Anyone who’s ever had any job experience knows that it’s not all massive paychecks, awesome colleagues, and annual promotions. Work can be exhausting, frustrating, and unfair. However, if you’re stuck in a toxic workplace environment, every single day can be a struggle. Especially if you’re already burned out and barely hanging in there.
Members of the r/AskReddit community opened up about their worst workplace experiences in a viral thread. You’ll find their candid stories, about what finally made them quit without notice, as you scroll down.
Bored Panda reached out to Paula Davis, JD, MAPP, the founder and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute and the author of ‘Beating Burnout at Work.’ She was kind enough to shine some light on the early warning signs of burnout, as well as how employees can address serious workplace issues when they’re scared of the backlash.
#1
After 18 years in retail, I took a vacation to the beach. It had been an ungodly tough year of death (becoming a widow), trouble with my children, money problems, and a boss with an otherworldly hatred of me suddenly having much more things taking up my time.
They were completely unwilling to be flexible with these new constraints on my time, so I finally just wrote a schedule and took a whopping 3 days to myself.
I finally felt relaxed and realized I felt so good to be so far away. The day I was supposed to pack and head home, I extended mine and my kiddos’ stays and just never went back.
They called like crazy, texted, tried to get ahold of me but I didn’t care. I stayed gone and it was like a weight was lifted.
I still have nightmares about that place, but at least I wake up knowing I never have to go there again.
Image source: haylibee, Brett Sayles
#2
Dillards. They told me to clock out and work all night because regional was coming to inspect the store. So they wanted me to work for 8 hours moving around heavy stuff for free. Quit on the spot. Told me I wasn’t a “team player”. I asked the manager if he would pay me for not working. He said no. I asked him why would I work without getting paid, blank stare.
Image source: lizerpetty, Zereshk
#3
Old sales job I had. Landed/closed a big deal with a nice commission check heading my way. Found out a week or so later that the client wasn’t *mine*, therefore, the check would be going to the correct sales rep. The “correct” sales rep just happened to be related to the boss and so they got a free commission check without ever lifting a finger.
Left that day.
Image source: h1r0ll3r, Marília Castelli
#4
New management started taking from my commissions and kept trying to worm out of our agreed contract and pay. Final straw was when they were taking from the tip jar claiming tips weren’t for employees, just the boss
Image source: PM_ME_THIGHS_N_BUTTS, Sam Dan Truong
#5
I was a shift supervisor at Wendy’s. One night, a customer ordered an apple pecan salad after we had sold our last pre-made one. I asked an employee to gather ingredients from the walk-in fridge, specifically, a bag of pre-chopped apples.
He brought me two bags. One contained browned apple and had an expired expiration date label. The other looked fresh and wasn’t expired. I thanked him, took the fresh one, and instructed him to dispose of the expired one. He refused because he was afraid my boss would find out it was him and fire him. I said, “she can’t fire you for doing what I told you to do, especially if it’s the right thing to do.”
The next day, I get a call from an underage employee asking for a ride to work. When I picked him up, I suddenly remembered that he wasn’t on the schedule and asked him why he was going on. He explained that the boss had asked him to sub for someone she fired.
We arrive at work, and I walk straight back to the office to check the schedule and see that she’s crossed out the employee name who threw out the apples. I asked my boss why his name was crossed off the schedule, and she said he was wasting perfectly good food. I told her that I told him to throw it away because it was brown and the stamped date was expired. She yelled back that it was only a few days past expiration, and it was still fine. I explained that it is illegal to sell food beyond its expiration date, but if she wanted to eat it herself, she was welcome to get it out of the dumpster. She said she did get it out of the dumpster and made salads with it. Then she yelled, “You don’t throw away milk just because the expiration date has passed without sniffing it first!” I yelled back, first of all, the apples were f*****g brown, and second of all, I absolutely will throw out expired milk without sniffing it because spoiled milk smells awful and I don’t wanna ruin my apatite while I’m serving myself a meal!”
Then she threatened to fire me, and I yelled that she should because I was the one who instructed the employee to dispose of expired food, and I’ll do it again. She admitted it was an empty promise because she couldn’t afford to fire me, so I told her I was quitting. She asked, “Right now?” I said, “No, I’m giving my two week notice, but I start my two week vacation tomorrow, so tonight is my last shift.”
Later that night, I called the fired employee and apologized for getting him fired and bragged about how I quit in solidarity.
When my two weeks vacation was up, I actually did have to work one more week in order to get paid for my 2 week vacation, because I needed one more week to qualify working a full year. During that final week, I had an exit interview with the district manager. I explained why I quit and spoiled the beans on a bunch of other s**t the boss did wrong, and also suggested she get the security camera system fixed without the manager knowing because the manager’s shift is constantly putting money in the register and handing food out of the window without ringing it up in the system, then the manager counts out the drawers, which is against policy, and pockets the excess cash.
During my next shift, a couple of tech guys from corporate showed up to fix the security camera DVR, but left the second they opened the closet and saw we had a VHS system. They couldn’t just fix it. They needed to replace it. Also, they were very confused as to why we had a VHS system considering how new our store was. I told them the rumor was that the manager swapped it with a system from her house so she could get away with they.
Anyways, the district manager asked me to work at a store that was closer to my house for 1 month, because all of the managers at the other store were overdue for vacations but they didn’t have enough managers to take vacations.
When I started working at the other Wendy’s, I explained to the general manager why I quit and got transferred, and that I’d quit with no notice if he overruled my decisions on food safety. He agreed.
I worked there for almost a month and never had a single shift where I was the only manager on duty, which either meant that they did have enough managers to take vacations, or they weren’t taking any vacations anyway.
Then, one day, an employee grabbed a bag of frozen chicken out of a freezer, unaware that it was already open, and dumped the whole bag of frozen chicken on the floor right in front of the general manager and I. The employee looked at us both, shrugged, and asked, “Five second rule?” I replied, “No. The five second rule works if your only concern is vilification contamination, which can be cooked off, but we clean the floors with toxic chemicals that can not be cooked off. If you serve that chicken to customers, you will poison them.”
The employee looked at the general manager for confirmation, but the general manager said, “He’s right, but that’s a whole lot of money. Pick it up and serve it.” I walked out while saying, “Good luck with the food poisoning lawsuits!” Loud enough for customers to hear.
Image source: perrinoia, EEJCC
#6
I was a shift lead in a kitchen where none of the management knew anything about BoH. I ran grill, sauté, expo, and ovens solo during every peak shift. I ordered trucks, prepped all week for weekend brunch, wrote kitchen schedules, coordinated kitchen cleaning projects, contacted vendors for repairs, and generally ran the kitchen’s day to day. I was given the keys and started opening 6 days a week. I was working 55+ hours and loving it. I expanded our brunch service to Fridays as well as Saturday/Sunday and I come up with an early week menu to use up leftover brunch items and minimize waste. I helped grow weekly sales from 40-45k to 75-80k in three years.
I started having issues with closing management on shifts where I wasn’t there. I’d get in at 6am to open and the restaurant was left a mess and prep/stocking wasn’t completed. I talked to the staff and tried to get them to help out but I had no support and follow through from the actual managers. This went on for weeks.
Then one week I was in at 5 for Friday Brunch prep. I was prepping sheets of bacon and went to the back to pull the biscuits I had prepped the day before. I had left them on a speed rack. I found them on a shelf stacked on top of each other. The weight of the trays had smashed every biscuit into single sheets of dough on the lower trays. The speed rack had the dressings and cold items from the line close the night before.
I did about 90% of the brunch prep by the time the “opening” manager showed up at 8:30 (we opened at 9.) I told her what was left to set up the line. She asked why I was telling her. I laid the sheets of dough in front of her, dropped my keys on top, and walked out.
I got nearly 50 calls from them that day and dozens of texts. I didn’t respond to a single one. A few days later, the owner of the store called me and asked who he needed to fire to bring me back. I told him I’d pass and ended up finding another job in a day. A little over a year later, this restaurant shut down and was demolished to turn the space into a parking garage.
Image source: Pickle-Standard, Yente Van Eynde
#7
My brother had just died, would have been the first Christmas without him and I was expected to work because “it’s not like you have kids.”
Image source: Flamingo83, Pavel Danilyuk
#8
I put in that I needed off a particular weekend 5 months in advance. That week comes and I’m on the bar schedule. I call and say “yeah I can’t work this I have someone in town from across the country staying with me. I put in to have off 5 months ago.” Manager replied “you put in a *request* off, and it’s just that. A request.” So even though I was seething angry, I said okay and then hung up. Day of the shift comes and I waited until 15 minutes before it started to leave a message thanking them for the opportunity to cover everyone else’s shifts for 3 years, but I wouldn’t be in ever again. I still joke to this day with my friend that I quit my job for her.
Image source: tintedrosie, Waldemar
#9
My boss continuously berated my performance. I got a similar job elsewhere. My new job was going to start in a couple of weeks and I was waiting to talk with my boss and give him 2 weeks notice. He started criticizing me again so I gave him my keys for the building and walked out.
Image source: Illustrious-Gas-9766, Alena Darmel
#10
When they took my elderly coworker in the back and unceremoniously fired him. He had a disability when he was hired but after a few years a new manager started tasking him with things he wasn’t able to do, then complained to the new owners…
I walked out with him. I have a lot of pride for that decision. He said it made him feel like he mattered. They went out of business 6 months later so who even cares. It’s been 7 years and it still makes me angry to think about that day and those smug heartless managers.
Image source: holyf**kladyflash, Marcus Aurelius
#11
My manager threating to punch me in the face for wearing dress shoes(he thought I was interviewing for another job, I wasn’t) AND a customer threatening to kill me in the same day
Image source: heytherefriendman, Hermes Rivera
#12
My dad died right before Christmas. I was already scheduled for a week off for family travel HR said I could add three more days for funeral services so we could have it after the holiday. I came back and received a call from HR. The woman apologized and said she needed to ask but would make it brief. She asked if my dad actually died. I told her yes, and she apologized again and said she didn’t need anything else. Then the office manager called me into her office to tell me my boss had been telling people she thought I was faking it to get more time off.
My boss was horrible in general, and relied on me to do the majority of her work, which is what led her to creating the story about my dad not actually dying. She was hoping I’d be called back early from my trip.
I had been interviewing for a job at another company and got an offer the day I got back. I called from my desk and accepted the offer, then packed my things and left.
Image source: sloughlikecow, Rhodi Lopez
#13
When I got called an hour before my shift and was told to come in immediately because the manager didn’t schedule enough people. When I reminded her I needed to bus I was told to “just take a cab.” Stupidly I did. And when I got in she told me I should’ve made sure she did the schedule right. Then I was told I’d be opening the next morning… Even though I was closing the kitchen that night.
I closed. I did not open. My apron and key were on the counter waiting for her when she went to work in the morning.
Image source: smango19, Francisco Suarez
#14
Over a decade ago, worked at Tim Hortons. had been there 6 years on overnight shift. (11PM-7AM)
We were always understaffed. Usually just two people; one in the back, one at front of house. Of course it is slower than during the day, that goes without saying, but there are a few “rushes” when certain places close.
Anyways, they hire back a guy who had previously been fired like 4 times for just not showing up. He was on the schedule on a Sunday morning with me. There was a 20 dozen donut order and that was the day the freezer truck arrived and I put that away. I remember saying “If he doesn’t show up, I’m probably just going home”.
Needless to say, he doesn’t show up. Managers aren’t picking up either. I think I stayed for a few hours futilely trying to get everything done- I closed down the front and the Drive/thru for what I intended to be a few hours to try to at least have the order ready for 6AM. But then a switch kind of flipped; I realized I wasn’t going to be able to take any break the entire time. Somehow I’d have to figure out how to put away a freezer delivery, which arrives literally at 5AM which is busy as hell, and I’d be doing that as well. The people that showed up in the morning would just do their usual bitching about stuff I wasn’t able to do, I’d probably get written up again for some stupid reason or because I didn’t do X or Y or whatever, and all this for like, $10.50/hr. I paused and asked myself- “how long do I want to work here?”. And right then a bunch of drunk kids were knocking on the door, apparently confused why the lights were off and the door was locked, because that’s an enigma. I decided “6 years is enough” and went home.
Image source: BCProgramming, Ian Rutherford
#15
I once worked as a landscaper, and during a slow month, some of us workers were asked to head to the bosses brothers property and help out there, which was fine. My boss asked that I pick him up in the morning and take him out there. The straw that broke the camels back was while out there I had filled some buckets with water, and while I did turn the tap off, it was slowly dripping. My boss noticed this and had a complete meltdown. He made threats to harm to the person who left it dripping (he didn’t know who it was at that point). I dropped my tools, told my boss to shove his threats, and left, leaving my boss in the middle of nowhere
Image source: Atlas00x, Amritanshu Sikdar
#16
I used to work at IHOP in high school part time. They were literally scheduling me during school hours and calling me when I wasn’t showing up. I dropped off their stuff during the rush and left.
Image source: ThatOneHaitian, Mike Mozart
#17
I asked for a filing cabinet for 6 months got told there was no money in the budget. I found one for free and there was mo time to pick it up. Then they bought another supervisor a brand new truck
Image source: tryoracle, Mike Bird
#18
Started training a new employee. He beat the s**t out of me and put me in the hospital. I was a teenager at the time. He got the job a day out of jail. His words were, “I don’t take order from some dumb kid.” Then he punched me in the head.
I woke up in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken leg, 3 fingers broken on left hand, 1 on the right hand. I had various other injuries from after he knocked me out. My employer called me asking me if I was going to be late in the morning. I told them I was in the hospital with a broken leg. They said I had crutches right? Be there at 7am. I told him no, I quit. I hung up and blocked his contact. Got a bunch of nasty pages from him before I changed the number.
I showed the cops the messages and gave them access to VM, they told me it was best if I never went back there. I never did. I ended up getting a nice cheque in the mail from the company for how badly things went. Took years to figure out. As far as i know the guy was never caught. Just fled on foot cursing about that kid that ruined his life. I imagine there is some angry guy out there thinking about how he was going to get me. I am not worried. It has been over 30 years.
Image source: ne0rmatrix, Ron Lach
#19
I was working in a private Deaf education facility, and the owner refused to get certified interpreter’s. They would instead hire college interpreting student as teaching assistant to cut costs. I was hired shortly after the semester started and the seniors left.
A month in they started scheduling me to interpret IEPs. For the first two days I showed up with my job description and an invoice for service. No signature no service.
On my last and final day, a few of us student employees who carpooled from campus parked next to the owner of business. They were on a hands feee call windows down laughing about us stupid college students and the money they were making charging crazy tuition to different Deaf Families.
Imagine the shocked as we got out of the car in our staff uniform. I turned in my badge immediately then caught a bus to back to campus.
A few months pasted they made the local news because of ADA lawsuits from parents, the facility closed due to bankruptcy and financial fraud.
Image source: Ill-Bridge3129, cottonbro studio
#20
I as working at Sears part time for Christmas. They never trained me. When my supervisor came in for something and found out I was working alone he ran out before they could ask him to help. My other supervisor had a nervous breakdown and while crying, said he wanted to punch the manager but was a felon and needed the job. I just got tired of the s**t because I was literally just working for Christmas money. They found me at my other job and asked me to come back because I had figured out how to do the job without being trained. I said no and they told me I’d never be able to work for Sears or Kmart again.
Shiver me timbers
Image source: LoverOfGayContent, Phillip Pessar
#21
Quit my waitressing job after my boss tried to sleep with me 🙃
Image source: FreckldBombshell, cottonbro studio
#22
When I complained about being on call 24/7 and not being paid for it. And they had me in with HR discussing my performance. I walked out 2 weeks before Christmas
Image source: pokemaniac8989, cottonbro studio
#23
Retail. You take s**t from customers and you take s**t from management. It builds up. Not sure if there was a “straw” but one day I just went to lunch and never came back.
Image source: wheresbill, Korie Cull
#24
Wrote me up for something I didn’t do. Packed up my s**t, sent an email to my boss, clocked out and left.
Image source: m_nieto, Solen Feyissa
#25
They 1st scheduled me outside of my availability after me telling them 2 times and leaving a note to my Supervisor who “didn’t see it” until it was too late.
Got everything covered but 1 day and when I told my Supervisor that I was going to be 2 hours late because I worked 2 jobs, I was told “Be here or it’s a no call no show!”
Figured out a way to get to work on time (wonderful coworker at 2nd job switched me shifts after begging her to do so) and due to the way I was scheduled, outside of my availability, for the next 3 days I was working from 6am to 1am. Asked if I could leave at Midnight instead of 1am and was told “For even asking, you just volunteered to stay until 4am with me so we can check the Truck in.”
I clocked out for lunch and went home. Still do not regret it.
Image source: I_am_so_lost_again, Porapak Apichodilok
#26
They DQ’d me from a job that I literally created from the bottom-up, a position made explicitly for me, over a b******t complaint and were gonna send me to an overnight shift packing boxes for 15% less money. Interviewed closer to home and for 30% more the next week, quit the literal day after I burned up all my vacation hours without notice. Biggest smile of my f*****g life.
Then I learn their big fancy auditor comes in 3 months after I’m gone and finds out I actually DID A LOT to save the company money and keep them in compliance with OSHA. Oddly enough, they’re about 80-some days behind on a lot of stuff…
They’re hiring for my vacancy right now.
F**k em.
Image source: The_Bill_Brasky_, Adrian Sulyok
#27
Did everything they wanted. Jumped on
a plane to another site on 1 day’s notice. Ended up working 16 days straight before coming back. Took a WFH customer service job role I didn’t really want just to help out on a temporary basis. We were told that half the team could have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off and the other half could have Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Except me, who could only have Christmas Day. I signed out of the VPN, call blocked my managers, put my laptop in a box and posted it to head office with my resignation letter inside it.
Image source: Active-Strawberry-37, Pixabay
#28
I’ve only quit one job ever, in high school when I worked at a grocery store. But I quit after I somehow was the only person scheduled to work on a Saturday night. Like, literally the only person. I was 16 or 17? Granted I lived in a small town, but being the only person working in a whole a*s grocery store (to emphasize: only person. Not a single other person was working. Not a janitor, not a manager, not a bag boy, no one else) was just absurd. Never went back.
Image source: jekelish3, Franki Chamaki
#29
My first job as a dishwasher and the owners were cheap pricks. I got yelled at for emptying a metal container with a serving or two of marinara sauce at the bottom at the end of the night because I was supposed to pour it back into the container for use later. He then freaked out and started throwing other food away in the fridge because “well we might as well not save anything”. So I quit on the spot.
Image source: AkuraPiety, Tima Miroshnichenko
#30
The supervisor said my weight makes me look unprofessional.
Image source: CorneliousTinkleton, Andres Ayrton
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