FAIL Blog
Advertisement

work stories

Employee advanced to manager position after it was discovered that his manager is living in his truck due to job-related expenses

Employee advanced to manager position after it was discovered that his manager is living in his truck due to job-related expenses

It is not simple to work in the highly competitive setting of today's workplace. When we learn that we happen to earn more money than the person seated next to us, whether we prefer to own it or not, there is a tiny sense of satisfaction. When it comes to promotions, we'll do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means treading on someone else to get that promotion. The story below is of a shocked worker. The original poster (OP) had been employed by the same company for a considerable amoun…
View List
Grocery store employee posts her salary on social media, manager tries to fire her after uproar: 'Take it down!'

Grocery store employee posts her salary on social media, manager tries to fire her after uproar: 'Take it down!'

Mediocre managers never quite know what to do when their employees speak their minds and are 100% entitled to do so. Here, we have a grocery store employee who posted on social media about the difficulties of making $12.50 per hour as a single mother. It was a difficult and vulnerable post to make publicly for her, but rather than receive sympathy from her manager once she discovered it, instead, her manager took the opportunity to punish the employee for making the post in the first place. Now…
View List
Advertisement
Employee demands public apology from boss after being accused of a mistake he didn't make: 'If you shame me publicly, you must apologize publicly'

Employee demands public apology from boss after being accused of a mistake he didn't make: 'If you shame me publicly, you must apologize publicly'

The hallmark of a good or bad manager rests on how they deliver feedback. Some managers do their due diligence before assuming that an employee has made a mistake. Others, however, like to jump to conclusions. This manager accused an employee of almost ruining a client relationship by not following a new protocol that was enforced well after the employee's communication with said client. In other words, the employee was not at fault here at all, yet this boss decided it was a good opportunity t…
View List
'Tyrannical management took away my desk fan': Boss punishes employee for leaving desk fan running overnight, makes him struggle in the heat

'Tyrannical management took away my desk fan': Boss punishes employee for leaving desk fan running overnight, makes him struggle in the heat

In every office, there is a coworker who runs a bit hot. We do not mean to shame said person; as someone often runs cold, I always have at least a sweater ready for me at all times. Both of these employees exist in every workplace and deserve to feel comfortable. This Redditor admits that he often runs hot and came up with the solution of using a small personal desk fan so that his constant desire to make the air conditioning cooler would not upset other folks. Apparently, however, people still…
View List
Fired employee contacted a year later to recover important company files: 'How do you not make a backup of your entire company's directory?'

Fired employee contacted a year later to recover important company files: 'How do you not make a backup of your entire company's directory?'

You know it's not a well-run company when the CEO has to reach out to an employee she fired for important company information. The best part is that she realized she needed the company directory a whole year after dismissing the employee and their entire team. Essentially, after closing this Redditor's department, the company made a headquarters move to a different state but somehow managed to not keep key documentation, namely the company directory. We're certain that the former employee's bos…
View List
Advertisement
CEO makes clueless speech at required company event to underpaid employees: 'I just can't fathom the blatant vanity'

CEO makes clueless speech at required company event to underpaid employees: 'I just can't fathom the blatant vanity'

Who doesn't love to watch a clueless CEO make his own bed? This dude was severely underpaying his employees, so much so that the Redditor who recounted this story explained how little money she had to feed her kids that week. That's the only real reason she made the hour-long journey to a “required” company event in order to get free food for her husband and kids. Unfortunately for her and for all of her coworkers, the second half of that event was monopolized by a speech from their CEO about h…
View List
'Both companies had now cancelled their contracts': Employee gets fired after addressing manager's incompetence to HR, company loses a ton of business

'Both companies had now cancelled their contracts': Employee gets fired after addressing manager's incompetence to HR, company loses a ton of business

Be careful who you fire, people! This employee was singlehandedly responsible for the business of two major clients for his company, and when he was unceremoniously dismissed for no good reason, it backfired in a major way. First, the employee had become suspicious that his new manager had some personal connection to the higher-ups at the company after she was swiftly promoted despite not being capable enough to fulfill her prior responsibilities in any way. When morale tanked at the company, H…
View List
Guy keeps getting spam calls from phone's previous owner. then discovers the owner is his shady boss: 'He had almost 20 cases filed against him'

Guy keeps getting spam calls from phone's previous owner. then discovers the owner is his shady boss: 'He had almost 20 cases filed against him'

Imagine being infuriated by a mystery person for years only to discover that this mystery person is also your boss. It's a bizarre coincidence that is both surprising and unsurprising, in this case, given this dude's temperament and behavior at work. Before we get into the employee's revenge, some backstory is necessary first. When the Redditor got their new phone, they immediately started getting a barrage of calls and messages from the phone's previous owner, who lived in the same town. He en…
View List
Advertisement
Manager forces sick employee to come in or lose his job, employee infects coworkers and manager: 'Now everyone has it'

Manager forces sick employee to come in or lose his job, employee infects coworkers and manager: 'Now everyone has it'

This manager has no one to blame but himself. How much more do we need to evolve culturally for managers to understand not to question employees when they tell their bosses they are sick? It's simply not worth the risk. This thread was posted to Reddit by u/Retired_DG_Key , who got the stomach flu from his roommate's kid and tried to call in sick to the managers of his four jobs. Two of those managers were decent humans. The others forced the employee to get a doctor's note or find a replacemen…
View List
Karen customer tries to score free meal from restaurant for third time a row, manager teaches her unforgettable lesson

Karen customer tries to score free meal from restaurant for third time a row, manager teaches her unforgettable lesson

Jobs in customer service are never simple. Yet the task is made even harder when a client is trying to take advantage of you in order to earn a fast profit. An employee of customer service recounts his frustrations in the story below. The original poster (OP) has a long history of employment in the hospitality sector. Therefore, he acquired the ability to interact with an extensive selection of people. But after a particularly entitled customer sought a free supper for the third time in a row,…
View List
'He asked why I was back since he fired me': Guy gets fired by manager for throwing away his soda, gets reinstated by manager's boss

'He asked why I was back since he fired me': Guy gets fired by manager for throwing away his soda, gets reinstated by manager's boss

Getting unjustly fired has never felt so good. Here, we have a fast food employee who saw a half-finished soda can and asked everyone working, including his manager, if it belonged to anyone before he tossed it in the trash before the end of his shift. Apparently, his direct manager was not paying attention because he was too busy talking on the phone with his girlfriend while on the clock. So, when he was done with his personal call, he went looking for his soda only to learn that it had been…
View List
Advertisement
'No shorts allowed in this heat? Sure!': Guy finds loophole in company's strict dress code policy, 'skirting' around the issue

'No shorts allowed in this heat? Sure!': Guy finds loophole in company's strict dress code policy, 'skirting' around the issue

Why do some bosses think that wearing a suit in exceptionally hot weather is a sign of professionalism? The reality is it is nothing more than a silly rule that makes employees look and feel miserable. What about employees who have to walk to work or who come into an environment with poor air conditioning? They are going to sweat like crazy and ultimately will come across as anything but put-together and professional. Let this story serve as yet another argument for employers to focus less on h…
View List
'He was fired for sleeping at his desk repeatedly': Managers share the most memorable ways employees got fired

'He was fired for sleeping at his desk repeatedly': Managers share the most memorable ways employees got fired

Every manager has had a tricky situation with someone on their team. Sometimes, it's not the employee's fault, and we tend to side with employees here at FAIL Blog. However, every so often, an employee does something so out-of-line, so unprofessional, and so ridiculous that an immediate dismissal is pretty much non-negotiable. This compilation of bizarre firing stories ranges from harmless to shocking. We've got an employee who kept having to leave work early for bathroom drama, a new hire who…
View List
'I noticed my pay getting shorter and shorter': Server exposes boss for putting a cap on his tips and trying to cover it up

'I noticed my pay getting shorter and shorter': Server exposes boss for putting a cap on his tips and trying to cover it up

Let this story serve as a friendly reminder to be generous to your servers because you really do not know what shady behavior they have had to deal with on the job. Of course, this includes entitled customers and Karens who make their shifts a living nightmare by starting drama, sending food back and forth, and tipping poorly. However, it does not necessarily stop there. Every server has also encountered shady management at some point as well. In this case, we have a server who worked for a sma…
View List
Advertisement
Bartender puts in his notice, manager vows to make his last week a nightmare, bartender gets even by making him scramble: 'I've called in sick every day'

Bartender puts in his notice, manager vows to make his last week a nightmare, bartender gets even by making him scramble: 'I've called in sick every day'

Messing with a bartender is never a good idea. If you're a customer, befriending your local bartender can be a game changer (and considerably cheaper if you're playing things right). In this case, however, we have a restaurant manager who truly underestimated how valuable his top bartender was. Firstly, the manager disregarded his commitment and dedication to the restaurant for years, so the bartender went off and got a promotion and pay raise at a busier establishment. He put in his one week n…
View List
Company refuses to reimburse employee's work travel expenses, claiming he spent too much, prompting employee's $1000 retaliation and resignation

Company refuses to reimburse employee's work travel expenses, claiming he spent too much, prompting employee's $1000 retaliation and resignation

The majority of workers fantasize about taking business trips. You are free to follow your own career path and see different cultures around the globe. Nonetheless, when an employee travels only for work, it is customary, if not required, for the company to cover the necessary costs to ensure the worker enjoys a pleasant stay. So, how would you respond if the business declined to cover necessities such as food? The story below is an account of a frustrated worker. The original poster (OP) descr…
View List
Advertisement

Hot Today

Advertisement