Most of us have been told our entire lives that having a good work ethic is crucial for success. You should be willing to grind, go the extra mile, and do it all with a smile. After all, what more is there to life than earning a paycheck?
Well, nowadays, people are becoming more honest about their work environments and the treatment they’re receiving. And many employees have realized that they deserve much better. Bored Panda has compiled a list below of some of the most egregious examples of toxic workplaces, because thankfully, these workers aren’t afraid to speak up anymore. So enjoy scrolling through these pics, and be sure to upvote the ones featuring companies that you’d never ever work for!
#1 What My Company Gave Us All This Morning
Work at a warehouse and came into work this morning with these at all of our workstations. Cheap multibillion dollar company didn’t even get us a full sized candy bars.
Image source: Targetpractice1314
#2 This Motivational Quote When I Walked In This Morning
Image source: reddit.com
#3 My Girlfriend’s Job Gave Her A Fake Raise
So about a week ago my girlfriend was excited to tell me she had been given a raise at her job. Apparently raise has a different meaning now than more money in your paycheck. Since when does anyone appreciate a recognition card.
Image source: Reeltoreel01234
We all know that we’re going to have to put up with certain frustrations in the workplace. The colleague sitting next to you might smack their gum while typing up reports, and your boss might have a habit of scheduling meetings less than a day in advance. But there’s a big difference between dealing with minor annoyances at work and feeling like you’re trapped in an unhealthy workplace.
According to Monster’s 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey, a whopping 80% of employees say they currently work in a toxic environment. Meanwhile, 71% of workers report that they would describe their mental health while on the clock as poor or fair. And the top reasons cited for damaging employees’ mental health were a toxic work culture, a bad manager, lack of growth opportunities, an increased workload, and staffing shortages.
#4 Not Enough To Do Your Job, Gotta Love It Too
Image source: CruiseForLife
#5 The Reason I Won’t Say Where I’m Going
I recently left a minimum wage job, and despite him asking me in multiple ways over several days, I refused to tell the franchise owner where I was moving to.
This is the reason. This is a hole he kicked into the wall when a new hire quit after one shift. The Band-Aid was made by a coworker as a joke. It was the result of a temper tantrum by a grown man in the brand-new building; he told us to “make our own.”
Image source: Gryffindorphins
#6 Can’t Afford To Give Us A Pay Rise, But They Can Afford To Do This
Somehow, I find this more offensive than the year they sent everyone in the company a biodegradable pencil with flower seeds in it.
Image source: JadeStarfall
It’s very important to employees that they work in a place where they feel safe. In fact, 57% say they would rather quit than continue working in a toxic environment. But unfortunately, 93% say their bosses aren’t doing enough to support workers’ mental health.
Monster’s survey found that 63% of employees prioritize their mental well-being over having a position that they can brag about. And 43% admit that they would even pass on a promotion, while 33% say they would pass on a raise, if accepting it would be detrimental to their health. At the same time, nearly a quarter of employees say they’d rather work weekends than stay in a toxic workplace.
#7 Company Is Shaming Me For Not Gifting More Money To “Our” (Their) Boss For A Christmas Present
Image source: Turissmo
#8 Just Saw This In A McDonald’s
Image source: CorpseToes
#9 Ain’t This Illegal? It’s A Restaurant, Working In Front Of The Grill And I Can Not Go To The Bathroom Or Drink Water?
Image source: Disastrous_Issue_847
Now, you might be wondering if workplaces have always been so dysfunctional or if this is something new. Well, a 2023 survey found that 30% of American workers found their workplaces to be even more toxic than they were just three years prior. The most common unhealthy behaviors observed were gossiping, unprofessional communication, avoiding working or collaborating with colleagues, excluding employees, and/or stealing credit for other people’s work.
#10 When Work Decides Corn Hole Is Better For You
Image source: kaciemayea
#11 My Workplace Posted This Infuriating Sign Today
Image source: Chemical-Plum-1935
#12 A Competing Company Is Offering Us 20 Percent More To Work For Them. Management’s Response
Image source: reddit.com
Considering the fact that the average American spends about 1,976 hours at work per year, toxic environments are a serious issue that needs to be addressed. VeryWell Mind notes that being stuck in an unhealthy workplace can lead to low morale, excessive stress, high turnover, poor trust, employee disengagement, harassment and discrimination, poor communication, high absenteeism, burnout, and more. It’s in everyone’s best interest to nip workplace issues in the bud before they escalate and begin to take a toll on employees.
#13 Our Goodwill Store Alone Made $3 Million This Past Year Which Was A Store Record We Were All Told To Push For. This Was Our Compensation
Image source: natieyou
#14 The Teacher Appreciation Gift My School Gave Me
It’s just a printed out picture of a letter board.
Image source: Delicious-Ocelot-19
#15 I’m 41 And Job Hunting, Applied At A Large Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain For An Entry-Level Position. The Manager Sent Me This The Next Day
Image source: reddit.com
When it comes to fixing, or ideally preventing, a toxic work environment, FaceUp notes that it’s important to recognize the first signs that something is wrong. These might include sudden drops in employee engagement, defensive behavior when feedback is offered, a lack of transparent communication, favoritism, inconsistent accountability, or public criticism. Noticing and addressing these red flags immediately can help turn the company’s culture around before it’s too late.
#16 We Didn’t Get An Employee Turkey Or Ham This Year For Thanksgiving, And Here’s Our December Free Item
Image source: Brilliant_Agent_1427
#17 Am I Going To Get In Trouble For This? Perhaps
Image source: IronManLegoFan
#18 They Changed The Sign, But It’s Not Any Better
Image source: -CherryByte-
Ideally, you’ll want to prevent a workplace from ever becoming toxic in the first place, though. To do so, FaceUp says clarity is key. The company’s core values should be clearly communicated, so everyone’s on the same page. Meanwhile, regular feedback from employees should be encouraged. This way, when issues do arise, they aren’t ignored or left to fester. If workers feel like they’re truly being listened to, they won’t build up resentment towards the company.
#19 My Availability Has Always Been Strictly Mon-Fri. I Spoke To A Manager When I Saw This Sign And Was Told I Will Be Working That Day, Regardless Of My Availability
The schedule is now up, and I have been assigned a full shift that Saturday.
Image source: Clumsy_Cheeseburger
#20 It Was Teacher Appreciation Week And They Said Dinner Would Be Provided
Image source: MxKarlaMarxxx
#21 This Is What I Got For Working 1 Year At My Job. They Spelled My Last Name Wrong, Pathetic
Image source: reddit.com
It’s also extremely important for managers to receive proper training and understand how to treat their workers. Unfortunately, one-third of employees say they have a toxic manager, so clearly, there’s some work to be done here. At the same time, companies must make it clear that they prioritize their employees’ well-being. Whether that’s offering better benefits, promoting a healthy work-life balance, or being flexible with workers’ hours, it’s crucial that they feel like their boss has their back.
#22 Manager Took Us Out For A Treat And Just Bought This One Serving. We Were 5 People
We’ve had a very busy week working around a new database system and we all have been putting extra hours to get used to it and set it up. It has been really difficult and time consuming because it’s really really complex and unclear in a lot of aspects but it was finally done. We were all happy and manager decided he wanna treat us.
He brought us all to a nearby café and ordered this. Just one dessert for 5 people. Please don’t come at me for being greedy or something. This man earns double triple than us and then acts like this.
Image source: Wander_tea
#23 Coworkers Slipped On Ice In The Parking Lot – How Management Dealt With It
Property management and my work shoveled a bunch of snow to a space where the sun hits during the day. It then melts and freezes overnight, creating a slippery parking lot. Instead of chipping it away or putting salt down, they just put a wet floor sign down…
Image source: Bkkr
#24 The Keyboard Passed Down To Me By The Previous Technician That I Have To Use
Image source: FraktalFire
Is this list making you want to rip your hair out, pandas? We sincerely hope that these photos don’t remind you of your own workplace, but if they do, it might just be time to quit. Keep upvoting the images that you find most egregious, and let us know in the comments below what the worst thing you’ve ever experienced in a toxic workplace was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out Bored Panda’s previous rendition of this same topic, look no further than right here!
#25 The Movement Grows
Image source: DiccOnBrick27
#26 The Windowless Room I Work In Does Have A Window, But It’s Above The Drop Ceiling
Image source: Ilaught
#27 Management “Appreciates” Us
Just a little Christmas gift from the supervisor. Nothing like working us up and choosing favorites and then giving us these dollar store candies as a gift. I know someone from another department in this hospital that got from their boss a $20 gift card plus a $25 gift card from the CEO of the hospital.
Image source: reddit.com
#28 This Burrito At My Job Is $5.54, And We’re Not Allowed To Leave To Get Food
Image source: Kami_Ouija
#29 My Company Got A Tony’s Advent Calendar That We All Had A Day Assigned. Mine Was Deliberately Empty
The more infuriating this is the company got a single calendar for multiple employees.
Image source: theuberjosh
#30 Hours Majorly Cut, Asking TMS To Go Home Early, Retracting Shifts, Etc. This Goes Up In The Breakroom. Read The Room?
Image source: trisfry
#31 The Fact That Someone Thought To Call Alex Out Like This Only Confirms They Made The Right Decision By Walking Out
Image source: bananaCandys
#32 My Cousin Works TSA And After 30 Days, He Got These Gift Cards. Still No Paycheck
Image source: millimonsterrr
#33 My Job’s HR System Notified Me That My PTO Was Denied With “Good News!”
Image source: foocubus
#34 If You’re On Time Your Interview Will Be Cancelled. $15 An Hour
Image source: toadsie16
#35 I Went To Request A Day Off In Mid-February (It Was Mid-January) And Was Met With This Rather Toxic Pop-Up
Image source: Drawtaru
#36 My Partner’s Work Put This AI Slop Banner Up For Employee Appreciation Week
Image source: Slippery-Bogle
#37 My Girlfriend’s Nurse Appreciation Gift From One Of The Largest Hospitals In The Metroplex
Image source: Spiffy2koed
#38 My Workplace Is Infested With Mold, Especially In The Air Vents. I Work In Food
It’s in every single air vent in the store (approximately 16). Management refuses to draw attention or do anything about it. I work in food as well. It’s a health hazard, and nobody is doing anything about it, and unfortunately it’s most likely in the vents themselves, so you can’t just “sweep it off with a broom” like one of the managers has done. Not to mention that releases mold spores everywhere.
Image source: yourmomifier
#39 Told The District Manager That My Coworkers And I Were Overworked And Under Appreciated. Came In To This
It’s Trader Joe’s Jingle Jangle mix.
Image source: thattrashgremlin
#40 Boss Won’t Turn On The AC And I Feel Like I’m Having A Heat Stroke. Is It Normal To Not Have AC On In Pizzerias At 86 F?
Image source: Bhoklagemapreetykhau
#41 A Cup I Received In A Meeting At Work
For context I work in a school. Just annoying because I make hardly any money for my job and the higher-ups reward us with these cups.
Image source: random52784
#42 Snack Options At My Work (Company Is Worth $9.6 Billion)
Image source: AAmell
#43 My Friend’s Daughter Helped Out A Restaurant For Six Hours, At £10 Per Hour. This Was The Conversation When She Noticed She Was Only Paid £40
Image source: happypenguinwaddle
#44 Look At This
Image source: Sunyata666
#45 Posted At The McDonald’s One Of My Sons Work At, They Claim That This Came Down From Corporate
Image source: TrailMomKat
#46 At A Fast Food Fried Chicken Place. I’m Quitting After My Next Shift Tomorrow
Image source: Far_Actuary_675
#47 Do I File A Wage Theft Claim?
Image source: GeneralMills420
#48 My Office Is Prison Chic
My team moved offices and the only decor on my floor is full chain linked fences and no ceiling tiles. No there’s no construction going on. Apparently it was done 5 years ago when industrial style was in. The floor below mine looks like the entrance to a psych ward.
Image source: WerkitMom
#49 HR Gets Labor Day Off While The Rest Of Us Work
Image source: ApprehensiveDevice37
#50 Not Sure This Is Even Legal
Image source: Svartrbrisingr
#51 Only Drink Machine At Work Puts A $10 Hold On Your Card For 6-8 Days Until Cameras Confirm What You Took
Image source: Swords_and_Sims4
#52 My Boss At Work Plays The Same Playlist Everyday For The Past 6 Years
I feel like I’m in my own personal purgatory.
Image source: KFCCrocs
#53 Mandatory Work Colors
I don’t trust a middle manager to be able to tell the difference between royal blue and cobalt at a moments notice. But that’s easy. If they don’t like you it’s cobalt.
Image source: soleario21
#54 A Timely Reminder That Regulations Exist To Protect The Workers
Just a timely reminder that without safety regulations, your job can and will exploit you. This is from when I worked at the Museum of Science in Boston and my boss told me I had to stay in the butterfly garden with a broken HVAC system, causing the temperature to be 116 degrees f (46 celcius). He gave me a bucket of ice & went home for the day. I was only permitted to leave when a VP’s wife came to visit the garden and noted it was “a little warm in here.”
Image source: ZinniaOhZinnia
#55 How I Found Out I Was Losing My Job
I was out shopping for Christmas presents when my former director accidentally sent a message to a Teams group chat that included me and another manager. It clearly wasn’t meant for me to see.
The next day was supposed to be the company Christmas party, and I had been asked to help out with planning and running some of the events. Even though I didn’t normally work in the office on Fridays, I wanted to make the effort. I had only started the job a couple months earlier and was looking forward to bonding with my new coworkers since we were all never really in the office at the same times.
This all came after I had already helped them automate a lot of their CRM processes and clean up a massive database. In hindsight, that probably led to me automating myself out of a job. I had just left a company I’d been with for nine years, and now this?
I went straight home, drafted an email to HR, and thankfully managed to hold onto the job for another week while they tried to sort things out. Shortly after I was fired. There was huge layoff, with around 800 people across different departments losing their jobs. The company ended up outsourcing all of those positions to a firm in India.
Image source: Substanzz
#56 My Company Doesn’t Allow Us To Use California Sick Pay. There’s Not Even A Way To Request It
Image source: xRaist36
#57 Buying Practically Cardboard So We Won’t Take Bathroom Breaks At Work
Image source: stennerx
#58 “Please Give Me A Moment. There Is An Ongoing Earthquake But We Will Get To Your Concern Shortly”
Image source: mooIahmatters
#59 I Got My Yearly Review
Image source: Phreak74
#60 My Friend Is Visiting Me From 4 States Away In About 2 Weeks And Put In For Time Off Over A Month Ago. This Just Went Up In The Break Room Today
Image source: Camachan
#61 Manager Making Employees Dig Through Dozens Of Trash Bags To Find Silverware
Image source: necronomiconmortis
#62 Law Firm Memes
Image source: Blanche_soda
#63 What Do You Guys Think Of This? Is This Allowed?
Image source: reddit.com
#64 An E-Mail My Manager Sent The Morning After I Took My Son To The Hospital Mid-Shift
Image source: LAR919191
#65 Nothing Like A Cracked Glass Floor To Keep You Focused At Work
Image source: IVIushroom
#66 Work Refused To Close Because It’s Not Dangerous Enough
Image source: Zyncon
#67 Saw This Clocking In This Morning. Isn’t This Illegal?
Image source: Electronic-Legz
#68 My Boss Just Assigned A Bunch Of Tasks For Me To Do, & Made Them Due 2 Days Ago
Image source: tipsy-cowgirl
#69 None Of Us Here Are Surprised
Image source: No7onelikeyou
Follow Us
