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Given the existence of labor laws, you would think that corporate managers would be compelled to act accordingly. But as the following stories show, many of them seem to find some satisfaction in making their employees’ lives a living hell.
We’ve compiled these personal accounts from different corners of Reddit. Here, people shared their horrific experiences with the worst bosses and essentially exposed the different levels of tyrannical practices in their workplaces. Some of these got so out of hand that you might think they are unreal.
If you’ve had a bad boss in the past, these posts may hit a nerve and urge you to join the conversation.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
New Manager Came In Hot For Jesus
Me and my entire team are going to be reporting to a newly hired manager on Monday.
Yesterday we had a departmental town hall. The new manager was not able to be present for it, but did supply an introduction slide.
It was very light on professional experience and somewhat heavy on The Lord. It included something about his leadership style being "Christ-Centric" and included a Bible Quote from the book of Matthew.
Y'all the way my stomach dropped.
We are not a faith-based organization as far as I can tell. Not a whiff of it in the three years I have been here. Our department is very culturally diverse (IT). I myself am a member of the LGBTQ community and we have a COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP (to say the least) with Christians.
Especially the Christians who are bold enough to announce their personal beliefs in a professional introduction slide. I've not met the man and I'm already uncomfortable and bracing myself for friction.
I don't need this, I didn't ASK for this. I am aware that I may be biased against Christians like this, so I'm not going to jump the gun and freak out (I need this job). I think it is HIGHLY inappropriate messaging from a power-dynamics standpoint. First thing he wants us to know about him is his faith.
If my beliefs don't align, what does that look like for my chances at advancement? Is he biased against the gays? Is he aware of it? Will my career suffer because deep down in him he doesn't root for "my kind".
What should I do?
EDIT for those pointing out that I might be the bigot here:
You've never had to worry about things like this, have you?
This will be the last time I try to explain, and then I'm muting my phone.
You will never know the panic of having someone with authority over you carrying strong negative feelings about who you are as a person. Negative feelings about something you always have been and something you can't change.
I'm feeling even more anxiety about it because of this current cultural climate where the bigots and homophobes have discovered some sort of license to be free with their hate and bigotry.
Even if he doesn't do or say anything further his introduction has already set the tone of what by all rights should have been normal and comfortable boss/employee power dynamic. I don't only have to please him, I have to be pleasing in the eyes of his Invisible Sky Daddy. So pardon me for being "dramatic" and freaking out.
Glen Ellyn 15 hours ago (edited)
I hate hearing stories like this. Why can't people leave others alone and let them live their lives as they see fit?? I got uncomfortable at my last job when the company "Christmas gift" was a book of religious stories. No thanks. I donated it to one of the local "Little Free Libraries." I really thought it was inappropriate to bring religion to the workplace. To me, religious beliefs and practices are personal.
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#2
Boss Said I Cant Just Disappear From My Desk So Now I Send Him A Message Every Time I Leave
We had a team meeting where my boss said people are just getting up and disappearing without telling anyone and its unprofessional. So now I message him on Teams every single time. "Stepping away for restroom." "Going to grab coffee." "Printer run." I dont wait for a response I just let him know. Last week I sent him 9 messages in one day. On Friday he replied "you dont need to tell me every time you move" and I said "just wanted to make sure Im being professional like you asked." He hasnt brought it up since.
#3
Turned In Notice After Boss Gave Me A $0 Bonus
Had my annual review last week. Boss spent 20 minutes talking about how valuable I am and how much the company appreciates my work. Then came the bonus discussion → $0.
Not "we're having a tight year" or "budget constraints." Just straight up told me they decided to reallocate bonus funds to "other priorities." Meanwhile I watched two new managers get hired at probably double my salary.
Handed in my two weeks yesterday. Boss seemed shocked and asked what they could do to keep me. Told him he already showed me exactly what I'm worth to them.
Already got one interview lined up. Done with this place.
Many people who have worked in different corporate settings have had the unfortunate experience of working under just one or two “good” managers, while having horrible ones for the most part. In a February report by Gallup, it’s because only a handful are actually equipped for managerial positions.
#4
Boss Said Dress More Professional And Now I Move Boxes In A Long Shirt
My boss Gary (fake tho he looks like one) pulled me aside last week and says I need to dress better in order to look more professional not even kidding I literally work in a warehouse. We literally move boxes and operate forklifts like I was wearing clean jeans and a t shirt which seemed perfectly reasonable for you know manual labor. But he wanted that so I gave him professional where I showed up monday in a long shirt, dress shoes, wrist watch, the whole package. Looked like I was about to give a ted talk on supply chain management and when he saw me told me this a bit too much. Been doing this for three days now like my coworkers think it's hilarious and I'm getting genuine compliments from customers who think I'm upper management.
Gary can't say anything because I'm technically following his orders and I'm the most professionally dressed box mover in the area and honestly kinda feeling myself.
#5
My Boss Refused To Promote Me Or Give Me Reasonable Raises So I Developed Skills On The Company Dime That Got Me A >100% Raise At Another Company
Early in my career I worked as an engineer for a defense contractor for about 4 years getting my typical 2-4% raises and standard promotions that take years and years to qualify for. I realized that in my current role I was pretty much maxed out for the foreseeable future, and would be scraping by for years more, so I tried to get on the management track and got given a project engineer position to prove myself.
I managed a team of 4 engineers, a designer, and 2 admins and we designed and manufactured a system that made $1.6M in sales in our first year of work. We got the company a patent, and were nominated by the USAF and became finalists as DoD Contractor Technical team of the year (I don't recall the exact wording) and were flown to DC for a big awards ceremony. I spent 100 days away from my family that year, traveling to test locations, customers, vendors, etc. It was brutal but we were wildly successful.
When annual performance reviews came in mine was 10/10. I was thrilled, then I found out one of MY team members (who had a different manager) was promoted early to a senior position and that I did not and I just got the standard 3% raise again. I was livid.
I had a meeting with my boss and his response was that he didn't think my team member deserved a promotion or a big raise but he wasn't their boss so basically I should try real hard again and we'll see next year.
Screw that. I basically quite quit and just barely worked my 40hrs and went home. I never traveled unless I really wanted to, I never stayed late, I took almost every Friday off to burn through my leave. I took all my sick days, etc. My mental health was much better. The only thing I really did extra was take advantage of the education budget our group had but rarely got used.
My previously promoted co-worker (who I really liked personally) started taking MBA evening classes, that the company reimbursed him for, but they came with obligations to stay there for x amount of years. They also had a nice budget for software training (without such stipulations) so we both signed up for FEA and 3D modelling classes. We traveled around together taking these classes and building our resumes.
About a month after the classes were finished I secretly started applying for jobs that required those specific skills and quickly got hired for a position with a base annual income that was 200% my existing rate plus it paid overtime. I put in my notice and my boss was really upset.
"We just paid for you to travel all over to learn these new skills that we need!"
"Don't you have any loyalty or guilt!"
"How much are they paying you, lets see if we can match it"
"That's more than I make!"
It was and with OT I made about 3X the following year for a competitor. Life changing good times.
#6
My Boss Told Me To "Stick To My Job Description" When I Asked For A Raise. So I Did. Now He's Mad Things Aren't Getting Done
I’ve been pulling double duty for 6 months since our senior dev quit. i’m fixing legacy code, training the two new interns, and generating the weekly client reports, none of which is actually in my job description.
last week i finally asked for a market adjustment. my boss gave me a 10-minute lecture on "budgets" and ended it by telling me to "focus on the core responsibilities outlined in your contract" instead of worrying about money.
bet.
i immediately stopped fixing the nightly build errors (not in my contract). i stopped answering the interns constant slack messages (not in my contract). and i definitely didn't run the client report this morning.
i just got a slack message marked "URGENT" asking where the data is for his 9am meeting.
i’m about to reply with a screenshot of the "core responsibilities" section of my contract. wish me luck.
Gallup revealed that only one in 10 people possesses the talent to manage. And while many have the necessary skills, only a few can lead a team and achieve excellence that improves overall company performance.
“These 10%, when put in manager roles, naturally engage team members and customers, retain top performers, and sustain a culture of high productivity,” an excerpt from the report reads.
#7
My Boss Insisted We Cut Out The Middleman To Save 15%, So I Let Him Handle The Logistics Of A 40-Foot Container
I work as a purchasing manager for a mid-sized home goods retailer. We have used the same domestic importer for our seasonal decor for five years. They charge a markup, but they handle the customs, the quality checks, and the shipping. It is hassle-free.
My new Director of Operations is convinced that he is a business genius. He called a meeting last month and lectured me about how we are hemorrhaging money by using a local distributor. He told me to cancel our contract for the holiday shipment and go direct to the source.
I warned him. I told him that dealing with freight forwarders, tariffs, and port delays is a full-time job. He told me I was just being lazy. He actually said, “Just get me the contacts, I'll close the deal myself.”
So I did. I spent a few days on Alibaba compiling a list of legitimate Chinese manufacturing companies that produce glass ornaments. I handed him a spreadsheet with twenty factory contacts, their MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) requirements, and the time zone differences.
I sat back and watched the show.
He realized that FOB Price does not include shipping to our warehouse.
He wired money to a supplier but forgot to hire a customs broker, so the shipment got flagged by CBP.
The container sat at the port for ten days because he didn't understand what an ISF filing was. The demurrage fees (fines for not moving the container) alone cost more than the 15% he was trying to save.
He came to my desk yesterday, looking incredibly humbled, and asked if I still had the phone number for our old importer.
TL;DR: Boss thought international trade was easy; I let him manage a direct import order and he ended up paying double in fines and fees.
Glen Ellyn 15 hours ago
Don't you just love it when the boss, who has never dealt with the day-to-day logistics of the job, thinks they know better??
#8
My Boss Has AI Psychosis
Go to meeting. Boss shares the conversation he had with Claude and stone cold serious tells us we need to appease Claude and meet “his” projections.
Claude doesn’t understand our clients or their needs, so things don’t happen the way Claude projected.
Boss flips out. Has another conversation with Claude to ask why. Claude can’t figure it out so we must be the problem.
I’m watching him get deeper and deeper into the hole and it’s depressing to watch, and for his sake too. This can’t be good for his mental health, it’s not good for any of us. I don’t want to participate in the dog and pony show anymore. I want to lay in the grass. I think we all need to log off. Vent over. Thanks for listening.
Luke || Kira (he/she) 9 hours ago
Bosses defer to AI consultants. Patients confide to AI doctors. Lonely people adore AI lovers. We were NOT ready for this technology.
#9
My Coworker Had The Pettiest Of Revenges With Our Tantrum-Throwing Boss
Our boss was a petty tyrant. He would do things that put us in difficult situations then yell at us while blaming us for the hassle. Best of all he was impatient man-child. My coworker, Thom, was stuck in the office more than I was. Poor bastard. Thom's petty revenge was driving our boss more insane yet our boss had no idea he was doing it.
Our boss had the nice big office up front. The printers were in the back. Thom and I sat in the cube farm between them. The boss would print out something then quickly and impatiently sprint to pick up what he printed. He was hyper-focused on getting that printout.
Most times the laser printer spun up and our boss moved from his office, Thom would get up from his cube and get in his way. He would walk slowly to the printers, or he would be carefully carrying a coffee cup that was filled to the top, or waddling awkwardly towards the bathroom.
Sometimes he would do that side "which way are you gonna go" hopping as they tried to dodge each other - but Thom never got it right and they ended up running into each other.
I watched this happen whenever I was in the office. Thom was doing this multiple times per day. Our boss had no idea but his blood pressure went up every time he went to retrieve a printout.
Thank you Thom. Against all odds you made that place a tiny bit more tolerable.
The Gallup report also highlighted a seemingly recurring problem within companies, which further widens the managerial void. It revealed how organizations promote workers into managerial positions, not because they have the talent for it, but because they “seemingly deserve it.”
#10
Boss Accidentally Told The Whole Team I'm Replaceable During Zoom
Monday team meeting on Zoom. Manager thinks he hits mute but doesn't.
I hear him talking to someone in his office: Yeah, Jim's doing fine but honestly? he's easily replaceable. If he starts asking for a raise we can just find someone else who'll do it for less.
Dead silence from the entire team. Takes him 10 seconds to realize what happened, face goes white. Oh sorry everyone, technical difficulties.
Technical difficulties? More like not knowing how to use mute while talking bad about your employees.
I've been grinding for this company for two years. Never missed a deadline, stayed late, covered for people, took on extra projects. And this is what they think of me?
Well, joke's on them. I was already planning to ask for that raise, and now I'm definitely making myself "replaceable" before they get the chance. Two years of my life and I'm easily replaceable. We'll see how easy it is when I'm gone.
#11
I Didn't Get Paid. So I Shut Down And Made Demands
Company missed my paycheck again (second time). Told my boss I'm not touching another thing until the money hits my account. No explanations, no excuses anymore.
He tried the usual "it'll be sorted Monday" routine. I said cool, see you Monday then. Walked out.
Got a call an hour later. Payment would be processed same day. Funny how fast they can move when they need to.
Still waiting on that direct deposit but at least now they know I'm serious. Should've done this the first time honestly.
#12
My Boss Accidentally Sent Me A Spreadsheet With Everyone's Salaries
Boss meant to send me a different file but instead I got the master salary spreadsheet for our whole department.
Turns out I'm making 15k less than my coworker who does the exact same job. We were hired within months of each other and have similar experience. The new guy who started last year? He's making more than me too.
I've been here 2 years and got "great reviews" every time. Apparently that translated to 2% raises while they're bringing people in at way higher rates.
Not sure what to do with this info but I'm definitely not forgetting what I saw. Time to update the resume I guess.
Nicole Weymann 4 hours ago
Try for a raise, I guess, and write applications. If things go south I'd print a dozen or ten of the papers and spend my last couple of days on the job either distributing them where they can be found easily or (if you're as much of a non confrontationalist/coward as I am) hide them where people will keep finding them for months to come. Taped to the bathroom/stall doors, in the office fridge, inside of cupboards, people's in trays, pinned to white boards of conference rooms, etc.
Many undeserving, ill-equipped managers create a toxic work environment that leads to employee disconnect and eventual churn. This is why experts encourage leaders to take a reflective approach and, if necessary, ask for feedback from their staff.
“It often is a leadership failure,” author and executive coach Janet Harvey told SHRM. “Toxicity thrives in the blind spots of leadership.”
#13
Boss Calls Me For Unpaid Help “As A Friend”, After Laying Me Off At Christmas… Sorry, But Nope!
In December, I was laid off from a small family business. I’d been there four years. Mr. Boss hoped to hire me back “when business picks up”. Maybe.
I told him it was cool to reach out to me, but was clear I wouldn’t be waiting around.
I started a new job this week. It’s going incredibly well.
I’ve also gotten three very long panicked voicemails from Mr. Boss this week…
The only other employee, (his wife) left him and the business. She didn’t train him on how to do our jobs. She just packed up her stuff and left. She won’t answer his calls.
Not sure how this is my problem…
Now he expects me to come in and train him “As a favor to a friend”. Not being rehired, totally unpaid and out of the goodness of my heart.
Nope! He laid me off two weeks before Christmas!
Also… He’d love me to come in Saturday or Sunday, because that “works for him”.
NOPE… I don’t care what works for him, because I don’t work for him anymore!
We aren’t “friends” and it’s NOT my problem. The audacity is audaciting! It astounds me that a business owner would think this is an okay thing to do.
#14
Just Got Fired For Refusing To Work Off The Clock. My Crime? Not Being "Family" Enough
Been at this marketing firm for 8 months. Manager loves the whole "we're a family here" speech whenever she needs free labor.
Last week she asked me to finish a presentation after my shift. I said no. She hit me with "I thought we were a team" and how it's "important for the company." I told her if it's that important, pay me overtime.
She looked genuinely shocked. Said I was being "difficult" and "not a team player." Then the classic boomer line: "when I was your age, I stayed late all the time to prove myself."
I replied "that's why you're still here and I'm planning my exit strategy."
She went quiet. Whole week she's been cold as hell. Then Friday comes and HR calls me in. They're "letting me go" for "cultural fit issues."
No severance. No warning. Just out.
They can keep their toxic "family." I'm filing for unemployment and never looking back. F corporate America and their manipulation tactics.
#15
My Boss Insulted Me In Front Of Everyone And I Accidentally Said What I Was Thinking Out Loud
I would be lying if I tell y'all that I am not nervous of what just happened. It literally sent shivers down my spine and I'm just acting cool about it *crying*
So earlier at work, at the company-based one since I also have a remote one, We were in a team meeting, and my boss made a joke about how slow I was with my tasks. I rolled my eyes, muttered something like, “Maybe if you actually checked your own emails once in a while…” and oops! The room went quiet and that's when I realize that everyone heard it. I could even feel my heart pounding coz of how the silence linger the very room.
Boss didn’t look happy, coz who would be? but honestly? His so like jokes was more insulting on my part and publicly embarrassing people isn’t leadership. After that, we took a break and my co-workers keep talking of how brave I was. I am not proud of it but their compliments are making me feel otherwise. It felt risky, but I’m done letting jokes be an excuse for disrespect. You don’t get to belittle people and call it management. Never.
Assuming a company has made changes in its leadership culture, it doesn’t stop there. Thought leaders like career expert Vicki Salemi say keeping a healthy working environment should be an ongoing initiative.
“(Changing toxic cultures) doesn’t happen overnight,” she said. “And it may involve hiring external consultants to help through cultural change.”
#16
I'm Forcing My Boss To Arrive At The Office Every Day At 7am
I just started a new job and decided I want to make a good impression by being in the office a little early (also so the manager cannot see if I'm only here for 5 minutes or if I was already here for 1 hour, so nobody questions me if I leave early). So I started coming in between 8:00-8:15. The first day I noticed I was the first, but the rest of the week my boss would already be there as 8:00. Apparently he is an early bird as well.
So the next week I arrived at 7:30. Again; I'm the first one on the first day. But the rest of the week that guy is already in the office before I arrive. I am truly wondering now, at what time this guy goes to work.
So last week I arrive at 7:00 on Monday and the same thing happened, Tuesday that guy was already sitting at his desk when I arrived.
So yesterday I asked him; what time do you usually arrive at work since you are here extremely early. And he confessed that the director demands all managers to arrive before the first staff member arrives and leave only after the last staff member leaves.
So me trying to beat him to to the office was forcing him to get out out bed 1.5 hours early to be at the office at the crack of dawn, while still having to work until the last team member leaves at around 5:30 PM.
Anyway, tomorrow I will be at the office at 8:30 sharp then.
#17
Me Quitting My Job Ending Up Costing My Old Boss Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars
I worked at this small manufacturing place for about 3 years. Did everything from inventory to coordinating shipments to handling vendor relationships. Boss was the typical "we're a family here" type who paid me garbage while he drove a new Tesla every year.
I asked for a raise multiple times. Got the runaround every time. Finally had enough and put in my two weeks. Boss didn't take it seriously, thought I was bluffing.
Here's the thing though... I was literally the only person who knew how our systems worked. I offered to train someone or at least document everything during my notice period. He said don't worry about it, they'd figure it out.
They did not figure it out.
Within a month I heard from old coworkers that they lost their biggest client because nobody could coordinate the shipments properly. Then another client left because of inventory screwups. Boss had to hire three people to replace me (at higher combined salary than what I asked for) and they're still apparently struggling.
Could've just given me the 15k raise I asked for. Instead he's probably down 300k in lost contracts and hiring costs.
Sometimes the trash takes itself out I guess.
#18
My Employer Is Making Us Reapply For Our Own Jobs At A Lower Pay Grade
So our company "restructured" and now existing employees have to formally reapply for positions. Same job, same responsibilities. But here's the kicker the posted salary is $8k less than what we're currently making.
I've been there 6 years. Built entire systems, trained new staff, covered shifts constantly. Now I'm competing against external candidates and being told I need to "prove my value" at a rate that's below what I was hired at.
They're banking on people being too scared to leave or thinking this is normal. It's not. This is wage theft with extra steps.
Update: Talked to two coworkers. Same situation. We're all looking elsewhere now.
#19
I Made My Boss Take The The Hit For His Idiotic System To Customers
I work at a café where the owner is obsessed with “maximizing profit.” We already charged extra for oat milk, syrup, takeaway cups, basically everything except breathing near the espresso machine. Not too bad.
But one day he decided we were going to start charging for tap water.
Not bottled water. Tap water.
Like, someone buys a sandwich and asks for a glass of water? Boom. 75 cents.
Everyone on staff thought it was stupid, but he acted like he’d invented modern economics.
He even printed little signs explaining how “cups, dishwashing, and labor have costs.”
The funniest part was that he and everyone knew customers would hate this. Which is fair. I would too if I was a customer.
So I decided that every single time someone asked me for tap water, I’d smile and say something like
“Oh, my boss actually handles all questions about the water policy. One second.”
And then I’d go get him.
Every. Single. Time.
Didn’t matter if he was in the office, unloading stock, eating lunch, or pretending to do accounting on his laptop. If someone wanted free water, I summoned him like a cursed spirit.
At first he’d come out all confident with his rehearsed explanation:
“Well, unfortunately there are operational costs associated with-“
And customers would immediately hit him with:
“You’re charging for TAP WATER?”
“Are you serious?”
“I just spent €14 here.”
“Every other café gives it for free.”
“Is this legal?” (I looked it up, it’s not, lol)
Meanwhile I’d just stand there pretending to wipe the counter while enjoying the show.
This went on for like two weeks before he completely lost it.
One afternoon a few days ago he pulled me aside and went:
“You need to stop bringing me out there for this.”
I said, “But you made the rule.”
And he goes:
“Yes, but it’s degrading having to explain it to customers all day.”
I genuinely had to look away so he wouldn’t see me smiling.
Like… my brother in Christ, if explaining your own policy humiliates you, maybe the policy is the problem.
Anyway, as for now, the tap water charge disappeared. No announcement. No apology. The little signs just vanished overnight like they’d never existed.
Still one of the funniest acts of malicious compliance I’ve ever committed.
#20
Boss Skipped My Promotion To Give It To His Buddy He Hired.. So I Found A Better Job And I'm Packing My Stuff
Been busting my bum at this company for 2 years. Position opens up that I'm perfect for, everyone knows it. Boss brings in his drinking buddy from his last job instead.
Found out last week when they announced it in the team meeting. Didn't even get interviewed.
Well joke's on them, already got an offer somewhere else for 20% more. Just submitted my resignation. Boss looked like he swallowed a lemon lmao
Some people never learn that loyalty goes both ways.
#21
My Boss Gets Pissy Every Time I Take My Entire 1 Hour Lunch Break
He always make some passive aggressive comment about how "some people really need their full break time huh" when I came back at exactly 1 hour. Bro what? That's literally what a break is for.
He will also try and guilt trip me into getting back to work like slaps his knees "well we better get back to work, you keep on sitting, the delivery came but we will handle it for you"
I work retail and we're always understaffed but that's not my problem to solve by cutting my legally required break short. The entitlement is wild wild wild
So sick of that lazy jerk... I wanna punch him in the throat
#22
My Boss Cloned My Voice Using A Text-To-Speech Software And Used It To Put Words In My Mouth
We have an in office “team development” day tomorrow and my bosses’ new boss and his boss are joining in. My bosses clearly want to make a good impression.
They asked us all to make a short video of what we’re proud of from the last year, or give someone a shoutout, etc. My boss said it wasn’t mandatory, so I decided not to do it.
And then today she asked me if I was going to do it, and I said I’d prioritized the work I’d been assigned to prepare for tomorrow. She said there was still time today. I said I didn’t have capacity today.
Then she said “just write a short paragraph of what you’re proud of, you’ve done amazing work this year” so I broke down and wrote two sentences basically saying “2025 was a year of [project]. I’m grateful I got the opportunity to work on so much [stuff I like] and was able to develop my [skills].”
I sent it to her and asked “is that okay?” And she said yes.
And then this afternoon right before my day ended she messaged me saying she’d cloned my voice using the text-to-speech software and used it to add a voiceover to my words.
I asked her what she meant, and she said she uploaded a recording of me delivering a training session and the software analyzed and cloned my voice based on the recording.
I was speechless and asked “does it actually sound like me?” and she sent me the video clip.
In addition to the words I wrote, she added “I’m excited to [use the skills I developed to support the team in 2026!]”. I didn’t write that. But my cloned voice said it.
I feel so incredibly violated.
I told her I was NOT okay with it and asked her to remove the voiceover and delete my voice from the text-to-speech software.
I shut my laptop and tried to regulate myself but I am reeling.
I reported it to my bosses’ new boss who is coming tomorrow. We will see what happens.
I did save screenshots of my boss admitting what she did to my personal phone, and saved the video she created using my voice (with the added words).
#23
My Boss Got Humiliated By His Boss In Front Of All Of Us
I had been working for the entire week on this big presentation which represented our team's efforts for a business battle for the company. Then my manager decides he doesn’t 'trust' our work and will present it himself. Says we’re too inexperienced to present something important to the seniors.
I hand over all the material and let him figure out how to present it.
On D-Day, he enters the stage when our part came up and up comes only one slide containing extremely vague bullet points about 'optimizing performance', 'cross-functional alignment', 'customer-centric approach.' That’s it. All the actual data, charts, insights, and results that we built were completely gone.
His boss stares at the screen for a few seconds and asks if this is the summary and where’s the actual analysis?
The entire meeting room was dead silent.
The manager tries to ad-lib through it about how the details are in progress and his boss just tears into him in front of everyone, literally yelling that he had three weeks and this is all he brought?
After the meeting, he comes back to our room furious at the team. Apparently it’s our fault he didn’t include our work because we didn't emphasize which areas were important.
So yeah. He didn’t trust his team, sabotaged his own presentation, and got publicly humiliated and then blamed the people who gave all the information to him. Classic corporate leadership where management is just looking at who comes in on time without any understanding of how to represent the work or about their own work.
#24
My Team Leader Put Nails In My Chair And Thought It Was A Joke
Today something happened at work that honestly left me pissed off. My team leader thought it would be funny to put nails on my chair. I didn’t notice until I sat down and felt this sharp pain. Luckily it didn’t pierce deep enough to cause serious injury but it still hurt like hell and could’ve gone way worse. I just came from break where I won like 800 bucks on jackpot city and I was super happy about it and as soon as I came back to my office this pos decided to do this. He started laughing like it was just a harmless prank but I didn’t find it funny at all. This is supposed to be a professional environment and I don’t think anyone should have to deal with that kind of thing in their workplace. I’m sitting here wondering if I should escalate it or if that will just make me look like I can’t take a joke.
To me this feels less like a prank and more like crossing a serious line. Am I overreacting or is this something I should actually report?
#25
Boss Is Upset That I Have A Second Job
Yesterday my boss calls me into his office. Apparently someone saw me making deliveries and told him about it. He starts going off about "loyalty" and how having another job shows I'm "not committed to the company." Like dude, you pay me $45k a year in a city where studios cost $1800/month. What did you expect?
He actually said I should be using my weekends to "think about how to add more value to the team" instead of working elsewhere. The audacity is unreal. I told him my contract says 40 hours M-F and what I do on weekends is my business. He didn't like that response.
Now he's being weird about everything. Making comments about my "divided attention" and questioning if I'm "really present" during meetings. It's so obvious he's building a case to write me up or something.
#26
Boss Keeps Trying To Reach Out For Help Even A Month After My Resignation
Worked in retail ops. My team handled product displays and display tags (5k products per store × 40 stores).
For 13+ years the process was easy: Excel>> vendor >> done. This year, design team rolled out a new “fancy” layout that was slower, costlier, and vendors hated it. The few who could do it wanted close to $3/card.
I spent 3 days teaching myself InDesign’s import tool, cracked the workflow, and cut costs to 7¢/card. Told my manager we should train others so I’m not the single point of failure. Manager (rude, incompetent, insecure jerk) says: “This is literally the only job you do. Are you trying to dump it on others too?”
I unfortunately fall real sick, take 3 weeks off in July, come back, manager screams at me over their own misunderstanding. It was over a very minute detail they thought I missed.
I quit on the spot, emailed CEO + HR that my manager was the reason, and walked out on Aug 1st.
Since then, I’ve had 17+ calls/texts from the same people begging me to explain how to export tags. Can’t wait for my final settlement on the 15th so I can block the whole circus.
Update- Received my settlement. The calls stopped after a while so I decided to not reach out with any offer to do the job. I really, really want nothing to do with them. Blocked all numbers. P.s., this is India. Costs I mentioned are equivalent in a sense.
#27
My Boss Asked Why I Wasn't Responding To Slack At 10pm ?
Got a message this morning like "hey saw you didn't respond to my message last night, everything ok?"
Yeah everything's fine I was just... not working? because it was 10pm on a tuesday?
When did we all agree that being available 24/7 was normal
I'm salary but that doesn't mean I'm on call
#28
Was Petty To An Old Boss
Warning this involves deaths me dying. I work health care.
Okay this happened many years ago when I worked at a family owned nursing home. My uncle was on life support following a triple or quad bypass, I can’t remember. What lead to him on life support was an infection they didn’t catch until to late. Now my aunt wanted all her family there and called me at work to come to the hospital that was 2 hrs away from me and say good bye. So I go to my boss and tell her what is going on and her reply to me was “it’s just an uncle”
Welp I ended up getting fired for not wanting to commit fraud for her and got a job at the local hospital a few years later.
A few years into working at the local hospital her uncle is dying from old age and she is outside the door of his room. I look at her and pat her shoulder and say “it just an uncle” and I walk off and go do my charting as I was the aide taking care of him.
#29
Yell At My People, Watch Me Dismiss Them Early
a production department boss a few agencies ago got pissy about something that wasn’t the fault of anyone in his group. yelling at his folks
so being springtime, and being the sysadmin for that shop, I threw together a quick little remote script that would advance the clocks of the workstations for everyone in that group - except said boss - a few seconds here or there.
suddenly it’s a quarter after four on a Friday and everyone sees their Mac saying it’s five pm.
with great satisfaction I watch them all pack up and head out. one of the older ladies even mentioned how light out it was.
bossman groundhogs up from his cube utterly baffled why his whole group was suddenly gone.
(I did fess up my last day at that place.)
#30
Manager Said "No Phones During Work Hours, Period." So I Stopped Answering His Calls
I work IT support for a medium-sized company. We've always been allowed to have our phones at our desks, sometimes family emergencies happen, doctors call back, whatever. As long as we weren't scrolling social media all day, nobody cared.
New manager comes in last month, sees one person checking a text, and loses it. Sends out an email: "EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: No personal phones during work hours. They must be left in your car or locker. This means 9-5, NO EXCEPTIONS. Anyone caught with a phone will be written up"
Okay sure boss...
The thing is, our manager works from home three days a week. And when server issues pop up after hours or on weekends, guess how he contacts us? That's right , our personal phones. We don't have company phones.
Friday afternoon, 4:45 pm. Major server issue. I see it, could fix it in 10 minutes, but my phone is in my car as per policy. I calmly finish my work at 5:00 and walk out.
By the time I get to my car and check my phone at 5:15, I have 17 missed calls and a string of increasingly panicked texts from my manager. The server has been down for 30 minutes. Multiple departments cant do anything.
I call him back: "Hey, just got to my car and saw your calls. Whats up?"
He's furious (malding and seething), asking why I didnt answer. I remind him about the no phones policy. He says that's different, this was an emergency. I point out his email said "NO EXCEPTIONS" and I was just following policy to avoid a write-up.
Monday morning? New email: "Personal phones are permitted at desks for emergency purposes."
Back to normal then.
Serena Myers 7 hours ago
'Malding' Slang term, combination of 'mad' and 'balding', used to describe someone who is irrationally angry, stressed etc. TIL.
#31
Forced To Use AI At Work
My work are pushing us to use AI as much as possible, so much so that they monitor our usage and pull people into meetings asking why they aren’t using enough Claude credits.
They keep saying that we should use it for anything that could save us time, but they can’t see any of our prompts/chats. I do find AI useful, but managers don’t understand that it can also slow me down in the type of work I do.
I’ve started copy pasting multiple choice questions from all the cybersecurity and other online courses they make me do seemingly endlessly. Literally takes me a minute to complete these now vs 15mins to 1hour depending on the questions.
I copy them in separately and ask Claude to explain his answers in lots of detail, and oh boy does he rattle through credits (sorry environment)!
A great time and mental energy saver, as well as keeping my AI zombie bosses at bay!
Hope this post inspires others to never do a cybersecurity course ever again!
liam newton-harding 5 hours ago (edited)
And this is how companies that can't afford it are burning billions of dollars on claude tokens...and why everyone is laughing at them.
#32
My Boss Just Called A "Mandatory Meeting" With 25 Staff Members To Fire/Humiliate My Coworker In Front Of A Crowd
This happened yesterday. Boss schedules an emergency all-hands meeting, wouldn't say what it's about. We all show up thinking it's something important.
Nope. Spent 20 minutes publicly calling out my coworker for "performance issues" before firing them in front of everyone. Just stood there and tore into them while we all watched.
The person was crying by the end. We were all uncomfortable as hell but nobody knew what to do. Afterward the boss acted like it was totally normal and went back to their office.
I've never seen anything like this. Is this even legal? It felt like a power trip more than anything else. Now everyone's on edge wondering if they're next.
Looking for a new job starting today.
#33
Supervisor Had My Wife Nailed, Panicked When The Union Showed Up, Tells On Herself
Wife's story, but I thought I'd share because it made my day.
Tl;dr: Supervisor being investigated for favoritism and reprisal accidentally outs herself for reprisal.
My wife works at a union hospital and has a supervisor that has been coming after her for a while now. She'll send my wife emails about errors that either didn't happen or were someone else's fault, "complaints" from patients with no paper trail, or even telling her what the complaint was specifically so she can correct it. Meanwhile, my wife's co workers who make a lot of the errors she's accused of aren't getting emails about theirs.
This has been going on for a months and I told my wife to start documenting these incidents. She did, and has a pile of emails printed of the supervisor telling her she made an error, my wife responding by saying "no, that was co workers A" or "The system did that", or "this was corrected as soon as the error occurred", and then silence from the supervisor.
Separately, we just got married, and in the lead up to the wedding she had to miss a few scheduled shifts on short notice.
The good part: Once we get back from our vacation she has an email saying she is receiving an IM for attendance (Formal complaint from management). She was expecting to get suspended at best, maybe fired.
Myself and her coworkers told her NOT to go in that room without a union rep. She got 1 and went to the meeting. My wife tells them what the meeting is about and that she accepts that she called off too many times.
They get in the room and the supervisor sees the rep and gets instantly uncomfortable (good sign). The rep asks what the meeting was about and the supervisor goes "It's about all the errors"! My wife and the rep had the sense not to bring up the attendance issue and let the supervisor talk. Finally my wife tells the room that most of the errors she's has been told about were not hers, or were corrected before any harm was done, and that she emailed the supervisor saying as much each time, and that the supervisor didn't respond to those emails. On top of that, the reps brings up that sometimes the system itself is the cause of some errors. So of the few errors that seemed legit, 3 were system errors anyway.
The best part: Once they leave the meeting the rep informs my wife this supervisor is being investigated for her favoritism and reprisal. So she had my wife exactly were she wanted her with the attendance issue, panicked when she saw the union rep, made the meeting about her performance instead, and outed herself for doing the thing she's being investigated for!
The rep asked for all those emails and to be bcc'd on future incidents too. Not sure when or if anything will come of it. But DAMN I've never heard of someone fumbling that hard in real life. I was crying laughing so hard.
#34
My Manager Told Me It Was 'Disrespectful' To Quit
My manager pulled me into his office today. He went on about how I was being disrespectful to the team and that quitting during our busy season shows I don't care about anyone but myself.
I've been here two years, never called out sick, covered shifts constantly, and trained every new hire. But apparently none of that matters because I chose to leave when it wasn't convenient for him.
The kicker? He denied my PTO request last month for my sister's wedding because we were "too short staffed." Guess I should've just been more respectful of his scheduling needs.
I'm still leaving in two weeks. Just needed to vent because this whole "loyalty" thing only goes one way.
#35
My Boss Stole My Work, And I Let Him Get Roasted For It
so this happened a few months ago. i work in product for a mid sized tech company, nothing fancy. i was leading a small internal project that basically fixed a mess that’d been costing us $$ every month. spent weeks working late, cleaning up data, building reports, the whole deal.
the day before the all-hands, my manager (let’s call him steve) suddenly asks me to “send over a quick summary” of what i did. cool, i think he’s just reviewing. turns out dude straight up presented my entire deck at the meeting.... same slides, same words, didn’t even change the file name.
the kicker? he said “my team helped a bit.” bro. helped a bit? i am the team.
i didn’t say anything right then, but a few weeks later our VP asked me for some follow up numbers. steve was on vacation, so i sent her the updated dashboard and casually mentioned “oh yeah, here’s the model i built from that analysis i shared earlier.” she goes “wait, you built that?”
long story short, VP wasn’t thrilled. next review cycle, guess who didn’t get credit for “strategic contributions”? not me, not this time.
what ive learnt is that document everything, keep receipts, and let management (like steve) hang themselves with their own powerpoint
#36
Real Bulls Things My Boss Has Disqualified Candidates Over
So I work in HR and my boss has rejected perfectly good candidates for the dumbest reasons.
Guy wore brown shoes with a black belt. "Shows poor attention to detail"
Woman asked about work/life balance during the interview. Apparently that means she's "not committed"
Someone said "um" twice while answering a technical question. "Poor communication skills"
Candidate was 2 minutes early instead of exactly 5 minutes early. "Can't follow simple instructions"
Person brought a coffee into the interview. "Unprofessional"
The kicker? Half these people had better qualifications than our current team. But sure, let's hire based on shoe color instead of actual skills.
#37
They Told Me “You're Indispensable”. So I Asked For A Raise, They Told Me To “Just Be Grateful”
Yesterday I clocked 14 hours, missed dinner with my mom, skipped my shower; but sure, I’m “indispensable.” They treat me like the office Wifi. Always there, always expected, but with zero appreciation.
I asked for just 5% more. They looked at me like I asked for their firstborn. They said to me that gratefulness is part of the company culture. And I'm like, is my gratitude refundable?
My side hustle is pulling my sanity out of a hat every morning. My real job is convincing myself I’m not being exploited.
If any of yall out there still clockin in? Ask yourself: am I building their dream, or am I digging my own grave?
#38
My Boss Went On Vacation For Two Weeks And Everything Ran Better Without Him
It’s honestly wild coz my boss took a two-week vacation and the office instantly became calmer and more productive. No random “urgent” emails, no meetings that could’ve been a Slack message, no micromanaging. Everyone just did their work, helped each other out, and went home on time. The energy was relaxed but efficient. Then he came back and immediately started changing things that didn’t need fixing, stressing people out, and creating more work for no reason. I genuinely think a lot of workplaces would run smoother if managers stopped trying so hard to manage.
#39
Former Boss Asks For My Help
I was terminated last Monday after 3 months of my new boss trying to get rid of me. Consecutive write ups followed by a 30 day PIP, then termination.
I notified the company of my Autism after 2 write up’s, trying to explain that my “attitude” was not due to me not wanting to do my job, or being unprofessional. And I explained to them that I have too many menial tasks that it’s impossible to get everything perfect.
Their response was a PIP, so that they would have proper documentation to terminate me.
Fine. Whatever.
The next day after my termination my former boss texted me asking for the passcode to my work computer. I told her to call IT. She said it was IT’s suggestion to ask me. She wanted to set an OOO message to my account. I told her to just deactivate my account and the clients will get the message.
A week later, today, she texted again “I hate to be an jerk but I need your help”. And she’s been waiting for my response.
The nerve of some people.
#40
My Boss Made Me Pay For His $600 Flight And It's Been 2 Months With No Reimbursement
My boss called me from the airport in September saying his card was declined and asked me to book his $623 flight on my personal card. Said he'd pay me back as soon as he landed
That was September 12th. It's now November 13th
I've asked him SIX times and keep getting excuses
I'll Venmo you this week (never did)
Send me the receipt again (I did nothing happened)
I'm waiting for my expense report to process (why does that matter?)
Last week: You're being really pushy about this
I'M BEING PUSHY??? IT'S $623 AND IT'S BEEN 2 MONTHS
I make around $52k a year. This is basically my entire discretionary budget for a month. The worst part is that I saw him expense it to the company. He already got reimbursed. He has the money. He's just not paying me back
Do I go to HR? Small claims court? Just accept I got scammed by my own boss I feel so stupid but he's my BOSS and he was in a panic and I was trying to help (and I didnt want to get fired)
#41
Supervisor Said ‘Don’t Just Type Brb.’ So I Told The Whole Team I Had To Poop
So this recently happened in my call center type job. My brand-new supervisor, promoted for all the wrong reasons, wasn’t exactly qualified. I could write a whole post on that but the gist is she only got promoted because she was friends with the boss and is always giving him advice on the women he dates.
Anyway, we had a Teams chat where we kept each other updated and asked for help with things. Normal procedure was simple: if you stepped away, we would typically just type “brb” so everyone knew you weren’t available for calls. Did this for years with no issues.
Well, new supervisor decides that’s not good enough. She needs to assert control and dominance. She announced to us in, one-on-one convos, that we all had to start giving specific reasons for why we were stepping away. I told her I wasn’t really comfortable announcing to the entire team every time I had to use the bathroom.
She basically shrugged and said, “It’s the rule. We need transparency so I know what everyone’s doing.”
Ok? We've had no issues for years, but whatever she says goes I guess.
The very next time nature called, instead of a boring “brb,” I typed: “BRB. Going to go poop in the bathroom.”
Immediately she pmed me in Teams saying that was “not professional.” I reminded her she told us to be specific, and I was just following directions. After that, others started joining in. Some favorites were:
“BRB. Gonna stand in front of the urinal and do an impression of a water fountain”
“BRB. Going to blow my nose to try to dislodge this giant booger.”
Within a week, the supervisor started telling us we didn't need to be so specific when stepping away from our desks. Like, yeah, we know.
#42
Boss Chastised Me For A Late Lunch During A "Mission Critical Outage", So I Clocked Out When The Whole Network Went Down!
TL:DR: Boss tells me to take my lunch ONLY at X-Y hours when I was dealing with a "mission-critical" outage until the job was done. Later, I clock out during a VERY obvious "all hands on-deck" situation because boss complained the last time I answered the call.
The short version: Small business, this is my first IT job, but I have decades of blue collar experience. I was the first IT person the company ever hired; my associate's in IT specializing in networking only a few gen-ed classes away. My boss kept the platters spinning, but he has no formal training or amateur desire; he wants to offload the tediousness.
Three days prior, I was trying to get a "mission critical" computer up and running again; the only computer with the shipping software (and hundreds of packages waiting to ship). I advised an immediate re-image (delete everything and reset to a "known good save") I had it on deck for just such an occasion. But I was overridden by the owner, who wanted me to keep Windows in situ and delete/reinstall programs piecemeal and deal with phone support for those programs, because he paid extra for tech support. His call, I followed orders. I was on the phone for hours, and did not leave my post until the job was done.
That meant I took my lunch half an hour later. No big deal for me, but when I clocked back in and got back to my desk, my boss was standing there, FUMING, because I took a lunch outside of normal hours. He INSISTED I MUST take my 30 minute lunch from 12-1 as per company policy.
So, today, the whole network goes out at 12:25 and I had not yet taken my lunch. Nothing can ping anything. My own personal hunches tell me this is because it's a factory building, there are a lot of high-voltage woodworking machines for factory production level of output, and ALL of the ethernet cables are unshielded.. Just my hunch.
...But I really can't do a damn thing, because my company rents out office space as a subletter; so we are NOT allowed access to the switches and routers. I have no admin access to the infrastructure. So I set up wireshark to record and a continuous command line ping, and go to lunch.
Boss is standing at my desk when I get back today, and gives me a passive-aggressive "the network is up, by the way!", but refuses to call me out further. I had the "I told you so" on deck, though!
highwaycrossingfrog 8 hours ago
I feel like there is a much shorter, clearer way of explaining what happened
#43
Laid Off And Still Getting Calls
I work for 1 guy and have for like 15 years. He's a maga narcissist and always has been, but he's kind of dumb and hapless. He has 3 employees over 3 different businesses but I'm the only one that runs them all. He thinks it's hilarious to call me his chief of staff... That kind of guy. I found out he was retiring (he's not) and I was losing my job at the end of 2025.
14 years, he made millions, and I didn't even get a week of severance mind you. My wife and I had a bet, how long before he calls me. I said a month she sais 2 weeks.
It was 94 minutes. I got a text asking me to "jump on call and see if u can figure out this employees computer problems" ninety-four minutes. Y'all I'm crying.
#44
I Out Did My Fiancées Petty Boss
I run a physical therapy clinic and my fiancée is a lawyer. A few months ago at our engagement party I mentioned to a few of her colleagues that I’m happy to give them a discount if they need to see me. Four of them have become my regulars.
One day one of her partners booked in. To put it lightly, none of the colleagues or my fiancé like him. After spending an hour with him I understand why. He’s very arrogant and condescending but strangely desperate for approval. I remained pleasant with him though. After paying he did mention the discount but I just said well it’s for employees with a smirk.
He’s been in a few times. 3 weeks ago he came in and conversation turned to how my day was going. One of the therapists was sick so I was busier than usual seeing their clients. He said that must be annoying and asked if they needed a medical certificate. I just said no and I think that’s a stupid policy as I’d rather someone stay home and not infect the clinic. He countered saying he wanted to be more strict with that at his office to prevent people slacking off.
I ended up getting a rotten cold and eventually gave it to my fiancée. It hit her hard and she ended up working from home Friday. She deteriorated over the weekend and took Monday off.
Her boss emailed her this morning saying she’d need a medical certificate. (First time that’s been enforced). Coincidentally he had a 2 o’clock appointment with me today. So I booked my fiancée in with her Dr at 2 and let him know that I have to cancel his appointment because I have to drive her to the doctor. (To be fair she’s got vertigo and is pretty lightheaded). I’d get back to him if I had any availability but I’m fully booked for the next 3 weeks.
He’s messaged both of us saying that the medical isn’t necessary 🤣. My fiancée said she can’t cancel due to late cancellation policy and that it’s rude and I just said it’s best she go.
#45
My Employer Stole From Us Every Shift, But I Kept My Mouth Shut
We had 10 1/2 hour shifts. But only got paid for 10. The boss took off 30 mins for our lunch breaks. However, we were required to work during lunch.
He forced us to to answer calls and wait on customers during our unpaid lunch, but this is illegal. He must have saved over 100k on payroll in the 5 years I worked there doing this. Anyway, when I became a shift manager I made sure we took 2 hour lunch breaks, an hour break in the morning, and an hour break in the afternoon. and on slow days we would stand around do nothing for hours at a time. - all the while the job was being done, mind you.
the owner never found out as he never worked alongside of us. he would drop in on fridays to pay the bills, and occasionally call us to check in on things.
In the last year alone I would sit in the breakroom on my phone for hours at a time, only answering calls and talking to customers as they came in. I reckon in the last year 15/40 hours a week were spent doing absolutely nothing. Accumulatively I must have racked up close to 2000 hours doing absolutely nothing in a 4 year period. I always showed up on time, stayed late if needed, made sure the job was done correctly, and always treated the customers with respect.
anyway, he promised me health insurance when I turned 26, but when it came time to do it he mysteriously couldn't afford it, so I left.
the next job I worked at, a hospital billing department, we had our work queue laid out on our screen every morning. I would shred through the queue in the morning, and sit on my butt the rest of the shift. I carry these lessons with me wherever I go :)
#46
Boss Who Insisted On Email Read Receipts
A few years back I had a manager that insisted on micro managing his supervisors and sent numerous emails every day and insisted on a read receipt for each one. This was back in the days where blackberry phones were the normal and I knew he got a message through with the read receipt. I also figured out that I could read the emails without opening them. I used to save up 100 or so emails for him and would wait until I knew he was at a work event or at home and would click mark all as read on 100 emails at a time. This resulted in the manager getting a 100 emails through at the same time on his blackberry phone along with 100 notifications. After repeating this several times he finally dropped the read receipt and it felt a minor battle had been won against him.
#47
Mc On Boss Lead To New Job And Him Being Fired
Nearly 30 years ago I worked for the US National Sales company for a major automotive brand. I was in product planning working on the launch of new model vehicles but was junior level at the time. My boss was a real hard ass on things and was the type that when he did something wrong then it was someone else's fault or if it was a good thing that happened, he would take all the credit.
One Friday he dumped in my lap that a shipment of wheels and tires had to be sent to Europe for following Monday as part of a photoshoot. This was the same trip that he had previously denied my travel request to support the event. Also, he knew about these wheels and tires a week or more prior and I think he was trying to make me look bad by dumping it on me last minute. When i asked him about how I was supposed to get these packed and shipped for arrival in 2-days he told me to just get it done and not to bother him with the detail. Further, he wanted the wheels and tires back ASAP after the photoshoot. Trigger MC on this.
So I booked a flight to Europe and took the wheels and tires as over-sized luggage. I then rented a van, collected the wheels and tires, and took them to the photoshoot. I took care of business, hung around for the next two days and then took the wheels and tires back with me on return flight on Tuesday morning.
What was so sweet was that the executives on site were very impressed by my dedication to make the photoshoot a success. Apparently, one of the executives sent a note to my boss, praising my support in making the event work. To say my boss was pissed at me was understatement. However, what could he do but take the credit as his plan? Shortly after this I was offered the role of as Vehicle Manager in Corporate Communications group which I gladly took, even though my boss tried to prevent it. My former boss was let go about 4 months later. Apparently, he had no one else to blame for his mess ups.
#48
Boss Said I Must Use My Vacation Before Month End But Also “No One Can Take Time Off”, So I Read The Policy
Company sends a shiny HR email, subject line all caps, USE IT OR LOSE IT. We had to burn our remaining PTO by the 30th or it evaporates into the sun. Same day, my manager announces in standup that due to quarter end “no one can take time off until the 1st.” I asked how to reconcile that, he shrugs and says talk to HR. HR says talk to your manager. Cute loop. So I opened the handbook, because I am a petty librarian when annoyed. Page 14 has this little sentence I never noticed. “PTO requests not explicitly denied in writing within 48 business hours are considered approved.” There is also a note that partial day PTO is allowed in 1 hour blocks. Thank you, legal team.
I submitted ten separate requests. Two hours every morning next week, two hours every afternoon the week after, a random Friday 3 to 5 to watch a plumber, and one full day to visit my mom. I sent the requests in our HR portal, which auto emails the manager and CCs a shared mailbox nobody watches. Then I went back to my tasks and set reminders. Forty eight business hours pass. No denial. The portal changes each request to approved, green checkmark, confetti gif. Monday comes and at 9.58 I put a cheerful note in the team chat. “Heading out, see you at noon.” Manager pings me to hop on a client call, I reply with a screenshot of the policy and the portal approval. Silence. Then three dots typing, then nothing.
By Wednesday our calendar looked like cheese. Half the team remembered they also had PTO sitting around and started filing it in little blocks. Meetings kept colliding with green bars. Finance realized that if we did not use the days now, they would be paid out at separation later, which they hate. HR wrote a new post saying we should “coordinate” but that approvals already granted stand. My manager called a huddle to ask why productivity dipped. I said we are following HR’s instruction to use PTO. He said he meant in November. I sent him the original email timestamped this month. He sighed and said he never thought anyone would actually read the handbook. I used every hour, took my mom to lunch, and my plumber fixed the cursed sink at 3.40 while I drank tea. Next week a new policy appeared. PTO must be requested in full day increments during quarter end, and managers must respond in 24 hours. Thanks for clarifying, truly.
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