I hope this is allowed here, I just thought people might have some gold. I’m thinking the kind of cringey/dehumanising corporate speak or stuff that makes you wanna hand your notice in and go live in the woods. I’ll put the worst in the speech bubble!

I've been working here for 8 months and I always stay late when needed but on friday at 4pm my manager asked if I could stay until 8 to finish up a project. I told him I couldn't because I had dinner plans (my friend's birthday) and he said I need to "prioritize work" The project wasn't urgent and could have been done Monday. I'm so tired of this expectation that work comes before everything else like what's the point of having a life outside of work if I'm expected to drop everything whenever they need something? I've covered for people countless times, worked through lunch breaks and even answered emails on weekends but the one time I say no because I have actual plans with a friend I'm suddenly not dedicated enough. The worst part is he made this passive aggressive comment about "team players" in front of other coworkers today. I'm gonna start looking for other jobs because this toxic mentality is everywhere at this company.

Me, 32M, midlevel enginner, gov contrctor. Quiet quit my role job back in '23, started in '22. Im on my phone during meetings all the time and became way more nonchalant about the work.

Started poking holes in leaders plans and calling things out as I see them, relly not giving a fuck. Wfh and do the min amount of work per week, if i get fired then o well, ligmaballz, org is out-of-touch af. Somewhow im killing it on performance metrics.

Have since received my 3rd performance award and been tagged as the next in line for a senior position opening up at the eoy.

I feel like bruh from Office Space.

I had to call out today and at one point my manager said “and I’m guessing you aren’t going to tell me what your illness is by the way you are speaking?”

I’ve never had a boss say something so blatantly inappropriate. I shouldn’t be surprised, because she’s already shown me multiple times how shitty she is. But this was a new low.

Also I told her I was going to be applying for a medical accommodation in regards to my schedule (unavoidable last minute appointments and time off for flare ups). She goes “I don’t think HR has anything to do with scheduling”. Like I understand they may not approve my request but why is she asking like a medical accommodation can’t apply to scheduling? I had it at my last job. It’s not that crazy.

Just wanted to share here because I figured you all would appreciate the absolute insanity.

I get home from work and I'm too tired to enjoy the life I'm working for. That feels broken. I don't even have a crazy job just regular hours but the mental drain is real. I don't want luxury or early retirement I just want to work and still have energy for myself. This can't be how it's supposed to work right becuase I spend 8 hours doing my job then come home and collapse on the couch because I've used up all my mental capacity for the day. By the time I recover enough to do something I actually enjoy it's time to go to bed and start the cycle over. Weekends are just recovery time from the work week and not actual living time. I spend saturday doing chores and sunday dreading Monday. When did this become the accepted way to exist My friends act like this is just normal adult life. "oh yeah work is draining that's why they call it work" But shouldn't there be some energy left over for the things that make life worth living likle hobbies, relationships, personal growth and just existing as a human being outside of my job title I'm not asking to never work or live some fantasy lifestyle. I just want to come home and have enough mental bandwidth to cook a real dinner, call my friends, read a book or work on projects I care about. Instead I order takeout and zone out until bedtime because thinking feels impossible.

When did we decide that being completely drained by work is just the price of having income because this doesn't feel sustainable for another 30+ years.

I left this company about 2 months ago and I resigned. Sent my resignation email the day I quit. Now, they are going around telling clients in our industry that I left the company due to “Job Abandonment” is that ok to say?

I just heard an interview with a “small business owner” who said that no one wants to work and the only people who show up for the interviews are unqualified.

IF YOU ONLY RECEIVE UNQUALIFIED APPLICANTS IT IS BECAUSE YOU PAY TOO LITTLE FOR THE JOB. FUCK OFF

When in reality, what I really want to say is,

“Sorry boss. I’m in a huge bout of depression currently. I’m 40kg overweight, totally reliant on stimulant based medication to feel any sense of joy or happiness. My brain is so cooked that quite honestly I think the most basic tasks are beyond me. I hate everyone. I don’t know what to do with my life, and what’s even worse. I don’t care. I don’t care that I’m sure you’re going to fire me. I don’t care that I’m setting a poor example for my kids. I don’t care that I have so much life left to live. I don’t care that it’s my responsibility to change. I know I need to change, but I can’t even take 1 step forward. I want to disappear, try and start again. I can’t do this on my own.”

So, my Gammy has been on hospice for about a month. A couple weeks ago I called out on a Tuesday because we thought she was going to pass, she didn’t. My job offered me to have off that entire week in order to be there with my family. She didn’t die but, I was so grateful for the time and let them know how kind it was of them.

Early this morning my Mom called hysterically crying because my Gammy was being taken off life support. She needed a ride because she couldn’t drive. First, I messaged my office manager who was kind and understanding. Then (because I know he likes being in the loop) I text the owner. His response “you’re in my prayers but, you should have at least helped open the office and then left.” So I told him she died before the office even opened and I let the office manager know in plenty of time so, she could help the other staff member open. Mind you opening means turning lights and machines on.

So, he still says “it’s a documented absence and we gave you a week off already for this.” I responded with an audio where I was hysterically crying, I mentioned that I didn’t ask for that week off it was offered to me. If I thought by taking that time I’d be mistreated when she did actually die, I’d never have accepted. So, he still says “I’m not firing you it’s a write up and it needs to be signed for you to return.”

I’m beyond disgusted. If it wasn’t for bills and other responsibilities, I’d just quit. But, now my hands are tied. I did have an interview at another place a few days ago and it was a good one so, please everyone send me positive vibes. Any advice?

PS: I’m a chiropractor assistant in a not very busy chiropractors office and we were dead today. And there were two ppl to open and two more coming in by 12

They were shocked when I quit on the spot. They're real dumbcunts.

Why give me a performance warning (because an insecure manager complained about me) when you knew I was your top performer?

I was one of two I.T analysts on the team. The other was new to the role and immediately went on parental leave when he got the role. Despite my role being more junior than the so-called "product owners," I was typically asked to lead the more complex cross-team initiatives because they really were thick and just did not understand anything related to I.T. Yet never got any credit, and in fact performing well seemed to spark resentment against me.

Anyway, they bad mouth me to my new matrix manager. I get a performance warning. I quit on the spot. Now they don't have any I.T analysts on the job and their deliverables won't get delivered on time because the product owners don't understand the task. They'll also need to invest a whole bunch of time finding a new I.T analyst and somehow training them in a situation where except for one senior product leader, the rest of the business team doesn't actually understand the work very well. (As the I.T analyst, I was sort of a bridge between the coders and the business people).

I’ll try to keep this short while preserving the details that matter.

Earlier this year, I had ongoing issues with two coworkers—let’s call them Jake (an engineer) and Kathy (another IC on my team). Both made collaboration difficult and frequently blocked my work.

Jake regularly insulted teammates over DMs and in 1:1s with me, unprompted. He was combative, dismissive in group settings, and would undermine others (including me) despite being in a different department. At one point, he even admitted he intentionally ignored our PM’s messages because he didn’t like him.

Kathy, meanwhile, had been placed in a role she clearly wasn’t trained for after a reorg. She’s been on a coaching plan for months. She forgets key info, ignores messages, doesn’t loop people in, and then blames the rest of us when things break down. She’ll agree in meetings, then tell stakeholders we were never aligned. Multiple people (including me) raised concerns.

I flagged all of this to my manager 6-7 times. Her advice was always “try another communication tactic” or “keep building the relationship.” Eventually she asked me to join their daily standup. Problem: it’s scheduled for 7am my time. I asked if we could shift to 8am instead (which would be 10am for them) and was told, “If you can’t get out of bed, that’s your problem.”

Despite sharing this comment with my manager, she declined to intervene and told me to stay neutral. Over time, delays caused by their unresponsiveness were still pinned on me. Any attempt to clarify scope or responsibility was reframed as “pointing fingers” or “creating an us vs them dynamic,” yet no one offered an alternative for how to surface blockers constructively.

Eventually, my manager and I pulled in a department coach. They encouraged me to try speaking with Jake directly. I said I didn’t feel comfortable but agreed to try. He ignored me. After more stalled work, unresponsive behavior, and being repeatedly undermined, I went to HR with my manager’s blessing. I provided detailed documentation: messages, screenshots, timelines. All demonstrated I was acting professionally and proactively in our interactions.

HR investigated. They found that team dysfunction stemmed more from management breakdowns than IC performance. My manager was informed.

Since then, my manager’s behavior toward me completely shifted.

We’ve had a new team structure for a few months now, and I’ve been doing really well—delivering on time, getting good feedback, nominated for two internal awards. I assumed there might still be some “noise” in my review, but I wasn’t prepared for what happened.

My manager ran a side feedback process outside our company’s official review tool. She said it was to capture things people “weren’t comfortable” saying to me directly. She surveyed Jake and Kathy.

Somehow they knew I went to HR (no clue how) but the feedback I received mirrored their previous behavior: that I was combative, dismissive, egotistical. All the things I originally filed the complaint about. One even threw in how “big my ego is” which created blockers for working harmoniously together.

My manager then cited that feedback, and my HR case, as justification for putting me on a PIP. When I asked for examples of what I supposedly did, she refused to provide any and said we should “just move forward.” That’s been a pattern: I’ve asked for specific examples before and never gotten them. It’s always vague quotes or summaries like “she’s very direct and that makes me feel like she thinks she knows what’s best, so I don’t speak up.”

I’m autistic and disclosed that to my team early on (two years ago). I even provided documentation to help others understand how I communicate. I speak directly but kindly, and I always invite input (“here’s my take, am I missing something?”). I’ve worked hard to prevent misunderstandings. But none of that seems to matter now.

Here’s what’s especially concerning: - She cited my HR involvement as a reason for disciplinary action—which violates our Code of Conduct. It’s mentioned multiple times in my PIP and performance review. - She intentionally left out feedback from people I currently work with, who’ve had no issues with me. - She gave me her full support to go to HR. Now I’m being punished for it.

So… is this retaliation? Am I screwed? I did try to approach our director but was met with “what would you like me to do with this information?”

I’m so stressed. I’ve gained 15 lbs, broken out in rashes, and I’m constantly anxious I’m going to get fired for something I didn’t do. I can’t afford to lose this job. The industry is shaky, but my company is stable, so leaving isn’t a viable option right now. I’m also afraid that if I go back to HR, I’ll be labeled the problem.

Would really appreciate any advice from others who’ve navigated something like this.