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

It's amazing the lengths that people will go to place blame on anything but themselves, especially when that person is an old employer seeking to blame you for their own mistakes. It's no secret that, after you leave a toxic workplace, everything will be blamed on you—but this company has taken it to another level. This worker, Redditor u/NimboStratusSuck shared their story to Reddit's popular r/antiwork subreddit, claiming to have been contacted by a previous employer who was seeking to get cr…

Waitstaff have to deal with wild customer interactions constantly, like this woman, who just didn't understand why she had to take her food to go.

Problems don't solve themselves!

The fear that ChatGPT, or some other AI, could replace your job in the near future is an absolutely real one—especially when your job mainly consists of writing short, accessible pieces that someone may or may not even read when they visit your webpage. ChatGPT assures me, when I ask it, that there's no way that it could replace a human writer completely… but what if that's just what it wants me to think so that it can covertly plot to put me out of business? How are we even certain that ChatGP…

This unfortunate receptionist has found themself in a hairy situation with their coworker! You can choose your job, but you can't choose your coworkers . This person is honestly being very kind after witnessing their coworker do something pretty concerning, because they didn't run to their boss (yet). As the OP, using an appropriately named account called u/hairgag, shared this harrowing tale to r/AmItheA**hole. The OP works as an art museum receptionist , greeting guests and selling tickets. T…

Getting contacted by an old workplace is a lot like running into an ex-lover. There's all this history of shared trauma and buried emotions of all sorts on either side. You had so much intimate knowledge of them once, but now they're a complete stranger. There might be some longing and regret but, deep down, you know it's better that you went your separate ways. This Redditor, u/AcrolloPeed, shared their story of an experience like this to Reddit's r/IDontWorkHereLady subreddit community. The c…

This may sound like the beginning of a dystopian film, but this is actually real. This employee was hired back in the fall for a large company and has since found himself with no manager, no oversight, and most importantly, no work to do. He has asked for assignments and has kept a log of emails proving his efforts to get more work, but he is convinced at this point that he’s just lost in the shuffle. The best part of it all, though, is that he has still been getting paid for 7 months and count…

Getting fired from a job is never a fun experience; it can be a major blow to your self-esteem, and the often sudden disruption to your daily routine, along with a sudden loss of income, can cause significant undue stress. Almost always, it feels like a major step backward, like someone has plucked you up out of your life and placed you down somewhere else entirely. What's more, there's this sense of failure and embarrassment that you feel follows you into each ensuing job interview, hampering…

It's incredibly frustrating to be blamed for something you didn't do, especially when the person blaming you knows fully well that you didn't do it and is taking advantage of your inability to prove otherwise. It's often said that “There are two sides to every story, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.” but that's just blatantly untrue on account of a little thing called lying . That entire adage relies on the fact that both people are honest about their experiences and perspectives. Im…

It's always best to take advice from and listen to the person who knows best… and just because you're in charge doesn't automatically mean that that's you. Even the most base level of worker will know more than you about niche details and processes regarding their role. That's the reason why, when entering a new leadership position, it's always best to observe and learn before acting and making changes. There will reach a point where you need to step in and make some changes, some of which may…

There's no workplace event more heartbreaking than experiencing the sudden dissolution of a supportive and thriving workplace culture. Most workplaces that claim “they're family” are toxic… but when you actually have a team that operates like an extended family unit, it's magical and makes working—well—tolerable, at least. It's one of those “show don't tell” types of deals. If you have to tell someone what they're experiencing, it's not going to be nearly as powerful as letting someone reach th…

The number of toxic workplaces these days might exceed infinity, but these are some of the more shocking ones we've seen this week.

Having an employer who thinks they own you is nothing new, but now they want your children too. What with certain unnamed protections being lifted recently in certain unnamed locations … It will only be a matter of time before the children return to the mines that they yearn for! I mean, what else are kids good for? They're small and able-bodied, conveniently fitting into tight locations that are often found in confined work spaces like mine shafts and maintenance corridors. Sounds like wasted…

Sometimes managers and business owners manage to convince themselves completely that everyone is out to get them. They're certain that their “lazy” workers are looking for every possible option to screw them over by slacking off on the job. Sure, there might be some workers like that out there. But from what I've seen in the workforce, they're completely outnumbered by those who are going above and beyond. Why jeopardize those workers' morale just so you can control the one bad egg? Why cut off…

I guess in some sense, you have to appreciate this dude's honesty.