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Having a boss that cares about you is the best. Encouraging your personal and professional development, making you feel like a valuable member of the team, even saying a simple "thank you" really contributes to job satisfaction.

Sometimes, however, it feels like this boss doesn't even exist. Like they're just a fictional character, created by some business management faculty to trick students into joining the workforce.

Take this viral thread for example.

It started with a tweet by comedian Kevin McCaffrey. In it, McCaffrey recalled the time when he told his manager that his grandma had died before a double shift he was scheduled for. Their response? "Can you just work one shift?"

As the tweet blew up, people started replying with baffling phrases they heard from bosses themselves. Below are some of the most delirious ones.

Bored Panda got in touch with McCaffrey to learn more about the story behind his famous tweet. "I was a server in Anderson, Indiana for 4 months in 2003," he said. "Was I happy with it? No, haha, but I don't blame OG. It was a good server job in the area, the employees were very cool overall."

McCaffrey doesn't really remember what the real reason was that day, but he has a theory. "The TV department at Ball State's activity fair (called SuperParty) where people sign up for what shows they want to work on for the year. I was the host and EP of a late night talk show, and they wouldn't let me take the day off. I wasn't gonna miss it, so fake grandma had to have a bad day."

#3

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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Bella Jones
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmmm .... she was happy to ignore the roaches up until the employer upset her. Not cool. Not cool at all.

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The main thing McCaffrey took away from all the replies his tweet got was that "management, in every job, is delusional."

"They demand far more than they're willing to give almost everywhere, and expect people who are clearly working survival jobs to bail on everything in their lives to deliver unlimited salad and breadsticks for 2.13 an hour and an average of about 10% tip," he said. "I also learned that there are plenty of people very mad that I lied in 2003 at the Anderson Indiana Olive Garden and missed that shift."

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A study by CareerBuilder.com shows that a whopping 58 percent of managers said they didn’t receive any management training. Let that sink it. Most managers in the workforce were promoted because they were good at what they did, not because they made the people around them better. This statistic might explain their lack of competence. Our leaders aren't trained to lead.

Here's another interesting fact for you. Leigh Branham, author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave revealed that 89 percent of bosses believe employees quit because they want more money. I bet any boss would love this statistic to be true (because it basically pardons them from wrong-doing) but it is simply not true. Only 12 percent of employees actually leave an organization for more money.

#8

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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Max
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, 99% of people in food service are there just because they get paid. It's not really a 'calling' or 'career'.

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Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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Marcellus the Third
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a bit perplexed that work would even have the right to know your Dr, let alone ring them on a whim.

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A Harvard Business Review survey revealed that only 49% of full-time workers responded that they had "a great deal of trust" in those working above and alongside them. 

That becomes a bigger problem when you consider their other research which has found that positive teams that trust each other are more productive, creative, and resilient and improve the organization’s overall effectiveness.

#11

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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Viviane
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This boss attends funerals for rest and recreation. Cheaper than a resort and you get to visit churches, temples, funeral homes, cemeteries, and you get a free show up front and then a flash mob of sad people. What - most people don't attend funerals for a vacation??

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Viviane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously, I once attended a funeral where the widow and mother were totally grief-stricken, while the man's daughter ran the "show" (that's all it was to her) and treated the funeral like another networking opportunity.

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Gary French
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe he thought you were doing Weekend At Bernies with your grandma?

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Sheila McEnany Markowitz
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had a boss who said to me, two days after my Dad's death, "What's wrong with you? You're not still upset over your father?". She was evil.

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PeachPossum
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One winter, my brother died in a fire. Because of inclement weather, most family and friends were unable to travel. So the family had him cremated and planned a memorial service for later that year. When he died I took two days off because I couldn't bring myself to come into work. The following week, my boss rejected my time card because I had selected 2 days for "funeral" leave, which was the classification in the system. He said "You didn't actually go to a funeral." I said, "Why should that make any difference? HE STILL DIED." Nope. I had to use hard earned vacation time. Looking back, I should have claimed sick leave due to my mental state. Some years later the classification was changed to "bereavement" leave, due to the number of employees who were unable to travel for funerals. I should have demanded my two days of vacation to be restored.

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the flip side, I’ve worked with people who seemed to have an endless supply of grandparents who apparently kept rising from the dead and having to be reburied, funerals and all.

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Roe Rainrunner
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my country, we get a day off by law, when close family dies. All these stories make me think about working laws and yes, I have to think about the USA...

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K Miller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My old boss called my coworkers Maternity leave a 'vacation'.

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Mark Fuller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, been there. Had to take annual leave to bury my mother, at the age of 27.

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Vicky Z
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So both maternity leave and funerals are considered vacations?

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All's Gravy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's the US's naive lust after unrestrained capitalism that's mad

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Xan Maranya
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Goes along with that "Which is more important, work or family?" idiot.

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InfectedVoice
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That single comment would cause me to lose it and call them some names and leave that job on the spot, my f****** grandmother dude, holy cheddarfuck this is making me mad this article.

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Z Kalnina
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good riddance! Some employers don't want you to be educated because you will quit then anyway. Best be out of that environment.

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Recognition is the number one thing employees say their manager could give them to elevate their job satisfaction to new heights. Sadly, as you can see from the tweets, not every boss gets it. Global studies prove that when it comes to inspiring people to be their best at work, nothing else comes close—not even higher pay, promotion, autonomy, or training.

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Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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Gallup discovered that one of the most important decisions companies make is simply whom they name manager. However, its analytics suggest they usually get it wrong. In fact, Gallup found that companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82% of the time.

Gallup estimates that managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units, and this variation is in turn responsible for severely low worldwide employee engagement. Gallup reported in two large-scale studies in 2012 that only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged at work, and a staggeringly low 13% worldwide are engaged.

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If only they listened more.

#21

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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James016
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don’t know how it works in the USA but that must be a health and safety violation.

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#26

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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N G
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not 3 days to get over it. It's 3 days to sort the paperwork. They're not offering "grief leave".

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#27

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KoalaLa
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm all for inclusivity, but you can't expect the whole restaurant system changes because of you being autistic?

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#28

Employees-Complain-Worst-Bosses-Sayings

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why would you take paid time off over medical leave? No boss is going: " Wow, what an outstanding employee!!! Taking PTO instead of the medical leave he could have gotten. Amazing, remind me to promote him and give him a raise when he comes in." Instead they'll be like: " Jeez, what a dumb@ss. Remind me to fire him when he returns."

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Ian Koch
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they got injured while working... then she was asked to come back to work the same day. by her boss. I would say this to the boss, before quitting: Do you are have stupid.

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Derpy Dino
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wow, kidney stones suck(from what ive heard) and if your pissing rocks, you need to stay home.

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#36

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Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 36 images based on user votes.