150 Funny Work Memes That Understand You And Your Deep Craving To Quit
Interview With ExpertThey say that if you choose a job you love, you will never work a day in your life. However, they also say that you can have too much of a good thing, and I think these two sayings perfectly explain the burden of having to work for the rest of our lives. While we may enjoy what we do for a paycheck, having to do it for a third of our existence earns us the right to vent about it when we get tired or colleagues test our patience once in a while.
A great way to pour out work-related frustrations is through memes, which we’re featuring today for those who are forced to devote themselves to capitalism and be their own sugar mamas. Collected by the Funny Work Memes Facebook page, these memes are definitely ones you’ll be glad to circle back to.
While you're scrolling through, don't forget to check out a conversation with an organizational well-being consultant Sandy Goel, New York City’s leading burnout expert and host of the Fried – The Burnout Podcast, Caitlin Donovan, and workplace expert and the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work, Simone Stolzoff, who kindly agreed to share a few tips on how people can find more enjoyment in their work.
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Raise the Right People
I know of a company which spent over 50k€ in headhunting, went through half a dozen candidates over the span of 18 months and lost a major client in the process, only because a key employee was promised a 3k € bonus that the company didn't feel like paying after the job was delivered, so he left.
So shortsighted! When I was in HR I would try to explain this but was largely ignored 🙄
Load More Replies...This needs to be top. Place I work paid agency fees in addition to wages to get temp workers who weren't interested in staying. Those of us who are loyal? Maybe if we're lucky we might get a branded pencil to cherish...
It is top now. 🎉🍾 Just a shame the C-suite types are unlikely to be reading.
Load More Replies...I worked for a pension provider, who employed "consultants" at ridiculously inflated wages, who knew far less than the staff. The reason being that they could be got rid of without much hassle. Caused a lot of friction with waged staff who often had to show them what to do, or worse, just do the work themselves!
Management vs. Reality
Just Trying To Stay Afloat
The company I work for currently does '90 day goals' as well as a 1% better everyday policy. I just want to get through the day.
Let me guess, the "1% better every day policy" somehow doesn't apply to your pay
Load More Replies...If you help the company make it's goal and earn lots of money they'll buy you a pizza
Gotta disagree on this one... "yearly goals" are often an employee's best way to have some control over his destiny. Sneak in that continuing education; sneak in that project you've always wanted to try.
That's not what the companies are looking for and will usually be ignored. The reason is to get the employees to commit to do more work, take additional responsibilities without extra pay, hoping at the might be a payraise.
Load More Replies...Even though the saying goes, 'Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life,' workplace well-being experts believe that it's not really realistic to love your job every single day.
"I think the notion that a job should always be a dream, or always be perfect, or always be something that you love every day is a recipe for disappointment," said workplace expert and the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work, Simone Stolzoff, to Bored Panda.
"Even in the most fulfilling or passionate jobs, there is a level of tedium or monotony that is often ignored. And when you're expecting your job always to be a source of love, it can create a lot of room to be disappointed."
Adulting Level: Expert
LOL!!! This is like that (all too true) joke "When I was young I was poor, but now through years of hard work I am no longer young"
And, when you had the deposit ticket in your hand with a check, there's always that fear that your $ went to the wrong account! 😂
Load More Replies...Trust Issues 101
Commute Counting Matters
At least over here (France) it you are injured on your way to or from work (car accident or whatever) it is considered a workplace accident.
Same in Germany. Comes with even better insurance than a regular accident.
Load More Replies...So, if another person and I do the exact same job they should get paid more because they chose to live further away?
Dumbest argument ever. The commute is on you, the employee. You make the decision to work where you work and live where you live. If YOU decide to drive an hour to work that is your problem. Commute is why I've turned down multiple job offers making more than I do now. I'm intelligent enough to factor that into my decision, if you're not then that's on you.
It's not so much of a decision to work when there is a commute, it's a basic economic necessity. Nice that you get to turn down multiple job offers. Yay for you. This is not the reality for many many people all over the world.
Load More Replies...I will try to get a job 4 hours from my house, so I won’t ever have to show up.
Unfortunately it is not free time.....but it's not work time either.
This is idiotic. How can an employer know how long your commute is? Are you required to get there immediately, or can you stop for coffee? If I'm on the clock when I leave, then can't my boss give me work to do on the way there? And bottom line, just no. "Getting there" is not one of the duties I'm being paid for.
"A more realistic expectation is to have more good days than bad (kind of like hair days!)," noted organizational well-being consultant Sandy Goel. "If you dread going to work, that is not a good sign. If you look forward to seeing people you work with and projects you are contributing to and feel valued for the work you do, those are positive signs."
"It is not realistic to love your job every day," agreed New York City’s leading burnout expert and host of the Fried – The Burnout Podcast, Caitlin Donovan. "What has been found as more important is having at least one person at work (or in your community if you work alone) that you feel has your back—a close friend. This is especially true for remote jobs," she said.
Too Sad to Work Today
Once I asked my boss if I could leave 10 minutes early, I had about an hour and a half left to work. I told the truth, I wanted to skip the traffic because my cat had looked really down this morning. She looked concerned and told me to just go now.
Mystery of Adulting Hours
Seriously. This is how companies squeeze your vacation time/sick time out so you can't use it for you time.
Some places are beginning to realize they need to have later hours a couple of days a week. For example, my dentist is open for a half day on two Saturdays per month.
Try working a job that requires sacrificing your precious weekend days. Opens up the option for at least one weekday for appointments. I have Thursday and Friday off and use those days to get what I need to get done
Crying Over Rent
That phrase means that money can't buy you health, love and friends. It never meant that you should be content while being poor.
Money ABSOLUTELY can buy you health. I costs money to access healthier foods. And in backwards countries like the United States, you can't even get access to healthcare without an awful lot of money. My daughter's physical therapy costs me $750/month, because insurance companies figure the ability to walk without falling isn't necessary for quality of life.
Load More Replies...That saying goes back centuries, but yes, please claim it's a Boomer thing and then mansplain your misunderstanding while adding "Karen" to it so you sound super cool.
Thank you, RM. I'm so very tired of the "Boomer-Blame Game".
Load More Replies..."Money can't buy happiness" works very well as advice to rich people, not to poor people. Elon Musk is sad because his wealth only serves to disconnect him more from the things that money can't buy. Regular people are sad because their basic needs aren't met and they're burned out from all the work they have to do for the little money they have. Money won't guarantee happiness but it will resolve much of the unhappiness.
And the phrase was coined in the 1800s. Folks who ascribe this to any generation after 1870, are ignorant and stupid
Disagree. "The mindless accumlation of excess wealth is an empty pursuit" seems pretty universal as a concept.
Load More Replies...It's also incredibly incorrect. All human needs require either money, time, or both. You need money for both most basic needs like food and a roof over your head and most abstract needs like fulfillment in hobbies. You need time for anything in between like social needs, relaxation, etc. as well as most abstract needs. Time, which you'll only have if you can make good enough money to not have to work 24/7. So not only can money buy happiness, in the modern world it is the absolute requirement for happiness. Of course, money alone won't do it but it sets the framework, which allows you to find happiness.
As a boomer, the sentiment of that phrase was certainly something I felt in the '60s and '70s. The parents of boomers grew up during the Depression (which affected more countries than just the US; my family was in England and Canada at the time) and World War II, so they had had some hard times and, on both sides of my family the men and the women had to work hard. So, presented to me and my five siblings, was the idea that 1. you went to university; and 2. you got a good job that made plenty of money. (My parents were the first in both their families to go to university.) I am pleased to say that education was their first concern, but a few years down the road when kid #3 (the first son) was making art in stone on Gabriola Island, BC, there was some backlash. The older we and the parents got, the more the emphasis was on money. Now that all four of our parents have gone, it's our kids who are harping on money!
Bet you've got an iphone and a laptop and maybe a tablet. Those things we didn't have then so we spent the money on other things. 0
The point behind that phrase, is that the things which would make you happy, aren't material things. It's not about wealth, or how poor someone is, but rather how the things which bring true, and lasting happiness, are things which money literally can not buy. As another commenter also put it "money can't buy love and friends" And honestly, anyone that swears it can, should stop providing the money and see just how long the friends remain.
The overall view of employees' satisfaction with work seems to be quite positive, as 65% of working people around the world are happy with their jobs, while only 17% report that they're not. Donovan says that those who have less joyful experiences with their jobs indicate a lack of autonomy, community, fairness, praise, and recognition and high job strain or values that don't align with the company as the most frequent reasons for it.
Reality Check First
how happy to actually be: $7.82 in the account on the 7th of the month
Budget Reality Check
Overmatched and Underpowered
"There's a whole spectrum of reasons why you can be unhappy with your job. I think one of the big ones, though, is when people have really high expectations about what a job can deliver, when they expect their job to not just be a source of economic fulfillment, but also personal fulfillment and community and identity," Stolzoff explained.
"When they're expecting every single task to be personally fulfilling, it can be a recipe for unhappiness. And so, rather than thinking about our jobs as the entirety of who we are, think about our jobs as part of what contributes to a life well-lived. It's a much better recipe for ultimate fulfillment and happiness."
Brain on Overload
Serve you well... or get you fired. Time will tell.
Load More Replies...Almost There, Mom
Another bragging rich American. It's €1.12 in the Eurozone (~$1.21).
it is triple 0 here in Australia, even easier. Unless you use a mobile the it is 112.
Load More Replies...I wonder what year she said that. Certainly not recently. 1,617,449,0331
Management Karma Check
BUT...it DID get the one manager who harassed EVERYONE off my back. I'm working at a new place now and last year, they hired someone I used to work with. At least once a week, we relive the glory days of putting said manager in his place.
Meanwhile, Goel says that on the extreme, people are unhappy at their jobs because they're being constantly berated or bullied. "It can also be being micromanaged, or doing low-impact work that does not match your skills or training. Other reasons include not being valued, not feeling psychologically safe, not having a sense of belonging, feeling stuck, or if your work or efforts are not acknowledged or are devalued."
New Hire Hits Snooze
Work From Home Distractions
i am a psychologist who works online and all my patients know very well the butts of my 3 cats hahaha
Trust Issues At Work
I was once asked why I hadn't completed the anonymous survey - I just looked at my boss while he figured it out. In most places I've worked up it wraps up to a certain level i.e. team or org group - but shouldn't be identifiable. Saw the level of witch hunt after last year as there was 1 negative feedback and they spent ages trying to figure out who had given that feedback - rather than fix the issues.
I click the box making my name and info visible so that management can contact me. I complain about pay and benefits every single time and NEVER get a call back. So, they truly don't care what you say anyway.
We had an "anonymous" survey come through at work a few weeks back. The first thing it asked for was an employee ID number. I don't do those surveys anyway because even the ones that don't ask for identifying information are not anonymous.
Friend a work just almost got fired for this. The client accidentally sent a survey to my team when it was meant for his and my buddy went to absolute TOWN on that thing.
Which is why you either lie or become known for being so unflinchingly honest, they expect it from you.
We get those sometimes. They always just want to identify the department. My department has a total staffing count of 1.
In addition, those who feel unhappy with their work often fail to have a healthy work-life balance and leave their work at work. For these people, experts recommend learning to set boundaries. "Boundaries are important. Don't let work live rent-free in your mind or cheat yourself or others of you while not at work. Set new expectations with coworkers when you respond and when you don't. Over time, they will become accustomed to it," explained Goel.
"Do not attribute your work ethic to their expectations—you have your own standards that may or may not match theirs. Give yourself fully to your work when you are doing it, and do good work. Then give your mind a rest to start again."
Why bother learning?
I just want to read the webpage, I don't want to download an app to interact with it
Office Drama Unpeeled
worked with a bloke once who went into GREAT detail about his...um.."Relations" with a loaf of bologna...the nick names were fast and furious until HR overheard
I got told by HR to stop calling one of my guys a certain nick name... So now he is "feces halitosis" ... Much better
That's too bad cuz it might have actually brought a little laughter into the workplace.
Mostly on Track
Yeah, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.....Oh Sh!t, it's a train!
Nah, just some Bar Steward with a flashlight, bringing more work . . .
Load More Replies...To find even more joy in what you do for a living, a good first step is to reframe your situation to see it from a different lens and find a new perspective, says Goel. "Find parts of the work you enjoy and renewed purpose in that. Be proud of your work, and determine that value within yourself (not externally). Spend more thought on the projects and people you enjoy. Control what you can and let go of the rest. Spend more time around those whom you feel good around."
Caught Mid-Spill
Plot Twist at Work
I liked the first seasons, but I stopped watching at some point because it was just getting too drawn out for me. Yay, we stopped the Apocalypse! But wait, there is another one coming! Ad infinitum.
Load More Replies...Happened to my predecessor and her subordinate. The boss got the job, the subordinate mentioned having applied for it to me numerous times in the first few months, but apparently wasn't bitter.
I love this! Depending on how good a person the boss is, you two could go out to lunch and laugh about it.
Password Trick Level: Genius
Stolzoff agrees that a great first step to finding your job more enjoyable is trying to reframe the way you see it. "There's a concept that I really like that comes from 2 researchers, Amy Ronowski and Jane Dutton, called job crafting. It refers to our subjective ability to craft the role that our jobs have in our lives. This means two things. One is, if you like some aspects of your job more than others, there are ways that you can craft your job to do more of the things that you like doing and less of the things that you don't like doing through, say, a conversation with your manager," he said.
"But it also means framing your job in terms of the way in which it is personally meaningful to you, getting in touch with your sense of why or the greater purpose. I think step one is thinking about whether there are things that you can change about your job or ways that you frame your job that can make you happier. And if not, maybe it makes sense to look for a shift or a change."
Retirement Reality Check
Poor Bert... he's already grumpy when he wakes up! Good thing he isn't roomies with Oscar; their power would heterodyne and destroy all Sesame Street.
Commit a murder for hire - either you’ll get a lot of money and get away with it or you’ll get caught and no longer have to worry about money.
Waiting Game Mode
I'm usually saying " is it 9 o'clock on Wednesday yet" when it's Saturday, my first day back after my 2 days off
Meanwhile, Donovan suggests that creating a ritual can help people enjoy work more. "In Chinese medicine, one of the things that calms the heart is ritual. Often, when someone cannot leave work at work, they are anxious. To combat this anxiety, a ritual of ending the work day can help. This is especially true for remote work and work at home," she said.
"One of the techniques that a client came up with was to close her laptop and then cover it in a beautiful shawl to help signal to her brain and heart that the workday was over. It helped her create a stricter line between "on" and "off." I am lucky to have a home office with a door. I always close my door at the end of my day to help signal that my day is done. Little, tiny, and repetitive motions like this can have a big effect on your brain's ability to shut off."
Caught in the Act
They really couldn't realize how they used "your" twice, but in totally different ways? Uuuuuughhhhh...
Right? It's not that difficult. And before some smartass gives me the "what about dyslexic people!!!" speech: exactly, make your texts easier to read by using correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation, otherwise it's even more difficult for dyslexic people.
Load More Replies...Exhausted and Bro Realness
And for some stupid reason, I can't fall asleep. Oh, wait, I'm still browsing bored panda.
Work Woes Confession
"I want people to know that it is okay to be stuck in a cycle of emotions that feel crappy—and the way out isn't to pretend that we are happy or that we are so appreciative of what we have," added Donovan. "The way out is THROUGH the emotions that are plaguing us. They are incredibly useful tools that can help us create a life beyond our wildest dreams."
Not Feeling It Today
Budget Goals vs Reality
Payday, Please Explain
That moment when I swipe my card, grab my stuff, and walk out the door...
Caught in the Middle
Workplace Wonders
Freshness Over Everything
Although I shave, shower and change my pants everyday I often wear the same clothes for a week and no one complains - but then I work from home.
Three Times the Effort
When I retired, the department hired three new people. I figured it was one to replace me and two to repair the damage.
Quiet But Not Really
Unless it's in a mandatory meeting, how about "Whoah Brett, lookit the time. I gotta go."
Mastering The Art Of Ghosting
Weekend Woes Unlocked
Caught Red-Pawed
Liquid Motivation Only
Oh lord. Maybe not Henny, but something lower cal? I'll suggest if my boss ask(s) me.
Payroll Puzzles Unlocked
I don't know of a single place where half your check is taxed. UNLESS you are being garnished. Is homeboy being garnished?
Or he miscalculated when he told them how much to withhold. He doesn't look particularly good at math.
Load More Replies...I wish they'd step up in Q2. We've got some big projects going on. Hey, I did jury duty last year, maybe I can pull in a couple lawyers and a judge to put in a few hours...
Counting Pennies Dreams
Caught in the Act
Work-Life Balance Crisis
Procrastination Level Expert
More Like Sip and Survive
Why does that poor animal have a metal beverage can tab in its mouth?
Not Your Stop, Buddy
This is when you need to ostentatiously look at your wrist and say, "Whoah look at the time. I gotta blow." It's even better if you don't have a watch on.
Pet Parent Problems
Hope Springs Eternal
Look me in the eyes and tell me if I'm doing the jobs of three then I'll be paid thrice.
Weekend Vibes vs Monday Realities
I had a coworker who started sending work texts at 7pm on a Sunday evening. Man, I'm not even trying to think about work at that time. I'm trying to enjoy the last few hours of my weekend, anything else can wate until monday at 8am.
lol nope at 70 yrs old lmao she’s finally retired phew
Load More Replies...Fake Shock Level: Expert
Barely Holding It Together
Office Gossip Patrol
We shoulda made our co-worker swear on the Precious to keep his big mouth shut!
Office Truth Bombs
Paycheck Math Woes
The way it works here: Miss a day of work, they'll subtract the hours and dock pay. Do an extra day of work, it'll be added to the hours. We are annualised, which means we work something like 1,607 hours in a year. Thus our pay is based upon that divided by twelve. I'm on paid holiday this week because I have too many hours and they need to be cleared by the end of March. So you're not actually losing the way it is done, it just feels like you are.
Hey, me too! I mean, I'm also on paid holiday for the same overtime-reason. What's left at the end of March, they have to pay in April.
Load More Replies...Morning Mood, No Work
Motivation: Still Missing
King of Quiet Wins
Don't, it'll come back and bite you. Bosses are *never* wrong even when it's such an obvious dumpster fire that people who don't even work there facepalm themselves.
Bosses don't go by "Who's right?". They go by "Who's in charge?"
Load More Replies...Monday Mood Activated
Sinking Ship, Smooth Sailing
Caught in the Act
I'm flailing around just seeing someone laying on a public restroom floor.
Friday Mood Shift
Newbie Vibes Only
Monday Mood, But Every Day
Burnout Fuel Station
Wow. Make me fat and have heartburn because we "can't afford a raise." Way to adhere to the status quo
Definitely Me
Night Shift Reality Check
Mastering the Art of Sarcasm
I'm a Brit. They're French. Most of what I say to myself is not understood. This is a Good Thing. I also swear in Canadian (tabarnak!) because it's not understood.
Oh, the swearing-thing I'm also doing in my mother-tongue.
Load More Replies...Work Face vs. Real Face
The Art of Doing Nothing
Trump's Work Schedule 9:30am - Wake up. 9:40am - Change diaper. 10:00am - Eat McMuffin for breakfast. 10:30am - Play golf. 12:00pm - Eat more McDonald's for lunch. 12:30pm - Executive time (Watch Fox News). 1:30pm - Give Elon a foot rub. 1:50pm - Do Putin's bidding. 2:30pm - Steal classified documents. 3:00pm - More golf. 4:00pm - Undermine the Constitution. 4:30pm - More Executive time. 5:00pm - Grift my supporters. 5:30pm - Dinner party at Mar-a-Lago. 6:00pm - Go to bed, so I do it all again tomorrow.
Dude, you forgot about 15 to 20 additional diaper changes in there.
Load More Replies...Office Escape Artists
Holding It Together
Morning Mood Adjustments
Officially Done Here
How Does This Even Happen?
Expectation vs Reality Check
Overwhelmed and Outnumbered
Almost There Vibes
Thursday’s Eternal Wait
Better Late Than Never
Mom Knows Best
Lost In Translation
Caught in the Wild Office
Barely Holding On
Great Expectations vs. Reality
Sarcasm Soulmates Found
Choose Your Own Adventure
Workplace Survival Skills
Running on Empty
Lost in the Clock Zone
The Checkout Paradox
Still Waiting on That Shift
Dreams Without Deadlines
Unintentional Boss Energy
Expectations vs Reality Mornings
Age Check Activated
Interrupted Just Right
Weekend Blues Reality Check
Master Of Distraction
Mini Entrepreneur Moves
Lost in the Noise
Boss Level Realism
Partners in Pause
Boundaries Are Non-Negotiable
Monday Mood Check
Job Enthusiasm Level: None
Reluctant Reality Check
Office Timing Irony
Stealth Mode Activated
Zero Zeros Seven
Monday Nightmares Ahead
Time Flies Too Fast
Bosses in the Hot Seat
Pressure? More Like Panic
Procrastination Logic Explained
Friday Mood: Procrastination Mode
Clowning Around At Work
Cold Hard Truths
Workplace Parking Logic
Mastering The Art Of Busy
Awkward Family Reunion
Low-Key Suspicious Service
Just Settled In
Vacation? Not happening
Power Plays and Internet Claims
Silent Support Mode
Caught in the Act
Work Hard, Get More Work
Plot Twist at Work
Morning Commute Mood
Unbothered and Unfiltered
Work Smarter, Not Harder
The Classic Mood Killer
Vacation, Who?
The Great Work Debate
Payday Perks and Poses
Waiting in Plain Sight
Break All The Rules
Holiday Bonus Envy
Salary Talks, Literally
People Problems, Always
When Hustles Get Weird
Questions Before Sunrise
Lost in the Money Maze
Counting Sleep Hours
Modern Struggles Unfiltered
Up Early, Fully Awake Workday vs Lazy Day Same Bunny, Different Mood Morning Struggles vs Chill The Weekend Glow-Up When Plans Change Deadline Energy vs Relaxation Sleep Mode Activated Clock Confusion Chronicles Mood Shift Moments
Clowning for Recognition
I'm always curious if the poor spelling, random capitalisation, and atrocious grammar in many of these memes is there on purpose to be "cute" or whether it reflects the fact that the author doesn't have the skills.
AUNTRIARCH - how did your last day ever at work go today? Thinking about how happy you must be!
It was absolutely brilliant! They decorated the office, I had a sash and a tiara, a retirement blankie, so many flamingos, and they took me out to lunch. I never thought I wasn't appreciated, but seeing it in the trouble everyone took, the messages in the cards, the emails from random people I didn't even realise I'd made a difference to - well I don't mind admitting I teared up once or twice.
Load More Replies...I'm always curious if the poor spelling, random capitalisation, and atrocious grammar in many of these memes is there on purpose to be "cute" or whether it reflects the fact that the author doesn't have the skills.
AUNTRIARCH - how did your last day ever at work go today? Thinking about how happy you must be!
It was absolutely brilliant! They decorated the office, I had a sash and a tiara, a retirement blankie, so many flamingos, and they took me out to lunch. I never thought I wasn't appreciated, but seeing it in the trouble everyone took, the messages in the cards, the emails from random people I didn't even realise I'd made a difference to - well I don't mind admitting I teared up once or twice.
Load More Replies...
