more money to fire you. Let this story serve as a warning sign for some of the higher-ups out there that firing someone just might end up with more expensive consequences than keeping that person onboard. Here , we have a Technical Director at a company in Southern Europe who managed to get full compensation for a year after his dismissal before signing on to work for his former company's biggest…
View List
Advertisement
Candidate shares nonsensical job application from toxic recruiter: 'Are you normal?'

Candidate shares nonsensical job application from toxic recruiter: 'Are you normal?'

No, potential employer: none of us are “normal.” Here is yet another example of why recruiters and human resources folks should simply not be allowed free rein to ask whatever they like. In an ideal world, job applications should be solely about one's resume and qualifications, and there should be an equal exchange of information. That means that on the other side, there should be transparency about expectations, salary, benefits, and workplace culture. I suppose the fact that the question of “…
View List
Nurses are denied OT but then find a loophole to infuriate their micromanager: 'Don't want to pay me 7 minutes of overtime? Mmmkay, pay me an hour'

Nurses are denied OT but then find a loophole to infuriate their micromanager: 'Don't want to pay me 7 minutes of overtime? Mmmkay, pay me an hour'

Going out of one's way to deny healthcare workers overtime pay seems pretty outrageous, right? Well, it seems to be happening, thanks to the operational management of this hospital , where a group of overworked nurses were expressly pressured not to clock out even a minute beyond the end of their shift. Does it matter if they need to finish processing important paperwork? No. Does it matter if they should be responsible for checking up on a few more patients before the end of the day? No. Does…
View List
Fast food worker's hours cut after violating company policy despite manager's mistakes: '[I] threw my manager under the bus'

Fast food worker's hours cut after violating company policy despite manager's mistakes: '[I] threw my manager under the bus'

This mistreated employee managed to find a loophole that worked in her favor! She had been in an on-and-off relationship with her manager , which of course, was not the wisest of ideas but it happens. The biggest issue here is that she was the one who was unfairly punished while her manager had yet to receive any ridicule for his behavior. According to company policy, relationships among employees need to be disclosed to upper management. However, this was a two-way street and it was just as mu…
View List
Advertisement
'I was the one who actually did a lot of the work': New lieutenant embarrasses incompetent boss during important meeting after doing the bulk of the work

'I was the one who actually did a lot of the work': New lieutenant embarrasses incompetent boss during important meeting after doing the bulk of the work

There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing your incompetent boss embarrass himself in front of everyone. This kind of scenario applies to virtually every industry, even the army . Here, we have a new lieutenant who was frequently tasked with enforcing unnecessary drills and tasks. On top of that nuisance, he was also doing the bulk of the work in preparation for an important presentation to the higher-ups. When this meeting finally happened, the lieutenant's direct report stumbled,…
View List
'I forwarded boss's own email back to them': Boss tells employee not to cover for two coworkers to avoid giving him another raise, backfires when both coworkers are out

'I forwarded boss's own email back to them': Boss tells employee not to cover for two coworkers to avoid giving him another raise, backfires when both coworkers are out

Defining an employee's core responsibilities is a key and careful task that can backfire or protect you depending on the situation. Here , we have an employee who occasionally covered for two of his coworkers if they were off at the same time and had brought up to their boss that he was the only person at work who was capable of doing so simultaneously. This helped the employee when he was negotiating a raise, but after the raise, his boss told him that he should focus on his core responsibilit…
View List
Awful boss gets comeuppance after employee writes essay to entire staff about his poor management: 'My toxic work environment has just worn me down'

Awful boss gets comeuppance after employee writes essay to entire staff about his poor management: 'My toxic work environment has just worn me down'

Sometimes just quitting isn't enough. If you have been working in an unfair, unjust, and just all around unprofessional work environment for a long time, merely saying “Sayonara” isn't going to give you the satisfactory exit you deserve.
View List
Advertisement
Job candidate rejects recruiter's request for free, unpaid work during interview process: 'I was asked to produce a full list of tasks for [free]'

Job candidate rejects recruiter's request for free, unpaid work during interview process: 'I was asked to produce a full list of tasks for [free]'

Why is the interview process so unnecessarily drawn out these days? If you get to the point of an interview, it should not take long for a recruiter to understand if your resume, cover letter, and initial application match well with the actual person interviewing. It should also not take long to see if it's a “personality fit.” In other words, cards should be on the table from the get-go and that goes both ways. This means that salary expectations and benefits should be clearly explained before…
View List
'You want a phone call EVERY time? Will do!': Employee puts in tons of overtime to maliciously comply with micromanager's demands, gets him fired

'You want a phone call EVERY time? Will do!': Employee puts in tons of overtime to maliciously comply with micromanager's demands, gets him fired

Getting caught in between the demands of different authority figures within the same company is not always easy to navigate. Not only are you catering to the needs and requests of your direct supervisor, but now you have found yourself having to cater to the whims of the person who signs your paycheck and your micromanager's paycheck. That is the conundrum that this Redditor found himself in and it triggered a lot of insecurity from his direct manager, who insisted on getting an extensive updat…
View List
'I cost them $100+k': Contractor denied phone access in warehouse to speak to supervisor, entire team collects paycheck and walks out

'I cost them $100+k': Contractor denied phone access in warehouse to speak to supervisor, entire team collects paycheck and walks out

It turns out there is a price to enforcing unnecessary rules and regulations. This Redditor worked as a contractor for various warehouses, often leading the same team of employees. Usually, he needed to be on the phone during the work days so he could continue updating his supervisor, but on this particular job, there was a rule against non-managers having phone access. Despite the fact that the Original Poster (OP) was leading the team and had all the same responsibilities as a manager, he was…
View List
Advertisement
Entitled boss gets what he deserves for not believing employee's injury, has to pay employee a week of sick leave instead of the requested one day

‘He got his note’: Employee sprains ankle and requests one day of paid sick leave, boss demands to see a doctor's note and ends up paying a week of leave per doctor's orders

"This gets met with more attitude so I ask if I’ll be getting paid sick time for the day I missed yesterday. He says no, not without a doctors note. . ."
View List
Manager at understaffed pizzeria gets scolded for taking a 10 minute break, gets scheduled hours reduced: 'You know what? Keep the schedule. I quit'

Manager at understaffed pizzeria gets scolded for taking a 10 minute break, gets scheduled hours reduced: 'You know what? Keep the schedule. I quit'

We rarely take a moment to appreciate the overworked managers who have to answer to the ridiculous demands of the higher-ups. Here , we have the manager of an understaffed pizzeria who was taking on the responsibilities of virtually everyone after both cooks showed up late. He took a moment to collect himself after working on his feet and going non-stop all day. His break was literally for only ten minutes, but the owner took note and prepared his payback. The next day, the manager could not he…
View List
Candidate gets offered $15K less than what he's worth, ghosts recruiter, recruiter throws tantrum: 'They lost their minds that I didn't respond to them'

Candidate gets offered $15K less than what he's worth, ghosts recruiter, recruiter throws tantrum: 'They lost their minds that I didn't respond to them'

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to all you job seekers out there to know your worth. No matter how tempting it may be to settle for less, especially in this market, don't let recruiters make you feel unreasonable for demanding a higher salary based on your experience and knowledge of your field. This candidate clearly has dealt with this kind of shady behavior from recruiters more than once, so when he discovered after three rounds of interviews that he was being offered $15K less t…
View List
Advertisement
'There is no paperwork, I'm just fired': Guy relocates to Japan for a job, only to get fired after one week

'There is no paperwork, I'm just fired': Guy relocates to Japan for a job, only to get fired after one week

Talk about a savage way to go! This Redditor was offered a job on a military base that required him to relocate to Japan. However, after just one week, he was let go with barely any explanation. He hadn't even gotten a chance to execute his central responsibilities in the position since that first week was largely about getting settled and doing minimal training. Instead, he was dismissed with next to no explanation. His boss told him there would be other jobs on the base so it's not like he wo…
View List
Employee quits, then overhears boss talking about ordering a petty goodbye cake for her: 'My last day will be a nightmare'

Employee quits, then overhears boss talking about ordering a petty goodbye cake for her: 'My last day will be a nightmare'

This boss clearly enjoys messing around with his soon-to-be former employees on their last days. Whatever happened to being professional and leaving things on a strong note? It sounds like this dude has yet to put two and two together and realize that his manipulative and outright cruel tactics are the main reason why one employee after another is quitting on the spot. The original poster (OP) of this thread explained that after giving their two weeks' notice, they overheard their boss telling…
View List
Advertisement

Hot Today

Advertisement