Getting hired to do a job probably means that you expect to be doing that—and only that, with some exceptions owing to the amazing flexibility that you mentioned on your CV. Now most would consider flexibility to be somewhere within the realm of odd hours, odd jobs, and scoping out new and unforeseen business initiatives… However, being told to go paint your employer's collection of rental houses when you're employed as a retail manager or being made to babysit your boss's infant child when you…

Jumping through hoops might be fun for your labrador, Charlie, but it does not make up a means of effective management. Sure, it might feel like you're doing something and having a significant impact on your team, but if you took a step back, you'd see that your directives have everyone needlessly running around in circles. Busy work is work, but it's not getting anyone anywhere. This worker shared their experience with a popular online community for workplace matters, explaining how they had g…

Who reads the fine print anyway? Well, this person, for one. There are many times in life that you need to sign contracts , and wise people will tell you that you should read every word of those contracts to know exactly what you're getting yourself into. It's too easy to quickly sign a bajillion-word document, only to find out later that there are clauses that can bite you in the rear. Plus, if you're like this person, you might find some hidden gems in the slog of paperwork you need to sign.…

A business owner just wanted his employee to work their normal hours, but jury duty got in the way. For every American, jury duty is a right of passage. Once you become an adult, there's a high chance you'll get called to do your civic duty to this country. For lots of us, the process never gets further than an initial letter or phone call to confirm we'll do the jury duty. Others have to go in to a court house for a few days waiting to find out if they'll be called, and still more will proceed…

This is what happens when you have a boss who cares way too much about 'optics.'

Some employers value different traits than you might expect. Usually, when interviewing for a job, you'd make sure to emphasize how you go above and beyond, think critically, and problem-solve—yet, some employers are looking for someone who does exactly what they're told and doesn't ask questions. For most of us, this wouldn't work for us, but there are always going to be those who are happy existing as a thoughtless void—just as long as they can get a paycheck. It's always painful when you acc…

New hires are like the runt of the litter; small, without confidence, and in need of some extra assistance. Bosses often underestimate new hires, under the assumption that they should be grateful to have a job, and should want to contribute and 'take one for the team' until they reach emotional burnout. In this case, OP began working in a short-staffed office. The person training OP ended up quitting, which only caused further problems for OP, who was already picking up a lot of slack. Their bo…

As upsetting as this initially sounded, thankfully, this employee ended up standing up for herself. We know that gender bias exists in the workplace. This is obviously not new information and not the first time this conversation has made its way onto the internet. However, clearly there are some folks who still have yet to catch onto the unconscious bias and the unfortunate ways in which this dynamic has become ingrained in workplace socialization and office politics. This thread was posted to…

Imagine having a coworker so terrible that when you get a new management role and poach the members of your old team, your old HR manager actually gets mad at you for not poaching the awful one. That's a scenario that boggles the mind so completely it's hard to imagine this scenario actually playing out in real life. Yet, that's exactly what his manager reported experiencing in a story that they shared on Reddit. In their account of events, they tell how—a few months after leaving their old job…

A software support employee was surprised when their client accused them of not doing any work. But the employee definitely got the last laugh. Each workplace handles employee vacations differently. At some jobs, there are enough of your coworkers on hand that you can delegate your tasks for a few days while you soak up the sun on a beach somewhere else. At other places, you're expected to try and do extra work beforehand to prepare, and still other places will just let your work wait for you d…

Micromanagement is a kind term for control, which a lot of bosses often feel like they need to exert over their employees in one form or another. In this case, OP was working for a construction company, doing admin and project management work. The company employed a lot of Latino men, who would listen to Mexican music on a speaker during their shifts. There was a lot of noise from the machines, so the speaker was pretty big. One day when OP came to work, he found the speaker was gone. Later tha…

Here's hoping this manager learned that her power trip was certainly not worth it.

Leaving a job can be a difficult decision, especially when you have built strong relationships with your coworkers and boss. Even when the relationship is bad or nonexistent, deciding to leave isn't easy, as you're trading the known security of your current position for something unknown. Still, you need to weigh your current situation against the risks and decide whether or not your current role is going to get you to where you want to be. Ultimately, while leaving a job can be a challenging p…

When you're going out of your way for your employer, at the cost of your own time and energy, it's important to take a look and really think about why you're doing this… If you've been going above and beyond for an extended period of time with no commendation, appreciation, or acknowledgment of any sort, you're just setting yourself up for failure. For one thing, that extra work you're doing and the energy you're using is only going toward setting a higher benchmark for your performance, and yo…

There are a lot of confusing things happening in this story, like how this night shift worker became integrated with their company's development team, contributing significantly to the point where the higher-ups were using their reporting dashboard for their reports. Yet, at the same time, there was somehow no one willing to stick up for them when their head was placed on the chopping block for seeking increasing compensation for their constantly-increasing responsibility and contribution. Stil…

One manager didn't bother telling a demanding customer she was wrong… she found out eventually all by herself. Customer service workers deserve to make at least $15 million per year, and if I was President, I would make it happen. These jobs are some of the lowest paid, and all the while you have to work with customers who don't really want your help, they just want to complain. The longer you work in customer service , the more you realize that you don't have to put in that much effort. Smile,…