People Share 30 Of The Craziest Situations That Their Employers Still Expected Them To Continue Working Through
Many of us had to go through “the initiation” that was our first job, especially if these were summer jobs back when we were in high school, and even more especially if it was in retail.
However, for some, horrible jobs are not necessarily their first ones. It can, unfortunately, happen to any one of us and at any point in our lives, especially if the source of all things horrible is the manager.
Comic writer and editor Stephanie Cooke recently took to Twitter to ask everyone about times when something crazy happened to them or to their work, but their managers expected them to continue business as usual. This led to some of the most horrific replies provided by other tweeters.
Stephanie Cooke asked Twitter about their craziest work experience, but one where they still had to work
Image Credits: Stephanie Cooke
This post may include affiliate links.
Mine is on the same lines as this. My mother was in hospice after losing her legs from a blood clot lodged above her kidneys so I had missed a lot of work. When I went in to give them the update that she had passed, they first informed me that I was being let go for missing too much work. I loudly said, "GREAT! Now I can go to her funeral!"
Sometimes you just want to knock on their heads and say hello, is anybody in there. Lol
The manager either did not take in what they had been told or did not believe it. At least that is what I believe. My father died when I was so sick from chemo that I had to stop the treatments for a week (chemo once a week and radiation every weekday) and when I resumed the chemo treatment, I was told to cheer up rather harshly by an oncologist who clearly had not bothered to listen to the answer when she asked why I looked so gloomy.
I used to carpool with my boss. He came to pick me up one morning and my husband had just gotten home from the hospital where his brother had just died. I barely had time to see if he was ok when my boss showed up. I told him what happened and I was hoping he'd tell me to take the day off. Instead he did a kind of, 'that sucks' and we drove off to work. I kind of hated him a little after that.
I'm wondering whether the manager had serious mental health issues.
Lacking any simply human decency at all, or emotionally stunted and doesn't know what to say.
Wow. That manager sounds like a total douchebag. I hope you quit that job.
I wasnt able to walk properly 16 hours after giving birth.. this is insane..
Sorry for your loss and I am glad that you didn't go back. This employer sounds terrible.
"Nah, she just helped raise me, look after me when my parents were busy/needed a break, sneak me an extra $20 when I was going to the movies with my friends, all the usual awesome grandma stuff. Not important at all. Fool."
You should have reported the dairy plant and your boss to the health authorities.
yeah because I would rather pay the bill for the hospital visit than work for sure
Yeah, actually. I'm horribly allergic to both devastating natural disasters and BS management decisions....
My sister had pneumonia when she was a kid. Nearly died. I guess she would have had a stronger immune system as an adult, but she got it just the once over ten years ago, and her immune system has weakened pretty significantly as a result. She gets pretty sick every month or so, and usually misses a week of work. It doesn't help her situation that she works in a care home, but there's not much else available where she lives, so their colds/flu/whatever usually affect her at some point.
Wtf, does he even know what chemo treatment is or what it’s for?
The kid was not fine and could have killed you and your unborn baby by throwing that chair at you.
"Sure. I mean I won't be able to work, since I can barely move, and have an IV in my arm, but I can visit. For a fee."
Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
These stories make me so angry. There's no way that any of these should be normal, bosses should get fired for making employees work in these conditions. Just what kind of world do we live in?
Those working conditions aren't normal and the majority of those stories would be illegal under labor laws in a lot of European countries. Refusing to pay because of a natural disaster? Nope. Refusing someone to go home? Forget it, it's work not a detention center. There's a long way to go for a lot of American workers.
Load More Replies...
I was four months pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis gravidarium (severe unstoppable vomiting). My boss laughed and told me I had to come in anyway because his lawyer said "pregnancy is not an illness". I showed up every day and spent my entire shift curled up next to the bathroom because it was literally all I could do. (Fun side note, my boss and colleagues all smoked. Indoors, on the job.)
You should have contacted a lawyer and let him talk to your boss.
Load More Replies...
I have the opposite experience with my employer. A few years ago, I got steroid poisoning from a shot for eczema. I was supposed to only get one in the office, but ended accidentally got prescribed at home shots. After a few days, I couldn't eat, sleep, and was seriously dehydrated. I only figured it out because I went to the doctor with my uncle and she noticed something was off. I was too weak to get out of bed, so my sister and dad went to my boss and told her what happened. She was very cool about it and gave me as much time as I needed to get better.
These are all so horrible and saddening. Here's a story that will maybe tighten things up a bit. When I was a manager at a popular pizza delivery chain I had to threaten to call an ambulance for a sick employee because she refused to go home and leave me to handle the dinner rush with only one other person inside. Did my best to make my employees feel valued and appreciated and it really showed in moments like that. She ultimately went home and ended up being hospitalized for almost a week. So glad she ended up being ok in the end.
At the pizza place I worked at, the manager fell in the parking lot and broke her elbows and kept working. She didn't go to the hospital until the store closed.
Load More Replies...
One of my colleagues had to go in for emergency surgery. The two clients on her project called her to say, "Take all the time you need, but make sure you meet the deadline". I was new and no one was around to advise me, so I did the best I could on her project. They then called her and told her off because I had asked them some questions to which she would know the answer (as if I'd disturb her while she was recovering).
Some people don't care about anyone but themselves.
Load More Replies...
From the 90’s: our company had added extra rooms to our office, so the phone numbers of some of the higher level employees had to be changed. One of my co-workers was the only person who knew how to program the phone system. She was out sick with a bad case of the flu when the phone numbers needed to be changed. Using some kind of threat, our supervisor forced her to come in to re-program the phones.
I had a bleeding during my shift a few months after a miscarriage, I was hospitalized for an emergency curettage. that evening I contacted my store manager to tell her how many days of illness I had, she said she had back pain and that if I hadn't returned as soon as possible she would have been forced to call a colleague from vacation. two days later I was already back to work ..
During the 2018 flooding in the midwest- central Wisconsin to be specific. I ended up in flood waters with my two toddlers in the car. One thing led to another and the three of us were swept into deeper water and had to get to the roof of my Camry and wait for rescue. Next day I call work telling them what happened. They were okay with me not coming in that day for obvious reasons. Next day I call saying my car was probably going to be considered totaled (water was so high it came up to the windows- ie engine and everything under the hood was also submerged) And I did not have a reliable ride into or home from work that day or the next. I could tell in the tone of her voice that she was not thrilled. When I finally came back to work no one seemed to believe me until I showed pictures of how messed up my car was (debris-sticks, garbage- were inside the car, fenders were bent out from the force of the rushing water, scratched up from sticks, logs) and how traumatized I was by it.
They said they weren't holding it against me when it came to my attendance, that was a lie.
Load More Replies...
*TRIGGER WARNING* I was working on behalf of the NHS - reminding patients of their appointments, when I got one of the dreaded 'suicide' calls. An elderly gentleman had been about to kill himself when I called. Now I have to point out - these are not common and I wasn't working for 111, so it wasn't as if we were trained for it. But, I stayed on the line with him, keeping him talking and calm for 45 minutes while my manager called an ambulance. Once the paramedics arrived and took care of him, I ended the call, very shaken. My manager didn't even ask if I was ok - just put the next call through. They never even mentioned the call. Ever. At any point.
There was a massive factory fire that produced toxic cancirogenic smoke for a week. Government ordered the nearby businesses to evacuate people and close offices. Only as small fraction obeyed - many of people were forced to work and choke toxic smoke. I evacuated the second day after fire, but my boss insisted that I should set up Outlook on my personal phone and keep working from home - that was not in my contract, neither I was obliged to own a personal smartphone and internet to work under force major conditions. There was nothing urgent at work, and some days off would not change anything. Anyway - I feel sorry about all those people who got a doze of toxic smoke. And it all happened in European Union country!!!
Got hit by a cyclist on my way to work. I just had a huge bruise on my back, but the cyclist fell over the handlebar onto her face. It swell to double its normal size and we had to call the police and an ambulance. I was in shock for the rest of the day and started to cry every 15min. My boss wouldn't let me leave "Because then you would be home alone and wouldn't have any work to distract yourself with from the accident". Glad she got fired a few months later.
Wait, what "swell to double its normal size" - your back, her face, the bruise, or the handlebars?
Load More Replies...
I got news that my grandfather had passed away, and I lived 1,200 miles away. I couldn't afford to fly, plus rent a car because I grew up in such a rural area. My boss at the time told me "the five days bereavement you get are only a suggestion. You shouldn't take all of them." I did. Found out later she questioned a coworker about how close I was with my grandfather. I was. Ended up getting a spot (guilt) bonus over that, and she was fired a few years later.
I own a housecleaning service. I've had a client yell at me and verbally abuse me because they're regular maid couldn't come, her father had died during the night and she asked for a week off. I covered all her appointments except that one because of the short notice. I figured it'd be fine, weekly client they can go one week without a maid, afterall it was an emergency. Nope, I dumped the client. I don't need their money that bad and I had a week to replace them.
I vaguely remember that somewhere around twenty years ago there were a couple of tall buildings in New York City, if I recall correctly, that were on fire in a bad way and firefighters and other emergency workers streamed into the buildings by the dozens in the vain hope of rescuing some of the hundreds upon hundreds of people trapped on the upper floors. Unfortunately, not one person was saved and almost every single worker died when the buildings collapsed. Now that's job dedication.
The Joy of Pure Capitalism. With the working poor being so crushed they no longer have the spine or even the mindset to just walk out of some of these situations.
20 years ago: worked a courier position in the wintertime. Upon leaving a package for owners that weren't home, I slipped and fell down all 12 wooden steps. On my a*s at the bottom, I screamed out in pain as I eventually crawled back to my delivery van. Called in to supervisor over radio and told him what happened. He told me I had to finish my route. A couple weeks later (after nursing a severely bruised lower back and probable spine), I was able to return to work with a 20 lb weight restriction. At work, I was told to just pull the 20 lbs instead of lifting it. Ended up completely regressing with my injury.
capitalism doing what it does best. destroying every ounce of dignity and decency.
These stories are terrible and could only happen in a Third World country - right? No, apparently they happened in America, supposedly the greatest country in the world! Well, in almost all western countries these actions would be unlawful. Bosses would NEVER get away with behaviour like this, some of which actually endangered employee's lives. America IS a Third World country!
Those stories would all be illegal in Ontario, Canada. Any boss calling to ask you for work-related issues while you are sick/in hospital/dealing with a death in the family/or any of the other stories here, and he would be slapped with a Ministry of Labour investigation, a charge, and a fine, and likely the company he works for as well for not seeing to and eliminating obvious abuse.
A mediate, or department manager is the worst job in the world. They are between their superiors and their subordinates. They have to deliver, they have to cover every shift....do you think they care about your private life?
I had a run in with a steamer oven that peeled the skin off my fingers . I finished the shift with that hand in a bucket of ice tucked into my smock cause the boss said so.
9/11 had just moved to LA after graduating from school on the East Coast. Many of my friends were working at firms in or near the towers. I was told come in or be fired because we had a big matter they wanted to settle "under the radar" and the 9/11 distraction would keep it out of the press. I didn't go in but managed to keep my job. They still managed to keep it off the front pages.
I have the feeling most of these stories happened in the US. In first world countries, you'd get time off for all these situations without a problem.
The majority of these are horrific and unacceptable- I would have quit on the spot and walked out no matter how much I needed the job. And reported them. There is no excuse to treat humans this way.
I am really happy that i live in Europe. Not in the "the greatest country" world has ever seen with freedoms and endless possibilities.
Naw.. I have no qualms quitting, or finding a new job. I have zero tolerance for any of that s**t.
Many of these should inspire us to record more conversations with our employers
I had a nasty auto accident in the 1980's which resulted in a severe concussion. y husband take me to our family instead of spending all nigin the emergency room.ctor
Mine's not as bad as some of these. I was working in drive thru, and someone asked me if I was okay, when I burst into tears from my terrible menstrual cramps. They made me work three more hours on counter while I was trying not to cry in front of customers.
At 8 PM, far after my shift was done, my boss called me at home and demanded I go to work at 9 PM, because there were 120+ guests in the hotel. I said no, I have invitation for a birthday party. She was "well, ok, but tomorrow you'll have to come!" I said ok, no problem. Went next day, was told " if you didn't come yesterday, you are not needed today!" I quit next day.
These stories make me so angry. There's no way that any of these should be normal, bosses should get fired for making employees work in these conditions. Just what kind of world do we live in?
Those working conditions aren't normal and the majority of those stories would be illegal under labor laws in a lot of European countries. Refusing to pay because of a natural disaster? Nope. Refusing someone to go home? Forget it, it's work not a detention center. There's a long way to go for a lot of American workers.
Load More Replies... I was four months pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis gravidarium (severe unstoppable vomiting). My boss laughed and told me I had to come in anyway because his lawyer said "pregnancy is not an illness". I showed up every day and spent my entire shift curled up next to the bathroom because it was literally all I could do. (Fun side note, my boss and colleagues all smoked. Indoors, on the job.)
You should have contacted a lawyer and let him talk to your boss.
Load More Replies... I have the opposite experience with my employer. A few years ago, I got steroid poisoning from a shot for eczema. I was supposed to only get one in the office, but ended accidentally got prescribed at home shots. After a few days, I couldn't eat, sleep, and was seriously dehydrated. I only figured it out because I went to the doctor with my uncle and she noticed something was off. I was too weak to get out of bed, so my sister and dad went to my boss and told her what happened. She was very cool about it and gave me as much time as I needed to get better.
These are all so horrible and saddening. Here's a story that will maybe tighten things up a bit. When I was a manager at a popular pizza delivery chain I had to threaten to call an ambulance for a sick employee because she refused to go home and leave me to handle the dinner rush with only one other person inside. Did my best to make my employees feel valued and appreciated and it really showed in moments like that. She ultimately went home and ended up being hospitalized for almost a week. So glad she ended up being ok in the end.
At the pizza place I worked at, the manager fell in the parking lot and broke her elbows and kept working. She didn't go to the hospital until the store closed.
Load More Replies... One of my colleagues had to go in for emergency surgery. The two clients on her project called her to say, "Take all the time you need, but make sure you meet the deadline". I was new and no one was around to advise me, so I did the best I could on her project. They then called her and told her off because I had asked them some questions to which she would know the answer (as if I'd disturb her while she was recovering).
Some people don't care about anyone but themselves.
Load More Replies... From the 90’s: our company had added extra rooms to our office, so the phone numbers of some of the higher level employees had to be changed. One of my co-workers was the only person who knew how to program the phone system. She was out sick with a bad case of the flu when the phone numbers needed to be changed. Using some kind of threat, our supervisor forced her to come in to re-program the phones.
I had a bleeding during my shift a few months after a miscarriage, I was hospitalized for an emergency curettage. that evening I contacted my store manager to tell her how many days of illness I had, she said she had back pain and that if I hadn't returned as soon as possible she would have been forced to call a colleague from vacation. two days later I was already back to work ..
During the 2018 flooding in the midwest- central Wisconsin to be specific. I ended up in flood waters with my two toddlers in the car. One thing led to another and the three of us were swept into deeper water and had to get to the roof of my Camry and wait for rescue. Next day I call work telling them what happened. They were okay with me not coming in that day for obvious reasons. Next day I call saying my car was probably going to be considered totaled (water was so high it came up to the windows- ie engine and everything under the hood was also submerged) And I did not have a reliable ride into or home from work that day or the next. I could tell in the tone of her voice that she was not thrilled. When I finally came back to work no one seemed to believe me until I showed pictures of how messed up my car was (debris-sticks, garbage- were inside the car, fenders were bent out from the force of the rushing water, scratched up from sticks, logs) and how traumatized I was by it.
They said they weren't holding it against me when it came to my attendance, that was a lie.
Load More Replies... *TRIGGER WARNING* I was working on behalf of the NHS - reminding patients of their appointments, when I got one of the dreaded 'suicide' calls. An elderly gentleman had been about to kill himself when I called. Now I have to point out - these are not common and I wasn't working for 111, so it wasn't as if we were trained for it. But, I stayed on the line with him, keeping him talking and calm for 45 minutes while my manager called an ambulance. Once the paramedics arrived and took care of him, I ended the call, very shaken. My manager didn't even ask if I was ok - just put the next call through. They never even mentioned the call. Ever. At any point.
There was a massive factory fire that produced toxic cancirogenic smoke for a week. Government ordered the nearby businesses to evacuate people and close offices. Only as small fraction obeyed - many of people were forced to work and choke toxic smoke. I evacuated the second day after fire, but my boss insisted that I should set up Outlook on my personal phone and keep working from home - that was not in my contract, neither I was obliged to own a personal smartphone and internet to work under force major conditions. There was nothing urgent at work, and some days off would not change anything. Anyway - I feel sorry about all those people who got a doze of toxic smoke. And it all happened in European Union country!!!
Got hit by a cyclist on my way to work. I just had a huge bruise on my back, but the cyclist fell over the handlebar onto her face. It swell to double its normal size and we had to call the police and an ambulance. I was in shock for the rest of the day and started to cry every 15min. My boss wouldn't let me leave "Because then you would be home alone and wouldn't have any work to distract yourself with from the accident". Glad she got fired a few months later.
Wait, what "swell to double its normal size" - your back, her face, the bruise, or the handlebars?
Load More Replies... I got news that my grandfather had passed away, and I lived 1,200 miles away. I couldn't afford to fly, plus rent a car because I grew up in such a rural area. My boss at the time told me "the five days bereavement you get are only a suggestion. You shouldn't take all of them." I did. Found out later she questioned a coworker about how close I was with my grandfather. I was. Ended up getting a spot (guilt) bonus over that, and she was fired a few years later.
I own a housecleaning service. I've had a client yell at me and verbally abuse me because they're regular maid couldn't come, her father had died during the night and she asked for a week off. I covered all her appointments except that one because of the short notice. I figured it'd be fine, weekly client they can go one week without a maid, afterall it was an emergency. Nope, I dumped the client. I don't need their money that bad and I had a week to replace them.
I vaguely remember that somewhere around twenty years ago there were a couple of tall buildings in New York City, if I recall correctly, that were on fire in a bad way and firefighters and other emergency workers streamed into the buildings by the dozens in the vain hope of rescuing some of the hundreds upon hundreds of people trapped on the upper floors. Unfortunately, not one person was saved and almost every single worker died when the buildings collapsed. Now that's job dedication.
The Joy of Pure Capitalism. With the working poor being so crushed they no longer have the spine or even the mindset to just walk out of some of these situations.
20 years ago: worked a courier position in the wintertime. Upon leaving a package for owners that weren't home, I slipped and fell down all 12 wooden steps. On my a*s at the bottom, I screamed out in pain as I eventually crawled back to my delivery van. Called in to supervisor over radio and told him what happened. He told me I had to finish my route. A couple weeks later (after nursing a severely bruised lower back and probable spine), I was able to return to work with a 20 lb weight restriction. At work, I was told to just pull the 20 lbs instead of lifting it. Ended up completely regressing with my injury.
capitalism doing what it does best. destroying every ounce of dignity and decency.
These stories are terrible and could only happen in a Third World country - right? No, apparently they happened in America, supposedly the greatest country in the world! Well, in almost all western countries these actions would be unlawful. Bosses would NEVER get away with behaviour like this, some of which actually endangered employee's lives. America IS a Third World country!
Those stories would all be illegal in Ontario, Canada. Any boss calling to ask you for work-related issues while you are sick/in hospital/dealing with a death in the family/or any of the other stories here, and he would be slapped with a Ministry of Labour investigation, a charge, and a fine, and likely the company he works for as well for not seeing to and eliminating obvious abuse.
A mediate, or department manager is the worst job in the world. They are between their superiors and their subordinates. They have to deliver, they have to cover every shift....do you think they care about your private life?
I had a run in with a steamer oven that peeled the skin off my fingers . I finished the shift with that hand in a bucket of ice tucked into my smock cause the boss said so.
9/11 had just moved to LA after graduating from school on the East Coast. Many of my friends were working at firms in or near the towers. I was told come in or be fired because we had a big matter they wanted to settle "under the radar" and the 9/11 distraction would keep it out of the press. I didn't go in but managed to keep my job. They still managed to keep it off the front pages.
I have the feeling most of these stories happened in the US. In first world countries, you'd get time off for all these situations without a problem.
The majority of these are horrific and unacceptable- I would have quit on the spot and walked out no matter how much I needed the job. And reported them. There is no excuse to treat humans this way.
I am really happy that i live in Europe. Not in the "the greatest country" world has ever seen with freedoms and endless possibilities.
Naw.. I have no qualms quitting, or finding a new job. I have zero tolerance for any of that s**t.
Many of these should inspire us to record more conversations with our employers
I had a nasty auto accident in the 1980's which resulted in a severe concussion. y husband take me to our family instead of spending all nigin the emergency room.ctor
Mine's not as bad as some of these. I was working in drive thru, and someone asked me if I was okay, when I burst into tears from my terrible menstrual cramps. They made me work three more hours on counter while I was trying not to cry in front of customers.
At 8 PM, far after my shift was done, my boss called me at home and demanded I go to work at 9 PM, because there were 120+ guests in the hotel. I said no, I have invitation for a birthday party. She was "well, ok, but tomorrow you'll have to come!" I said ok, no problem. Went next day, was told " if you didn't come yesterday, you are not needed today!" I quit next day.
