r/hatemyjob

I (19F) just got hired at a big grocery/retail store as a cashier about a week ago and I already hate it. I received minimal online training which was online using the company computers in a back room alone, and then I was just thrown onto the register the next shift. I’ve worked 3 shifts so far and I’ve come home crying every night. I feel a lot of pressure in general because it’s such a big company and it’s my first real job. They also have expectations set for cashiers (surveys, donations, Mastercard). I’m a people person so I don’t mind the interacting with customers but the standing for 8 hours at a time is killing me. Today my schedule got updated and I work 4 days in a row next week. I don’t know what to do I keep crying before every shift and even at home when I think about having to go in again. Does anyone have any tips for overcoming this anxiety??

I genuinely want to know... do workplaces like this actually exist? 😭

I'm a content writer, so my entire job is literally sitting in front of a screen, researching, thinking, and writing for 8.5 hours straight.

I've been using one earbud while working because music helps me focus and makes the day a little less mentally exhausting. I'm not talking to anyone, not disturbing anyone, and my work gets done on time.

Then yesterday, out of nowhere, I got a message from HR saying that earphones aren't allowed during work.

Like... why? 😭

We're not on customer calls. We're not operating heavy machinery. We're just sitting at our desks trying to get through the day.

Eight and a half hours is a long time to stare at a screen in silence. Music honestly keeps me productive and stops my brain from wandering.

Is this a common office rule, or is my workplace just unusually strict? I'd love to hear if your company allows earphones or has a similar policy.

I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep doing this.

I'm exhausted. I'm frustrated. I feel like I'm constantly walking on eggshells because of the way my manager operates.

Everything feels controlled. Every interaction feels like it's being watched. Every question turns into an interrogation instead of a conversation. Instead of trusting employees to do their jobs, there's constant micromanagement, constant correction, and a need to be involved in everything, even when there isn't actually a problem.

The communication style is unnecessarily harsh and demanding. It often feels like the default approach is criticism instead of collaboration. Rather than creating a workplace where people feel comfortable asking questions or solving problems, it creates an environment where people become afraid to speak up because they expect to be criticized.

The expectations also feel inconsistent. What is expected in one situation doesn't always seem to be the expectation in another. That uncertainty makes it incredibly difficult to know where you stand or whether you're meeting expectations.

One of the hardest parts has been how this has affected my relationships at work. Instead of feeling like I'm part of a team, I increasingly feel isolated. Interactions with coworkers have changed over time, and it's hard not to feel that the overall environment has contributed to that. Whether intentional or not, it leaves me feeling unsupported and alone.

The worst part is what it does to your confidence. You start questioning yourself over every little thing. You replay conversations in your head. You second-guess decisions you never used to second-guess. You spend more energy trying to avoid being criticized than actually focusing on your work.

A manager has a huge influence on the culture of a workplace. A good manager builds trust, encourages people to think, and creates psychological safety. A poor management style can have the opposite effect. It drains confidence, increases stress, and turns even simple tasks into sources of anxiety.

I'm trying really hard to move into another position because I don't think this environment is sustainable for me anymore. I've applied for numerous roles, but I haven't been getting interviews, and it's becoming incredibly discouraging. After everything that's happened, I sometimes find myself wondering whether my current situation is affecting my ability to move on. I don't know if that's actually the case, but when you feel trapped in a difficult work environment for so long, it's hard not to question everything.

Right now, I just feel stuck. I want the opportunity to work somewhere I'm trusted, respected, and allowed to do my job without feeling like every interaction is another test.

A month and a half ago I left my old job for something new. They advertised it as having more opportunity for growth and movement but the job does not fit my personality at all. I've never once been told that being kind to customers was a bad thing before this job. I reached out to my old boss to basically express my regret in leaving because I feel like a complete idiot for leaving and I really do miss my team and the work. Honestly the big issue is that I had a lot of imposter syndrome in that job and didn't feel like I deserved it and now I just feel so stupid. I don't expect them to give me my old job back but it doesn't hurt to ask, I guess. I apologized to him for leaving and said I'd understand if they couldn't or wouldn't take me back. I regret leaving and I feel so dumb.

I leave home at 8 a.m. every morning, travel around 2.5 hours to reach the office, work the entire day, then spend another 2.5 hours commuting back. By the time I get home, it's usually 9 or 9:30 p.m.

At this point, I spend more time with my colleagues than I do with my own family. That's why I always thought having good people at work was important.

There are four girls on my team. Initially, there were just three of us, and I was quite close to the other two. Then a new girl joined.

Here's the ironic part.

One of my friends used to complain about her all the time. She'd literally say things like, "I don't think I'll ever vibe with her."

Well... life had other plans.

Now those three are best friends.

Lunch together. Tea breaks together. Inside jokes. Random conversations. If someone has to be left out, it's almost always me.

The strange part is that nobody is openly rude to me. They still talk to me if needed. But it's like I've become the optional person in the group. The one who's there, but never really included.

I never had a problem with the new girl. I actually wanted all four of us to get along. Somehow, I ended up being the outsider instead.

And honestly, that's what hurts the most.

I spend so much of my life in this office that I feel like it should be my second home, but instead, it's become the place where I feel the most lonely. There are days when I just sit there quietly, overthinking everything. My anxiety gets really bad because I don't have anyone to talk to.

Sometimes I keep wondering if they talk about me when I'm not around, if there are conversations I'm deliberately not included in, or if I'm just imagining it because I already feel so left out. Either way, it's mentally exhausting.

Lately, I've been applying for other jobs because I genuinely don't think I can do this much longer. The work itself isn't the problem. It's how isolated I feel every single day.

Has anyone else been in a situation like this? Did you stay and wait for things to get better, or did you switch jobs? Would you leave a company if the work was fine but the environment made you feel this lonely?

So this might sound a little crazy but I really hate my job at McDonald's. (I know I sound pathetic, but just sit with me)

I'm just so sick of some of the people I work with and I hate the environment. I want to be out of there soon, but I just don't know what I could apply for. I'm trying to finish my bachelor's degree at wgu by the end of August and then apply for my masters degree shortly after. (I'm pursuing the B.S. Business Management one). But yeah. I just need some ideas on what to do.

I have worked for a company for 5 years, it was my first time career. I have worked for a technician role although i have an engineering degree.

My issue with the company i work is that there is no opportunity for growth, they keep me in a technican role. It's quite unorganised, can be difficult to work with manager. Also this year, they refuse to increase my salary, put me in review and demand that i come to the office on friday.

I also suspect the company to intentionally hire ethnic indian people while they offer low-salary job. They have been recruiting new people and they almost all ethnic indian, all grow up from india. I suspect they recruited me and another colleague because we are ethnically indian without need of visa/sponsorship and have master degree for a job that do not require one.

Although i have some engineering works, i know the company take advantage of my sutuation. I have been trying to search for a new, i do get multiple interviews and even reach final interviews stage but get no offers.

I am having enough of working for the company and so i give my notice to them without any job lined up. I got two final interviews from two different jobs and i oray i get one of them.

First time poster.
I am a 31F, I have been in my current profession for 14 years as I started right out of high school. I have worked many different jobs (same field) but different variations.
I started my career at a corporate chain as an w-2 employee before trying booth rent and then commission pay.
My issue is I’m extremely unhappy at my job, honestly the only thing keeping me there is that I genuinely love what I do. This job is also the highest I have EVER been paid. I have looked for other employment in the same field but would be taking a major pay cut, to where I may not be able to afford my bills. Most things about this job are great but I’ll get down to the issues.
Firstly, our manager has no experience in the field. I can accept that, some people are great at technically skills, others are numbers growing the business/helping employees build skills and day to day managerial duties.
She does none of that, we are constantly out of supplies we need in the workplace. We never have change for customers because she doesn’t “feel like going to the bank”
Anytime she does something wrong, or even an honest mistake. She will take no accountability; not even a “my bad” no apology, nothing.
Honestly I think the root of the problem is that she has (still is) been having an affair with the owner of the business. He is technically still married and the knew his wife who was helping with the business when our current manager was a part time employee. After the affair started, she became manager and it has led to all kinds of issues. Favoritism, double standards, the inappropriate workplace environment. She is constantly taking almost every weekend off to go on a trip but says it’s “the rules” to find a cover for your shift (even if you request off 6 months in advance) (also since everyone is already working, how could anyone else cover?)

I’m truly as a loss. The only reason I stay is because of the money, I’ve never made this much in my life and have looked and found nowhere close to this amount. It’s tearing me about trying to decide is it worth crying everyday, destroying my mental health when the trade off is to leave and not be able to pay my bills.

Sorry this post is so long. I just really need advice.

(Side note: there is no HR to report to since this is a small business)

I was naive when I first looked to places like this, I’m young and smoke occasionally and was trying to get out of one shit job and find a more relaxed environment that I could be efficient at and pay the bills while it being semi enjoyable. I was completely wrong and stumbled upon the mismanaged, disrespectful excuse of a job. Constantly getting talked down to, make so little working full time, no overtime pay when I go over my hours cause I’m an independent contractor here, getting consistently sexually harassed and demeaned by aggressive customers. Cause I’m young and stupid I didn’t realize when I applied this place sold fucking meth and crack pipes so I constantly deal with meth and crack heads that want to grab my hand and tell me they love me and will be coming back cause I’m here, taking off there shoes fucking slumping in on themselves probably cause fent or whatever fucked up drug there on. Men feeling bold enough to kiss my hand when going for a hand shake which i reciprocate cause i want to be respectful and personable and positive comments from customers makes my boss happy but every other time they will hold to long and confess how beautiful they think I am and being weirdly sexual. My boss does not care about it and that was made very clearly when our last employee left shortly after saying in a meeting she can be less personable with customers cause she keeps getting customers harassing her and my boss thanked her for taking responsibility of causing those situations???? Just by being nice and talkative which my boss he insist upon.

Every few weeks I’ll be given 12-14 hour shift days and expected to open the next day after opening and closing the store myself. Ive had multiple occasions where he will set expectations on what item situations we can have situations refunded or exchanged and when I’ve done so he suddenly disagrees with the situation and has taken that items amount out of my paycheck. This only stopped after one day I visibly started crying in the store after he told me it would be taken it out of my paycheck and at the time I really needed every penny to pay rent. I believe he saw it on the cameras and had not mentioned it to me since.

I’ve been woken up multiple times at 8-9 am because a coworker or himself has lost the key to the store and they need me to send my personal address for them to come to pick it up even on my days off. Once this happened at 9 at night and I refused to answer cause I was fucking tired and got shit from my boss the following day. I’ve complained once on here about this and I’m just so miserable. To any one who may be thinking of joining a shop like that be prepared for power hungry small shop owners who’s only goal is to make your days worse and harder and could give less of a fuck about you and how much work you do.

Edit: made this today cause I’m stuck in 14 hour shift (8:30 am-10:30 pm) and open tomorrow morning. It’s a waste of a life, all I do is wake up feeling exhausted work get home feeling to exhausted to do anything with barely any fucking money. Hoping to be gone from this place in the next month or two if I’m lucky enough to find another job. I just feel so numb.

Also extra tidbit I’ve walked in twice on people being shirtless in the fucking back room. Once my boss and once a relative of there’s just changing there fucking shirts in the back inventory room when I’m needing to grab inventory and I’m the only women there alone with them. And yes we do have a bathroom in the back room they could use instead. I don’t care if there men and can do that cause they don’t have tits, I don’t work at fucking beach or strip club I don’t want to see that shit and has made me extremely uncomfortable and awkward each time. I’ve also stumbled upon them on individual occasions sleeping on the floor cause there to lazy to go the fuck home.

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I quit my job because I wanted a better opportunity and better pay. My previous workplace had become miserable.

The workload kept increasing, but the salary stayed the same. On top of that, I had to deal with constant humiliation from my manager and disrespect from some of my colleagues. A toxic senior made every day even worse.

I tried talking to my team leader about the situation. When I mentioned how my senior treated me, he just said, "He's just frustrated." When I asked about my salary and increment, he told me, "You'll get your increment." Nothing happened.

Fast forward a year... still no increment.

To make things worse, I was working the evening shift and getting paid less than people on the morning shift. I was doing so much extra work that I often didn't even have time to take my lunch break. Meanwhile, new employees who had been with the company for only three months were getting paid more than me and spending their time watching Reels while I was drowning in work.

That was the moment I realized I had to leave. No job is worth destroying your mental health while being underpaid, overworked, and undervalued.

Now it's been 3 days since I quit. I'm unemployed, my phone is broken, I lost my expensive Bluetooth earbuds, and life feels like it's falling apart.

I'm hoping I can find a better opportunity soon because I never want to work in a place like that again.

That’s how little time I feel like I spend at home. Literally just a pit stop to piss then you blink and you’re back in work, feels like I see the brain dead NPC colleagues more than I see my family.

Hi all, please refer to this post for the original story. The me from a week ago is already a different person and I envy this person and their problems

Update:

I put in my 2 weeks notice. Told my boss in person even, because I wanted to do it right so I can get out unscathed. I have an email ready to go as well for the official (paper-trail) resignation. But he didn't seem to think I meant it (guilting and manipulating me, I know) and now I don't know what to do.

My boss wasn't angry, they were being nice, but they were guilting tf out of me, and I'm trying not to give in.

It's a part time job already. They offered to cut my hours and pay me more to stay on, or to stay on to train until they find someone, etc. This place is making me miserable. They can't like... do anything to me if I complete my 2 weeks and then ghost, can they?

I reread the policy: "Since employment with this organization is based on mutual consent, both the employee and the employer have the right to terminate employment at will, with or without cause, at any time. Terminations are an inevitable part of personnel activity within any organization, and many of the reasons for termination are routine."

I feel like y'all are gonna say just leave now, because that policy is the most get-out-of-jail-free card I've ever seen, but I'm really nervous they'll harass me: phone calls, texts, etc. and that's such a nightmare. I don't need their references and I frankly want nothing to do with them post resignation.

I'm realizing that a lot of personal boundries got crossed and I'm not really sure when or how or what to do about it, and I'm embarrassed I let it get so out of hand. I'll literalllllly take any advice.

TLDR: I went and got too important at work and now am nervous about repercussions post resignation.

I recently graduated and joined my first job as a Technical Assistant Engineer in the research department of an agricultural university. The project mainly involves research work, and when I accepted the job, nothing was mentioned about doing manual field labor.

Recently, my boss has been asking me to help the field assistant remove grass and weeds from the medicinal plant research plots. I understand that fieldwork is a part of agriculture, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the work itself. My problem is that I feel uncomfortable because students are around and they see me doing it. It makes me feel embarrassed and anxious.

My family's financial situation isn't good, so quitting isn't an easy option. At the same time, I want to continue preparing for higher studies and build my career.

I'm confused. Should I ignore how I feel, continue this job, and focus on my studies? Or should I start looking for another job where the responsibilities match what I was hired for?

Has anyone else experienced something similar? I'd really appreciate honest advice.

Alright, I know this may sound funny, but I’ve been working in fast food in every dream I’ve had in the last week. I need this to stop.

For context, I recently started a new job at a fast food burger joint. We are a pretty busy location which means I’m constantly having to take drive thru orders, pour drinks, process payments, pack items, etc.

Unfortunately, in all my dreams recently, I have been doing these same routinized tasks and running through the same dialogue.

At first, I thought this was happening because of the inertia of doing the same things over and over again for most of my day. However, these dreams also recur on my days off!

My hope was that these dreams would become less frequent/vivid as I get better at my job. Maybe they are a way for my brain to cope with the rapid learning phase that accompanies job training? But sadly nothing has been changing, even as my job performance improves. These dreams are disorienting and make it hard to have a restful sleep.

Working in fast food is no joke. It is inhumane to ask somebody to do the same thing for 8-12 hours. Has anyone else had dreams like this? I would like to leave work at work. I would like my dreams to be about something else. I would like to grapple with and resolve other points of tension in my psyche, like I used to. I don’t want to be working in my dreams. I miss my old dreams.

I applied for a marketing role at a small business, but after only two weeks I'm seriously considering resigning.

The business suddenly shut down one day, and everyone was sent home with no explanation. When we came back, the owner acted as if nothing had happened. It honestly made me feel unsafe and unsure whether my job could disappear at any time.

Since then, multiple people have left, including the admin and the person managing the website. One of the coaches told the owner he felt lost and was struggling to trust the situation after everyone was unexpectedly sent home. I mean, everyone does at that point, but the owner started to get mad and kept spamming bad convo with the old coach and eventually kicked the coach out and didn't pay him his salary. He spammed bad words and if the coach doesn't reply, he would spam calls???

I still don't even have a proper employment contract despite working full-time hours as a casual employee.

The communication is all over the place. One day I'm told to create content and work with influencers. The next day I'm told not to film, not to create content without permission, not to feature people, and to "just edit." The problem is that there are almost no videos or photos for me to edit because he doesn't want anyone to be in the videos because they are potentially betrayals or bad reviewers on Google Maps (?) he said. How am I supposed to create content or edit without any photos/videos??? It doesn't make any sense, but he still has high expectations about getting likes and followers for his page

Whenever I ask for approval to post or talk about work, I'm told to stop messaging about work, like "Just do it, stop texting me about work, please". Then later I receive more work messages and new instructions, even overtime. I genuinely don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore.

I was also yelled at by the owner recently for no reason. The next day he acted like nothing had happened, which made me even more uncomfortable.

I've started dreading going to work every morning. I feel like I'm being held responsible for results while having almost no control over the strategy or resources to achieve them.

The only reason I'm still here is that payday is on Monday, today is Thursday. I have another casual job, so I'm not financially trapped.

Am I giving up too early after two weeks, or are these enough red flags to walk away?

Need an advice (F18) starting a New life here in the U.S I came from the Philippines few months ago and then now I’m employed by a warehouse company and one thing I realized I don’t want to work as an employee whole life. That work is hell tiring and draining. Also you have this co workers who is secretly jealous of you. I’m not used to this kind of environment since back in the Philippines I handle my business, money and everything. I’m not working for anyone. Please I need help and a Reality slaps also a advice what to do in life. Any advice will do I don’t mind getting a Reality check.

Ive been disrespected too many times while ive worked here.

My question is what would yall recommend to prepare myself?

Im working on saving and paying down debt I also put in for my pto and vacation days to make sure I get the payout. Im also planning on trying to stock up on necessary items to last the next 6 months. But am I missing anything? I will be doordashing to help with bills and other needs until I find another job I also just maintenanced my car to make sure its solid for the next few months. I am an overplanner so I understand this seems like a lot but I have a lot of anxiety around it also.

Update: Am currently looking for another job not just quiting on a whim. But however if I do not find another job by August 20th I still need to be prepared.

Here in the US, the job market is pretty terrible. It’s especially bad for new grads, but same deal for someone more mid-career like myself.

During the COVID boom, I’d have an interview for a new company every week. Now, these companies are banking so heavily on “AI” that job opportunities are rare. I’ve probably applied to 30 jobs and haven’t gotten a single first round.

I frankly cannot stand my job, but there’s nowhere else to go. The “job hugging” is real. Thankfully I’ve enough of a safety net to be fine without a job for a few years, but it’s not an ideal position to put myself in.

Curious if anyone else is in the same boat?