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'They literally said "The stars weren't aligned" for that date': 20+ Clients who had workers laughing behind their backs

One person asked workers to spill their “worst/ funniest/ strangest client story," and so many people had great anecdotes to share.
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'They still scheduled me for that week': New employee mentions bereavement leave in interview, employer schedules them anyways

'They still scheduled me for that week': New employee mentions bereavement leave in interview, employer schedules them anyways

Negotiating leave during the interview process can be tricky. Do you mention it to ensure you can take that vacation you already planned? Or do you not mention it, helping your chances of getting the job but drastically increasing chances that you won't be taking that vacation? If you choose to bring your leave requirements to the table of negotiation, the hiring manager then has the option of saying yes or no, or passing over you completely for the crime of having a personal life—it's all with…
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'This is my supervillain origin story': Boss tries to tell worker that getting demoted is a good thing, they leave and cripple the company

'This is my supervillain origin story': Boss tries to tell worker that getting demoted is a good thing, they leave and cripple the company

There will be moments throughout your life that really stick with you, great experiences, or hard lessons that become formative parts of who you are and what you want to do. These “core memories”
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'I did exactly as I was told': Employee told "not to think," does their best

'I did exactly as I was told': Employee told "not to think," does their best

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…
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'She demanded I hire her': Manager's old company calls begging him to hire his useless ex-coworker to get her off their hands

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…
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'Her face started twitching': Boss gets furious when employee gives their notice

'Her face started twitching': Boss gets furious when employee gives their notice, talks about them behind their back

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…
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'You specifically asked me to delete it despite my protests': Company stranded after firing reluctant developer and telling them to delete everything they made

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…
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'Your wish is my command': Worker complies to boss's micromanaging request that they report their location at all times

'I want to know where you are at all times': Worker complies to boss's micromanaging request that they report their location at all times

Micromanagement is a boogeyman of the workplace—always lurking. You're always apprehensive that it's going to be there when you walk into a new place and worried that it might suddenly appear out of the blue and ruin something that you once loved. It's also exceedingly frustrating and hugely demotivating One of the most psychologically deconstructing things to experience at work is a lack of autonomy, especially when you had it before and now suddenly have a new manager who refuses to let you d…
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'No one wants to look [at] hairy man-legs': Dude complies with new workplace summer dress code by shaving his legs

If there's one thing that every organization on this earth loves… it's stupid strict rules that have no business existing in the first place—usually coming from a middle manager who decided to write and enact a new policy without ever asking others with more insight and experience for their input. Bonus space on the bingo card here for this manager also being someone either freshly promoted on a power trip or brand new to the organization and trying to look like they're doing an effective job a…
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Cut my salary in half? Kiss your business goodbye

'Cut my salary in half? Kiss your business goodbye': Boss gives hardworking employee's salary to new worker, employees band together to tank the company

“Red flags start appearing from the very first minute I arrive,” this employee wrote in one jaw-dropping workplace story.
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'The company just isn't really meeting my expectations': Employee shocks employer, quits while giving them a taste of their own medicine

'The company just isn't really meeting my expectations': Employee shocks employer, quits while giving them a taste of their own medicine

After a lifetime of being told that “It's not personal” and "It's just business" it's surprising how personal employers take a resignation, finally coming face to face with a situation where they're not in control.
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'I declined, obviously': Employee receives low-ball counter offer from current employer

When you receive an offer from a new employer, you may be incentivized to approach your current employer and see if they'll match the offer. After all—as we often discuss, your current employment is a known entity, and so it will often seem preferable to stay in the comforts of the known—rather than branch out into the unknown of the new role that is being offered. Usually, your current employer will come back with what they can reasonably offer, seeking to match the offer you've received. It's…
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'I find out she was in the middle of being fired': Coworker cracks friendly joke, unbeknownst to him it was during the most inconvenient moment

They say comedy is all about timing. You never really know if that's true until you experience a poorly timed joke. For example, depending on the audience's vibe, it's always time for a joke at a comedy stand up show. However, if you're at a funeral and you're asked to say a few words—again, depending on the crowd—that's usually a bad time to crack a joke. Those are pretty obvious examples of comedic timing. A new example has come from a Reddit story . The OP truly made very very poor comedic t…
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'I have to pay for that $0.10 personal call charge? Done.': Company charges employees $0.10 for personal calls, employee makes processing that fee cost more than that

'I have to pay for that $0.10 personal call charge? Done.': Company charges employees $0.10 for personal calls, employee makes processing that fee cost more than that

Companies love to introduce small fees as a means of saving a few dollars or adding an extra stream of revenue. Hey—if you're a bank or network provider with 70 million customers, charging each of them a $0.10 fee every month is going to shore up a clean $84 million in revenue a year, and that's not going to look bad for some senior manager's bonus figure. These tactics can be employed against your employees, too. Nitpicking small costs and introducing small penalties can cause broad-sweeping c…
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'I love my job but honestly that attitude is making me sick': Boss insists on mandatory unpaid weekend "team building" trips

'I love my job but honestly that attitude is making me sick': Boss insists on mandatory unpaid weekend team building trips

Having a close-knit workgroup can be amazing; it's the kind of thing that has to form naturally with a bit of time and pressure that nurtures (and necessitates) cohesiveness and codependence. The relationships you form in these workplaces can be incredible and turn out to be life-long bonds, but they can also create a workplace environment that is unintentionally toxic. Eventually, something is going to change. Maybe the company expands, or there is going to be a falling out between people on t…
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'Effective immediately': Employee gets fired on the spot after giving notice to their restaurant job

'Effective immediately': Employee gets fired on the spot after giving notice to their restaurant job

Giving notice to a job is the right thing to do—when you have the right employer. Like any relationship, the working relationship is built on trust, and a strong relationship that is filled with goodwill should always be honored. But when you know that the person employing you is prone to petty fits of rage—which often include firing people on the spot with no prior warning—maybe it's best not to let this person know that you plan on leaving their business in the next few weeks. After all, they…
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