FAIL Blog
Advertisement

workplace-stories

workplace-stories talesfromretail in-the-workplace toxic-workplace workplace-story manager retail retail worker managers workplace Horrible Bosses tales-from-retail - 21977093

'[My boss] was walked out by two cops': Thieving fraudster retail manager gets arrested when their employee finally gets even

What do you do when your manager is a thieving fraudster, and their boss refuses to listen because, on paper, your manager is getting good results? This is something you'll likely come across during the long course of your career, and you might be dismayed to find yourself powerless in the position. Heck, most bosses will be willing to look the other way for someone who is performing high in whatever KPI upper management is currently prioritizing… Just as long as things look good and people are…
View List
"We want another server now': Waiter ignores customers for hours

'We want another server now': Waiter ignores customers for hours after they insult staff members

This waiter works at an upscale place where the customers are used to getting whatever they desire. As many waiters will tell you, working at high end restaurants can be intense, but it's worth it for the giant tips that some rich folks will leave. Part of the intensity is working with people who are used to snapping their fingers and immediately getting what they want. These customers aren't patient, and some of them view wait staff as beneath them. The customer u/grayson1228 served seems part…
View List
Advertisement
'Sorry boss, that's a managers job': Boss tells employee not to take on extra work, employee maliciously complies and boss's incompetence starts to show

'Sorry boss, that's a managers job': Boss tells employee not to take on extra work, employee maliciously complies and boss's incompetence starts to show

Sometimes, bosses become so reliant on their employees' contributions that they don't even recognize how hopeless they'd be without them. This boss clearly became threatened by how much extra work her employee was taking on regularly, so the two had a meeting where the boss told the employee not to take on any manager's responsibilities. Normally, this would actually be great advice. There is no need for an employee to work that hard and not get paid extra for it. However, that's not exactly wh…
View List
Top Painfully Awkward LinkedIn Flops for Employees 'Embracing' Team Morale

Top Painfully Awkward LinkedIn Flops for Employees 'Embracing' Team Morale

So cringe
View List
workplace-stories toxic-workplace workplace-story nurse tales-from-the-workplace work doctor who workplace healthcare-worker healthcare - 22066181

'I will be filing an ethics complaint': Boss wants healthcare worker to work overtime, doesn't want to pay for it

If only there was some way that I could get more work from my employees without having to pay them for it… A thought that every employer has apparently had at some point during the operation of their business. Of course, the simplest solution to getting more work done without increasing costs would be just to find some way to get your employees to work more hours without paying them. After all, more hours equals more productivity… If only those pesky employees didn't expect to be paid! While yo…
View List
Advertisement
Update: 'I will not be following up': Boss asks employee to write impossible report before he leaves the company, employee proves it was a bad idea

Update: 'I will not be following up': Boss asks employee to write impossible report before he leaves the company, employee proves it was a bad idea

Most employees hope to be appreciated and valued while they're happily employed at a company, but the unfortunate reality of the working world is that employers often don't understand that value until they're about to lose you. When that happens, all of a sudden your contributions to the company seem so important that your bosses become increasingly afraid of what the workflow will be like in your absence. As we said, it's a very self-involved line of thinking, since you've been hoping for vali…
View List
workplace-stories employment-discussion work workplace Horrible Bosses employment - 21774085

'Another manager [who] won't believe their worker could be sick': Tutor who was told they have to come into work while sick makes their boss regret their decision

For some reason, employers become extremely cynical whenever their employees need a day off work, even if the cause given is something extremely plausible (and statistically likely), such as the contraction of the flu during the height of flu season. It's almost as if it's a projection of the employer what they themself would do if placed in the employee's position. “Surely,” [Employer] reasons. “[Worker] must be making it up to skip out on their work duties.” For they, too, would have done so…
View List
'I got laid off saying I wasn't necessary': Employee develops startup for two years, was promised shared, gets laid off right before the company launch

'I got laid off': Employee develops startup for two years, was promised shares, gets laid off right before the company launch

Imagine developing a startup for two years only to get fired right before the company is officially registered. As upsetting as this situation may be, we've seen employers behave this way before so we cannot say that we're surprised by this. When it comes to startups in particular, we know this kind of shady behavior is pervasive. What's especially upsetting, in this instance, is that the developer seems to be integral to the success of said startup. In fact, his work was not only an integral i…
View List
Advertisement
'She doesn't work here': Karen shames woman's outfit at the grocery store, thinks she's an employee, demands to speak with manager

'She doesn't work here': Karen shames woman's outfit at the grocery store, thinks she's an employee, demands to speak with the manager

Just imagine the amount of embarrassment this lady could have avoided if she just minded her own business. When I'm at the grocery store, I have one purpose: to get what I need as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible, yet some people have way too much time on their hands. So much time, in fact, that they can confront other shoppers and insult the way they dress. This Karen felt entitled to do so because she was convinced that the other woman was an employee at the store. The woman, of…
View List
'I remind him since he hasn't sent me the contract I don't work for him yet': Former boss tries to squeeze free labor out of ex-employee

'I remind him since he hasn't sent me the contract I don't work for him yet': Former boss tries to squeeze free labor out of ex-employee

Bosses never know what they've got until you're gone. This dude was one of those non-profit employers who assigned the amount of work a salaried employee would complete to an intern without paying them properly. That intern eventually pursued a career in a similar field and would go on to receive a graduate degree years later. Seven years following that joke of an internship, his former boss reached out and asked for his help with some grant writing. Now that OP worked regularly as an independe…
View List
workplace-stories malicious compliance work workplace Horrible Bosses - 22046213

'Get back to work': Employer sends employee on errands during their lunch, won't let them eat on the clock

When you do someone a favor, it's common to expect a little gratitude in return—or at least acknowledgment. It's a sign of mutual respect and is just proper etiquette. If the person you're doing a favor for doesn't show any appreciation., it might be time to reconsider anything and everything that you're currently doing for them. Alas, this happens all too often in the workplace , with workers who go above and beyond being consistently taken for granted, with any extra contributions they're mak…
View List
Advertisement
workplace-stories toxic-workplace manager malicious compliance workplace employment - 22042885

'I got it in writing': Manager demands BBQ cook clock-out early to cut their hours, their kitchen goes uncleaned and work goes unfinished

Employers regularly have this idea that they need to save money on the cost of labor to decrease their bottom line. This usually comes about when there has been some quarterly meeting about what the company can do to increase profits. Rather than coming up with anything new, some bright-eyed manager will boldly propose that the company reduce the cost of labor—thinking themselves to be the first to ever do so, making them, therefore, a business genius . To be fair, reducing the cost of labor is…
View List
'I should get a bump in pay too': Boss pays new hire 20+% more, denies employee the same rate, employee gets a better job elsewhere

'I should get a bump in pay too': Boss pays new hire 20% more, denies employee the same rate, employee gets a better job elsewhere

Bosses should never underestimate their employees' ability to get the pay they want somewhere else. This dude not only denied their overworked loyal employee the raise they deserved, but they also had the audacity to tell them that the only way they could negotiate a higher salary is if they got a competitive offer at another company. Either this guy wanted his employee to leave (and his team's productivity level to implode) or he really underestimated the Redditor's ability to find a better jo…
View List
workplace-stories jobs employment-discussion work new job interviews hiring interview employment - 21309445

'They still scheduled me': Employer refuses to honor new worker's negotiated leave, refusing to remove them from the schedule

Usually, when we negotiate leave dates when starting a new job, we'd expect those dates to be honored—not thrown to the wayside as soon as we're locked into our employment. After all, that's all part of the bargaining process, and once a bargain is struck, every agreed-upon detail becomes the foundation for the rest of the relationship. This worker shared how their extended family goes on a trip every year, this time with a significant personal reason motivating the trip, and they've already bo…
View List
Advertisement
‘Tripled their revenue; denied a raise’: Crumbling company pays $300,000 to customers after ambitious employees who tripled revenue quit, due to being denied a raise

‘Tripled their revenue; denied a raise’: Crumbling company pays $300,000 to customers after ambitious employees who tripled revenue quit, due to being denied a raise

Is there some kind of company playbook that we are all unaware of? Where the rules state, ‘Never give your employees a raise, especially if they are critical to your business success’? Beats me, to be honest. All I know is that so many bosses are clearly incompetent and not fit to make decisions that will effect the company's revenue. Corporate always intervenes when it's unnecessary, sticking their nose into everyone's business, yet ironically are nowhere to be found when their help is actuall…
View List
workplace-stories tech support toxic-workplace malicious compliance revenge coworkers technology it IT guy Tech coworker - 21990405

'I stopped doing their work for them': Company experiences huge losses when developer stops doing her coworker's work for them, exposing them

Pulling far greater than your own weight at work—or in any team—is a common frustration to experience and can make you feel like you're carrying an incredible burden on your shoulders. What's worse, it can make you wonder whether any effort is even worth it… Why bother working so hard if your coworkers are just going to refuse to do their fair share (and get away with doing less) anyway? This is something that you first encounter in grade school in the form of group projects, with some members…
View List
Advertisement

Hot Today

Advertisement