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'A manager can not compete with his employees for work': Manager expected to compete with staff for commission to earn a living wage

Leading from the front is important for any leader—you need to walk the walk that you talk… but when it comes to sales and commission, you don't want to be competing with your own team to make the wage that you should be earning anyways for managing the business. Anyone who has ever worked in a retail environment that heavily prioritizes sales probably has encountered the subject matter of this post. For those who have never worked on a sales floor for commission, if the environment isn't manag…
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'I knew it would be a total mess': Micromanaging supervisor's simple mistake costs company $220k, gets fired

Whenever someone is confidently incorrect, sometimes it's better not to argue with them. Instead, make sure you cover your own rear and let them do their thing… and watch the chaos unfold—just as this worker did when they got a micromanaging new boss. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit by the worker, Reddit user u/BrightRick. u/BrightRick explains that they worked for a catalog in the 80s. What's a catalog, you ask? Well, see, before the internet, people who were…
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'She blocked me from getting the job': Boss blocks employee's promotion, employee repays the favor and costs her $500k

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you… The “golden rule," which has appeared in many forms across human history—is also sometimes called the “ethic of reciprocity.” Whichever religion or cultural norm you associate this with, that religion or culture probably intended the “ethic of reciprocity” to work in a positive way and encourage people to do good things to other people in exchange for receiving goodwill from others in return—you know, the kind of behavior that encourages founda…
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'I was fired after this': Worker fired for missing work due to injury sustained from shoplifter

You might think that being injured while trying to defend your company's property would get you a warm thanks and a pat on the back, at the very least… and definitely not a swift kick out the door. But chasing down someone who has nothing to lose is dangerous and not a risk worth taking—and (hopefully) not a risk your employer wants to take liability for. For that reason, most businesses often have rules about not engaging with shoplifters, thieves, and other criminals—even for security guards,…
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'I was flabbergasted': Interviewer calls candidates current employer without asking

The usual decorum for interviews is that of subtlety—and for good reason. The fact that you're looking for other work is one that you'd probably prefer your employer wasn't aware of. Their gut reaction could very well be to fire you and secure the future of their business and the security of their company. Now, jobless, the job you were applying for now has much higher bargaining power over you than they held previously. For this reason, it's usually an unspoken rule that an interviewer As an a…
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'He BEGGED me to stay': Boss tells employee to "gain some perspective," they do and find a new job to go with it

This boss managed to take himself out of the equation when he told his employee to “gain some perspective." The employee took the advice, but the perspective they gained was one that made them realize that they would rather not work at their current job. They quit. This gave their boss a new perspective: That he was royally screwed without the employee's work, turning from indignant insolence to begging the employee not to leave. The bluff had been called, and the boss was holding a 2-7 offsuit…
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'This will cost you big time': Employer tells worker they can't leave until relief arrives, they comply and rake in the overtime

Working overtime is basically your employer admitting they haven't hired enough people. Thankfully laws that require increased compensation for overtime end up forcing a win-win; Employers get extra coverage in peak times, and employees get better compensation for working longer, often unscheduled hours. That is, if you're not a salaried worker and don't live somewhere where these laws don't exist. This worker, luckily, was in an industry that mandated strict overtime for any hours worked over…
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'Now I know I’m getting fired in 3 weeks': Managers accidentally discuss firing employee on group chat that he's in

Just like Daenerys Targaryen “kind of” forgetting about the iron fleet… these bosses forgot that this guy was included in their group chat, using it as a means for discussing firing the worker in three weeks' time, once they were caught up with the delivery workload.
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'I'm watching my future former director going nuts': Boss has dawning realization at employee's imminent departure

It's amazing how ego-fueled denial can make an employer wait until the last moments of your notice period before attempting to reassign your tasks and replace you. It's probably not surprising, though, given that this exact attitude and lack of care are probably what made you want to leave your job in the first place. Still, this happens time and time again—as evidenced by the sheer number of stories posted about it online. You might even have some stories and experiences of your own of dealing…
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'We knew he was full of it': Lying one-upping coworker gets caught out in a lie that they can't live down

As human beings, we all develop interesting ticks and facets of our personalities that can manifest into very strange behavior. Often our desire to feel “good” and avoidance of feeling “bad” can cause us to make a series of consecutive decisions that see us walking too far down a particular path and becoming something we might never have anticipated. Take "Disney Adults" or any fandom as a prime example of this. You get exposed to something at some point in your life, say, Disney media and it m…
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'I don't work Mondays': Server gets fired for missing "mandatory" Memorial Day shift while on scheduled vacation

One of the worst parts about working in the service industry or retail is “blackout” dates—where no one is able to take days off—these always line up with precisely the days you'd want to take off. Holidays, long weekends, and anytime between Christmas and New Years—pretty much any time you might want to see family or friends (who are all off work.) These have all been deemed as days where all hands are needed on deck due to high volumes of trade. But the worst part about blackout dates?.. Hypo…
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'My manager collected donations for me but kept it all': Boss collects donations from coworkers under the guise of helping with a personal tragedy, dips with all the money

If we're taking bets for the worst thing a boss has ever done, my money is on this; using someone else's tragedy for your own gain is a specific type of evil with no moral restitution. Somewhere in a locked room, this boss has a portrait of himself with a curled, deformed hand and demonic visage. This heartbreaking workplace story was shared on Reddit't r/antiwork subreddit, with the original poster sharing how her former boss had scammed her coworkers into giving him money, which was supposed…
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'I applaud your father for... calling their bluff': Employee refutes his job's petty HR team with his own evidence

Imagine working hard for decades for the same company, pushing towards retirement age, only for them to turn around and treat you terribly. Many companies simply do not care about their employee wellbeing, instead, they only care about their bottom line. There was a time where working for a company for decades really meant something — the company could be trusted to care about their employees who were loyal to the business over the years. But these days, it's all about keeping shareholders and…
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'That would be to expensive': Boss boasts about his standing desk but won't let anyone else have one

Standing desks may have become all the rage, but some people can't stand them. Being on your feet all day can be tiring and result in aches that can't wait to be eased by a well-deserved rest. Just ask anyone who works in retail, nursing, or the service industry and has to be on their feet all day. Workers from these sectors are probably permanently bewildered by office workers' obsession with standing. My own experience with standing desks has led me to believe that their sole reason for exist…
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'I got a nice bonus': Dude automates both boss's and boss's boss's job, they get fired

With all the talk of AI and all that, you might be looking at your job nervously and wondering… could an AI do this? You'd hope that automation and new innovation would lead to better working conditions and easier tasks. Still, it's more than likely that your company will cut your job to save a dollar today, even if it costs them tomorrow when the AI fails to replicate the nuance of your work. But what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if, instead of having your job automated by your boss…
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'They tried to write me up': Boss reprimands worker for being twenty-two seconds late, worker phones boss every time they leave home

Living in a world that isn't black or white makes things better for everyone, especially regarding the enforcement of minor infringements. Inflexible policy enforcement begets inflexibility—ask, and you shall receive. If you're going to nitpick the strict enforcement of rules, be ready for a staunch defense using the same reasoning. While punctuality is always a good skill to have in the workplace—being one of the classic ways of showing that you respect other people and their time—it's safe to…
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