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50 People Who Compete For The Title Of The Worst Boss Ever
Interview
We all look for a real leader in our boss. The one who can have our backs, who motivates and inspires. It’s a person you can thoroughly trust, learn from, and grow together with professionally.
The truth is, in reality, exactly the opposite can happen. Our managers, bosses and supervisors can downright make our life a living hell. And having in mind that we spend 40 hours a week and 2,080 working hours a year with them, this is a huge lump of our life to spend in misery.
Below we wrapped up some blood-boiling examples that demonstrate what real leaders should not do or say. We also spoke with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, the best-selling author and CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts who shared some key signs of a bad boss, as well as how to be a great leader to your team.
More stories about annoying bosses can be found in our previous features here and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Very Inappropriate Joke
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
I'm glad they quit and filed a complaint. People like this shouldn't be the boss of anyone.
RELATED:
#2
That's Just Awful
indiecognition 3 years ago
"She was like a sister to me." (That's a sad situation, and the lack of compassion is messed -up.)
#3
Terrible Boss Regretting
Joelle Jansen 3 years ago
"Be grateful that I allow you to see your family once a week" - WTF, that's delusional.
#4
I'm Still In Shock
Groaver Andout 3 years ago
"Just thought you would of been professional" Just thought you as a boss might have learned "of" doesn't go there.
#5
I Just Found Out I'm The Single Lowest Paid Paramedic At My Ambulance Company, Despite Having The Most Experience By Several Years
#6
Please Note The Timestamps. Any Suggestions On How To Deal With This Outrageous Unfairness?
#7
My Fiance Called In Sick. Her Boss Called 911 And Told The Police She Was On Drugs. Is This Legal?
#8
My Store Manager Yelled At Me Because I Can Barely Afford To Eat
#9
I Got Fired For Telling The Boss "How To Do His Job" When All I Did Was Say, "We Can't Obstruct A Fire Escape"
#10
My Boss Thinks I Should Skip Seeing My Probation Officer And Go To Jail So He Can Have A Day Off. He Thinks My Labor Should Be More Important Than My Freedom
Alexandra Davis 3 years ago
TBF that's pretty s****y of probation as they want people on probation to be back giving to society and working etc but then risk their jobs when they make them call off because they can't give them a time of when they're coming
#11
I Left My Job Shortly After Receiving This "Prize" For My Good Work
#12
I Felt Sick, So I Did A Test For Covid. My Boss Responded With This
#13
The Audacity Of The Boss
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
Yeah, grandpa, your timing isn't the best... I hope karma slaps this b***h hard.
#14
The Fire Exit At My Job Has Been Blocked Like This For Months, And My Boss Threatened To Fire Me After He Saw Me Taking This Photo
#15
After Helping Them On Short Notice Many Times, I Finally Learned That My Day Off Is My Day Off
indiecognition 3 years ago
That's lousy behavior, but Ken and Brian seem like they come from a good family.
#16
A 15-Year-Old Kid Was So Tired From The Workload That He Just Fell Asleep On His 10-Minute Break. After Boss Saw That, He Said: "Make Sure He Doesn't Get Paid For That"
#17
Boss Told Me I Have To Come Into Work Because They Need Me
YourSecretSanta 3 years ago
This does suck and I am not on the bosses side, I am asking out of curiosity. In places where this is a common thing depending on the season, are there not standard protocols or contingencies in place?
#18
Boss Changed Her Mind Very Fast
#19
No Compassion At All
#20
Boss Fired Me For Taking Approved Vacation Time. After That, He Denied My Unemployment. Three Weeks Later, I Got Asked To Sign A Non-Disclosure Agreement
#21
My Boss Screwed The Only Window At Our Office Shut, So It's Impossible To Get Fresh Air
He wanted to save money by not using the heater, which we never use cause it's so hot in here anyways, so he decided to screw it shut. This can't be legal. Right?
#22
My Boss Asked Me If I Could Change The Day I Put My Dog To Sleep
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
Again, why is it the employee's job to find coverage? Your employee asks for a day off, you find someone else to work their shift. That simple.
#23
My Boss Actually Wrote This On My Last Check
He didn't give a 2-week notice, was very inconsiderate, and quit for no reason. Vegan who likes cancer, not meat, coward. He got free rides to work for five months. Self-centered and never amount to anything!
#24
I Lost My Job Of 3 Years Because Of This
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
It's literally your boss's job to find someone to cover your shift when you're sick, wtf.
#25
Boss Gave Me Cash And Called It A Bonus. Months Later, He Took It Out Of My Paycheck
#26
I Walked To Work In A Thunderstorm, But My Boss Forgot To Tell Me We All Have Today Off
#27
My Boss Told Me To At Least Try Shoveling Out And Come In Today. Red Car Is Mine. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
#28
My Boss Posted This Job Description On Facebook And Then Commented On This A Week Later. I Wonder Why No One Applied
SheamusFanFrom1987 3 years ago
News flash Jackhammer: The government doesn't need to do that, your sh*tty demands did that all on their own!!! Smh!!!
#29
Stop Stealing My Electricity
#30
My Boss Shared This Without A Hint Of Irony In Our WhatsApp Group
#31
I Told My Boss I Quit, And He's Not Going To Pay Me
YourSecretSanta 3 years ago
At this point, you stop engaging with your boss and start engaging with your lawyer
#32
My Partner Asked If They Would Be Getting Paid For A Mandatory Work Meeting On Their Day Off
What makes it worse is this place doesn't do holiday pay despite it being a legal requirement in the UK.
#33
Recently Posted At Work
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
Wait, BM? Bow Movement? BOWEL movement? Are you joking? Had to read this three times to understand what was happening. How is this even legal?
#34
My Boss Wouldn't Let Me Go To Turn Off My Headlights, Even Though You Could See It Through The Window That They Were On
#35
My Coworker Had A Dispute With The Owner. This Is How The Owner Replied On The Group Chat
#36
I Didn't Bring Lunch To Work Since My Employer Was Providing Pizzas. Two Slice Limit On Pizzas They Cut Into 16 Slices
#37
I Make $15 An Hour
#38
Employees Were Treated Like Middle Schoolers
#39
The Employer Doesn't Let Workers Use The Air Conditioner As A Heat Wave Comes Rushing In
Living Example 3 years ago
If you have to resort to this kind of thing to save money you can't afford to be running a business. I'd bet the idiot has A/C in his office.
#40
I Am So Done With This
9 animals and counting 3 years ago
My requirement for management is knowing how to spell and use proper grammar.
#41
My Boss Posted This Right After They Mandated Mandatory 6 Days And 11 Hours Work Days
#42
My Boss Told Me To Go And Rewire An Old Electrical Cabinet At This Factory. He Didn't Tell Me That Everything Was Covered In Sewage Liquids
#43
My Boss Texted Me In The Middle Of The Night
#44
My Boss Called Me In Early, And Said The Line Needs To Be Cleaned Up. He Set Up The Line This Morning And Made All This Mess
#45
My Job Involves Walking For Hours At A Time. We Also Don't Get Breaks At All. Even For 12+ Hour Shifts
YourSecretSanta 3 years ago
No breaks? That's a labour law violation in my country. Any anonymous tip off to the proper labour board seems in order
#46
These Meals We Got At My Job For Shifts Up To 12 Hours
#47
The Same Thing Happened To My Friend Michael Scott When He Had Bruce Springsteen's Tickets
#48
This Is How My Mom's Employer Shipped Her $2000 Work Laptop
#49
I Messaged My Boss That There Was A Small Leak, And He Told Me To Put A Bucket Under It. A Few Hours Later, The Ceiling Tiles Collapsed During A Rush
#50
Boss Called My Dr. Because I Tested Positive For Covid
Alexandra Davis 3 years ago
If my doctor discussed any of my medical info with my boss like that without my permission I would be suing him for patient confidentiality! But once again I call fake text!
#51
My Boss Is Physically Incapable Of Pointing Without Touching
#52
My Boss Says It's My Responsibility To "Walk The Office" When She Steals My Things
#53
3 Months To Know My Worth?
#54
My Friend Almost Got Scammed
My friend went to the job interview and was told she would get a certain pay, but when she started signing the paperwork, the rate was $3.15 lower than agreed. When she questioned it, the interviewer said: "Well, you're here now, may as well take it."
#55
I Asked For A Raise On Tuesday And Received This Text Message Yesterday Morning
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
In text, too? Dude. At least print it out, sign it, and hand it to your employee. Doesn't cost much to be a decent person even when you're just a douchebag.
#56
I Am At A Loss For Words. This Is Pathetic
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
I would donate a day or two. But yeah, they could just... figure something out. Boss and all.
#57
My Job Wrote Me Up For Discussing The Pay. What Should I Do?
#58
My Boss Didn't Tell Me In Person To Come To Work On Sunday When He Had The Chance To Do So. Today I Was Awakened By This Message At 2 AM
#59
My Employer's Plan In Case Of A Fire?
#60
I Asked Supervisor To Add Me To The Schedule, But They Never Responded. Then They Got Mad At Me For Not Showing Up
#61
My Boss Gave Me An 18-Hour Notice That We Will Have A Mandatory Meeting
#62
Boss Told Me To Clean The Old Storage Room
#63
I Got Disciplinary Action For Being Sick And Calling In
Reenzy Bennington 3 years ago
Please plan your child's illnesses and inform your employers in 10-15 business days... I'm laughing but this isn't funny at all.
#64
My Boss Thought These Were "Perfectly Fine" Tires
#65
I Dislocated My Shoulder Yesterday And Got 2-Week Notice From My Employer Today, Because It's Going To Take Me About A Month To Heal
#66
Employer Treated Us To A Break Room Dinner, And This Is What He Gave Us. We Are Only Allowed To Take One
#67
I Was In An Accident Due To California's Blizzard, Stranded Overnight In Snow, With No Phone Service
#68
I'm Shamed For Calling Off And Isolating Myself Because Of Covid. My Supervisor Got Mad And Forced Me To Finish A Report At Home. I'm An Unpaid Intern
YourSecretSanta 3 years ago
Do not call him, the fact that the position of an unpaid intern even exists shows a failure in humanity
#69
We Had A Cake At The Office, And This Is How My Boss Cut It
#70
My Employer Sent Me This
Mari Balot 3 years ago
That's a pretty water bottle. Now you only have to buy a white waterproof marker and end the sentences with funny quotes like "WAKE UP LATE" "BE THANKFUL WHEN APPROPRIATE" "DON'T BE APPROACHABLE" "COMPLAIN LESSON TO BECOME BETTER AT IT" and so on. :D
#71
Our New Manager
#72
My Boss Didn't Tell Me That He Put Bread Rolls In The Oven Before Leaving
#73
My Boss Texted An Assignment On My Day Off
#74
My Boss At Work Said This When My Mom Called Me About Her Getting A Big Seizure
#75
My Cheap Boss Made This Ceiling Fan
#76
This Is At My Work, Near The Front Of The Store. I Asked Management If I Could Block It Off, So No Kids End Up Touching It, And They Said No
Yes, that's a metal prong in that electric socket. I really hope no one ends up in the hospital because of this.
Marie BellaDonna 3 years ago
That's a situation where you just make an executive decision, and do it without asking first.
#77
My Boss Gave Us Gift Bags. I Don't Think They Were From This Year
Sonja 3 years ago
To be fair, this can easily happen even to fresh chocolate if its exposed to warm temperatures. They're then still perfectly edible, they just don't look pretty anymore. You can only tell if it's old if it has a musky or stale smell or taste or by looking at the fresh by date.
#78
When The Boss Doesn't Care
The Scout 3 years ago
This actually needs context. Of course this would be really cheap for a company if this is actual policy. But in my experience, things like these are often done by lower level superiors or supervisors who think the company should have done something when it did not, often paid out of their own pocket to have something at all. So, other than the company, those people sometimes actually DO care about their team.
#79
Supervisor Wanted Us To Clear Out The Back Room By Friday. We Have Another Truck On Thursday, And This Is What It Looks Like Now
#80
This Burrito At My Job Costs $5.54, And We're Not Allowed To Leave To Get The Food
#81
Unused Material From The Job Site. Our Boss Said That It's Cheaper, To Just Throw It All Away. This Bin Will Be Full By The End Of The Week
#82
We Discovered That The Warehouse We Worked At Had A Heating Until Someone Left It On 60°F For One Night, And My Boss Broke The Controller
#83
Boss Said: "Hey Can You Try To Clean Up The Wires Under The Dash?"
#84
I Had A Personal Thing Come Up For Thursday, And My Boss Is Just Ignoring My Time Off Request
#85
My Boss Accused Me Of Lying About An Accident That Caused Me To Be Late For Work. So I Quit. I Won't Let Anyone Speak To Me In Such A Disrespectful, Unprofessional Manner
Rosemary Booth 3 years ago
Ahh, good old 495, the Washington DC beltway. I commuted 270 to 495 to Georgia Ave for 10 years! The traffic is always horrible and there's always accidents. So glad I work from home now!
#86
My Husband Was Promoted To His Former Boss's Position, And The Guy Left His Office Like This For My Husband To Move Into
YourSecretSanta 3 years ago
This does need context. Old boss might have been a pig, or he might have been escorted off (whether guilty or innocent, the internet has thought me that anyone can be escorted off premises even without cause), or maybe boss was screwed over and this was his petty revenge, just a pity that the husband was on the receiving end
#87
My Boss Provided Lunch Of "Italian Sausage With Peppers And Onions"
#88
My Boss's "Inspirational" Quote On The Wall
Sonja 3 years ago
Erm, this is absolutely, perfectly true? This is 100% fine in and on itself. Without context there's nothing bad going on here. Well, if the boss has ridiculous expectations about work ethic, that's another story, that could indeed be outrageous. But this statement, if taken as intended, is how it should be. Good work ethic should be rewarded with raises, free time and bonuses and bad work ethic should be weeded out to protect the good workers from slackers pushing their work onto the colleagues. That's how it should be
#89
My Employer Changed Insurance Provider This Year. My ADHD Meds Used To Cost $25 A Month Last Year. Now It's Over $350
#90
My Boss Installed A Water Dispenser Yesterday. This Morning, We Got Into The Office To This
#91
Jackhammer Bit Broke When My Boss Was Using It For About 2 Minutes
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
Because it's not like your employees are human beings or anything. Good f**k on a f*****g fuckstick. (How d'you like THAT, censorbot?).
And i was like WTF!! 3 years ago
I just... What is it with people. I am guessing that posts here are mostly from USA/Canada. In Europe we have s****y managers and supervisors, but we can take day offs, have mandated vacation (in my state min is 20 work days + you have more based on education, preformance etc, max to 30 days), we have payed overtime (or get a day off) but it is nothing like this stated in this article... I think, based on alot of posts online, that work/hustle culture is sooo toxic in USA, and that when people are promoted to supervisort or higher are s**t. We have a saying here - give a person a position of power and see his true colors. Sorry for my bad english
M E 3 years ago
not all people are like that. maybe after getting walked all over for years i can see people getting a backbone. but not being all f****d up to people around being sick, or people lived ones dieing. thats messed up. i had to quit during civid because were acting all stupid. self employeed now. and make pennies. :(. but the only stupid boss i have to deal with is me. Gives me no hours. lol. over 7ins of rain last 2 days. not ready to clear trees, mud slides. no pay in it for me.
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g90814 3 years ago
At times (actually a lot of the time) I wonder how many of these are fake and posted just for likes/upvotes?
Mim“the Swede”Sorensson 3 years ago
It’s always a possibility. But since that’s the case with 99% of all content of the entire internet, I tend to just assume validity most of the time. It kind of loses its whole entire point otherwise.
Load More Replies...
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
Because it's not like your employees are human beings or anything. Good f**k on a f*****g fuckstick. (How d'you like THAT, censorbot?).
And i was like WTF!! 3 years ago
I just... What is it with people. I am guessing that posts here are mostly from USA/Canada. In Europe we have s****y managers and supervisors, but we can take day offs, have mandated vacation (in my state min is 20 work days + you have more based on education, preformance etc, max to 30 days), we have payed overtime (or get a day off) but it is nothing like this stated in this article... I think, based on alot of posts online, that work/hustle culture is sooo toxic in USA, and that when people are promoted to supervisort or higher are s**t. We have a saying here - give a person a position of power and see his true colors. Sorry for my bad english
M E 3 years ago
not all people are like that. maybe after getting walked all over for years i can see people getting a backbone. but not being all f****d up to people around being sick, or people lived ones dieing. thats messed up. i had to quit during civid because were acting all stupid. self employeed now. and make pennies. :(. but the only stupid boss i have to deal with is me. Gives me no hours. lol. over 7ins of rain last 2 days. not ready to clear trees, mud slides. no pay in it for me.
Load More Replies... g90814 3 years ago
At times (actually a lot of the time) I wonder how many of these are fake and posted just for likes/upvotes?
Mim“the Swede”Sorensson 3 years ago
It’s always a possibility. But since that’s the case with 99% of all content of the entire internet, I tend to just assume validity most of the time. It kind of loses its whole entire point otherwise.
Load More Replies...
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