workplace-stories

PhD student, fed up with her caffeinated coworker Anne, plans to take back her coffee maker when she graduates, leaving Anne to brew alone: ‘She stopped making coffee at her home because she knows she can make it at work. I am her source of caffeine’

Etai Eshet

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Employee told he is going to lose all of his leave by the end of the year, takes it all at once, leaving projects struggling to be completed: 'Use all your PTO before December 31 or lose it? Alright, don't mind if I do, even if the project burns...'

Brad Dickson

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Employee gets fired for standing around for 5 minutes after showing up to work 2 minutes late: ‘This isn’t working out’

Ben Weiss

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Boss reprimands employee for showing too much personality in emails, employee complies and gets accused of sounding too cold: 'I thought you didn't want personal touches'

Ben Weiss

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Jealous boss informs HR of a completely permissible after-work get-together that her employees attended, only because she wasn't invited herself: "[She] made a complaint that she was being ostracized’

Lana DeGaetano

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18-year-old café employee told by her new shift lead to stop talking, stops talking entirely, forcing the lead to backtrack: 'You’re not paid to talk, you’re paid to work'

Brad Dickson

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Delusional direct report refuses to accept that his manager is in charge of him, manager gets even: 'Adam has openly claimed he doesn’t technically report to me'

Ben Weiss

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Employee grows tired of workplace favoritism, decides to ‘accidentally' break their computer to get time off while entitled coworkers are forced to fill in: ‘We’re expected to work like machines’

Bar Mor Hazut

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'I just stood there': Manager demands employees stick only to assigned tasks, employee complies by refusing to help customers outside of their department

Bar Mor Hazut

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'Helped my former boss get fired': Former employee gets entitled ex-boss audited three years after getting wrongfully dismissed

Ben Weiss

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Boss questions employee's work ethic when they work from home for one day despite working their previously agreed upon WFH days from the office: 'You want me to honor my in-office-days? Okay, but you'll be forced to honor my WFH-days'

Brad Dickson

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‘I never said I was taking his shift’: Entitled coworker assumes fellow employee will take his shift without receiving confirmation, then sneakily tells boss they found shift coverage

Lana DeGaetano

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Boss bans phones in the workplace, employee complies until boss needs to reach her urgently: 'I wasn’t about to get written [up] for breaking a policy she just finished enforcing'

Ben Weiss

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Employee 4 months into their new job loses 2 days of PTO over an 18 minute lunch break disagreement: '[Boss] told me I took time off on company time and there would be discipline to follow'

Brad Dickson

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New hire shows up 15 minutes late and insists he 'doesn't take orders': 'By 3 PM his keycard didn't work any more'

Remy Millisky

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'You're not paid to talk': 18-year-old disgruntled barista reprimanded for chatting with coworkers, barista maliciously complies and plays the "mute challenge" for days

Ben Weiss

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