Author Annie Dillard famously said, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." So given the fact that the average person spends one-third of their adulthood at work, it's only normal they want to be happy there. Sadly, that's not always the case.
There are plenty of ways companies make their employees' lives miserable: lack of training and two-way communication, excessively strict policies, toxic managers, lousy wages, the list goes on. With their miserable job descriptions and offensive interviews, some organizations even find ways to get under people's skin even before they hire them.
Many of these disappointed folks turn to the internet to voice their frustrations. So in an attempt to recap today's job market and working conditions, we compiled a list of complaints we see online the most.
This post may include affiliate links.
Trophy And A Dog Park
Truth
Who the hell cares what people do in their personal lives?! As long as it doesn't affect their work then MYOB!
If we were to look at the numbers, the U.S. job market came through January in much better shape than expected despite a winter wave of coronavirus infections.
According to a new tally from the Labor Department, employers added 467,000 jobs last month, far outpacing even the most optimistic forecasts. Which is even more impressive when you consider the surge in COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant.
The unemployment rate inched up to 4% in January from 3.9% the month before, but that's only because nearly 1.4 million people entered the job market.
Buy Fewer Yatchs
Cut CEO Salary By $ 1 Million
Hear Him Out
As someone who’s just recovered from a lower level chronic illness, making people like me work while sick because the alternative is making the guy with cancer work while sick is not heartwarming.
Load More Replies...
I had cancer, an easy resolvable uterus cancer. Nonetheless, the hospital had services lined up for emotional and financial support. If I did not have sick days available I would automatically receive social security coverage for my time off work plus assistance I having my mortgage frozen and any debts deferred etc until recovered. This is in Australia. I didn't need any of it because I had worked for the same company for 23 years and had 95 days sick leave plus over 22 weeks annual leave accrued.
In Germany, you just get a doctor to attest to the fact that you're sick, and boom, day off.
@Bostick: agree, but cancer is not something were you get a doctor's for a day off (while still being paid fully). However there is, in comparison to the US, a very good health insurance and social care net established. Meaning this guy would be cared for (while still receiving money) while the company keep his position open until his return.
Load More Replies...
This for profit, massively gouging horseshit system has got to go. Who gives a flying f**k if the shareholders make millions if this kind of s**t happens.
Yes!!! I just don't understand the complete disregard on a massive scale in almost all of our institutions. Wtf.
Load More Replies... It can even get more dystopian where sick teachers pay for their substitutes in the greatest country in the world. https://www.npr.org/2019/05/20/723990399/california-teachers-pay-for-their-own-substitutes-during-extended-sick-leave?t=1644326555004
I am assuming this is in USA. It is outrageous. In Europe (as far as I am aware) medical conditions like this have unlimited number of sick days. Yes, you need proof from doctors and specialist (beurocracy), but it is paid 100% of your normal wage (no overtime, obviously).
I don't suppose he's a chemistry teacher...😏 (Relax, it's a pop-culture-referential joke. I feel sorry for the guy and understand that the system is terribly broken. We good? Good.)
But you see, that's too much socialism. True patriotic capitalists live to work, and work to live! Oh wait, that sounds like some communist proletariat.
American feel good stories; here's a person who in most other developed countries wouldn't have to rely on sympathy and generosity. This person also represents at least a thousand who weren't so lucky.
In a post commie country (if you are working with a contract of employment) you have your limit of holiday days off (20 when you start and 26 after 3 years), but no limit of sick days. The trick is that on sick leave you usually get 80% of your salary, and if it exceeds 30 days you need to be examined by a doctor to check if you are fit for work. Another tricky part is that part of your salary is taken by the government to fund the healthcare so if you are employed you do not need to buy a separate healthcare insurance. Also you can additionally have one in one of the private clinics but it wont cost you an arm and a leg. Seeing how America changes makes me sad...
Many hospitals allow their employees to donate their PTO to someone who runs out of PTO and extended sick leave.
How is this even possible? Before I retired I my sickness allowance was six months full and six months half pay for serious illness. I'm not even sure there is a legal mechanism for passing sick days between colleagues here.
It's not a what if. Well, except in the US of course. Everywhere else, And I do mean EVERYWHERE, you are sick for as long as you are sick. PERIOD.
Place I worked for (major city gov't in NC) asked people to voluntary donate sick days to help those who needed more. Then at the end of the year they said those days had not been used so they "threw them away". No-one donated the next year.
What if - hear me out - the U.S of Ass holes stopped to bankrupt their citizens with exorbitant health costs and learned from civilized countries how universal health care is working for everyone?
That is disgusting. And they try to tell us that the US is a civilised country.
As an old retired teacher, I remember a time when districts didn't limit the number of sick days you could build up. One woman was able to take a semester off after adopting a baby. By the time I had my 2nd child by C-Section, you could only have 6 weeks paid leave from the date of the child's birth--IF you had the days saved. After 6 weeks, you weren't paid even if you had the days saved.
My state is really crazy about missed school days. If you miss more than 7 days a semester you have to make the hours up on the weekends. This kid at my kids' school had cancer and they made him make up hours for when he was going to chemotherapy appointments
My employer doesn't allow us to donate our pto to colleagues. Tax difficulties or some nonsense. Meanwhile our coworker with cancer couldn't keep her second job or get paid when she needed to take time off after surgery. Wasn't allowed to WFH either. Thankfully she survived it and now during the pandemic gets to wfh.
and people who have a heart transplant can be treated nearer home so the wife doesn't loose her job because she needs 3 days every week to drive her husband 10 hours round trip to the MEDICAL INSURANCE CHOSEN treatment venue. Then his insurance runs out so his wife transfers her to him. only she is no longer covered because she lost her job. Upshot was, the man was sent home to die because they could not afford the 3 day trips/ accommodation or anti rejection drugs. He would have been better off without the transplant. At least his wife would still have a job.
It boggles the mind. In the UK we get paid sick leave by default. Even for maternity it's 6 months full pay but you can take a year if you need.
The school district I work for has a disaster leave account, staff donate sick days to it. You have to donate a day each year to be eligible to draw on it. The system works well.
No, it doesn't work at all. Sick people shouldn't have to worry about borrowing sick time from their fellow employees. Even worse they now refer to it as the system working well. How very sad.
Load More Replies...The positive report was good news for the Biden administration, which had been bracing for worse numbers.
"America is back to work," President Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday. "Our country is taking everything that COVID has to throw at us and we've come back stronger."
The share of people working or looking for work has increased, spelling possible relief on the horizon for employers who have struggled to fill vacant spots amidst the Great Resignation.
Unrig The System
He's Going To Learn The Hard Way
I Already Know Tons Of People Can Feel The Pain In This Tweet
But according to a 2017 Gallup poll, only 15% of the world's one billion full-time employees are engaged at work.
Surprisingly, the situation is significantly better in the U.S., where this figure is around 30%, but this still means that roughly 70% of American workers aren't satisfied with how things are going.
A Sad Story
Finally Someone Who Gets It
It is engrained in the American culture that people shouldn't be paid for what they are doing but they are paid according to some arbitrary system where people who have spend more money on education get paid more for whatever they are doing. Yet somehow, they are not deemed "essential workers" in times of crisis.
Ain't That The Truth
He forgot to mention- "Make money hand over fist for the company with barely a bit of recognition or an increase in pay". I'll just assume he was at his character limit.
Taking Your Job
In her book Happiness At Work, Jessica Pryce-Jones pinpoints the major elements that contribute to a person's happiness or discontent. She thinks that if a worker has high levels of confidence, commitment, conviction, contribution and culture fit, paired with feelings of recognition, pride and trust in the company, they will achieve their potential at work.
Discuss Salaries From Now On
My fav is when youre asked not to tell ("we cant force you not to share but we would appreciate if you dont") to "maintain a positive work environment"
Work Is Work And Should Be Paid
Give Us More Money
I think it's the other way around. The MEN, are "worried" and "ashamed" that their girlfriends and wives, are out-earning them.
Believe In Yourself
He's probably teamed up with his chemistry teacher and is making meth somewhere...
But not all of these things are in the hands of the employers. Happiness also depends on our own attitude and perception. "We expect that something has to happen in order for us to be happy," Srikumar Rao, professor at the London Business School, told Forbes.
Protect Your Coworkers
Damn Good Idea!
That's Why It Is Soo Hard To Get A Job!!
Nothing, because the jobs you're stealing are the jobs that no one wants to have. Some people rather be an unemployed Master of Dance than an employed garbage collector with a decent income.
Every Manager Needs To Hear This
Rao said that while we push our prospects of happiness into the future ('I'll be happy once I get a promotion, my bonus, the corner office'), we're missing out on the chance of happiness at work right now. "We don't recognize that we have tremendous control over our happiness."
I Mean.... I Would
My English Teachers Favorite Line
I was told I'd be a cleaning lady. I learned cleaners get paid more than me.
This Is Reality
They found out that robots needs maintenance. Maintenance costs money. They also can break down. Repairs cost money. And if they screw up, they screw up big time. Big time screw ups costs a lot of money. It's stil cheaper to keep those underpaid wage slaves.
Run Me My Money!
To combat this barrage of negativity, Rao believes workers should stop labeling things as good or bad.
"The moment you say something is a 'bad' thing, you experience it that way," he explained. "You live your life in a constant cycle reinforcing itself." Rao rejects the theory of positive psychology which suggests that thinking happy thoughts will make them a reality because according to him, it's a form of self-deception. Rather, he suggests looking at situations as they truly are.
Just like the people behind these tweets.
Good Job
😉 when I was in high school working my first job in retail my boss would send me to the beach to get him an ice cream from a particular shop... He knew full well that there was no way to get the ice cream to him without it being completely melted. I would get him an ice cream from the shop next door before I came back from a 2 hour break on the clock. It was his way of giving me time off on the clock because we had no customers and it was too nice out. I reminded him of his daughter and he was very fatherly to me. Thank you, Harley, if you're still out there.
Emotionally Checked Out Of The Week By Then
Unless the office is literally on fire and i'm being contacted to retrieve my personal belongings, if my phone rings WORK after hours, it will get picked up tomorrow. The motto we had in the military was "is anyone going to die?". If the answer was no, then it wasn't an emergency. I promise NO ONE is going to die if I don't take a work call after hours.
All Colleges Should Offer This
Mcdonalds
Hospital Janitor Work Extra Hard In The Pandemic And CEO Got 13 % Raise
The interesting thing about this when - theoretically - these people are suddenly out of their jobs. In case of the CEO: nothing happens, the hospital can work for weeks before anyone notice that the overpaid guy is missing from the top. In case of the janitor: literal sh*tstorm 12 hours later.
Finally Somebody Who Understands The Importance Of The Working Class
Mission Impossible
@Loty -- while what you said might be true, it doesn't change the conclusion the letter writer has come to, that buying a home for young people is impossible for most due to the costs.
There Isn't A Job Shortage, There’s A Shortage Of Adequate Pay
My Treat
Get Paid For Your Depression
We Should Not Have To Work 2 Jobs To Be Self Sufficient. This List Doesn't Factor In Having Kids Either Smh
Wait,,, in what century was car/home insurance $100/m and health insurance $20/m? I work for a national union and pay $75 every 2wks for health insurance and I am DAMN grateful it's only that much. $150m car payment,,, i guess so you NEVER can pay off the 2010 Hyundai.
We Will Not Sleep For Two Hours
Bert And Ernie To The Rescue
I Hate The Jobs That Make You Feel Horrible Just Because You Get Sick
Funny How That Works
Or, listen to a crazy idea: work like everybody else for a decent wage, not for tips?!? This is only an USA issue, other countries rely on wages, the tips are only when a good service was provided, food was excellent, so on, not just a mandatory thing to do. When is the last time you tipped someone at the supermaket, citu hall for a permit / license, postman for delivering a letter?
In Every Crisis Workers Are The Solution
Yup. And I've certainly noticed the rich think places like Starbucks and McDonalds are good enough to eat and hang out at, but the staff aren't good enough to be treated with dignity, and would be shameful if their kids worked there.
That Feeling When You Leave Work
Yep,she's Right
How The Tables Have Turned
They Love The Working Class, Eh
And here I am thinking water every 4 hrs in a texas summer isnt nearly enough! Silly me
It Is What It Is
I'm quite sure when the founding fathers wrote the second amendment they never thought of guns capable of killing 50 people in less than 1 minute in the hands of certified psychopaths.
Hmm
It's a process that everywhere else, at least in Europe, takes 5 minutes a year and 0$... Government sends you the information, you check it and click "Send", that's it....
My Dream Job
Sharing The Dinning Room Table While Working From Home
$85 An Hour To Sleep On The Job
You Workin’ Essential Or Essentially Working?
Wouldn’t Accept A $50 Tip To Eat Their Crappy Pizza
And that's why in Europe delivery people are no longer legally considered "private contractors". If you're working for a delivery service you're an employee with all the benefits that European employees legally have and the employers legally have to pay for. Europe isn't going to allow American malpractices to rob low wage workers.
Know Your Worth
You Don't Have To Make Their Job Harder
Something Doesn't Add Up
People Who Work Retail Know
I was working in a department store (back in the 90s) and it was a very slow evening... so we only had three staff on the entire floor. A bit tricky to keep on top of everything, but there were few customers, so... I guess it worked. Anyway, I found that someone took a crap in the middle of the aisle, in the middle of the store. Right out in the open. Never saw who did it...
Every Job Should Be Able To Sustain A Dignified Living
For fück's sake, enough with this boomer sh!t! I don't think you even understand the meaning of the term. Speaking as a "boomer", do you want to know what we actually did? We unionised, we went on strike for better pay, and for better, safer working conditions and we did it for the benefit of everyone. We marched for human rights and against apartheid. In the U.K, when people were still suffering from post-war shortages we created and built a world-renowned National Health Service so that no-one had to be wealthy to afford health care. We invested in apprenticeships so that people without the benefit of university education or an "old boys network" could become skilled in a well paying career. We demanded liveable minimum wages so that couples could actually afford to buy a house, pay for the mortgage, and raise children on a single income. Boomers did that. Just because a relative handful of decrepit billionaires are now calling the shots, you can't blame an entire generation.
But How Will The Company Make More Money So That The CEO Can Buy A New Ferrari?
Started not giving a crap and my performance scores have increased. Maybe that's the sweet spot.
Job Seeking Ftw
Yeah, going door to door asking for a job is not how you get a job these days.
Sad To See Someone Else Living Your Dreams
Ya know, I would actually prefer being a housewife. With a loving, caring husband, of course. I enjoy cleaning, tidying, decorating, organizing, running errands and making everyone happy. But at least at a job I get paid and have free reign of my own finances.
This Is The New "Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years” Question During Job Interviews
Instant Job Offer
Commitment And Tolerance Of Pain
My judgement of tattoos tends to be limited to the spelling of it. "No regerts" (stereotype example, I'm aware some people have this ironically) doesn't suggest a person with the best decision making skills, regardless of their timing keeping abilities; either they failed to spellcheck before making their request, or they failed to do a quality check of the tattoo artist.
Being An Adult Sucks
People would assume I didn't feed my kid at work or would ask how I could afford takeaway. They were jelly af.
One Of The Best Sleeps Ever
The days I spent wishing I could do that. May boss sucked, there was poop everywhere. The hours were 4:30a until 9-10p. Clients were demanding and couldn't do a darn thing for themselves. I had no breaks, no weekends, no holidays.... Being a farmer is fun, though.
Who Are We To Fight Against God’s Plan?
I've just made a 4 day work week. Going to see how it goes. So far I've now got a 3 week work week cos now I'm cancelled. I cannot afford it. I'm nervous. What'd I do?
“Work Voice”
Preach
Never used them, but if I had to guess, syrup packs for a soda machine?
Some Coworkers You Interact With Only Because Your Job Requires It
I have to ask, and please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm genuinely not trying to be controversial, are a LOT of the posts USA-centric? A lot (not all, but a lot) of them seem to be things I've never experienced or seen happen as a Brit (and I'm guessing other Europeans). It seems seems labour laws are very different in America. Now, I'm not saying elsewhere is some kind of workers utopia but still......
No, you're not wrong or being controversial! Bored Panda and Buzzfeed - and Reddit too, for that matter - are all America-centric. I actually find it really sad, because the majority of the posts are saying how weird America is and generally slating the pay, workers rights, healthcare, political system, lack of gun control and so on...which deserve slating, IMO, but they miss out a lot on how many lovely, forward thinking people live in the States, and wish those things were otherwise. I've never met an American I didn't like, and the country is frankly stunning.
Load More Replies...
I'm very happy in my early retirement in a country where livable wage is a legal requirement and a decent pension is also a legal right, as is medical care. Looks like I'm living the American dream, far, far away from the greatest country in the world.
They started sending the american dream off shore when ronny raygun was in office.
Load More Replies...
Someone start a movement for the whole country to go on strike. Force politicians to the bargaining table and force term limits on all politicians
Minimum wage should be $1,000/hr. That way a pack of gum cost $27.95
You can't even afford to die in America. The average cost of a funeral in my state is over 7 grand.
I have to ask, and please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm genuinely not trying to be controversial, are a LOT of the posts USA-centric? A lot (not all, but a lot) of them seem to be things I've never experienced or seen happen as a Brit (and I'm guessing other Europeans). It seems seems labour laws are very different in America. Now, I'm not saying elsewhere is some kind of workers utopia but still......
No, you're not wrong or being controversial! Bored Panda and Buzzfeed - and Reddit too, for that matter - are all America-centric. I actually find it really sad, because the majority of the posts are saying how weird America is and generally slating the pay, workers rights, healthcare, political system, lack of gun control and so on...which deserve slating, IMO, but they miss out a lot on how many lovely, forward thinking people live in the States, and wish those things were otherwise. I've never met an American I didn't like, and the country is frankly stunning.
Load More Replies... I'm very happy in my early retirement in a country where livable wage is a legal requirement and a decent pension is also a legal right, as is medical care. Looks like I'm living the American dream, far, far away from the greatest country in the world.
They started sending the american dream off shore when ronny raygun was in office.
Load More Replies... Someone start a movement for the whole country to go on strike. Force politicians to the bargaining table and force term limits on all politicians
Minimum wage should be $1,000/hr. That way a pack of gum cost $27.95
You can't even afford to die in America. The average cost of a funeral in my state is over 7 grand.
