Sometimes your actions to prevent something can bring it into existence as if you're unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy of your own making. That's what happened to this boss, who attempted to keep their workers from taking sick days by demanding they get a doctor's note only to have the doctor recommend them to take more time off than they would have in the first place. This is a common experience we've all probably had ourselves or witnessed at some point in our working life. A lot of organizat…

Remember when your parents used to confiscate your cell phone for not answering it? Thus leaving you with no cell phone to answer their subsequent calls with. You might not have been able to text your friends either, but not being tied to a requirement of constant communication and surveillance was freeing. It turns out that experience is not lost to the past, and you may be able to relive it (without clocking 88 miles an hour in a DeLorean.) All you need is a boss who is more concerned with ma…

Scientists were astounded when a new material was discovered that is even denser than osmium: This boss's thick skull. This thread was originally posted to Reddit's r/AmItheA**hole subreddit by the boss, who was resoundingly put in their place and declared completely wrong by everyone who responded. Commenters were so shocked by the boss's callous willingness to renege on promises—and so impressed with the worker's decision to quit on the spot—that one commenter cross-posted screenshots of the…

Giving someone instructions that you don't actually want them to carry out is foolish and bound to make you look like one when they follow through with your commands. It's crazy how common power-tripping bosses use this tactic, thinking their power is absolute over their subordinates. They risk everything on a single ego-fuelled order, daring their workers to call their bluff, only to be surprised when they do. This worker shared their experience working for a boss who frequently would wield th…

There's nothing worse than being uncomfortable at work; that's why you'll never catch me in a suit and tie. That and the fact that copywriting isn't really the right field for dressing to the nines. So I'll rephrase: That's one of the reasons why you'll never catch me in a suit and tie. Imagine being told that you can't do something because “the policy” or SOP only to come to find that it's not actually a written rule at all. The hilarious thing that happens here is how quickly something gets c…

Everyone watch out!.. The fun police are on patrol. We all expect to have to maintain some degree of professionally at work, but we're all still human beings, and part of being human is wanting to—you know… enjoy things. We're already trading a significant portion of our existence for the means to eat and keep a roof over our heads, so is that really too much to ask?

It's nice to feel valued for your work and know that your employer understands that you're important to their business, though you might hope it wouldn't take handing in your notice to find that out. You might also prefer that this was communicated to you in a way other than through your old boss calling your would-be new employer to accuse them of “poaching." Alas, some people just don't know how to communicate properly. Maybe they never learned, maybe they just don't care… maybe they aren't e…

When managing a business, it's best to ensure you understand how things go before making any big decisions. When your subordinates point out that your amazing shiny new idea isn't … you'd do well to listen to them and not let your ego push you into what could be a huge mistake. This thread was posted on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit by Redditor u/Absurd-n-Nihilistic, who shared their story with the popular community. They tell how their new manager had joined the company from a diffe…

If you have to claim that you are or aren't something, it's incredibly likely that you aren't or are that thing. It's like having that one friend who tells you that they hate drama, yet whenever drama happens, they're right there in the thick of it. So, when your boss tells you that they aren't demanding while they're in the middle of being demanding, it's likely their ego is just deflecting. This discussion came to the forefront when an employee received a text from their boss asking them to c…

A lot can happen in 16 years. It's likely that in this time you would gain a wealth of knowledge, insight, and experiences. Heck, if this worker had had a child, they would be in high school. Still, you gotta love a trier—although it's a shame that this employer is probably one of the one's running around telling anyone who will listen that “nobody wants to work”

Backpacking through a foreign country while working on a holiday visa puts you in some strange situations in some strange places with some still stranger people. That's part of the joy of the experience; reflecting back on these situations with slightly rose-tinted glasses and wondering just how the heck you managed to get through it gives you a kind of “second-degree enjoyment.” Plus, you'll have

This manager took issue because one of their workers was taking discarded bread loaves from back-of-house disposal. Anyone who has worked in food service or the service industry has witnessed this at some point: perfectly good food going to the bin just because they can't move the product and donating the food to a shelter would present a “lawsuit risk.” So away it goes, right into the dumpster. It's always a shame to see all perfectly good food go to waste—even if you have plenty to eat at hom…

This worker shared a lengthy exchange that occurred between themselves and their boss over availability to cover shifts for an already published roster. Things started off rocky, with the boss sending passive-aggressive and immature responses to the young worker's level-headed reasoning. It wasn't long before the conversation escalated into threats of termination. The fact that the worker appears to be a minor makes the conversation that much worse; the fact that the boss's lack of maturity is…

Many people don't handle rejection well, but when it's part of the job and has been (at least partially) brought about by your own decisions—well… you'd best be professional about it. Unfortunately, many managers and business owners struggle with this. They're perfectly content with any arrangement as long as they're the ones who have the upper hand, but as soon as they lose that edge, the mask comes off, and their ego reveals their desire for control… over you. That's the most plausible reason…

Imagine finishing school and looking to enter the workforce for the first time... Your entire life, you've dreamt about the freedom and opportunity that graduating from school will offer you—what doors will open? Where will you go? What way will the direction blow you? The answers to these questions aren't nearly as exciting as you might have hoped… none, nowhere, and wherever you can find work—respectively. As soon as you throw that cap in the air, the student loan repayments start to tick; an…

Certain companies have a knack for treating their employees in embarrassing and dehumanizing ways—toxic policies ensuring that you hate every second you spend on their premises. Checking bags and searching for personal belongings is one of these policies. There's no reason for it unless you're dealing with high-security clearance. Why are you so worried that an employee is going to steal a pair of sneakers that were produced at literal slave wages?