You'll repeatedly encounter people who think they know better than you, even when it comes to the responsibilities of their own job. Most upper managers have this cynical view that their subordinates are just slack-jawed lackeys without a single decent thought. They probably think that whatever job it is their subordinates are doing, anyone could do, completely blind to the fact that this single employee is pulling more weight than anyone else in the organization—including them. Heck, there are…

It turns out that if you tell a contract worker to work fewer hours, they'll… do exactly that. So it's surprising that this client was under the impression that she was getting more for her money after trying to bully this worker. U/rentacle couldn't wait to share her malicious compliance story of “corporate stupidity” with the world.

Serious workers don't play about their vacation time . It's not like most of us just love working ourselves to the bone. To be fair, a lot of people love their jobs, and many will stay at the same company for decades. It's great to get into a rhythm of working until you start to feel those signs of burnout, and then having the luxury of taking a week or two off . Those two weeks can make a huge difference: spending time with family and friends, traveling, or even just relaxing and sleeping in c…

Every person who has ever worked in IT or Tech Support knows that having sharp 'people skills' is just as important as understanding computers and technology. Every day, those employees have to deal with people having technological issues, so they need to know not only how to handle the problem, but also how to handle the people with that problem. That can get incredibly tricky, as people are not at their best when they are having issues, and many simply don't want to learn when their issues ha…

Finally, a greedy company gets what they deserve!

We all know that unlimited PTO is, to put it mildly, not what it sounds like. Unlimited PTO might be better than having a set number of minimal vacation time, but it's like when you order an item online and expect something grandiose, only to receive something nice but still not exactly what was advertised. Sure, it's still better than what you had before, but it's not as good as it looked online. Here, we have an employee whose unlimited PTO request was denied by their boss, who had decided th…

Requesting time off from work is kind of a weird ritual. While you're technically “asking” for time off, that time is, is usually less of a “want” and more of a “need”—even though your employer will treat it like the former. It's not as if you can ask your cousin to reschedule their wedding just for you or your entire family to reschedule their family reunion. Still, lots of businesses have periods of high trade where they're exceedingly strict about granting any time off—or there during holida…

Here's a story about one grandfather who had an interesting job as a bridgekeeper. I imagine that's the kind of job that's automated today. But in this man's day, he and his wife would keep an eye out for boats each day and let them through when they needed to cross under the bridge. Many years ago, people would take multiple breaks throughout their workday, like this grandpa who was supposed to take two separate coffee breaks . It also was fairly common to go home for lunch. Many school kids d…

It's nice to think that you're irreplaceable. It's that sense of security that lets you sleep at night, not worried that you'll lose your entire livelihood should your employer choose to replace you overnight. That confidence and knowledge can get you a long way and actually help you to be successful in your role. That said, change is inevitable, and it's almost certain that you'll eventually move on from your role or even need enough time off that someone needs to be seconded into it. Gatekeep…

Work smarter, not harder

If you've ever daydreamed about quitting your terrible job, consider this your sign to find a happier career path. There are a few different ways one can quit a job . The proper, respectable way is to write out a professional letter stating that this is your two-week notice. But the folks replying to this r/AskReddit thread couldn't stand to work at their awful jobs for another moment. They took the less professional but way more satisfying route of rage-quitting right on the spot. As you can r…

Everybody liked that

Let this story serve as motivation for those of you who have been denied raises repeatedly. The truth of the matter is that most employers do not know how good they have it and aren't necessarily thinking of all the consequences should you choose to leave them in the dust. Your boss does not know exactly how worthy your efforts are, and if you spell them out for your employer and they still don't acknowledge said efforts with a much-deserved raise, then it's time to start considering your optio…

Those in charge typically think that they should be making all the decisions, even when they don't have all the answers—no, especially when they don't have all the answers. Something about their egos and insecurity in these situations makes them double down on any decision they make without listening to anything their subordinates tell them in warning. When the upper management of this tourist attraction in London decided to flip the script on their employees, it led to absolute chaos. For some…

Be careful how you treat people on your way up to the top because you never know who you'll run into on your way back down. You might be burning a bridge that you'll need to cross later on—or may find yourself getting burned and going up in flames along with it. This is sage advice that's passed around quite frequently when it comes to the discourse surrounding careers and employment. But, what this advice is missing is the root of the issue: You should treat people well because it's the right…

Imagine doing such a poor job on your first day of work that the company asks you not to return for day two! Just imagine how hard you'd have to try to mess up in order for that to happen. Well, roughly 12,400 people didn't have to imagine, because they knew of someone who was so wrong for the gig that they were fired on day one. There's a lot of debate about whether or not you should lie on your resume. Apparently lots of people do, and they just hope they won't get caught by HR or their boss.…