workplace-stories

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Some things we can only figure out in retrospect. People often act in ways we deem incoherent and irrational, and only after everything ends can we see the underlying motives for their behaviour. Becoming too close way too fast with someone might be a cause for concern.

Resentful manager goes from bonding immediately with new server to sabotaging her every move: 'Looking back, it suddenly made a lot more sense why she seemed to go from friendly mentor to treating me like public enemy number one'

Boss refuses to admit they underpaid employee after they quit, then proceeds to blame them for their lack of empathy for the business: ‘The working conditions are not sustainable’

Boss refuses to admit they underpaid employee after they quit, then proceeds to blame them for their lack of empathy for the business: ‘The working conditions are not sustainable’

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I think there is something to say here about a road paved with good intentions, but anyway. Sometimes we analyze a situation and come up with the best solution we can think of, and we end up breaking something that was steadily functioning. The key to success might be communicating our plans to fix the thing instead of doing it as a surprise, but well, everybody makes honest mistakes, and it even feels unfair to call a situation like this a mistake.

Employee spends months thoroughly organizing communal folder in secret, only to wind up causing office chaos: 'I’m sitting here, staring at the perfectly organized, color-coded, and searchable directory I created, terrified to say anything'

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Volunteer refuses to come back after being bossed around, given no water, no bathroom breaks, and nearly having her phone confiscated, gets emails a year later telling her she needs to be a better team player

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Employee gets punished for being great at his job, so he decides to stop trying at all: 'Even though I performed my duties better than the others in my department, I was effectively punished for being so good.'

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Boss argues with employee because he is paying attention to how much he's getting paid, boss said that he was stealing confidential information: 'She accused me of stealing confidential information.'

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Travel agent discovers manager has been skimming hours for 18 months, spends 8 months quietly documenting it, then gets called into a meeting where the manager accidentally exposes herself to head office

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Professional butcher gets back at his boss 5 years after he stole his paternity pay: ‘When I left that shop, I had the biggest grin on my face’

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Tech guy gets fired at 58 after 35 years in tech, and instead of panicking, sees it as a chance to retire early, do DIY, and work part-time at a hardware store: ‘It's actually a relief, I was getting SO sick of the corporate stuff’

Boss ignored employee for their two weeks' notice period, waits until an hour before their last shift ends to send them tasks, employee simply leaves: ‘Radio silence’

Boss ignored employee for their two weeks' notice period, waits until an hour before their last shift ends to send them tasks, employee simply leaves: ‘Radio silence’

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Gen Z employees demand “tone indicators,” older coworkers study and use them seriously, but young workers still get offended, and the whole thing gets dropped: ‘I’m here to do a job. That job is not babysitting anyone’s feelings’

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Union electrician spitefully applies to low-wage jobs requiring expert skills to waste unjust employers' time in interviews

Employee is put on PIP after refusing to join a 10 PM work call, tries to understand if they're getting fired: ‘Is this a genuine improvement plan?’

Employee is put on PIP after refusing to join a 10 PM work call, tries to understand if they're getting fired: ‘Is this a genuine improvement plan?’

Top employee quits job and starts his own business after boss refuses to give him a raise, he thrives in the new business while old boss struggles: ‘What a fool’

Top employee quits job and starts his own business after boss refuses to give him a raise, he thrives in the new business while old boss struggles: ‘What a fool’

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Entitled boss keeps yelling at employees for using her personal mug, one employee decides to take it on their last day at the job: ‘She spent days trying to find the mug’

Entitled boss keeps yelling at employees for using her personal mug, one employee decides to take it on their last day at the job: ‘She spent days trying to find the mug’

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Boss fires employee and goes on a 3-week cruise, leaving retirement community with no one to cover weekends: ‘We’re 3 people in my department - my boss, Brian, and me. My boss just fired Brian and left’