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From time to time problems arise in any workplace. Sometimes, it’s the colleague on your left, other times it’s the manager getting into trouble, and on some occasions, you’re the one to take the blame. And while we do really mess up and have to take responsibility for our actions here and there (no one was born a perfect employee!), some superiors do seem to really enjoy putting us down, for whatever crazy reasons.

Recently, labor activist Katie Harrington initiated a Twitter thread asking people “what’s the weirdest thing you ever got in trouble at work for?” She also shared how she was “accused of being disrespectful because the six people I CCd on an email weren’t listed in order of seniority.”

Read on for some of the most facepalm-worthy responses down below! They will make you wonder what on earth is going on in employers’ heads, and how we all deserve a medal for putting up with it and showing up with a smile 5 days a week.

#1

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

PattyDahlgren Report

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Jayne Kyra
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

R@pe. The censored word is r@pe. I get blurring out cuss words, BP, but this is taking it too far!

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#3

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

JasMcN Report

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alex mitchell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A girl I worked with got me pulled up to HR because I liked to say indubitably. She said I used big words, which made her feel dumb. When asked for an example, she tried to say indubitably, but couldn't.

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Annette Easton
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a boyfriend once that was much the same way. I said something and used the word "pensive" and he said that I was just using words like that to make him feel stupid. I didn't think that "pensive" was all that weird or uncommon a word to use. I also think that if he was feeling stupid there might have been a reason for that...

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

I love vocabulary. And make no apologies for people having to ask what I mean. I'm not dumbing down for anyone.

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Alphabet Soupy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate the “language is fluid” argument. Especially as someone who learned English as a second language and have been put under the microscope, only to turn around and have lazy people argue back that I’m being unfair and everyone knows what they mean and language evolves blah, blah, blah. God forbid I correct them by saying “you mean DEvolves?”

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V Martinez
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd ask that person to please explain the word to me or look it up myself. That's the grown-up, mature thing to do.

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Ivana
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Man, I have never seen that word spelled out before.

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SPQRBob
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that spelling is the plural form of the singular word minutia - but everyone pronounces the plural the way the singular is supposed to be pronounced (\muh-NOO-shee-uh\ or \muh-NOO-shuh\) instead of the technically correct (\muh-NOO-shee-ee\) because... well... just no, okay?

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Marta Kęska
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same thing happened to me when I was 19/20 and it was a common word, something like "unwritten" as far as I remember and my boss tried to convince me the word doesn't exist. She was the dumbest of all my supervisors and hated anyone with any brains.

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Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A couple of decades ago I’m had a not-very-bright supervisor who didn’t really understand my job (she was hired after I was when the partners felt they needed a supervisor for the non-report writing staff), and she was just bright enough to realize that I was much smarter than she was, so she felt very insecure around me, and when she would ask me to explain what I was doing, I played a little game I called “confuse her with the facts.” E.G., I would give her a very detailed explanation of what was requested of me and the steps I was taking in order to get my part done, and she was too insecure to ask me “How do C. and D. relate to what I just asked you?” I eventually quit because she was trying to micromanage me without any real understanding how I did my job.

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Chiuki
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...so she handed you a dictionary and said "I don't understand all of these words". 😐

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Kona Pake
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Obviously, she rose to her "maximum level of incompetence".

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karin s.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a boss that was so f*****g condescending and tried to belittle my work or that of collegues. So, I started to defend my work by explaining his errors back to him including the one occasion where he repeated himself unnecessarily and I explained to him the meaning of "persistent" or the one time I told him that I did not have to read the doctoral thesis he recommended because it all was already in the title. He liked big words, but it soon became clear that very often he did not know what he was talking about.

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Alphabet Soupy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once said “niche” but it wasn’t quite correct (in my defense, English is my 2nd language) but I couldn’t find the correct word, so I let it go. Guess which word was the new descriptor for everything from now on?! Le sigh.

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Yoga Kitty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While I am quite sure that it was most probably not necessary to use the word "minutiae" in this report (I am all for writing as understandably as possible) - what kind of boss would out themselves as stupid like that?

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Douglas Mock
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If my boss didn't know a word, and admitted to not looking it up, I would quit on the spot. No half-wit is going to supervise me.

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Sagegreen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't get in trouble, but I was told not to use big words in my notes anymore..the word I used was placate.

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Yort
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom’s old supervisor - who’s younger than my mom by about 20 years - told my mom that she(supervisor) is “really smart” and tends to use big words so mom should be sure to ask if she ever used a word mom didn’t understand. My mom then had to define several words for the supervisor and dumb down most of what she(mom) said because the supervisor is dumb as hell.

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zovjraar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i got in trouble at a veterinarians office for using the word "lexicon". The young lady in charge of the kennels told the head vet I was lying and making up words to make her feel dumb. i was the receptionist. quit about a week later.

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Grace Noyes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my son was in 7th grade, he used the word , "incorporeal" in English class only to be told by his English teacher that there was no such word.

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Okasan Willis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Got in trouble for using a word my supervisor didn't know. Sequelae means expected outcome.

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69
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pfft, how could she make that list? Just make one of the ones she does. "You're" and "fired".

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Daria B
Community Member
2 years ago

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How.... can she give you a list of words she doesn't know, though? By reading a dictionary word by word? Anyway, yeah, no need freaking out like that. Looks like using a dictionary was exactly what she'd needed to do. No shame in it. There's dictionary for native speakers for each language.

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Casey McAlister
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think she they didn't seriously requested that list, they were just trying to make a point that they had no way of knowing which words their boss didn't know.

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While making mistakes is only human and your workplace is not an exception, depending on what kind of mistake it is, your employment status can be jeopardized by a single slip. Moreover, if you're a new employee, the company isn't convinced yet that you're indispensable. In that case, building your name all the way from that first good impression to the top is another job to do, but there are some simple things that you can do that may indeed get you into trouble.

If you tend to pat yourself and not others on the back at work, you’re communicating that you don’t care about the success or contributions of others on the team. Of course, self-gratitude and self-motivation are important, but you should also express your appreciation to your boss and fellow employees to show that you care for them.

#5

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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NsG
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was this at a McJob? I would love to know ex-boss's justification for denying the leave otherwise.

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Wearing your heart on your sleeve, aka too much honesty, should be better left at home. If you’re often vocally stressed or you openly display negative emotions, they will hurt your reputation and will probably have an impact on your team. No employer would be willing to put up with an overly negative attitude.

Those who avoid expressing their views and opinions at all costs may also get into trouble. While it may feel peaceful to you, your manager may get the impression that you’re coasting. If you’re really afraid of getting pushed back, remember that the reason why you were selected for your workplace in this extremely competitive market is because you were promising of your great work contributions, more than other competitors for the position. It’s only fair that they also want to see you in action and not just backing into your safety zone.

#7

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Marcellus II
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It has been brought to our attention you are absent from work only during work hours... very very sus.

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#8

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She should have reported the creeps to the police for child prostitution. After she phoned her father to tell him that her boss was a pimp. First to get at that place gets to call the shots.

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#9

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Rench
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a boss that didn't want to give me the night off on the day that my first child was born. He didn't fire me but he grumbled a lot.

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#10

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"So where are you located?" "I'm sorry, I can't reveal that information to customers because that's classified information that they could use to rob us."

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#11

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Bobby
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My CO from the Navy would have died laughing, the chief of the boat however would have killed me

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#16

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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

Nothing more satisfying than to be able to humiliate your boss in public. "Yes, I found the solution my bossed claimed, by not looking at the symptoms, but by looking for the cause."

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#17

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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snipergun
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even better if it confuses clients, they might take you seriously.

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#21

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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MagicalUnicorn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

hope you learned :D to be hones at my first job i learned very fast that working efficiently for higher ups means 'more time to do other people's job'

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#22

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Marcellus II
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only severed heads can be weighed accurately. There's not just loss of fluids, but also some of the weight gets carried by the shoulders etc so measurement is incorrect. Or so I'm told.

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#23

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Pheebs
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love when people are baffled by others do math in their head. Had a teacher just stare at me once when I gave him an answer to fraction subtraction. Wasn’t even a math class, it was photography. He was showing us how to cut print mats, and asked someone what the difference was between two measurements. Not sure why he was so surprised.

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#24

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Jayne Kyra
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For those as confused as I was: "They are the exact same. Clip, but apparently if you put the larger loop to the back and the smaller loop to the front it gives more support and is the correct way to do it."

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#25

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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KJ
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a new start that got a complaint made about him by an older co-worker. They were being trained and following one of my crib sheets, crib sheet said click "return" (easier for non computer using older guy to follow), new start pressed enter instead. Big drama and lots of explaining that they did the same thing.

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#26

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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

Been watching video's from US expats working in Europe who are all flabbergasted that people pack up and go home at the end of the day and there's no boss getting furious about it.

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#27

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your highness and most esteemed employer, to my indescribable sorrow I am compelled to inform you that it is impossible for me to visit your temple of underpaid labor because of a temporary weakness in my mental health. I will do my best to overcome this barrier in my productivity as quickly as possible in order to be able to serve you optimally again as soon as possible.

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#28

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Marcellus II
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On Monday, half the employees shuffle in like zombies, so I'm not sure why the receptionist could be surprised.

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#30

Employees-Trouble-Work-Weirdest-Reasons

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Katinka Min
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, actually, with the accent it's pretty racist. So a brief talk about this is not a bad idea.

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