'[My boss] said they don't need me… so I quit': Workaholic banker rage quits after years of thankless overtime; finds his dream job after watching the old company crumble in his absence

In every workplace, there's always that one coworker you can't imagine the company without. Usually it's some devoted employee who's been with the company so long that they've carved out an entire department-worth of responsibilities with their swivel chair– these coworkers are usually heavily praised, loved dearly, and begged to stay. Bosses with half a brain cell bopping around in their heads know that this kind of employee is invaluable and have made themselves a cornerstone of operations, without which, the workplace simply could not survive. However, there are times when workers believe that their hard work and devotion to a company will bring them this sort of praise, but more and more often, hard work is completely unrecognized.

In this case, a diligent, semi-workaholic banker learned a tough lesson about going above and beyond with his first job at a bank. Bright-eyed and possibly a little naïve, OP accepted countless overtime hours (without extra pay), worked ceaselessly on other coworker's responsibilities, and quickly turned his banking branch into a one-man show. After years of thankless efforts, OP was burnt out and exhausted, only to have his rage fueled by an entitled, nepotistic boss who had grown a little too comfortable with OP's consistency. 

Scroll for the full, fiery tale of how a worker realized his value far before his boss ever did and turned his back on a toxic environment, rage quitting after being insulted and finding his dream job in the process. For more triumphant stories, check out this tale of a worker who threw in the towel after years of being unappreciated. 

'[Our neighbor's mother] will just take the spot whenever she wants': Neighbor's mother demands couple's reserved parking spot

Nothing sends neighbors over the edge like a good ol' fashioned parking dispute. These petty feuds can rage on over shared and even private spaces, with proverbial jousting taking place through any means necessary.

When it comes to parking in densely populated areas, let's face it—tensions can run high… with tenants being driven to great lengths to secure shared parking spots, arguing endlessly about who deserves what spot more. But when it comes to private, reserved, or even deeded parking spaces, there shouldn't be much argument to be had. Yet, inexplicably there are those neighbors who still feel entitled to park in a spot that belongs to someone else by rule.

This poster faced a predicament when they found that their car had been stolen—but when it was returned in July, it became the least of their issues. Their neighbor's mother started parking in their reserved parking space while the car was missing and continued even after it was returned, even after being told to stop. This hasn't been a huge issue since, even after being returned, the car was still in the repair shop. But now, she's insisting that she will continue using the spot even after the car is returned in October, demanding its use as if it was her right. With encouragement from commenters, the poster is considering calling a tow truck if and whenever the mother parks in their spot.

'I would get tons of free items': 20 Top Clever Loopholes of the Week (August 24, 2023)

We all love a clever loophole. It could be a newly discovered way to get free stuff. It could be a way to get out of responsibility. Regardless of what the purpose of the loophole is, there is a special kind of satisfaction that comes with discovering one. It's like discovering a secret that you and only you can benefit from for the time being. Like any secret, you have to be careful about the people with whom you share your discovery because you don't want to lose the precious gifts that come with your treasured loophole.

 

If you're a rule follower like me, then loopholes can be extra special, since you've managed to find a way to follow the rules while doing exactly what you want. Rarely in this universe do rule-followers get that opportunity. When you find a loophole (whether it's at work or with a store you shop at), hold onto it for dear life.

 

These folks shared their treasured loopholes via this r/AskReddit thread. Keep scrolling below for these top loopholes of the week. For more lists like this, here are some top Karen stories.

'Rep has horrible body odor': Employee has had it with coworker's B.O. problem, files a complaint to management

What do you do when you have a coworker with a body odor issue? 

 

Picture this: you're at your desk at work and you're trying to focus on your daily tasks. Just as your brain locks into focus, you start to smell something funny. At first, you think it's coming from you. You smell your armpits to make sure you put on deodorant this morning. You quickly realize that it isn't you at all. In fact, it's the new coworker who's sitting right behind you. 

 

Your brain starts spiraling as you try to figure out what you can do about it. How do you subtly drop a hint? What if this person has a medical condition you don't know about? It would be insanely rude. You don't want to complain about it to another coworker because that would start drama. At this point, it's been several days and you realize it wasn't a one-time thing: this dude does not put on deodorant. 

 

That's exactly what happened to this Redditor, who shared their side of the story via this thread on Reddit's r/pettyrevenge subreddit. After this employee had enough of their coworker's B.O. problem, they filed an anonymous customer service complaint to alert the attention of HR, since management had previously ignored multiple attempts to solve the issue discreetly.

 

Keep scrolling below to learn what happened next. For more stories like this, here's another one about an employee who was accused of being the "queen of tardiness."

'Trust me, just do it': Contractor scores $12,000 extra on a job because a know-it-all client insists his measurements are accurate; they are not

Clients lie. This is the one thing that is certain for every contractor in every industry. For some reason, know-it-all clients feel like it's some kind of flex to press their hobby knowledge on someone who is literally a professional in that field. In this case, a pushy Californian client was getting his home remodeled and couldn't fight his manly urge to try and teach his contractor a thing or two about construction. Naturally, this backfired immediately and he was quickly in deep trouble with his wife and his bank account. 

The contractor, being the pro that he was, insisted on taking his own measurements of a particularly specialized arch project in their garage. OP wanted to come take a look for himself to make sure the add-on to the arch would be substantial enough for their RV to drive into the garage, but the client arrogantly pushed for OP to use his DIy measurements. When the original estimates turned out to be insufficient, and after OP had already charged the client, it was time for the client to reach deeper into his wallet to fork out the dough necessary to correct his monumental measurement– totaling $12,000 for a custom arch that could have been $4,000.

Scroll for the expensive tale of a customer whose arrogance came at a hefty price. For more, check out this story of a workaholic who rage quits after being told the office 'didn't need him'. 

'It's not a trailer park': Barefoot woman confronts neighbors over their Miami Heat flags

This woman is losing her mind over some teeny tiny flag decorations. 

Sometimes you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. And if you're this woman, you then proceed to take a stroll down the block, no shoes necessary, to yell at your neighbors. This woman was very worked up over her neighbors' property, and she spent several minutes screaming at the poor young folks who live there. 

To their credit, the young people who live in this place handled the woman's yelling with grace (and some mild confusion). As she screams about the decorations, the person recording video asks her why she's upset about their mulch (??) and their very small Miami Heat flags they'd planted in their front yard. At least from the video, their property looks neat and clean! Maybe this woman is just the Miami Heat's biggest hater. 

Check out this wild video below! 

'I refuse to do so': Senior employee forced to record bathroom breaks

Unfortunately, after long years of service with an organization, all it takes is a singular change in leadership to bring everything crashing down. 

New managers come with new ideas and processes, bringing things with them that they've made a part of their playbook—eager to shake things up and leave their mark on their new organization. While these ideas and processes may have been successful at a previous job, they can seem wildly misplaced at the current one. With things like introducing open office plans and hotdesking to the investigative government department that they've just started managing—as if it's some kind of trendy business or tech startup where they worked previously… or requiring their workers to check out for bathroom breaks like they're kids at the preschool where they previously taught.

This worker has been working at this company for 18 years and is a senior member of the team. Unfortunately, they recently got a new manager who is strict about knowing their whereabouts and requires them to sign out when they go to the bathroom. The worker refuses to do so and is facing the possibility of being written up for insubordination. While they'd like to quit, they are hesitant due to their high salary, good benefits, and five weeks of vacation per year.
  

'I don't know the sound a lemon makes': 35+ Students who had extra creative answers to their teacher's questions

"I mean, it was a true answer, just not what I was looking for," one teacher admitted. They were among thousands of educators who answered one redditor's question to r/AskReddit: "Teachers of Reddit, what's the funniest answer you've gotten from a student that technically wasn't wrong?"

Educators of kids from preschool to college had some great stories to share. As a teacher, you spend hours every day with the same kids. You get to know their family background, their favorite hobbies, and watch as they create friend groups. While some teachers prefer to lecture, it's helpful to get students involved in the lesson through engaging questions. It's a surefire way to make sure students aren't asleep at their desks throughout the class. 

These teachers below told us some of their most funny and wholesome stories of the exchanges they had with their students. Young kids are so bright that it can surprise you! They can effortlessly think outside the box, and their creativity is in full bloom. Even if they pretended to be annoyed, I think most teachers love when kids give goofy answers. 

Up next, this grandpa really wanted to bond with their grandkid, so they started a car project together… but as the grandkid shared, " We eventually found out what Grandpa Kevin had done."

'I did not think I was the entitled one here': Dinner guest tells host she's being 'unappreciative of their traditions' because she won't eat mayo

A family friend had a huge overreaction to a potato salad. 

If someone is kind enough to invite you to their house for a meal, you often bring some nice drinks or a plate of brownies or a bouquet of flowers. What you don't do is insult the food that your hosts have made for you — no matter how much you dislike it. 

Most of us are taught that as toddlers. We're told, "If someone gives you a birthday present, and you don't like it, what do you do?" And then you learn to say "Thank you!" for what you're given (even if it's something boring like clothing or shoes). That shows gratitude. Easy stuff. 

This woman was invited to a meal, and she probably won't be invited to dine with this family ever again. She really laid into the OP, u/dinoleftthechat, for a simple disagreement about how a dish should be made. Even stranger, this friend was upset over the way the OP was eating. It couldn't have been less of this woman's business what the OP was dining on! As the chef, the OP can cook things as she pleases. At least the commenters sided unanimously with the OP on this one. 

Next up, these workers shared the funniest and silliest rules they have at their workplaces. 

'Nope': Remote worker forbidden from working from sick father's house forced to take PTO, then asked to visit client during that PTO

Flexibility is a two-way street, as with anything in any relationship, with concessions made on either side—along with a sprinkling of trust and proven results—providing both parties with an improved situation and the heightened dedication to performance brought about by mutuality. 

Any organization that finds that its workers aren't prepared to "go the extra mile" during periods important to the business probably isn't "going the extra mile" for the workers themselves during times when they really need it. A little consideration, even compassion, from your employer can go a long way when you're dealing with any of the various personal challenges that life brings. Workers who haven't been shown flexibility and trust from their employer will be apprehensive about taking on extra work and trusting their employer because, as most workers are aware, any "temporary" extra work that you're expected to do soon becomes a permanent basic requirement.

This worker was eager to visit their ailing father, who had been battling cancer. Finding themselves low on PTO they were seeking to work from their father's address in order to visit their father and keep up with their work. However, upon requesting permission to do this from their boss, they found their boss refused and insisted that they take their remaining leave for the trip instead. They took the leave and were soon approached by another project manager who asked if they would be willing to visit a client near their dad's house, seeing as they had received little understanding and flexibility from their employer leading up to this, and having already fully paid for their own trip, the worker returned the favor and refused to make the visit, whereas they would have been more than happy to visit the client if their original request had been accepted. 

This meant that their employer would now have to pay to send someone else to make the visit rather than getting the, essentially free, visit they might have otherwise gotten.

See the worker's account of events below, as originally shared with Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit community.

'Being micromanaged...was not something that we were interested in': Small business trucking company fires client of 50 years over their rep's demanding attitude

Ask and you shall receive. When this company representative decided to make empty threats, I'm sure he thought it would make him look tough and professional. Instead, it backfired spectacularly on him. 

This malicious compliance story takes place at a small family-run company that specialized in trucking. This person knew that relationships with their clients were important to the company's long term success. So when they encountered another business's representative who rubbed them the wrong way, they tried to get past the rep's brashness. After all, sometimes in business, you have to work with people you don't personally get along with. 

At least the OP, u/Wildcatb, had the common sense to do things by the books. When they parted ways with this rep, they still gave him 60 days — two whole months! — to find another company to work with. But even with all that warning, the rep just wasn't cut out for that job, it seems. Additionally, in the comments, OP left six different updates about the ongoing work situation. 

Next up, this person had a really simple solution to a work issue, but when their work rejected it, the employee let their boss get 20,000 help desk tickets. 

'I hid them!': Shopper finds stashed item and adds it to their cart, prompting confrontation with another shopper laying claim

People will go to any length and make every attempt to turn even the most petty situations to their advantage. Just a single trip to any busy parking lot will show you this, with desperate drivers doing anything in their power to secure a spot, even getting their passengers to jump out of the vehicle to stand in front of it and (hopefully) prevent anyone from getting there first, whilst engaging in outrageous displays of behavior from within the safety of their oversized vehicles. Of course, once they've parked and exited their vehicle, they timidly slink away, avoiding eye contact with the person they were vying for the spot with and now void of the bravado they so-recently displayed.

In this dog-eat-dog world, it's even the same in stores, with shoppers infamously battling each other over limited-availability collectibles and deals on electronics. Heck, even toilet paper was ever-so-recently and infamously the target of mass-buying panic.

This shopper found a mysteriously misplaced bag of frozen soup dumplings at Costco that they had been previously unable to find in the proper place. As they were securing the bag, another shopper approached them, claiming that she was saving the bag and had placed it in its hidden location. The shopper refused to give the dumplings back to her and purchased them, leading the woman to call the shopper a jerk. 

The shopper has now turned to a popular online community to see if they really were the jerk for taking the bag. See their account of events below and the responses that were shared in the original thread where it was posted.

'He's got... 20,000 tickets to close': Boss ignores employee's simple solution to help desk issue

A small issue ballooned into a big one after a few days. That's what happens when you ignore a tiny problem — it can just compound and expand until it affects your entire job. 

This employee wrote to r/MaliciousCompliance to tell a story from their time as a help desk agent in the 1990s. "It started slowly at first-- maybe one call out of ten," OP writes. Basically, their phone system was automatically opening tickets with the wrong information, and the problem was slowly getting worse. Luckily, the OP had a bright idea involving macros. They told their coworkers about it, but they were stopped in their tracks. Many workplaces would rather punish their workers rather than encourage innovation. It seems like the OP's coworkers in this case were just too lazy to implement the new idea. 

Check out the entire story below, including comments from the OP about their tale from the 90s. Then, these people shared the funniest rules they had at their own jobs, like one person whose boss made them pay fifty cents per disposable coffee cup. 

'Change the menu...my kid won't eat any of that': 30+ Brides and grooms share the weird and funny things people told them while planning their big day

While planning your wedding, everyone is thrilled for you, and they will all insist they have some great advice to tell you. 

From cake mishaps to a mother in law demanding two first dances, these people have had handled some odd requests and advice. While planning a wedding with the person you love, it's so romantic to get swept up in planning your dream day. It's supposed to be the day you and your loved one tie the knot forever, and you want all your closest friends and family right by your side to celebrate your love. 

Though they may not mean anything bad by it, some people want to make the day all about themselves. Whether they're making a million ridiculous requests or flipping out because they can't bring all their kiddos to the reception, some people just aren't taking the spirit of the wedding day seriously!

One of the funniest scenarios people wrote in about where their loved ones who were told about the upcoming wedding, and immediately refused. Some people said that their loved ones basically told them they were definitely not going to their nuptials, so no one sent her an invite. That just makes sense, right? Why waste paper and stamps just to invite someone who already said no? Then, these relatives get all up in arms over how disrespected they feel. Ok but… they were just doing what you said. 

Next up, these people purchased things, and what they received was far from expected. 

[We put it] right between two of the bases in the baseball field': Engineer told to blindly obey boss's orders, obliges, obstructing client's baseball infield

There are those managers out there who think that they know everything, refusing to listen to anything their workers tell them to advise the decision-making process and blindly following the corporate narrative or their own uninformed decisions to their downfall and folly. Workers placed in these situations might try to fix the mistakes of their superiors, repeatedly shielding their bosses from any blowback or repercussions for these decisions and even reinforcing their incorrect perception that their way is the right way. After extended periods of doing this with no thanks—and even reprimand—the workers will reach the point where they're no longer prepared to put in the effort to cover their bosses' behinds. Meaning the next time a decision is forced through, the results will be catastrophic. 

Even if you know nothing about baseball, it's probably easy for you to picture why having a utility box installed directly in the middle of the field—especially right between second and third base—is a bad idea. It's not hard to imagine why such a thing happening might be a little disruptive to the use of the field and the flow of the game. It's the kind of thing you would just deal with when playing backyard baseball as a kid, accepting that any inconveniently placed tree or obstacle was just a part of the game at hand. However, while baseball fields and stadiums have always naturally varied, with unique outfield dimensions and quirks, when playing an organized game on a proper field, these variations should be limited, with the infield especially being one of the most constant aspects of the game. 

So, when a group of engineers that you hired come along and stick a utility box between second and third base, you might not be all that pleased about your field's new infield feature. 

Of course, this all came about when this engineer grew tired of his boss repeatedly refusing to listen to his more well-informed reason, insisting instead that the engineer blindly follow whatever order he was given. So, the engineer did exactly what his boss told them to, giving the client this disastrous result.

See the engineer's account of events, originally shared with Reddit, below—along with reactions from the original thread where it was posted.

Update: '[My] friend wants use me as her backup ATM': Traveller tells friend she's only bringing $300 on Caribbean vacation, friend takes internet's advice to avoid paying extra

While planning a vacation for two, this woman had no idea her friend would suddenly expect her to foot the bill. That's not how travelling with friends works — everyone has to pay their own share, unless you plan on a different way to split the costs that everyone can agree on. Even many couples will divide the cost of travel among the two of them to ensure both people pitch in. After all, travel isn't cheap, once the costs of hotels, flights, car rentals, food, and more, are all added together. 

This person told the story of their friend, who wanted to go on vacation while sticking to a very strict budget. As u/DontAskMeChit writes, their friend told them up front that they were going to bring just $300 in cash on a five day Caribbean vacation. It's great to set a budget to stick to each day of the trip, but this friend had no backup plan whatsoever. Instead, she announced to her travel buddy that when her funds dried up, she'd turn to her for financial support. 

The OP was irritated "to no end" with that, and they turned to Reddit for help. It seems like they read some advice that commenters left, and added an update a month later. Thanks to the Redditors' quick thinking, the OP was able to protect their money, and still have a pretty good vacation with their friend (who did get a bit sulky). 

Check out the post and update below. Then, read these interviewee's accounts of what happened when they spotted red flags during job interviews. 

'I was done with Secret Santa at work': Rude coworker threw a tantrum about his Secret Santa gift, employee gets even the next year

There are certain team-bonding work traditions that should be disbanded and one of them is most certainly Secret Santa. First of all, there's the money factor. Even if the fixed price everyone should spend is decided to be $10, I don't want to spend two cents on anyone at work and I'm pretty sure they'd say the same about me. There is absolutely no ill will or bitterness here; in fact, to me, it feels like a healthy mutual understanding. 

 

Now, the next reason why Workplace Secret Santa should be abolished immediately is that not everyone is close to one another and this process is not going to make you closer. How are you going to get something meaningful or memorable for under $10 for someone you barely know, who barely knows you, and who you don't really have much of a desire to know outside of a casual professional existence? It's a waste of time and energy. Finally, everyone waits till the last minute and so the gifts are especially meaningless. Why? Because we have lives, we have groceries to buy, we have real friends to think about. No one has time for this, except for the managers who think they can pat themselves on the back for fostering a false sense of community. 

 

Clearly, I have a lot of feelings on this matter, and so does this employee, who shared their story via Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. Keep scrolling below to see how they got even with a tantrum-throwing coworker who was ungrateful about their Secret Santa gift last year. For more stories like this, feel free to take a look at this post about a night shift worker who was forced to come into work despite their illness.

Top 20+ Funniest Unpopular Opinions This Month

Have you ever found yourself in a bit of a pickle, surrounded by people holding a conversation that you want to take part in, but are nervous you'll get roasted or canceled?

The more time goes on, the more apprehensive I get about what I can or can't say in front of an angry crowd. I have never related to the black and white concept people seem to have adopted nowadays, but unfortunately, if you aren't with them, then you are against them. Who is this 'them' that I speak of? Well, they take different forms. It could be friends, family, coworkers, or heck, even people you end up chatting with as you wait for that annoying bus to show up already.

Wherever you go, 'they' are there. If you have an unpopular opinion that you'd like to share, r/unpopularopinions may be the safe haven you are looking for. Enter at your own risk, and prepare to get roasted. Below you will find the top unpopular opinions of the month. For more, here is an HOA that 'surprisingly' doesn't comply with their own rules they set up.

'None of my business': Son ignores dad's chores after dad tells him 'it's your responsibility'

This teenager doesn't want to help his dad with chores anymore after the way his dad spoke to him. 

When you're 17 years old, you're so close to being an adult, but you aren't quite there yet. People still get to treat you like a kid, whether you like it or not. That's why commenters are divided on this guy's story about a rainy-day chore gone wrong, with some blaming the teenage OP, and others blaming his father. 

This story is about what happens when you dry clothing outside without accounting for the weather. Because under most circumstances, using a clothesline is a great idea! It gives your sheets or clothing that fresh outdoorsy scent. You just have to be careful you don't drop the laundry on the ground, and of course, keep an eye out for rain and strong winds. Otherwise you'll wind up like OP's dad, who got stuck with a bunch of soggy clothes. Plus, as an added punishment, OP writes that their dad had trouble drying his clothes, since it was the rainy season where they live. Some commenters scolded OP for this, while others said he was justified in his malicious compliance. 

Check out this entire story below — OP commented numerous times to provide more information and help commenters form their opinions. After that, check out these mildly infuriating moments — like one dude whose bank got overdrawn by $99 billion dollars. 

'I'm firing you on the spot': Employees demand raises after seven years with the same pay, boss responds by firing all of them

Imagine working at the same company for seven years and getting fired the second you bring up the topic of a raise. Talk about a complete lack of respect for the loyalty these employees have shown to the company by staying all this time with no financial incentive to do so. The employee who filmed this video of his boss's tantrum shared that he and his coworkers merely asked politely for a meeting after learning that new employees were receiving higher wages. That meeting led to the conversation about a long overdue and well-deserved raise for the group. That's where things went out of control. The very next day, the boss threw a fit and asked everyone working there to leave before he calls the police. Sir, it's not like they were trespassing… this is their place of work. More importantly, the audacity of this man to expect loyalty out of his employees without a single pay increase is beyond us! Check out the video below and for more content like this, here's another post about a Karen who didn't think the traffic laws applied to her!

Update: 'I told you that in confidence': Woman critiques daughter in law's cooking, receives plain meal in return

If this mother in law won't eat this delicious chicken dish, we volunteer instead. Picky eaters transcend culture and time; every family has at least one person who can't stand spicy foods or dislikes a common ingredient like beans. 

Cooking for another person is a kind and thoughtful thing to do, and it's especially meaningful when it's your family. Speaking as a picky eater, it was a wonderful feeling when someone left my portion of a meal plain for me. Everyone else could eat their regular chicken parmesan, and I, as a kid who didn't like spaghetti sauce, ate a plain piece of chicken. Thankfully, many people, myself included, grow out of their pickiness. This mother in law definitely did not outgrow her food preferences, and instead, she's making her daughter in law suffer the consequences. 

Check out the entire story below. The OP also answered questions in the comments to add more detail to this story. And they also added an update about what happened the next time their MIL came to dinner! 

After that, check out the mildly infuriating moments that people have shared as of late, like a pair of gym bros who took every barbell for themselves. 

‘Higher-ups are furious’: Countless company projects put on hold after worker complies with boss's demands to ‘order office supplies through corporate’

When someone does you a favor at work, the proper reaction should be a mix of 'grateful' and 'thank you'.

One employee was using their lunchtime to get office supplies for coworkers at their workplace, paying with the company card. They had been doing this for YEARS, so imagine their surprise when one day, they came back from lunch per usual with a bag of corporate goodies in their hand, a receipt in the other, and received a frown and a scolding from their boss, instead of a 'thank you'.

OP was told to give up the company card, and never use their lunch to get office supplies again. To be clear, getting office supplies wasn't even in OP's job description, so when I said he'd been doing everyone a favor, I meant it. But alas, some people can't spot a good thing until it's gone. The rose-colored glasses effect usually sets in the way after you've already lost.

Chaos ensued, as OP knew it would. Supplies took forever to arrive, projects were put on hold… like I said, chaos. Scroll down to read what else all this good malicious compliance includes. Hopefully, OP's boss will figure out sooner than later that they made a huge mistake. For more stories like this, here is a woman who cashed a twelve hundred dollar check that technically wasn't hers to cash, after an employee made a huge mistake at work.

'I get an email from management stating my numbers are "concerning"': Worker investigated for being too productive at their new job

Companies want as much productivity as possible, claiming that they want to attract the best and brightest candidates—not that they're going to pay those candidates what they deserve. If they accidentally do manage to land one of these workers, they'll wish they hadn't when the new worker arrives and shows everyone up, sparking an internal dilemma and drawing jealousy, ire, and suspicions of the mediocre veteran workers.

If you do this, there are chances that you won't find praise and will, rather, find yourself beating your head against a brick wall as the current employees refuse to accept your results, sure that you must be doing something dishonest to pump your numbers. This will continue until an eventual investigation leads them to force you to reveal your process, which instead reveals your efficiency and effectiveness as they stare on in dumbfounded disbelief. 

This "institutional mediocrity" plagues workplaces, leaving them doomed to forever operate with middling success, operating out of sad beige offices in which no fresh ideas will ever prosper. 

This worker shared their experience of exactly this happening at their new job, facing internal investigation when they joined a new organization within their field and blew all productivity metrics out of the water. Now, seeing the writing on the wall of this organization, they write that they are looking for a new job, sharing an account of events with a popular online community.  

'Early is on time, on time is late': Boss accuses employee of being the 'queen of tardiness,' employee stands her ground

Bosses who are annoying about promptness should be focusing their attention on far more pressing matters. Whatever happened to focusing on their own tasks and responsibilities? Whatever happened to ensuring that the employees on their team are supported and fulfilled (well, as fulfilled as they can be given the circumstances of work)? Whatever happened to minding their own dang business? In work-related matters such as this, we often go back to our mantra that if the work gets done and gets done well, there shouldn't be any objection.

 

As far as this employee goes, she was also more than prompt! Her shift began at 9:30am, and she often arrived between 9:20-9:24, which is more than enough time. However, she has one of those horrible bosses who believes that "early is on time" and "on time is late." Is there anything more old-school and more eye-roll-inducing than that mentality? The employee shared her story via this thread on Reddit and also shared that their boss is lucky considering that he lives in the same building as the company's offices. He doesn't have to deal with the same commute that she does! Furthermore, he clearly is just feeling insecure and unnecessarily wants to assert his power. He may be a big boss, but he is a small man.

 

Keep scrolling below to see how the employee responded to her boss's critiques and to see how folks reacted in the comments section. When you're finished, feel free to check out this post about a boss's girlfriend who told employees how to do their jobs.

'Don't make your tenants do your job': Determined tenant uses data analyst skills to research soaring water prices, leading to entire leasing office getting fired by corporate

Problems arise in apartment complexes all the time; I should know, I lived in one. A lot of complexes use rent payment portals, because they're safe, secure, and allow landlords to collect payments online and keep track of everything, nice and tidy. Or at least, they are supposed to be. OP shared that they lived in an apartment complex that was acquired by a new management company, which switched the resident and rent payment portals. To say that this move caused disruptions would be an understatement.

OP was one of those tenants who checked the portal to make sure that their bills were in order, and that they weren't being overcharged. Well, as luck would have it, one time when OP was analyzing the portal, they found that they were being charged double for water. After contacting the front office to inquire about the increase, they were told that it was due to a water district decision, and the complex had 'no control over it'.

OP didn't buy it, not for one second. As it turns out, many people were receiving bigger bills, which led OP to investigate, along with one of their friends from the complex, Cole, who was a data analyst, and knew how to do extensive research. One thing led to another, and corporate got involved. To find out what happened, scroll down. Then, a woman refused to send back a twelve hundred dollar check after she received the money accidentally from a medical company her father used to use.

'Comply with your own covenants, then': HOA president sends entire neighborhood notices for violations; one resident flips the script

Housing communities are continuously getting more and more infamous for the unfair, ridiculous rules they enforce, yet ironically, don't apply to themselves. The head of HOA, also known as 'President', gets to write all the rules along with the rest of the board, usually making sure that the rules are in compliance with his or her own personal preferences. I was flabbergasted to read that an HOA president took it upon himself to drive all around u/smocky13's neighborhood, looking to see whose garbage cans were stored in the proper spots.

Because obviously, the world would end if a visitor were to gasp at a garbage can that was not in its proper spot, like place settings on a table! See, this is why I have sworn off living in a community with an HOA. I'd rather live cooped up inside a New York City apartment the size of a shoebox, paying way more than I should, for a small space that is soooo not worth it.

Back to the story… OP admitted that according to the HOA covenants in their neighborhood, trash cans do indeed need to be completely screened from view. But if we're totally honest, it sounds super petty. How does one deal with petty, then? Well, OP got creative, and did a deep dive, finding out that the president wasn't exactly in compliance with his own bylaws. How surprising.

Below you will find a detailed account of the hilarious events that unfolded. Scroll down to check them out. Then, feel free to read about this HOA president who ended up facing foreclosure after a resident found out had 10k worth of unpaid fines. See, why mess with the residents of your neighborhood? It's never worth it.

'She followed us when we went on vacation': Top 20+ Cringe Neighbor Stories

Neighbors are only good for three things: occasional company, dog sitting, and gossip. Otherwise, they can be annoying, disruptive, and an all-around nuisance. However, gossip is a human need, and neighbors can provide the perfect window (sometimes literally) into other people's lives. The reality of the matter is we are all generally interested in what other people do in the privacy of their homes. If anything, it can make us feel less weird in our own choices. 

 

The dark side to the curiosity we have for our neighbors is that our eavesdropping can lead to seeing or hearing about particularly bizarre quirks and eccentricities that we wish we could unsee or not hear. We compiled some top cringe neighbor stories based on this r/AskReddit thread. Some of these bizarre neighbors include a family that showered outside during a rainstorm, a fully grown man who sits in his driveway pretending to drive, and a couple that though burning gasoline on top of their snow-covered lawn would be a smart shortcut to shoveling the snow by hand. People are crazy, y'all. Thankfully, these aren't our neighbors, so this extra level of removal makes these stories all the more entertaining because we don't have to deal with these people in any way, shape, or form. 

 

Keep scrolling below for this collection of top cringe neighbor stories. For more compilations like this, check out these embarrassing school memories.

'Ok, Karen, not a problem': Company's food manufacturing manager gets an extra $950 and ups revenue over 30% all because of a Karen email he received

Humans will be humans and one of the most human things you can do is make a mistake. We're not perfect and that's beautiful. Can you imagine if everyone was perfect??? That sounds so boring and uncreative. Some mistakes should be celebrated, while others should be condemned—both will teach valuable lessons. So when you are a human, working with other humans, then you should always expect mistakes. Hope they won't happen, but don't be naive and pretend like they're impossible. 

Unfortunately, entitled Karens have infiltrated many human institutions and sometimes you have to work with one. This means that a mistake made is a personal attack on the Karen and it is an unbelievable/unforgivable act. On reddit, a manager of a food manufacturing plant had to deal with one of these Karens in the workplace. OP says he has worked as the manager for this food manufacturing plant for a while now and had always been pretty nice with their clients. One large client would even get a discount sometimes when they would over produce some food. They couldn't just keep the food, so they would just give the client the extra with no charge. 

However, this seemed to piss the Karen off and she sent a very rude and unprofessional email letting OP know. The numbers needed to number correctly, no matter the cost to her. Or, at least that's what it sounded like. So OP granted her that wish, and now their bill was over $950 more and going forward will be charged accordingly, meaning revenue is going up almost 33%. So, I guess everybody got what they wanted this time—the Karen got the numbers to match and OP got more money. Win win… I guess?

'The company is losing thousands of dollars every single minute': Printer room worker forced to train their lazy replacements who refuse to listen, costs the company "tens of thousands"

Printers have been the bane of many office workers' existence since the dawn of the printing age, with networking issues, mechanical failures, and permanently low toner/ink levels making tasks that should be easy and simple incredibly frustrating instead.

Back in ye olden days of the 1990s, this print room worker managed the printing room of a shipping operation, operating the company's large and finicky dot matrix printers.

If you've ever worked in a traditional warehousing or shipping joint, you're probably familiar with dot matrix printers; these printers use the (often) blue and white lined paper with sheets that are interconnected and have holes down the sides that can be torn off. They're still commonly used for pack lists at distribution companies and other similar entities.

But, back in 1990, the machines printing these were more primitive, much larger, and probably more prone to failure, requiring a worker or two to manage the machines and keep things operating and running smoothly.

This worker received detailed training when they started, working as a two-man team with another worker in order to ensure there was no downtime during required printing times. When their coworker handed in their duo, the pair attempted to train a new hire who proved to be too unmotivated. 

For some reason, this led the company to lay off the print team altogether and bring in two other nepo-hire workers from elsewhere in the business. It was easy to see why someone was eager to get rid of these two workers since they, too, proved to be incredibly lazy. Despite the worker's best efforts to train them, the pair refused to listen to anything; this would set the company up for massive and expensive failure a short time later…

'‘He tipped with a fake $100 to impress his date’': Servers Share Stories of Getting Tipping Karma on Cheap Customers

When working in the service industry it is inevitable that you will encounter a bad tipper. Whether they're old and still think 25 cents is an appropriate tip, or their entitled and think because you forgot the ice in their water, they're allowed to tip you $0. It's a mad mad world out there working as a waiter. At least in the U.S. it is. You work for barely an hourly with usually no benefits and you relay almost completely on tips. So when you get a $0 tip, that person who you just served and gave probably over an hour of your life to doesn't think you deserve even a $2 slice of pizza for dinner. It's heart breaking, but there is also something about working in the service industry that makes you more empathetic and tough at the same time. Not to mention the friends you make for life out of the coworkers you trauma-bonded with. Below, servers took to a recent Reddit post about tipping Karma. Some cheap guy tried to impress his date by tipping $100, but it turned out it was fake. When they came back for another date, the server was more than excited to return his forgotten joke money right. The entitled guy left $0 on the receipt for tip, but the woman left a real $50 bill on the table. See what other servers have experience in the tipping karma world below!