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'Thank you': Worker's unorthodox response to boss's criticism sparks online discussion

It's generally expected that you'll do whatever you possibly can to keep your superiors happy—whether it's your boss, teacher, or parents. But should we really be going out of our way to do something for someone who couldn't care less about showing the same respect in return? Normally, when your boss passed you criticism in the workplace, you might become anxious and worried about this. But should you really be? If you're already performing the expectations of your role, why waste the energy? T…
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Update: 'I took the advice': Worker quits at internet's urging after boss demands their personally upgraded plane seat

Problems will present themselves in our lives with a constant certain predictability—it's how we go about solving those problems that determines the course it will take. Say you have a bad boss or are otherwise unhappy with your job—what do you do? Do you sit and silently suffer, day after day, week after week, month after month? If you don't have to, why should you? Take your life into your own hands and find something better. That's what this worker has done following advice they received whe…
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'Oh I’m not allowed to clean up early? Have it your way': University TA schools professor over unreasonable demand

Sometimes the student becomes the teacher—and sometimes, the student-teacher becomes the teacher of the teacher-student. Funny how life works like that, isn't it? The moral here is that you shouldn't ever assume that you know everything just because you're in charge; in fact, you'd do best to assume the opposite… A great leader is constantly learning themselves—after all, everyone has something to teach you—and identifying and utilizing other people's strengths is how you build a successful tea…
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'I helped end his career': Boss forces worker out of job, worker forces boss out of industry

Sudden loss for a thing that was great about your life can cause grief—even when that thing was your job. Sometimes it will be a sudden change of ownership or leadership; sometimes, it is the same leaders making sweeping changes in policy to increase profits. Sometimes it's a smaller change within your team, maybe a coworker or boss you like leaving for a new role. This last scenario normally ends up with you working closely with someone who you like significantly less than the coworker they're…
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'He [decided] to power-trip': Boss gives worker disciplinary action for working too hard

Sometimes, someone just has it out for you for some reason… and there isn't much you can do about it. Realizing that not everyone you meet is going to like you is a tough but important pill to swallow, but the sooner you learn to accept that, the less energy, stress, and time you'll spend trying to win that person over, and you will be able to move on with your life. It's a little harder to do this when that person is your boss, but the same principle applies. All you can do is pack up, find a…
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'I basically leaked it through my cover letter': Job candidate guesses company's problematic secrets in their cover letter and gets call from the company's lawyer

Imagine submitting a cover letter that is so well written and on point with calling out and solving the company's problems that you immediately get contacted by the company's lawyer and a frantic department head who demand to know where you got your information. Then, after all of that, you still don't get the job when they balk at your compensation request… Talk about a roller coaster! If you've ever wanted undeniable proof that you have the qualifications for a position and are generally skil…
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'I don't care where you put it, just get it out of there': HR Director gives worker an unwise order with a predictable outcome

Saying something dismissive to try and prove your superiority is bound to backfire when those you thought you had under your boot comply with the meaning—but not spirit—of your words. This is malicious compliance, and if you've spent some time here or on the popular Reddit sub that gave these stories a rise in popularity, then you know of it all too well. Heck—if you've spent some time in a toxic workplace under a tyrannical boss, you've probably watched one of these stories unfold. This Reddit…
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'I tried to quit my job today and my boss told me no': Woman gives resignation and toxic boss blatantly ignores it, attempts lackluster counter-offer last minute but it's too late

Workplace culture might be changing with more woke millennials taking on managerial positions, but there are still completely toxic environments that make you want to quit immediately. For example, when you get a toxic boss who acts like a child and pretends you didn't just hand in your resignation later… That is exactly what happened recently to one woman who posted about her experience on TikTok . She said she handed her boss her resignation letter and he took one look at it and simply said,…
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'He ignored my warning': Boss overrules financial viability worker's warning, costs company $8 million

Some executives are all about sales, insisting that profits will increase exponentially if they sign on more and more clients. They offer the greased-up salespeople absurd bonuses for signing new clients, at whatever the cost, without bothering to make sure that those contracts are actually going to be serviceable at those rates—or profitable in the long term. And, let me tell you, you don't know pain until you've worked at the servicing end of a company that has made this mistake, impossibly t…
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'I got over $5,000 and 6 months pay for not doing any work': Company tries to excuse unpaid wages, employee Uno Reverses them and hits them with a Draw 5k

What a way to go out! Imagine working in a toxic environment, but just keeping your head down and going through the motions—you need the money, after all. But then one day BAM some realizes the full toxicity of the company and you finally get the justice you deserved. Well, that is exactly what happened to this guy on Reddit. User @Ha-Funny-Boy posted to the subreddit r/pettyrevenge , however we think this is more like a justice served situation. The poster said that he had agreed to a salary-e…
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antiwork workplace-stories in-the-workplace jobs toxic-workplace workplace-story job-seeking work coworkers programmers trending-topic workplace viral Tech job interview employment - 20127493

'You're probably getting paid less than the people hired after you': Experienced programmer getting paid less than fresh new hire sparks online discussion over pay

We might expect that experience, performance, and time in a role would lead us to an increased take-home pay… and that we might be earning more than the college graduate the company just hired—who has no experience and is still wet behind the ears. But, changes in company hiring policy resulting from fluctuations in the demands of the job market could very well mean that new hires are earning far more than you. Companies are often reluctant to increase the cost of existing labor—even in times o…
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'Please let me know': Interviewer awkwardly asks candidate for a job

There are plenty of great opportunities to reach out to your network and enquire about open positions—with friends, family, and former colleagues all being solid possible leads. You can volunteer, attend industry events, utilize contacts through shared interests—even turn to social media. Heck, just about the only person you shouldn't reach out to for a job is a candidate you're supposed to be interviewing. It's bold, for sure, but bound to land poorly. The interviewee already has so much going…
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'You can quit at any time': Worker calls boss's bluff and quits in the middle of their shift

Giving someone instructions that you don't actually want them to carry out is foolish and bound to make you look like one when they follow through with your commands. It's crazy how common power-tripping bosses use this tactic, thinking their power is absolute over their subordinates. They risk everything on a single ego-fuelled order, daring their workers to call their bluff, only to be surprised when they do. This worker shared their experience working for a boss who frequently would wield th…
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'His daughter can do it at a cheaper rate': Boss wants to replace successful social media manager with his daughter to save on budget

When you're doing great at your job, taking on extra duties, and performing admirably, the last thing you expect is to be replaced as a cost-saving measure—especially by your boss's (presumably unqualified) daughter. But, this can happen when your profession is a necessity that your bosses don't understand… and there are certainly some old hats hanging around in various institutions who still don't quite “get” the point of social media marketing. It's akin to the common adage about the catch-22…
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'My software had been rolled out to all staff against my wishes': Boss steals worker's program and takes credit for it, reprimands worker for undesired features

Finance is probably one of the least “metal” things out there. In fact, finance workers are probably a direct antithesis of rock and roll singers.
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'Why did you not coming to work??': Manager reprimands worker for taking Easter off after the management team fails to communicate

You can always judge the strength of someone's character by their willingness to accept, acknowledge, and correct their own mistakes. Similarly, a manager blaming their worker for organizational failure above the worker's pay grade says much about their leadership. It's completely fair for a worker to expect that everything is taken care of when they have followed the instructed process. Reprimanding that worker—via poorly structured text messages—for the ensuing lack of communication between t…
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