To survive in this world, we need money. And unless we’re lucky enough to have a fortune sitting in the bank, that usually means having some kind of job. But no matter how much you love what you do or how rewarding your profession might be, earning a living under capitalism can be downright exhausting.
So we’ve gathered a collection of anti-work posts from the subreddit r/WeirdCareers that put into words what so many of us find frustrating about the way things are. Scroll down to see if you agree with them and upvote your favorites.
#1 I Always Keep This In My Mind
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#2 Parents Who Want To Be Friends Instead Of Parents
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#3 Give Me The Keys Or Shut Up
Image source: Independent_gurl0918
Complaining about work is hardly a modern invention. In fact, more than 3,000 years ago, workers in ancient Egypt organized what is considered the first recorded labor strike after their payment, which came in the form of food rations, was delayed.
Even in ancient Rome, people had to endure arduous commutes, much like we do today. Clearly, the struggle to earn a living has been around for a very long time.
#4 I Would Pay For This App
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#5 Faxx. Can’t Agree More
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#6 They Told Me That And I Asked Who’s My Wife LOL
Image source: ColdTommy
Of course, just because work has always been difficult doesn’t mean we should simply put up with poor conditions and unreasonable expectations.
After all, speaking up about unfair treatment is how workers have won many of the rights we enjoy today. Besides, modern employment comes with a whole new set of headaches that didn’t exist in the past.
#7 Just 4 Months Is On The Low End
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#8 Maybe Start Pointing The Finger To Employer’s. Start Asking Them What They Are Doing To Provide A Good Work Environment. They Aren’t
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#9 You Know Greg Is A Solid Boss
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For starters, simply finding a job can feel like an impossible mission. According to a 2026 survey by United Way, job seekers submitted an average of 63 applications before landing just five interviews.
Nearly 80% said the search had left them feeling burned out. And honestly, it’s not difficult to see why when you consider how much time goes into tailoring resumes and preparing for interviews, often without hearing anything back.
#10 Want Every Company Using AI To Suffer
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#11 Let’s Circle Back On That At A Later Time
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#12 Nobody Really Tells You How Much Your Idea Of Success Can Change As You Get Older
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To make matters worse, there’s no certainty that the positions people apply for are even real. A 2026 Resume Genius survey found that 67% of American job seekers had encountered fake or misleading job advertisements.
Some companies post so-called ghost jobs despite having no immediate intention of hiring anyone, leaving applicants wasting hours on opportunities that might never materialize.
For those who do make it through the application process, there can still be several rounds of interviews before an employer finally makes a decision.
#13 It’s Literally Free To Be Kind
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#14 My Love Language Is More Pay
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#15 The Crisis Comes When You Realize You Have No Other Choice
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Unfortunately, getting hired is only half the battle. Once you’ve secured a position, there’s the question of how long you’ll get to keep it, particularly with artificial intelligence changing the workplace.
A September 2026 Gallup survey found that 27% of American workers worried technology could soon make their jobs obsolete, nearly double the percentage recorded in 2017. Meanwhile, another Gallup report found that 21% of employees said their employers were reducing their workforce in early 2026.
#16 Honestly And Nothing Cost 2010 Money Anymore
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#17 We’ve Normalised Habits That Work Against Our Biology, Then Wonder Why We Feel Exhausted And Disconnected. Progress Should Improve The Quality Of Human Life, Not Come At The Expense Of Our Health
Image source: Both-Technician8489
#18 The Salary Of That “Boss” Needs To Be Reduced To 34k. If He Loves The Company, He Will Accept It
Image source: DegreeZero217
Even if your position is relatively secure, there’s still the actual work to get through. Between long hours and the pressure to stay productive, it’s hardly surprising that so many employees feel drained.
According to Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report, 40% of workers worldwide experienced significant stress during the previous day. When you spend so much of your time working, finding enough energy for everything else can become a struggle of its own.
#19 Minimum-Wage Workers Shouldn’t Expect To Live Like They’re Making $100,000 A Year. But Being Able To Afford Basic Necessities Shouldn’t Require A Six-Figure Salary Either
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#20 Honestly I Would Have Been So Grateful!
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#21 Nobody Fears The Old Computer; They Fear Being The Last Person Who Touched It
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With all these developments, it’s easy to feel like we’re getting closer to some dystopian future, where life will only keep getting worse and there’s no way out. But despite it all, there are also signs that things could change for the better.
More companies are experimenting with ways to give employees a healthier balance between their jobs and personal lives, including the idea of a four-day workweek. And the results so far have been pretty encouraging.
#22 I Beg To Differ There…
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#23 Better Get Back To Work
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#24 That Whole “We All Have The Same 24 Hours” Argument Has Always Sounded A Little Too Convenient
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For instance, a 2023 study by the University of Cambridge followed 61 UK companies that tested a four-day workweek without cutting employees’ pay.
After six months, 71% of workers reported feeling less burned out, sick days dropped by 65%, and the number of employees leaving their jobs fell by 57%. Meanwhile, company revenue remained largely unchanged, even increasing by 1.4% on average.
The results were so encouraging that 92% of participating companies decided to continue with the shorter working week after the trial ended. Perhaps there’s hope, then, that the way we work could change for the better in the years to come.
#25 All My Decision-Making Skills Clock Out When I Do
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#26 Designed $10m In Real Estate As A Kitchen And Bathroom Designer. Ill Have My Best Year This Year, Flipping Pokemon Cards
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#27 It’s Not The Boomers, It’s The System Of Capitalism Owned By The Ultra Wealthy
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Of course, a four-day workweek won’t magically solve every problem, and there’s still plenty of room for improvement. But experiments like these show that there are ways to make working life better for everyone.
It’s also a reminder of why speaking up about our frustrations matters. After all, if we want things to change, we have to be willing to push for it.
#28 Adding 20 Million People To Compete For Housing With Will Do That
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#29 We Called It” Pebkac” In The Tickets. Stands For “Problem Exist Between Keyboard And Chair”
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#30 Carried The Team So Long HR Thought I Was Two People
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#31 Do People Even Have $83 Left?
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#32 This Is The Side Of Corporate Life Nobody Prepares You For. The Harsh Reality
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#33 Every Year I Just Copy Paste From The Previous Year. No One’s Said Anything Yet
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#34 Sick Days Are Also When You’re Sick Of Everyone Work
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#35 I Lost That Strength. I’m On Sick Leave For Depression Now
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#36 I Truly Can’t Think About This Or I Will Go Insane
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#37 Some Coworkers Are Just Expensive Office Decorations
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#38 The Review Would Be Pages
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#39 Senior-Level Meetings Showed Me Leaders Are Mostly Winging It
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#40 Corporate America Knows What They’re Doing
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#41 Specifically… Karen, Helen, Susan, Greg, Tim, And Cynthia
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#42 Adulting Is Fun
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#43 Double Standard At Its Finest
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#44 Some Managers Won’t Fire You Directly. They’ll Frustrate You Until You Resign, Then Act Like They Did Nothing Wrong
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#45 Welcome To The Corporate World
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#46 Envy People Who Log Off At 6 Pm Without Any Guilt
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#47 Employees Are The Ultimate Investment
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#48 My Dark Humor Joke Was So Funny Hr Now Wants To Hear It
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#49 Even If Saving Lives, The Job Isn’t Everything
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#50 There Was A Lot Of “This Is How They Tell You To Do It, But This Works.”
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#51 The Lazy Ones Are The Ones Who Are The Loudest And Go Around Creeping Around Managers
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#52 Hourly Employees, Do You Often Get Calls When You’re Off The Clock?
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#53 Their Worse On The Phone. I’d Go Back To Retail Before Ever Doing Cs Over The Phone Ever Again. LOL
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#54 The Cruelest Part Is That Because I Stood Up For Myself They Completely Destroyed My Career. Hr Joined In The Bullying
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#55 That’s The Only Part I Remember
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#56 We Do, Actually Have A Choice. Most Company Just Wouldn’t Let Us Know. Read The Fine Print
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#57 The Manager Who Preaches Ownership But Never Reads Your Emails
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#58 This Is Why Companies Don’t Want You To Talk About Your Pay With Coworkers, And Also One Of The Many Reasons Why They Don’t Want You To Unionize
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#59 Men Would Wear Their Best Suit To The Bank When Asking For A Loan
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#60 Should Have Her Free Groceries For Life
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#61 And Even If You Get On Disability You’re Stuck In Poverty That’s Enforced By The Government
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#62 It’s Federal Law That A Person Can Only Work So Many Hours And Then Has To Have A Break. That Is Not The Employer
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#63 AI Can’t Even Keep Teams From Thinking I’m Idle
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#64 8 Hours Of Work, 7 Hours Of Discussing The Work
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#65 In General, Refunds Are Held 10 Days Because People Can Stop Pymt And Places Are Out The $$
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#66 Half The Battle In Career Progression Is Realizing That You’re Better Than You Think You Are And The Ones In Power Are Not As Good As You Think They Are
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#67 Here In Arizona The Maximum Unemployment Benefits Is $285 A Week. You’re Not Gonna Be Living Large On That
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#68 Thats The Way To Do It. But Why Put Secrets Out Here
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#69 Wish I Was With A Company That Cared About Me Like This One Does
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#70 Me Just Clocking In And Coworkers Already Asking Questions
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#71 A Master’s Degree In “Studies”, I’ll Bet
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#72 At This Point The Dentist Can Have My Teeth
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#73 Working There Now
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#74 Just Pray For The Right Mood Everyday
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#75 “I’m Gonna Quit!…..probably”. – I Whisper To Myself
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#76 Maturing Is Not Telling Anyone At Work It’s Your Birthday
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#77 Tell Me About It. ‘Sounds Good’ Is A Different Kind Of Breathing Exercise
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#78 Very True, Sometimes High Performers Are Not Team Players And To Protect The Team And Culture, Some Hard Decisions Have To Be Taken
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#79 Some You Say???? Let’s Be Honest, The Majority Operate Like This
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#80 Normal Work Hour BTW
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#81 ‘must Be Thursday’
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#82 4 Day Work Week Problem Solved
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#83 When Halloween Is Over But Your Job Is Still A Nightmare
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#84 My Unfinished Drafts Would Prefer We Change The Subject
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#85 Stable Life Is A Myth Forget About Careers
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#86 Don’t Stop Grinding
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#87 Ever See Someone Type “Google” Into The Search Bar?
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#88 Someone Put In Their Two Weeks And Started Putting “Help Yourself” Post-Its On Other People’s Fridge Food
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#89 Clocking Out At 5pm Feels Great Until You Remember 40 More Years
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#90 The Biggest Compliment You Can Receive As An Adult Is “Do You Even Work?”
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#91 Companies Prioritize Their Bottom Line Over Individual Employees
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#92 At This Point, My Steam Library Is Basically A Retirement Plan
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#93 Wait Till You Turn 30
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#94 They Know This Place Is Broken And Still Won’t Fix Anything
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#95 I’ve Never Heard Of This Working Out Well For The Company
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#96 Corporate Is So Kind To Put Me And My Wife In The Same Unemployed Cell
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#97 We Have No Options
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#98 Extra Spicy Sauce Plz
Image source: evrythngs-taken-wtf
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