r/talesfromthejob

Something like the moment when u realised ur job description and reality were two different things 🙃

I used to fly for a self made billionaire. He was very tight with money most of the time (unless it was for pet projects or basketball games). At the time we only had one plane. He was out of town with it and his wife had used a chartered plane for her trip. Since I wasn’t working that day I headed to the gym early so I could beat rush hour traffic.

As I was getting in to my car the boss called. He just rattled off a list of things I needed to go buy and put in their refrigerator for his wife since she’d been gone a few days. I just said okay then called one of the guys at the hangar and gave them the order.

I want to point out that I was not above doing that. But between the boss and his wife, they had 5 assistants. 5! Fetching groceries is not in a pilots job description. But that’s the way they were. If they were paying you they felt they could ask you to do anything. We all had their security code and code to garage so that we could drop off items left on the plane or even collect things before a flight. That was no big deal. But asking as to grocery shop was a little over the line.

So, I just got fired recently, and it's been really hard to find work, as you can imagine.

However, the environment was toxic, and I was treated poorly while I was there. My boss was micromanaging, controlling and overly critical.

For example, she would give vague instructions on a task and then get upset because I didn't do it a certain way. This would lead to her being rude towards me. She would also have certain expectations that would constantly change, which is impossible to meet.

I would also get scrutinized if I did or didn't ask questions. If I asked questions, she would make me feel dumb and tell me it's a simple task, but then if I didn't ask questions, it was impossible to meet her elusive expectations.

This is just some of the many things she did that made it hard to work there.

Has anyone else dealt with a toxic work environment or a bad boss? If so, what did you do, or wish you did, to better support yourself?
I also want to know for the future, just in case...

P.S I worked in the HR department 😭

So for some context I F21 work as a waitress in a hotel for parties, weddings and such. Been here five years so I’ve got my handful of creeps and drunk idiots.

Last month I was working at a wedding, an American one. I’m saying that only bc I live in Ireland so when we get American weddings they’re ALWAYS THE SAME.
“i won’t tip bc it’s not mandatory here” then laughs for the whole table. Who gives a fuck john, either tip me or don’t, couldn’t care less.

Anywho…The party was going on for hours and by midnight the floor staff had gone home so I started collecting a few glasses myself. That’s when I came up to a table and one of the women (MILF) tipped me €50…which is like A LOT!?!?!

I thanked her and placed it in the tip jar. Later on behind the bar she came up and asked why I didn’t pocket the money, I explained we share the tips between floor staff, bar staff and kitchen crew.

She asked if she could give me a personal tip (which we’re allowed). She handed me a crisp €100 note. Something I have NEVER seen in my whole life.

I refused the amount but she placed it in my pocket. She then asked a bit about me. I told her the basic, I’m a student, Work part time. She asked when I finish. I told her 3am.

She stood waiting outside at 3am, offered me a cigarette which I turned down. She asked If i have a bf. I said i’ve a gf. She smiled…in a weird way.

Mind you she was like 40-50 ish too.

She asked to drive me home, I refused politely. She insisted again until my taxi driver arrived. I thanked her for the tip and went home. The next day I was in work she was in the bar. She bought me a juice then a water then a beer. All of which I didn’t accept.

She then slid more money into my pocket, tipped the barman too before she left, she didn’t drink or eat. Same thing the day after.

I told my boss and she told me she’d keep an eye out. It’s been happening every day since. What do I do

Has anyone else gone through a sudden mass layoff despite hitting all your targets? I was recently hired as a VA and was consistently landing appointments and performing well, especially considering how tough the market is right now. Then, out of nowhere, our entire group was mass-removed without any notice or warning. I was shocked to be included given my metrics. Is this abrupt lack of communication normal practice in the VA industry, or did I just land with a bad client?

This might be long but I just have to get this anger and resentment off my chest. I worked at a doggy daycare for a little over a year and absolutely loved it. It had its downsides, of course, but I always overlooked the issues because of how much I loved the dogs. The main problem with it was the management (3 co-managers), who I will refer to as A, B, and C.
When I first started working there, one of my coworkers, who I’ll call D, already was an issue. She had worked there pretty much from when the building opened for business, so about 3 years before I joined. I thought she was nice, but a month after I started working there, she brought her dogs in for boarding. These dogs were so skinny, (both German shepherd mixes), I thought she had just rescued them.
I Asked one of my other coworkers about this and they said she has had one of them for a few years and adopted the other one the previous year. Obviously, I was concerned. I brought up my concerns to the managers and they said they would look into it. While the dogs were there, they would constantly have accidents in their kennels and always had diarrhea. It got to the point where we would be cleaning their kennels every few hours. I looked at their feeding schedule and it said they would only be fed 1 cup a day, each. HUGE red flag because they are medium sized dogs.
The new year comes around marking around 5 months since I started working there and D has her baby, leading to her boarding her two dogs again for over a week. They show up, still skinnier than they should be, but not any worse. Still the same issues (constant accidents, diarrhea), still being fed 1 cup a day each. Again, I speak with my managers. They said they would handle it. They ended up switching their feeding schedule to 2 1/2 cups a day each, with pumpkins mixed in. We also started having to limit their water intake because they would gulp down a bucket of water (most likely trying to fill their stomachs). D actually asked us to do this, claiming they just drink too much water and that she didn’t want to deal with all that pee.
D picks them up, and they don’t board for another few months. Next time they come in, they look like they put some weight on but are still have constant accidents. Ok, at least they aren’t skin and bones anymore I guess. The final time she brought them in while I worked there, I said enough was enough.
December rolls around marking a year and a few months since I started working there. D bring her dogs in for boarding. They are INCREDIBLY emaciated. Like the type you see that were just rescued from a bad home. So I start talking with my coworkers and ask them what the hell could possibly be going on. We all have the same worry: that she is clearly neglecting (literally starving) these dogs.
A few of them ended up defending her, which is crazy to me, and scoffed/laughed at me for saying I would quit. The first night they started their boarding, I texted my most trusted manager and say something along the lines of “C, have you seen D’s dogs? This is terrible.” C responds “I know, I cried when I saw them this morning. We are going to have a talk with D.” In my mind I’m like “This is like the 3rd or 4th time you’ve said this and clearly nothing has been done.” But I keep my mouth shut because they would have to be stupid to NOT do something about this, it’s a doggy daycare for God’s sake.
I talk with two of my most trusted coworkers, E and F about this, who have worked there longer than me. They say there is no way in hell that the managers are actually going to do something about it. This is when E tells me that he has had similar issues with D before I started working there.
A few notable ones include: D leaving one of the dogs in their own diarrhea and leaving for the night because she didn’t want to clean it (one of our other coworkers ended up staying late to clean it because who does that to a dog), manager A having to deworm D’s dogs (or was it just one of them?), and all three managers being upset with E because they claimed he was badmouthing and lying about D being a bad pet owner and dog handler.
So now I finally realize that these three have zero right to run a doggy daycare if they allow this to happen to one of their employees dogs. The three of us write a letter to the managers that basically says “Fire D or the three of us quit”. This was intended to be an empty threat to get them to ACTUALLY do something because I really did care for all the dogs there and really didn’t want to leave.
I get a message from manager C saying “I set a time for noon on Monday to discuss all of your concerns”. Yay, okay. The meeting comes along and it definitely did not go the way I expected. I have it all on video, if anyone wants to listen, but the meeting basically was a shitshow. They defended D, saying she has mental health problems (i am clinically diagnosed with depression and high anxiety myself) and that she has no support system to help her. I was told I had no empathy because I was badmouthing D and that I need to be more empathetic to people with mental health issues.
So, the entire meeting they just defended her neglecting her dogs. Needless to say, I quit on the spot and two others followed soon after me. I ended up contacting the local police and animal shelter about D and showed proof of her dog’s health, but I was told “there really isn’t much we can do”. Now here is where it gets really good. I quit in January this year and just two days ago I received a message from my old coworker that still works there saying that D was forced to quit for yelling at people and abusing dogs.
Unfortunately, I am even more worried for her dogs because now she doesn’t have a job. I am also worried for her child because animal neglect and abuse could lead into child neglect and abuse. Anyway, if anyone wants to listen to the meeting or know other issues this place has, I definitely have more stories.

TL;DR: Evil doggy daycare managers allowed employee to neglect her own dogs. I quit and they fired said employee a couple months after for abusing dogs.

A few months ago I started my first full-time job, my first "big girl job." It's been amazing so far. Everyone is so nice. Maybe just a little too nice.

I'm an engineer in research and design, which means a predominantly male field and a predominantly male office. There's only one other woman there, the sweetest older lady you could imagine. But she's started doing this thing where every time I get up to go to the bathroom, she gets up and goes too.

First time, I figured it was a coincidence. Second time, still fine. Third time, okay, this is a little strange. By the fourth and fifth time, I started wondering if she's watching the hallway waiting for me to walk by.

Is this the end of the world? No, of course not. But she loves to talk, and I mean full-blown conversations, while we're both in there peeing. And here's the thing, my bathroom break is my me time. It's the one little pocket of peace I get during the day. So when my bladder is just trying to do its thing while I'm also expected to hold a conversation, that is not peaceful. At all.

I just don't know what to do about this. It feels too small and weird to bring up directly, but it's driving me a little crazy.

Just started working at this timber yard and I get this feeling that I'm not up to scratch with the ones that have been there decades. I know it may be annoying for them to see someone new still trying to figure it out but holey heck to join an industry you know nothing about and to meet expectations is insane. I just put my head down and keep moving forward. I believe if there was a problem the supervisor would say something? Should I just confront the ones with an issue?

Maybe I’m in the wrong here but I’m not sure so I work (worked) for Lowe’s and it was a great job honestly I loved it however we recently had a transgender person come into my dept and they were super chill honestly 10/10 they were going from woman to man which I don’t care their name is Clayton anyway one of my other coworkers she was the head cashier her name is Madison. Anyway Madison asked me what Clayton went by so I explained Clayton went by he him she her it they don’t care is exactly how I said it anyway come two weeks later I get told I’m under investigation and another two weeks go by and I get fired when asked why it’s because Madison reported me for calling Clayton an It so my question is am I in the wrong here? I went to Clayton right after I was initially told about the investigation and apologized immediately and their response was that they don’t give a damn what they are called

Edit so a few updates first due to some comments let me explain Clayton has told me when I first met them they went by HE HIM SHE HER IT see that IT as a pronoun therefore no harm done when I said it

Second HR called me back today some dude that was already pissed off to be alive I answered the phone and told him I’d be recording the phone call because my lawyer has advised me to do so ( I live in a one party consent state for that) he threw a fit saying he wouldn’t talk to me if I recorded the call and that it was illegal for me to do so so naturally I told him I wouldn’t and we had our conversation he asked for me details about how I got fired if I was told anything when I was fired and if they could talk to Clayton I said yes please talk to Clayton cause I know Clayton will stand up for me on this

Thinking about working at Flat Branch Bank? Here’s my experience.
I usually don’t write posts like this, but I wish someone had warned me before I accepted a position at Flat Branch Bank.
From day one, I noticed how outdated many of the bank’s systems and processes were. Things that should have taken a few minutes often took much longer because the technology and procedures felt behind the times. Instead of modernizing operations, employees were expected to work around inefficient systems.
The training was inconsistent, communication was poor, and expectations seemed to change constantly. I genuinely tried to help by creating training materials and suggesting ways to improve processes because there was very little structure. Instead of encouraging those efforts, management shut them down.
The overall work environment was discouraging. From my perspective, there appeared to be favoritism in management decisions, and it often felt like merit wasn’t the main factor in how employees were treated or supported. That made it difficult to feel motivated or valued.
By the time my employment ended, I wasn’t even surprised. Looking back, I believe the biggest issues weren’t the employees, they were the lack of leadership, organization, communication, and willingness to improve.
This was my personal experience, and I understand others may have had a different one. But if you’re thinking about working there, I encourage you to ask questions about the training process, technology they use, management style, and workplace culture before accepting an offer.
I know every workplace has its challenges, but this experience taught me what kind of work environment I never want to be part of again.

Recently I interviewed for a higher paying position at the company I now work for. This would have big a huge increase in pay and status and it was a job I was very qualified for. I was told at the end of the interview how well I had done and how pleased they were with my presentation.

Two weeks later it was announced that a person was chosen for the job that had less time with the company and was much less qualified than I was. I was called to HR to have a final interview (after the appointment of the other person) for an explanation of why they didn’t hire me. Mind you, I am 70 years old and the person they chose is 30. It’s not like I didn’t know the reason I wasn’t chosen. The disrespect came when I was told that they wanted me to sit in to watch this person doing his job and they would hire me for the same position later on if more openings came up.

Naturally, I declined the offer and explained to HR that it was fine and it is their loss. I continue to do my job there but now searching outside the company for advancement.

I’ve been working at my current job for a while now, and for the first few months I used to take on extra tasks whenever needed. I didn’t really mind it at first because I thought it would help me learn more and show initiative.

Over time, I noticed that “extra help” slowly became expected. I was regularly being asked to handle tasks outside my role, sometimes even things that other people were supposed to do. There was no extra pay or recognition, it just became part of my daily routine.

At some point, I started feeling overwhelmed because I was doing my own work plus additional responsibilities that kept increasing. I realized I needed to set some boundaries.

One day, when I was asked to take on another task outside my scope, I politely said I wouldn’t be able to do it and that it should be handled by the responsible person. The reaction was a bit awkward at first, and I could tell some people weren’t used to hearing “no” from me.

After that, things slowly adjusted. I still do my job properly, but I no longer take on extra work that doesn’t belong to me.

It was uncomfortable at first, but honestly, it made my work life much more manageable.

A guy who severely bullied me in high school to the point where I had to switch schools.

He applied for a senior position at my current company. The hiring manager happens to be my closest work friend.

​She casually asked me if I knew him since we went to the same school. Instead of making a dramatic scene, I just gave a soft, disappointed sigh and said, "Yeah, I do. He’s smart, but... just be careful. There were some pretty heavy HR adjacent rumors about how he treats female colleagues at his last place."

​It was a total lie. But it worked. She thanked me, and his application went straight into the trash pile today. He has no idea why he got ghosted, and I’m smiling at my desk.

I Just started this job on June 22, I really like it, It's laid back. The people I work with are nice except this one lady I call her B. The lady who is my lead had me go work with B because my area didn't have any work at the moment. The minute I got near B I got "Bad Vibes." I'm not here to make friends, but I be friendly towards my coworkers, no not B she act like I should know the job, she's definitely not a people person to train. She all but snapped at me because I said I didn't remember doing a certain task from last week. So I mentioned this to my lead she says she does that to everyone, if you feel like she was out of place we can do a report on her or you can contact HR. I told her not at the moment because I have on been here a week. I know I am not quitting because I love this job. I just don't want to work with her. My question would you report her or just avoid her?

I was working a few hours a week at a small local newspaper. I loved the job and had a lot of fun with it. But the general manager, someone who lived and worked an hour away loved to micromanage our office.

After I had worked there for about 4 years, (acting editor, doing the work but not getting the pay) the staff member who was in charge of ad sales retired. So we found a new person to take her place. Then they wanted another writer, so someone applied and got the job. All was going well so far.

I had planned to work until my 5th anniversary and then go back into retirement. In December before my 5th anniversary, I had spent the day at a school function, taking pictures and interviewing people for my follow-up story. I got back to the office to find out that I couldn’t get into my computer. The general manager had been to the office while I was “on assignment” and majorly messed things up. I couldn’t get into the email program to get articles that I set up because she had set up a different one and deleted the address that EVERYONE used to contact us. I couldn’t get into the main server to send the stories down for layout…none of that.

I finished out that day and came in the other day I was scheduled…twiddling my thumbs because I couldn’t do anything. Because it was close to Christmas, we planned a small Christmas party for the 4 local staff for the next Monday, so I went back for that, not telling anyone my plans. We had the Christmas party and exchanged our little gifts. Then I took my office key off of my keyring, laid it down on the desk and said “I won’t be coming back, I’m done.” I then told them that it wasn’t anything that THEY did, but when the general manager disabled my computer and screwed things up so I couldn’t do my work, there was no reason to drive 60 miles round trip a few times a week making $12 an hour sitting around staring at the wall.

One day I had the worst period cramps and was absolutely buried under work. I hadn't even gotten up from my desk to even to pee because apparently leaving your chair for two minutes required a search warrant in that office. The workload got so bad that my chest actually started hurting. I told my AM, My chest hurts. I can't work anymore. One of my senior This man goes, "If it's hurting so much, let me press it for you." Trying to lighten the situation, I said, "Mera gala daba do ek baar, main khatam ho jaaungi." (Basically, "Just choke me once, I'll be done.") he looked at me and said something along the lines of, "Gale ke neeche daba doon toh theek ho jayega." While saying it, he gestured toward my chest.

And this wasn't even a one-off. This guy had absolutely no concept of personal space. He'd stand unnecessarily close, lean in, talk directly into my ear for absolutely no reason. Every interaction felt so uncomfortable

Then came Diwali. I wore a saree because... you know... it's Diwali.

First thing this man says when I walk in:

"I was expecting you'd wear a saree."

Cool. Weird. Whatever.

At the end of the day everyone was shaking hands before the holidays.

Guess who decided a handshake wasn't enough?

This man literally tried to hug me.

I physically moved away and shooed him off.

Corporate really said, "Here's your workload, your micromanagement, and a side of HR violations."

I recently had an interview where the hiring manager spent most of the conversation complaining about former employees. That alone made me question the role. What's the biggest red flag you've encountered during an interview process?