u/Plus-Formal4887

We all know it can be really rough. My alarm kept yelling early, and honestly, I had absolutely no desire to get up, get dressed, and go pretend I was fine at work. I wasn't knocked out by a bad cold or anything, but I was mentally drained and badly needed to catch my breath.

I stayed in bed for a bit and got caught in the usual guilt spiral: should I just push myself and get it over with? Then I realized something: I have sick time for a reason. It's part of my benefits, and I earned it by showing up and doing my job.

The strange thing is that so many of us feel guilty about taking time off, even when it's literally available to us. We act like we have to save every hour for some future disaster, or like one day of absence means we've dumped everything on everyone else. But burnout is real, and sometimes taking one step back for a day is what keeps you from crashing later.

So instead of forcing myself through a shift while distracted, exhausted, and watching the clock waiting to leave, I called out. I slept a little more, made real coffee and breakfast, took care of a few errands I'd been putting off, and gave my brain a chance to reset.

So here's the reminder that I probably needed too: if you have sick days, use them when you need them. If you're physically sick, mentally drained, or barely pushing through, taking care of yourself counts. Don't feel guilty for using a benefit you earned. People need breaks, and that day was mine.

I went to work in the morning mentally prepared to donate the next 7 hours of my life to the restaurant I work at, only to find the manager coming up to me and telling me they were letting me go.

Apparently, the owner got a complaint from the president of the neighborhood residents' association saying I was "spinning my tires" while leaving the dirt lot next to my workplace. My car doesn't have traction control and the tires are a bit worn, and the whole parking area is loose dirt and gravel. Sometimes the wheels kick stuff up because they don't immediately grip the ground, so I have to press the gas a little more just to get the car moving.

The dumbest part is that they didn't even see me driving recklessly inside the restaurant's actual parking lot. I was leaving from the dirt lane on the side of the place, and apparently someone from the HOA decided that meant I was doing burnouts or something.

The whole thing honestly feels insane, but I wanted to ask here before assuming I'm not the crazy one. Is firing me over something like this valid?

Edit: okay, I think I will start job hunting again. Everything was toxic in this place. I can no longer bear. This subreddit inspires me with many useful tips, will definitely apply them in my job hunting journey.

Back in the day, the workday was 7.5 hours, and lunch was counted within that time. Now I feel like the norm has become 7:30-4, or 8-4:45, or 8:15-5 - meaning closer to 8.75 hours in a lot of jobs, and honestly, that's really awful. There's less and less time left for our real lives.

People keep misunderstanding what I'm saying and treating it like I'm just complaining for no reason or don't want to work?

We used to get paid for a 39-hour week but actually be at work for around 34-36.5 hours. (Paid lunch of 20-45 minutes)

I've worked at places that don't even give the 2x10-minute breaks that were supposed to be standard along with lunch anymore.

Now we're expected to work at least 41 hours, still only get paid for 40, spend more time physically at work, and somehow accept having less of our day for ourselves.

How are more people not upset about this?

Maybe the title should have been "What happened to the actual 8-hour workday?"

I made a mistake when I accepted a job in a small, isolated town. I quickly discovered that some places have their own strange rules and operate by their own logic. My manager was a nightmare in every sense of the word, always trying to make me do things that had nothing to do with my job at all. I was hired as a SysAdmin, but he would make me do things like unclog a toilet in the breakroom and take old furniture to the dump in my car.

One afternoon, he ordered a new standing desk and insisted I assemble it for him on company time. I told him no, of course, that's not my job. He completely lost it and started yelling and raising his voice, telling me to come to his office. I refused and told him if we were going to talk, someone from HR had to be present.

So, we went to HR. The HR manager coaxed me into not filing a formal complaint. He kept saying it was just a simple 'communication issue' and that he would 'handle it internally.' He assured me I wouldn't have to assemble the desk. And like a fool, I believed him.

Things were quiet for about 3 weeks, and then suddenly I was called into the HR office. The same guy tells me my position has been eliminated. I asked him for the real reason, and he gave a smug smile and said, 'I don't know, you tell me?' I was stunned. As I was walking out carrying a box of my things, I ran into my manager. He had the audacity to ask if I was leaving early. I told him, 'No, I just got fired. Do you have any idea why?' He replied with the exact same infuriating line: 'I have no idea, why don't you figure it out?' I looked him in the eye and said, 'Because you're a petty bully.'

Since I didn't file a formal, written complaint, I have no proof that this was retaliation.
I'm writing this so maybe someone else can avoid the same trap I fell into. Document everything.

For context: I have a very well-paying job at one of the biggest companies in our field. And as you'd expect, it's more about who you know than what you do. Last September, I got an offer with a 15% salary increase. When I submitted my resignation, my manager immediately gave me a counter-offer with a 20% raise and verbally promised me a promotion 'as soon as the new year starts'.

For months after that, she was my biggest supporter. She always praised my dedication to my work and my problem-solving skills, and when I asked for feedback on how to improve, she would tell me, 'Just keep doing what you're doing'. Anyway, she did a complete 180. She got promoted, and the position she left was obviously mine - everyone in the department thought so. Instead, she hired someone from outside the company. It was a huge shock. Now, all talk of the promotion has disappeared, and suddenly I have a new list of 'areas for development' to focus on.

I am furious. I really believed her, and she simply went back on her word completely. My motivation for work is at an all-time low, and I don't see how I can ever trust a word she says again. It's hard to find another job with this salary, so I feel trapped.
When I spoke to her about the promotion she promised me, she became extremely defensive and threw the quick salary increase I got back in my face. So she knows. She knows she went back on her word.

I feel like quiet quitting is the only solution, but honestly, that's not in my nature. I'm someone who likes to solve problems and help my team win. I'm completely lost and don't know what to do. What should I do now?