If you liked our collection of work stress humor, you'll probably love this Instagram account, too.
Aptly titled “YourDayAtWork,” this Instagram account also shares jokes about the misery of having to work our lives away. Just not in the soul-crushing way that makes you want to run into a wall; no, the funny memes about work stress here are more light-hearted.
Think of Sisyphus, who acknowledges the futility of his task to push a boulder up a mountain just for it to roll down. Since Sisyphus understands the certainty of his fate, he is freed to realize the absurdity of the situation and to reach a state of contented acceptance.
Now, imagine if he had an Instagram account. That's pretty much what “YourDayAtWork” and the funny work memes about stress it shares looks like!
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Those ideas will pop at 2 am, or in the shower and go *poof!* when you need them
This is me every morning before going to work. What am I going to screw up and get yelled at for today?
Works both ways. Your boss is afraid you're going to quit every time you ask to speak to them privately.
My last job. Every single time a manager came up to me or called me upstairs. I'd walk up and say "what did I do now"
My old boss knew my fear and every time he'd yell for me to come in his office there would be a pause and then he'd yell, "no, you're not getting fired." Loved him for that.
Motivation and Fear: What’s The Connection?
Maybe you, too, are having these feelings and thoughts while scrolling through these funny work memes about stress. Maybe it was some event that triggered them inside you, or maybe it has been a slow and gradual process, but now you find yourself with very little of the motivation you used to have for your work and career. And it’s a tricky spot to be in.
Sometimes, even admitting that you relate to such stress funny quotes about work feels like exposing a secret, as our culture values drive and ambition.
However, according to career change expert Sara Young Wang, what we call motivation can actually be a harmful concept. And you losing it can be an opportunity to see this and open the door for change. “There is something else much more sane, sustainable and nourishing to orient one’s life; a real motivation that isn’t even motivation at all,” she wrote in Forbes.
And you've been warning everyone this was about to happen and no-one listened.
you have an advantage here. You can quit before things reach critical mass. Document and date your warnings. Then get the f outta there
Yup. Me and My co-worker out on the daycare playground staring in horror at the giant mud holes and the kids running around in them because no one will actually fill in the stupid holes...
You must be a parent. Sometimes the child has to try and fail before they figure it out or ask for help.
When I was in the navy I used to bug people but all my work was done, I knew who was okay with it, and always in a way that made them laugh.
I do this to my sisters after I do my chores. I do it so I can make them get their chores done. Lol, I'm the best sister!
Load More Replies...I work at night, so I do all my "important" emails at night. It definitely matters to me that the other person won't see and respond to the email right away.
Me 100% of the time. Sometimes I don't even make the call because I'm scared
Likewise, staring at my phone and holding my breath for fear of touching the wrong thing and accidentally picking up when someone has the AUDACITY to call me.
i no joke heard this in hermits voice and thats what made me laugh
“Before 2015, I lived my life with a ton of motivation driving me,” Sara Young Wang said. “It got me up every morning and propelled my day. I worked hard and gave ‘success’ my all. Rest and enjoyment of life were a distant consideration or something that would only come in the future. It was exhausting. So much so that I completely burnt myself out. By the end of grad school and three jobs later I crashed.”
Sara then took a look at what all that motivation was really about—fear. “From speaking with my coaching clients I can see that’s the energy behind many people's motivation in their work. To say, ‘I’m motivated’ can often really mean, “I’m afraid and I’m going to work hard to get this thing I think I need to be safe.””
yeah like "u hacking into my security cams or somthn?"
Load More Replies...I said something like that in an interview once. When asked, "Why do you want to work here." my automatic reply was "I don't." and I got a look of shock for a second untill I explained that there was nothing special about this perticular job, it had no real prospects, but is a honest job and I need the money. I was hired.
Maybe the manager was sick of false awnsers? You know, he just wanted someone honest.
Load More Replies...The first four days after the weekend are the worst. After then you get used to it :)
Personally, Sara was generating all of her energy to work hard, strive and succeed from fear that she’s not good enough if she doesn't make something important and successful of herself.
“I didn’t have any genuine desire to do the things I was doing in my life. I was only doing them so I could meet the need of proving my worth through names on a resume or accomplishments,” Sara explained. “There was no authentic desire underpinning the motivation to get up every day, just a ton of fear.”
hmmm..... I got some fermented grape juice in the fridge right now....
Your life must suck an awful lot if this is how you deal with things...
At home, wearing my sweatpants and fuzzy slippers with my cat napping 2 feet away from me.
one with three less coworkers and a boss that doesn't seemingly teleport into the room randomly
Surprisingly, this perfectly describes their roles in the last season…
There is one more missing role. The 'team leader' who does nothing. Takes all the credits if things go well and blames everyone else when things go wrong.
No he can't. I'd immediately dismiss someone this arrogant, black mark on his record and everything.
Maybe you don’t think of it in terms of proving yourself, and maybe these funny memes about work stress are merely a distraction to you. Still, maybe it’s a level of wealth you think will make you feel safe. Or maybe it's achieving something you think will finally win you your parents’ approval.
“It could be any number of things, but I bet if you look there’s some fear there that has been providing the fuel to your past motivation,” Sara said. “And while your motivation may be waning now from sheer exhaustion, that fear is likely still there and creating panic that you need to get your drive back ASAP. But, you just can’t. And that’s an invitation to look directly at the fear.”
That 10 minutes prior to night shift in the EMS Dispatch centre before the calla asking for lifts to the gas station start
It’s the middle of winter here (Australia) and at 6:00pm it’s pitch black.
Worst feeling it's 8pm the sun is still out any you just got out of work
Looking forward to it. I leave work at 7pm so it's only between april and september that afterwork doesn't feel like some gloomy no-life moment.
Definitely. It doesn't matter how many credentials and experience I have, I always feel like everyone knows I don't belong.
I've had a few jobs like this. When I was a broke, single mom, "fake it 'til you make it" was my daily mantra.
But seeing your least favorite be like * quickly gathers up and shuffles to the meeting room* "Oh sorry! I'm really busy right now."
Yeah thats that high school clique mentality shite that makes evey work environment toxic!!! Good 4u
"Tell me again about your illness. I don't want to work but I want to look worried"
you're totally missing the point. She is looking forward to some gossip.
Load More Replies...How does that song go- "Seldom is heard an encouraging word"...? At the Not Okay Corral...
That cat is like, "Yes, I posted all of that. Whatchu gonna do about it, Susan?"
I'll help ya or some people here will start targeting you for this, DISCLAIMER: "All names used in the comment are fictional, and are in no way related to real-life people."
Load More Replies...Sara believes the fear is probably lying to you and making you deny yourself for delayed rewards that actually never come.
“First, look closely at what your fear is telling you. What is it saying you need to be or get? What does it say the consequences for failure are? Fear is more often than not, lying to you. [Try to see that] your thinking is not necessarily accurate. For me, the truth is that I already am enough. We are all already enough. No proving is ever required,” she said.
I don't have to be making bank to be fine looking like that. Although it would be nice...
Load More Replies...Nope! I looked like that from day 1. Love working in transportation, and my students love me back❤
Just say, 'I'm having a heart stroke in my knees" See? Easy-Peasy
Restaurant work - should I finish the shift or "slip" with a knife and get the afternoon off to go get stitches?
Just s**t your pants. If you aren’t prepared to do this, you don’t want to go home bad enough
Don't Google it on the office server.. they always take that wrong.
Getting sent home with pay never happens at the place I work at, unfortunately.
My husband would start getting anxiety as soon as we woke up on Sundays because he knew he couldn't really enjoy the day since he'd be back at work again on Monday morning. And by the time he was done on Friday, it was already practically Saturday, not to mention the cl-opens they'd schedule him for 🙄 I was so glad when he finally quit that place.
Load More Replies...Omg! That's my coworker! Literally! Even today she shows up saying "I'm in such good mood, I even put my fave lipstick on" And I told her, "good for you, could you keep that way longer than an hour today?" and of course in hour She was utterly burned out - like almost every day...
Not gonna lie, but I got a promotion and I was the boss of the facility next door and the employees were the equivalent of my position before the promotion. They felt like one of them should have gotten the director position, but I was the most qualified; most of them were generally respectful, but there are always some ‘mean girls’ in a big group. I went in one morning, decided I wasn’t feeling it that day, so I held my stomach, started gagging, went into the restroom in the front office, retched loud enough for whoever was there to hear, and came out looking pitiful. I called my boss, went home, relaxed, and straightened my crown. Next day I came in guns blazing and got sh*t done. Things weren’t perfect everyday, but I knew my worth and I let it show. I was there for 11 years.
Similar to Reddit with Karma... U need it to post but get it by posting which you can't do until your have kamra which you get by posting but... Yeah
Load More Replies...as a former restaurant manager, i liked hiring people with no experience. takes longer to train, but they don't bring bad habits from previous employers.
I need a car. -you need $$- Get a Job - I need a car to get to work - you need a job to get a car, I need to get a car to get a job. I still have no $$
YES! If I had a dollar for every job listing that said "entry level" but required 2 years experience, I wouldn't need a job.
Been working over 50 years and I still don't get it...why'd you even bother to waste my time and interview me...don't you read the application????
“Next, look at what your fear has been getting you to do and the lengths it’s been getting you to go. There’s usually an inner narrative that says something like, “I need to sacrifice myself, deny my needs, my genuine desires, my enjoyment of life for the future reward, for the thing I need to feel safe.””
But the thing is, according to Sara, the future you’re hoping for never actually comes. Even if you hit the mark, get the promotion, the job title, even the raise, you never really palm the feeling of security you're so desperately chasing. “The target just moves further out,” she said. “The fatigue from this hamster wheel is part of the burnout.”
This is sooo relatable. Therefore, try to work at home for a few days a week. Then it is only the related idiots...
Now every day I pass in front of my old work I flipped 🐦 them
Load More Replies...Oh honey... I got two words for ya, middle school
And sooner or later, one has to ask oneself the horrible, soul crushing question; “hold up - is it possible that I’M an idiot?” Can mess with your head something wicked, that can, especially since the answer almost always is “yes” - because ALL human are idiots to some extent or the other. It’s what defines us as human. We’re all basically idiots trying to navigate through a demented amusement park operated by lunatics. Human life in human civilization, man, there’s nothing like it.
Had to immediately send this to my husband. He uses saltier words though.
Winter: It's too cold to work. Summer: It's too hot to work. Spring & Fall: IT'S TOO NICE OUT TO WORK 😭😭
Spring: Too many allergens, to work. Summer: Can't see through the smoke, to work. Autumn and Winter: IT'S TOO NICE OUT TO WORK!! 😃
Load More Replies...I worked in the PNW for an employer who would call in a "Sunny Day" whenever we'd have nice days in late spring after 9 months of rain and before the forest fires would start. He'd say, "Don't bother coming in. It's too nice out. I'm taking my kids to the park." And we'd all be like.... Bet. Then show up the next day rested with tales of hiking or kayaking or just sitting on sunny porches and we'd all be three times more productive.
I taught at a university in Florida. If the weather turned cold, below 80 degrees, we would have class outdoors on the river boardwalk.
“How am I to work under ANY circumstances? How did this happen, everybody? Our species has taken the wrong turn somewhere; it’s accepted norm to hate our lives and the only dream we have left is the dream of not being forced to work. Look at us here in this meeting room: we all sit here trying to pretend we give a fυck, while every single one of us knows that everybody in the room really thinks meeting are complete bυllshit and would do pretty much anything to be somewhere else. Its a farce, good colleagues, and we all know that too. I suggest a do-over, ladies, gentlemen, members of the board; a do-over with a restart at some point before the industrial revolution. Who’s with me?” … —Except backwards isn’t the way, of course, because it’d suck to be back before penicillin, psychiatry and human rights. While going forward, though, in the massive Humvee of civilization, I I think that the eight hour long work day and insulting salaries are the first things we should attempt to aim for and run over. We got it down from sixteen to twelve and from twelve to eight, guys; why did we stop there? And why should we stay here? I mean six hours for liveable wages has had glorious results every time it’s been tried out, that seems like a reasonable next step to me, right?
Yup that's right Fall the weather is Great and the rest is cold or hot
I always worry I am going to get a call from the one I really really wanted after accepting an offer. That 'what if' aspect really stresses me out. It's kind of a big deal since it is what you will be doing with most of your time.
You and the shrimp must have very interesting conversations.
Load More Replies...Especially when looking at the computer screen trying to read the small fonts...
Load More Replies...“As I hit a wall I realized that no amount of ‘success’ would make me ‘enough.’ There’s always the next hoop to jump, there would be no end to this and to the sacrificing of the enjoyment of my life. No future rest, and no feeling of safety, ever. Yes, the burnout was demotivating, but what really pulled the linchpin out of me was seeing all this false logic I was basing my life on.”
But the beauty is that by recognizing the lies and false logic we’ve been following we can reclaim our life back from a lifetime of forced striving.
Unless you have kids and then you count the hours until you can work in peace!
Today on BP: how to make having kids sound wildly unattractive 😂😂
Load More Replies...I relish every moment I'm not doing actual work no matter the day.
It's like when you are working you want a break... But when you have a break you have no idea what to do
My days off are actually Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Then I'm on Wednesday-Saturday 8 am to 11 pm. Unless I'm called in to work on one of my days off... Which is often...
And after the 15 hours, it's time to work and I still have so much nothing left to do. Do nothing is my favorite thing in my to do list.
It's even worse when you work night shift. I work five 8 hour shifts in a normal week. I have two nights off a week. If they are consecutive I am still at work 6 out of 7 days. I have to look at it as I'm off 48 hours but there's really only one day in there where I don't have any contact with work.
When this started happening to me I got a different job. It was either that or go mad from boredom
I've started to feel that way but I am less than two years from retirement so it is too late to bail now. (I think it's short timers disease!)
Load More Replies...I'm very happy my job is basically. 1. Go to site. 2. Lock gates. 3. Go inside. 4. Check parking lot every hour. I work maybe 95 minutes in my whole 8 hours. The rest is spent steaming, gaming or on my phone doing whatever I feel like.
Hahahaha that me but when I do something wrong my dad talk to me for like an hour and I go same where else and when u come back they start talking to u again
Man, Hermione not wanting to go to work really says a lot, huh...
Load More Replies...I hope that purse was meant to be funny - I know it's a thing, it's just so damn stupid. She's dressed to the nines from head to toe & then this purse. I don't know if this is the actress I think she is, but who I'm thinking of is on the comedy side of things, in which this is fitting.
It's a fashion statement, not a real purse. Do you think she's got a teeny lipstick in that bag? Also, no, it's not the "actress" you think it is. That is Lizzo, she's a singer.
Load More Replies...1) It's spelled Moesha. 2) That's Lizzo, not Moesha. They look nothing alike.
Load More Replies...Anyone else wish they had an unknown Uncle who happened to be rich and decided to leave all his money to you the unknown nephew/niece?
It happened all the time in those old British novels I read as a kid - why can't it happen to meeeee?
Load More Replies...We have to shift from fear to enjoyment. “If we’re not going to move from fear anymore, what else can we move from? We’ve got to connect with the genuine desire that has been lacking. We can stop forcing ourselves to do things that are a means to an illusionary end and start doing things that fulfill our desires in the present moment,” Sara Young Wang explained. “You don't need motivation when you’ve got enjoyment under your sails.”
“The inner narrative can instead say, “I’m excited to do this thing today because I genuinely want to for the sake of itself. And it will be immediately rewarding to do because it brings me enjoyment and satisfaction while I’m doing it.””
There is no promise of a delayed reward for your sacrifice because there is no sacrifice to begin with. “It’s a much more sane, sustainable, and fulfilling way to live,” Sara said. “You could say you're now motivated by the enjoyment, but usually, when we speak of doing things we like to do we don’t think of it in terms of motivation—we would never say ‘I’m motivated to pet my dog.’ You just do it because it feels good, it’s a natural and genuine movement for you to do. There’s something actually in it for you, as opposed to ‘motivation’ where there’s really nothing directly nourishing in it. You’re just doing it because of the mental narrative that someday it will pay off.”
The other day my supervisor said he wanted to go home but too many people had seen him, this was just after he got there, with a good 20 minutes before shift started
I think anything that involves working, like school, is like this.
5 year old me wanting to leave the mall when my mom has been in the same shop for 2 hours
Sometimes making it to the time clock, clocking in, and then walking through the front door seem like major accomplishments that should be awarded.
man i haven’t watched that movie in a long time
Load More Replies...I don't even work yet and this is every single day of my life
me making beep boop CHK CHK wow wow BEEEEP DJUN DJUN DJUN khkhkhkhkhkh chicka chicka noises when i have 8 things i need to do
My mother use to say a lot when I neede to go somewhere and running behind that "I 'm going to be late to my own funera"l!😀
We used to tell my dad he would be early to his funeral because he was always this first to arrive everywhere and his motto was "If you are not 15 minutes early then you are late." In his eulogy we made a comment about how we were right all these years, he WAS early to his funeral because he was ready for it but we weren't. (He would have appreciated the joke.)
Load More Replies...This is me. My husband and I were late to our own wedding. But, so was the judge so it worked out.
Worked 2nd shift, called in and told my foreman that I'm not coming to work and he asked me why. I told him that I didn't want to. He said OK, see you tomorrow.
My mom really hates this about me. But i honestly don't know why she just hasn't accepted this about me.... it's not a phase.
I've got something in my eye and I just can't SEE coming into work today!
I worked night shift as a nurse and one morning my eyes closed as the nursing supervisor came on the floor. She patted me gently on the shoulder and said, "Charlotte, wake up." I said, "I was praying." She said, "Oh, I'm sorry!" I replied, "I need to pray now because I'm lying. I was sleeping." She slapped me on the shoulder. Lol lol
I haven't worked for a few years. Circumstances have me job hunting now. I have narcolepsy. Welcome to my hell. 😟
Me trying to fall asleep at work because i think it will skip time: Hmmmmm i need more coffee ☕️
I don't know what concerns me more- the doll or how well some of these memes really understand me as a person
Bottom line is, we have to stop denying ourselves and start honoring who we are, what we like, and what we’re naturally drawn toward, and how we want to spend our days. “You drop the shoulds, you drop the false fear-based storylines and instead of letting them push your desires aside, they come to be front and center. They’re the guide to what kind of work is going to feel good to you and get you excited to do,” Sara said.
Think of what authentically feels good to you, even if it’s something as small as scrolling through humor work stress memes. The things that need to change for you to experience joy. Maybe you need to change jobs, change careers, change the nature of the work you're doing in your industry, shift the clients you work with. “You know best what you need to find that alignment, to find that spark. I'm just giving you the nudge to value it more and start looking for it,” Sara said. That's what you’re wanting to find, not ‘motivation.’ And maybe the ability to relate to these funny memes about work stress is an indicator of that.
Colin. His name is Colin. He arranges the Church socials. You know he does. And sings earnest songs whilst badly strumming his guitar. He does this at Christmas, at work, as a treat for his colleagues.
Instantly suspicious of people who are always overly cheerful at work. What skeletons are you hiding in your closet, Chuck?
Ugh. I don't mind the genuinely happy people. But the ones that look like they did lines all morning are sus.
me- don''t talk to me until I've had my coffee But you don't- me- exactly..
monday - wednesday is the forth one and thursday is the second ine
Load More Replies...My husband aways like why did you say yes.......um kinda caught me off guard an I need the money. When I'm working the shift:why didn't I listen to my f*****g husband this blows
At my work that is NOT the intern, that is our head trainer at the safety committee meeting every damn month. Same response from me though.
wait what’s in the photo? all i see is a neighborhood street with a tree in it
Load More Replies..."You need to jump companies that pay more, and that's how you earn more."
Until you find a job that pays more only to find out they expect you to also work 80+ hours a week 360 days a year
It does. Watching so many terrible, lazy, unproductive, coworkers get promoted or "fail up" as a friend of mine calls it, is proof.
Load More Replies...I hate that I’m the ignorant kind of person who don’t understand this reference at all. Curse my oblivious lack of cultural participation; my only excuse is that I was raised by hedgehogs. Under a fallen tree trunk. In a remote forest area. The internet connection was atrocious, as was the power grid - don’t even get me started on cell reception.
Fund public transport (free, frequent) and protected cycling infrastructure (then even if u still need to drive, there is less traffic dont @ me with your exceptionism)
I feel weird when I see such memes... cause I haven't worked from home even once since 2020. I still wonder if I missed out or not :P
Me either ! But I still loved everyone else working from home !!
Load More Replies...This is the 3rd time in the last week that I have seen or heard someone mention Fisherman's Friends. I have never seen or heard of them before. Everyone tells me that I have, but...🤷🏾♀️
Load More Replies...When I get up on a work morning, one of my first thoughts is always to tell myself "don't worry; just think about how you can go straight back to bed when you get home!" It never fails to cheer me up.
This was me yesterday after being sick for 2 days and everyone being late
“Work isn’t just about branches, you should take pride in it”
Load More Replies...You get the same amount of vacation than me bob, ive just booked it at a different time that you
Ah Lucille Ball. Amazing actress and singer. And probably was an actor to the most watched sitcom in the 50’s. (The name btw is “I love Lucy”)
I think that Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy is pretty widely known universally by any age group, but thanks for clearing that up 😂
Load More Replies...So many times, sit in my car until I can stop sobbing and know I won't start again as soon as someone asks, how are you.
I've never had an office job, a 9-5, or had weekends off. I used to be jealous of office workers because they don't have as physically demanding of a job but now I think I'm good where I am.
Have you ever watched the 1999 movie Office Space? I originally thought it dull, but having worked in corporate 9-5 for a decade, its accuracy is hilarious. Peak comedy, in a depressing way. Excellent way to see how an office job can kill your soul.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion warning: if you can get away with some of these situations at work is your job really necessary?
I've never had an office job, a 9-5, or had weekends off. I used to be jealous of office workers because they don't have as physically demanding of a job but now I think I'm good where I am.
Have you ever watched the 1999 movie Office Space? I originally thought it dull, but having worked in corporate 9-5 for a decade, its accuracy is hilarious. Peak comedy, in a depressing way. Excellent way to see how an office job can kill your soul.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion warning: if you can get away with some of these situations at work is your job really necessary?
