At least, it’s better to be sick while working remotely and be able to work from your bed. That’s why I recommend that everyone work from home. These days, online interviews aren’t as complicated as they used to be either. With some preparation, you can get through the interview easily and eventually work from the comfort of your own home.
Being put in the middle of layoffs has honestly been the most draining thing I've dealt with at work. As a mid-level manager, I basically have no say in what happens to my team. I spent years trying to build a team culture where people feel valued, safe, and able to do good work, and now I feel like all of that is being dismantled. Not because anyone failed. Not because the work disappeared. But because the business wants the numbers to look cleaner next quarter. It feels incredibly short-sighted and trust-breaking. Companies ask for loyalty, then turn around and treat people like they're disposable.
I understand that layoffs sometimes happen for real reasons. Priorities change, revenue drops, product direction gets canceled, competitors emerge, whatever. I'm not naive about that. My issue is with companies that use layoffs as a financial tool without there actually being a real need, and then handle it in the coldest, most dishonest way possible. Why can't companies tell people honestly that cuts are coming and give them a chance to prepare? At my company, leadership has known this was coming for a long time, but we're continuing to pretend everything is normal. I know the specific week when I'll have to lay someone off about seven weeks from now, and I'm supposed to act like I don't know anything. They could be interviewing right now. They could be planning. Instead, I'll sit them down in front of me, read from a script, and their access will be shut off immediately afterward. As a manager, I still have to do normal check-ins and act like nothing is happening. And as someone who tries to lead with compassion, empathy, and positivity, it's eating me up inside.
The things I've been asked to do over the past few weeks have made it hard to sleep. I've thought about quitting more than once because I know what's coming for my team. I'm being asked to lie by omission, and outright lie, while also being legally boxed in from saying anything. When people ask me directly what's going on, HR has told me exactly how to dodge the question and reassure them. People call this "just business," but why does business have to be like this?
A few people have told me maybe I'm not suited for management if this is affecting me this much, and I think it's exactly the opposite. More people like me should be managers. In my last leadership feedback, my team gave me the highest ratings for creating a culture where people can speak openly about difficult topics, leading with integrity, honoring commitments, communicating openly, demonstrating strong ethics, making people feel valued, respecting different perspectives, encouraging learning, and using good judgment. I belong in management. I am suited to be a manager. I'm just not suited to deceive my team and take away people's livelihoods for no logical reason other than saving about $184k over eight months, while my company brings in $24B+ annually. And the worst part is that I'll probably be told to hire for these same roles again in the next budget cycle. The people being laid off are solid performers. I was told plainly that this is role elimination to save money for the current period.
How do I move forward after this and keep leading the people who remain? How do I find any motivation or happiness in this role again?
Before this started, I genuinely loved my job. All I hope is that the people who lose their jobs find somewhere better quickly, because they deserve more than this.
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I'm 27 years old, finished school in May 2023, and spent about 14 months at a large public accounting firm but couldn't handle the brutal hours or the competitive environment. Now I'm working in a corporate finance/FP&A role at a large packaging company. I've been here for 5 months.
I don't know if this is because I'm still new and trying to learn a lot of things every week, or if this is just what most office jobs feel like, but I really miss retail stock shifts or front desk work at a vet clinic. When I was younger, I was the "gifted kid" type, and I put way more pressure on myself than I should have. Now I feel burned out and almost stupid every day. Not just because I'm learning, but also because I keep making small mistakes from lack of focus. I want to blame it on being mentally drained all the time, but then I ask myself whether I'm just lazy and can't tell the difference.
I had "brain dead" / "dead end" jobs while finishing school, and honestly, I miss the work itself. The problem is they don't pay enough to live on, and of course I'd rather make good money if I can. I have a Master of Accountancy, a BAcc, and a BS in Economics, and around $72k in student loans. On paper, my resume is very good right now.
Some days I feel fine, but I genuinely don't understand how people are supposed to use their brain for 9 hours straight. I have ADHD, and even with medication, I don't feel like I can do work that requires mental effort for an entire workday. I can maybe handle 2 to 5 hours at most before my brain completely shuts off. Is it possible I'm just not built for this kind of work even if I'm "book smart"? Has anyone moved to a different industry or type of work that still pays well but doesn't leave you feeling like your brain is fried every day?
This is probably the most spoiled complaint in the world, but I genuinely feel like I'm losing my mind. I'm paid way too well in a role that feels like it was created by accident (data analyst), because there's basically no actual need for me. No real assignments. Almost no messages. No recurring calls. I talk to the same 3 people most weeks. If I get two emails in a day, that's a busy day, and half the time I'm just copied so I can stay "in the loop."
Am I supposed to just be grateful and shut up? Is it weird that I miss normal work pressure? I'm so bored I feel like my brain is turning to mush.
You forgot lack of respect!
I work at a daycare and I've been there for a year. During the interview, I made it clear that I needed to take a vacation on these days. They told me that wouldn't be a problem and that I'd have those days off.
Now my supervisor just texted me saying the leave has been canceled and that I'm expected to come in tomorrow. The trip is already paid for, and the flights/hotel are non-refundable.
Honestly, I'm extremely stressed because I feel like I'm caught between two fires. This is the kind of job I've dreamed of since I was little, and I really don't want to lose it. But I told them about this months ago and arranged everything based on what they promised me. I don't know what to do.
I've basically been working my whole life, and my last two jobs were real careers, not just random jobs. I was an employee and a business owner for 17 years, and I had 10 to 14 employees in the restaurant/bar industry. I also recently left CDCR after 9 years because some family circumstances came up with elderly parents, and I needed to make a change.
I'm currently applying for jobs on Indeed here in Nevada with almost no luck. What I've noticed is that if I see a job posting there, then go directly to the company's own website and apply, my chances of getting an interview are much better. So I started wondering whether Indeed is just a black hole half the time or what.
Even so, even after interviews, I either get ghosted or receive one of those dreaded emails saying, "we decided to move forward with other candidates." I also applied to a private for-profit medical assistant program as a way to get into something more stable, and maybe use it to build up my retirement savings and make it my final career.
Am I crazy, doing something wrong, or just not understanding how bad the job market is right now? Or is the problem me? I keep hearing everywhere that employers can't find qualified workers, but I can't even find an entry-level job after 6 months!
I'm sitting at a desk for 9 hours, doing work that makes a company earn more money, while at the same time the managers and investors get richer. I look at the clock way too much, and I feel like I'm trapped inside a machine or a system, as if I'm not building anything or moving toward anything.
How do people live like this? Do they do this 4 days a week for 35-45 years? Is there a way to get past this feeling without having to take antidepressants?
My family had been planning a trip for a long time, and that means I need to be absent from work for two days. I submitted the request back in March for a trip in June, and at first, before she looked at the PTO schedule, my manager told me, "Yeah, it should be fine."
Everyone else in my family got their time off approved, so we went ahead and paid for everything. After a while, she came back and said that a lot of people were taking time off in our district that same week - about 3 people - but since our location has been very slow for a while, she said she might be able to make it work. She told me she wouldn't know for sure until about 10 days beforehand.
So I waited and tried to stay optimistic, and now she's telling me there's no way it can work.
To give some context, I'm the kind of employee who usually says yes to everything. I pick up extra shifts, cover for anyone who calls out, stay late when they need me, all of that. I've worn myself out a lot for this place.
But this vacation is already booked and paid for. My family and I talked about it, and we're thinking I should tell her something like: "I'm not going to be available on those days. We talk all the time about work/life balance, and this is one of those moments. If the choice is between work and my time with my family, then my family comes first. I understand if there is disciplinary action, and I'll accept that, but I'm not coming in to work."
Would you have handled the situation differently?
update: My manager just texted me: "Enjoy your vacation. When you return, we need to discuss your role because the company needs someone fully focused right now."
Am I being fired?
I've spent nearly four years working hard for this company, and now it feels like I'm being punished for taking an approved vacation. It's frustrating and honestly makes me question whether loyalty at work means anything anymore.
If this is the end, I guess it's time to start looking elsewhere. The thought of going through multiple interview rounds again is exhausting, but I need to find something new within the next couple of weeks. I'll probably rely on AI tools like InterviewMan to help me pass interviews and land my next opportunity.
I'm here to vent and want someone to reassure me that what I'm feeling makes sense.
I'm a woman in my early twenties and I work as a front desk receptionist at a small, quiet healthcare clinic - quiet to the point that it's exhausting. I've been working for four months with a coworker in her early thirties who has autism, which she told me shortly after I started. I try to be patient and understanding, but honestly, I've become very drained by the constant crying, her dumping her stress on me, and the meltdowns that happen regularly.
The job itself isn't hard. Most shifts, I finish my work quickly and then sit there looking at my phone, browsing clothes online, or finding any little tasks to do because things are so slow. But for her, any small thing becomes a crisis. She gets stressed over basic front desk tasks and says she doesn't know how to do them, even though I've seen her do them before. That also makes training awkward, because I'm the newer one, but she can barely show me anything without getting flustered and upset.
For context, I understand neurodivergence because I'm neurodivergent too; I have ADHD. I think part of why she comes to me so much is that I can appear calm on the outside. I've dealt with a lot of stress for a long time, and honestly maybe more than some of our NT coworkers, so I don't visibly panic easily. But that doesn't mean I have infinite capacity for everyone's emotions.
What drains me is that she's constantly venting about "difficult" patients who are usually just normal elderly people asking normal questions, or someone speaking loudly because their hearing is poor. She cries almost every shift, and then someone has to stop what they're doing and comfort her. At the same time, I'm not exactly doing great myself. My dad passed away about six weeks ago, and aside from telling the manager, I haven't brought it up at work because I don't want to make it everyone's problem. Then she comes to me again, telling me she's about to fall apart because of another phone call or another patient interaction.
Almost the whole office treats her extremely carefully because she's always one impatient elderly patient or confusing insurance question away from shutting down completely and breaking down. Even our supervisor said she isn't dependable and cries too much, but also said they're not planning to let her go. She's protected by the union.
I'm still the only person who's consistently nice to her, and I'm not trying to be cold or cruel. I just feel drained. The next time she has a breakdown and comes to me for emotional support, I want to calmly tell her that I'm not the best person for that conversation and that she should talk to the manager instead of me. I'll probably tell her I'm not good in emotional situations and I can't be her support person at work.
It feels awful to admit this, but my empathy has limits. I just want one quiet workday. I don't care that you're stressed; everyone on this planet is stressed. Please stop making me carry your stress with you. Any advice?
My manager was envious of me that he literally did this, now both of us got fired 🤣
I work as an office admin and my desk is very close to the main entrance area. There's a manager who recently started coming around us more because of someone he brought onto his team, but he's not my manager and I don't report to him. I was checking work messages at my desk, and he was near the copier area, and suddenly he yelled, "Wake up!"
Of course I turned my face because someone had yelled in the office, and I found him looking directly at me. I said something like: "I'm not asleep, I'm checking messages." He replied and said: "You were dozing off." I honestly don't know if he thought that was a joke or if he was trying to embarrass me, but it bothered me. The person he brought on is kind of weird too, honestly. They were nearby and I heard them ask: "Was she asleep?" but I didn't hear what the manager said in response.
He hasn't treated me differently since then and hasn't brought it up again, but the situation keeps going around in my head. Should I say something to my actual manager, or let it pass unless he does it again? This was at the end of last week and I still feel like it was weird and it's bothering me.
TLDR: A manager who isn't my boss yelled "Wake up!" at me from the other side of the office while I was sitting at my desk working. What do I do about this? :/
That's why I keep telling people to look at remote roles: better pay, more flexibility, and a lot less money spent on transportation, food, and random office stuff.
I've also found that tools like InterviewMan can help you be more organized, which makes it easier for you to come across confidently and get the offer.
