20 Infuriating Ways Employers Have Jerked Workers Around

D
A broken workplace printer
reddit | BABY_666_PIMP

Working a job is something that the vast majority of us have to do. It's also something that the vast majority of us would choose not to do if we had any say in the matter.

That said, there are good employers out there. But bad bosses somehow have a way of being so much more memorable. If you're feeling a little bit annoyed at how your manager has been treating you lately, feel free to check out this list while you're on the clock.

"My husband was promoted to his former boss’ position, and the guy left his office like this for my husband to move into."

A very messy office after the previous occupant moved out
reddit | flowersandfwords

I wouldn't expect the former occupant of my office to deep-clean the place or anything, but is it too much to ask for them to remove at least some of their garbage?

"Moments before taking this photo, I told my boss these pallets are a pain to move."

Bags of mulch spilling off of a pallet
reddit | korbentulsa

Anyone who's worked a physically demanding job likely shares the experience of expressing concern to their boss, having it ignored, and then witnessing a disaster strike.

"I've worn my earrings to work every day for two years, I come in today and have this sexist policy presented to me. Someone not even in my company tattled on me to my out-of-state managers."

Company email saying men cannot wear earrings
reddit | Kaptain_Khakis

It's a little tough to make this out, but the long and short of it is that men are now banned from wearing earrings in the workplace. This company needs to get with the times.

"Manager made this mess and made me pick it up, I do it and I come out she’s sitting on a counter FaceTiming someone and blasting music."

Trays spilled everywhere in the backroom of a restaurant
reddit | ItalianDenero666

Some managers get to where they are through hard work. Other managers, though, really make you wonder.

"This was my dad's only Christmas bonus from the company he's worked at for over 20 years: A $20 off coupon for a frozen turkey. My mom got a Christmas ornament."

$20 off Butterball turkey coupon given as a Christmas bonus
reddit | AdiosTinyToast

Some companies don't offer holiday bonuses at all, but those that do really ought to research what a respectable bonus might look like.

"Scabs hired out of state being bussed in to work at Case New Holland in Burlington, IA. We are currently on strike fighting for fair wages and benefits after a great year for the company."

Scab workers being bussed in to cover for striking workers
reddit | [user]

The power of collective bargaining lies in unity. Unfortunately, that unity doesn't matter when businesses are willing to hire scab workers.

"My boss' 'inspirational' quote on the wall…"

Sign reading 'When there is no consequence for poor work ethic, and no reward for good work ethic, there is no motivation...'
reddit | questionablysober

This boss used a lot of words (and some truly baffling capitalization) to justify the fact that they want to punish their employees. This is a demotivational poster if I've ever seen one.

"Boss says no AC isn’t that big of a deal…"

Thermometer inside vehicle shows 117 degrees Fahrenheit
reddit | angryupvotee

If you're driving a company car, it's reasonable to expect things to work properly, and for your boss to listen to any concerns. In this case, I don't think cracking the window is going to help any.

"2 weeks of telling my boss the produce in the warehouse is going bad - Him: don't worry about it."

Hand holding a container of moldy strawberries
reddit | Kaxton15

I once worked at a well-known coffee shop and had a manager who would shrug off expiry dates. On a related note, I don't go to that coffee shop anymore.

"POV: you work in order picking without certifications when all drivers are busy."

Bags of mulch loaded onto a trolley
reddit | Work-Alone

Most jobs involve a certain amount of covering for other people. But at a certain point, the onus falls on the boss to make sure the right people are working the right jobs.

"Getting told I don’t work by my boss all because I didn’t scrub a small piece of dried bird poop off of the sidewalk after having deep cleaned the entire office, while also being my boss’ only employee and running his business completely by myself for just a few cents over minimum wage."

Small amount of bird poop on a sidewalk
reddit | AmberKF13

There's no feeling worse than working a lousy job for a lousy boss, and not being in a position to quit.

"Business owner aggressively whining about staffing on the front door. Very unappetizing to me."

Sign on pizza restaurant complaining about people being unwilling to work
reddit | earthdogmonster

If only this manager knew that there was one weird trick to making employees want to work. As it turns out, offering a living wage is a great incentive.

"No soap in restrooms at Burger King. Spoke to manager who said, 'Oh well. I haven't had the chance to see if any came in on the truck today.' and then continued to do nothing about it. Scary as if I can't wash my hands, neither can their employees."

Empty soap dispenser at Burger King
reddit | saoiray

You'd think the manager could pop over to a store and buy some soap dispensers, but that would require effort.

"These 'inspirational' messages from my manager."

Text messages from a manager aggressively encouraging employees to work harder
reddit | little-bird89

I can't even imagine the anxiety that waking up to this every morning must bring on. Like, employees are going to do their best when they're on the clock, but they certainly don't need this when they're off the clock.

"I work at a place where at the end of shifts we split the tips evenly between the 2-3 people that work. We had more than $50 of tips today and my coworker had to leave about 10 minutes early. She ended up taking all but $2.50 and management won't do anything about it."

A tip jar containing roughly $2.50
reddit | TMOJBAR

If there's one thing that's true of managers and tip jars, it's that managers could not care less about whether their employees are receiving adequate tips.

"My Osha required 120$ non-slip work shoes after 7 months. Manager offered a pair of rubber covers when confronted."

Pair of deteriorated OSHA-certified shoes
reddit | Slow_Python_v1

The fact that these shoes have exploded isn't the manager's fault, but the failure to do anything about it is most definitely their fault.

"Glad to know the McD manager gets paid well. Should know how to park still."

McDonald's manager's fancy car parked across two spaces
reddit | Student_B_Like

Good for this McD's manager for buying a nice car, but it's kind of an unnecessary flex when everyone else in the restaurant is likely making minimum wage.

"The toilet paper of a $30,000,000,000 company."

An extremely thin piece of 1-ply toilet paper
reddit | Locky5300

This is infuriating, no doubt. Then again, companies don't grow to this size by spending a dime more than they need to. The road to riches is paved with one-ply toilet paper.

"The way my company announced our paycut."

Email announcing pay 'increase' shows it's actually a decrease
reddit | viblical

This might be worth lawyering up over. After all, the email makes it very clear that this is supposed to be an increase — and going from $21.99 to $20 an hour is most certainly not an increase.

"The multi-billion dollar company I work for still hasn’t replaced my printer to allow me to do essential tasks."

A broken workplace printer
reddit | BABY_666_PIMP

I'm less shocked by management's inaction than I am by the state of this printer. What happened to it? Why isn't anything being done about it?

Filed Under: