The reality of being an adult in the working world is that not everyone is going to like you. This can be especially hard to hear for the people pleaser of the world. As someone who once upon a time would identify as a people pleaser myself, I understand the mental and emotional adjustment that comes with learning that some people are just not going to be your friend. Perhaps this phenomenon has weighed on you since your school days, or perhaps you're only just realizing it now because you lear…

Rule number one of being a manager should be to never become the enemy of your team. Of course, it's nearly impossible to be the best friend of your team members. There will always be a power dynamic there and a sense of authority and professionalism that you cannot shake (nor should you, in many cases). However, what you do need to do is create a sense of approachability and to lead with empathy and understanding. This is, of course, easier said than done, and there are certain work environmen…

Has anyone else been fooled by their boss into thinking they were being singled out for something special when in reality, they were just being taken for granted? It's a common occurrence in the workplace, especially during busy times of the year like the Holiday season when people tend to be the most selfish under the guise of graciousness. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, many employees have already begun to plan for their office Holiday parties. Few of you are excited, many of you ar…

These auto body workers were surprised that one customer was throwing a fit over a pretty minimal fee … it was just $5. Depending on who you ask, $5 could be almost no money, or it could be quite a lot. If you're trying to buy a meal for your whole family with $5, it won't get you very far. But if you've lost your wallet and a bus ticket home costs $3, that crumpled $5 bill in your pocket is a life saver. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, spending an extra $5 at an auto body shop is just a d…

There is nothing like a technical problem at work that allows you to have the whole day to yourself until it's resolved. Whenever a situation like this arises, it's important to luxuriate in the moment. This means you can finally get your act together. You can vacuum the apartment, do laundry, and cook yourself a nice meal. Or you can lie down on the couch for hours on end and finally binge the new episodes of The Crown . Who cares? The world is your oyster, and it's not like you're shirking an…

This bank is not banking. You'd think the one thing banks would know how to do is to hold and distribute money , but you'd be mistaken. If you've ever worked in retail or food service, then you probably know that needing more change for your cash register till is an ongoing thing. Especially on the busiest days, cashiers need refills on their quarters and dimes fairly often in order to avoid giving customers like $.65 in pennies and nickels . Even in a world where lots of people pay for almost…

There are definitely unwritten rules about using the communal microwave in an office. If you're heating up your lunch during an in-demand time and it's a frozen meal that takes more than five minutes to cook, you might want to step back and let other people use it first. Furthermore, if you're eating something particularly aromatic, consider eating in the break room and not right at your desk. This also applies when you're eating a messy meal. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen c…

There is a reason why they say to make sure to get everything down in writing. This employee had the unfortunate experience of learning that life lesson the hard way after the HR representatives of the mental health facility in which he works kept shadily making adjustments to his contract. As someone who has worked freelance, part-time, full-time, and just about all the variations in between, I can confirm wholeheartedly that companies and bosses are going to make grand promises they cannot ke…

Sometimes, the only way to deal with a Karen customer is to give them a taste of their own medicine. Here, we have a rare instance of a revenge tale that ends up having more of a wholesome ending. Who knew that getting payback could actually lead to positive change in your adversary's behavior? That's what this Redditor learned after they refused to let this regular customer get away with nonsense at the fast food restaurant where OP worked.

Let's be real here: if your company is not willing to provide health insurance for you, they have no business enforcing a strict sick day policy. Such hypocrisy reveals nothing more than the blatant disregard for the employee's actual humanity, but before we get too serious about this matter, let's also acknowledge how hard it is for companies to enforce certain specific sick day rules and regulations. For instance, if they need you to come in and prove that you are, in fact, unwell as you have…

Being a customer-facing worker means having to put on a smile even when you are about to spontaneously combust underneath the surface. This is a grim and unfortunate part of the reality of what it is to be a server or to work in customer service in general. However, every so often, you get the opportunity to serve a little malicious compliance and/or some petty revenge along with an entitled customer's meal. Sure, you're still serving your customers with a smile, but little do they know, you ha…

It's not easy to remember your worth when you're desperate for work. The working world is engineered to make us feel grateful for signing any sort of contract in a highly competitive market with next to no jobs. That being said, even if you finally landed in a decent position after months and months of searching, always be sure to remember that if you end up taking on more responsibilities than the ones that were initially outlined upon getting hired, that means you have the right to advocate f…

This boss had it coming . The OP practically ran the whole show at the company—hiring, training, fixing things, coming up with ideas, etc. The place couldn't function without him, and it seemed like the boss wanted it that way. Whenever something went wrong, it was never his fault. The OP was getting worn out. Constant calls and texts after hours, always there to fix things. But not this time. When the higher-ups announced wage changes, something the OP had nothing to do with, the employees wer…

In every office, there is one person who finds an excuse to be absent and to shirk their responsibilities as much as possible. As much as we often praise the folks who find ways to work smart and not hard, in this instance, someone else at the office is often left picking up all that slack. If you're the first kind of person, the key is to find a way to do the bare minimum without affecting anyone else's workload. If you're the other kind of person and you're the people please who has to take o…

Hopefully, this dude doesn't need a letter of recommendation any time soon. He certainly won't be getting one from his former employers after saying literally everything he could say in the most dramatic email since that time I asked my therapist to resume sessions because the “job search was proving stressful.” But that's another story! As for this employee's resignation email, there is definitely a vicarious fulfillment we got from reading this, as I'm sure like many of you, we all have forme…

Paid time off should never be met with these kinds of invasive questions. When you sign a contract that entitled you to paid vacation time, there simply should not be any sort of explanation necessary, as you are granted a set number of days to do whatever you like in that free time. Now, some employers think that they are owed an explanation for every choice you make. Or perhaps they throw shade at the fact that you are using those days. Or perhaps it's all just societal pressure in your head!…