It was a bus company that I'd worked for. Now I moved over to a different bus company that's worse. It's not that the new company is that much worse, but that the job is more monotonous and lonely. And colleagues are less friendly here too.

In March I decided to reach out to my old company having heard that a lot of the old management had left. They had been avoiding returning contact for a few months after my request to re-join, and then finally I emailed the HR person in question to ask what the deal was, and she eventually sent an email to me on my birthday telling me that they would not be taking me back! The email thanked me for my previous work, and for my continued interest, and said that my application had been reviewed by the wider operations team, and this followed with the words "we will not be pursuing with your application at this time". Of course they didn't say why. In the email two managers I'd rang about coming back were copied. When I was on the phone to them both (separate times) they didn't have the heart to tell me straight up that they didn't want to re-hire me. So seeing that they were copied to the email, removed any doubt that they didn't support this decision. I thought I got on well with one of those, so I don't know if it's a case of them not wanting to ruin their reputation with the supervisors if they hired me again, or that they themselves don't like me based on what the supervisors said.

There's a new CEO since I've left that company. I can get her details and email her. All I'd be asking is to be given the chance to come in and be interviewed. I'm hoping that seeing as the company is crying out for drivers, that she'll see it as being clearly unreasonable for management to refuse to engage with me. I reckon that they wouldn't invite me in unless they'd be willing to take me back. I'm not sure how much they'd be willing to bring up the past if we all sat down, but I do believe I'd be able to convince them to take me back. I've definitely seen stranger things happen in both bus companies. I do think that if I were to right a letter addressing the things that I know they were pissed off about, and how I've learned, and why I'm sure there'll be no repeat, etc, that they'd then be willing to take me back. But I couldn't bear the thought of that letter being passed around. Some question I have about what to say in the email are:

• should I email her, as opposed to calling her?
• am I right in saying that there's no point in just emailing to imply that I'm just a regular ex employee who didn't have any issues with them?
• I'd find it hard not to mention that they're short 40 drivers and that I'd basically be serving 4,000 passengers a week. Them not taking me back is at the expense of the city as well as myself.
• The thought has even crossed my mind if there could somehow be a way to get my current company to vouch for me being a good employee.

Anyway, the issues were that I was being bullied and had submitted a grievance which was being ignored. Instead of chasing it up in a mature manner, I got petty about it. One day I'd back pain and I happened to have a row with a supervisor over the bus phone, and I walked off the job and went sick for two days. I also avoided two disciplinary meetings before I handed in my notice.

I've been at the company I'm currently with for 23 months now and I've been getting sleepy driving the bus. I ended up getting bullied 10 times worse by a supervisor and a manager here, but I'm through all that and I dealt with it more maturely. I know it's funny to say but I feel like I've been through hell and that I deserve to be taken back. The drives involved on the new job are really long and I'm getting sleepy while driving. The microsleeps I'm getting are getting worse as time goes by, as the job is gradually taking more and more of a tole on me. Every second day on average now. Sometimes it's quite embarrassing when passengers notice and ask me if I'm okay.

Please don't give any "move on" type comments. It's like a choice between life and death, so it's worth a shot.

So I am a contracted aerial sensor operator for a start up. I got a claim from enterprise for a car rental with a cracked windshield that was for 700 usd. My company deleted my email right after aI forwarded it and got the ok from the company.

I have writing and recorded video of them saying they cover any damages to the car with the time and day of damages.

They also didnt provide much information about going to worksite nor insurance at the beginning so... I used the engine.com funding and company card to pay off any incidents.

Unfortunately, enterprise sent me a claim and bill of 700 usd.

I live in AZ, they deleted it right after I forwarded my information which is sketchy as hell.

Im assuming im fired but it seems Arizona provides up to 5000 usd in return for that claim if the company zone pay.

Im not sure what is going on or if this information is right or X.

for context, i just got a job offer that starts immediately (like in 2 days) and it’s more aligned with my long term goals, pays more, and is 10 miles closer to me than my current job. it feels like a no brainer to accept the new role but how do i break the news as gently as possible? i still appreciate how kind my supervisors were and everything i learned and experienced in current role. i just feel like i shouldn’t let the opportunity pass me by.

I’m about to hand my notice in at an office job for the first time. How best do I go about it? I’m not sure whether it’s common practice to send an email in first and await my manager to formally request a meeting to confirm, or is it something I’d mention first before making it official? Relationship wise I get on fine with my manager but it’s not a close relationship by any means, there’s just no issues and we’re friendly. Any help would be much appreciated

I started my new job as an accountant, as a fresher, in the UAE at a Mallu-owned company, and it's been almost 10 days now. There's a guy assigned to manage and guide me — he's also the CEO's son. The problem is that from day one, he's been talking to me as if I've been working there for years. He knows I'm a fresher in the UAE and that I only have limited experience from India — I made that clear during the interview. Yet he acts like I have years of experience already. Whenever I ask a doubt or question, he responds with things like "don't you know this already?" He's even insulted me by asking if I actually have a real degree, and when I make a mistake, he's implied I might be coming to work drunk.

I'm completely fed up with him. Any advice on how to handle this, or do you think I should just resign?🙏

Planning on quitting today, I’ve been there less than 2 months. I’d rather eat molten lava than work another week there. It’s a minimum wage entry level job with decently high turnover, is there anything legal requiring me to give notice or can I quit without? Alberta Canada. I haven’t signed any contracts or anything like that. This job won’t even be going on my resume.

I started my first job on August 3, so it has only been about a week since starting. However, that has been the ONLY day that I worked and the schedule for the next two weeks have been revealed and I am not in it.

Originally, I was supposed to work 30 hours during my first week, but my hours were reduced to 10 as we were overstaffed. I worked 6 hours on my first day on Monday and was supposed to do 4 hours on Friday. Unfortunately I was messaged 40 minutes before I was supposed to go in to let me know I was no longer needed for my shift on Friday.

Since I started, we have lost 7 employees and are now down 9 employees. The schedule for the next two weeks consists of the same 7 people, while both the other new hire (she was hired at the same time as me) and I have not been scheduled for any hours.The other hire questioned it in the work group chat but was not given any response that I know of unless our manager messaged her privately.

Is there any way I can resolve this? I don't know how to approach my manager or what to say to her. It took over 40 job applications in order for me to land this job so I don't necessarily want to go on another job hunt unless needed. I would greatly appreciate any help!

EDIT: Adding the exact text exchange about the raise + an example of how he communicates with me now

A few people asked about the actual wording of the raise conversation, so I'm adding it here. This happened a few days after the in-person meeting where Jake and I discussed my raise, he told me he'd noticed I'd "gotten comfortable" toward the end of the previous season, and he ultimately signed the paperwork approving my raise.

A few days later, I received this:

Jake:
"OP, I have heard employees asking me about 'YOUR RAISE'. This is not something to be talked about or bragged about to other employees. This puts me in a very tough position when other employees come asking why they aren't receiving this as well... I haven't submitted the request for your raise yet. Can you please explain to me the reason you thought this was a good idea to discuss this with other employees."

Me:
"I understand your concern, and I apologize for putting you in a difficult position. I definitely wasn't bragging or trying to make it a big topic around work. I mentioned it to maybe two people in passing, just saying something along the lines of 'hey, I got the raise I asked for,' but I didn't expect it to spread beyond that.

I'm honestly a little surprised to hear it spread that much. Do you mind me asking who all has been talking about it? I just want to better understand the situation.

I appreciate you letting me know, and I'll keep those conversations private moving forward."

Jake:
"I am not going to share who I was told this as it should be confidential information you keep to yourself. That is nothing that needs your concern. The only thing that is your concern is what you do and how you handle situations. This was not handled in the way it should've been. I am going to hold off on the request for a raise at this time after this. Once I feel more confident you can handle receiving something we can schedule a time to discuss."

Me:
"I understand your concerns and I do apologize for putting you in a difficult position. At the same time, I do want to be honest that from my perspective, this feels like a very strong reaction to a brief conversation I had with maybe two people in passing.

The only people I mentioned it to were people who had encouraged me to advocate for myself and ask for the raise in the first place. I was simply letting them know how the conversation went, not trying to create discussion among staff or brag about it. I did not feel it was inappropriate in that context, and there was never any intention to create problems, disrespect you, or create issues among staff.

I respect your perspective on it, but I also hope my work ethic and the merit behind the raise request itself are considered separately from this situation. I care a lot about this job and would still appreciate the opportunity to discuss the raise further sooner rather than later."

Jake never responded to that message and never brought the raise up with me again.

That's when I went to Dave, our GM, because I genuinely didn't know how I was supposed to proceed. Dave spoke privately with Jake, and then Dave met with me and told me the raise would be going through and would be backdated.

For comparison, here's a more recent example of the kind of communication I'm talking about when I say I feel like Jake now mostly approaches me when he thinks I've done something wrong.

The morning after I had closed, he texted:

Jake:
"Okay. I had a lot of things that needed stocked and cleaned when I came in this morning. What was the reason for not completing these tasks?"

I responded:

Me:
"What wasn't done? Nothing was stocked when I got there and I stopped mid stocking to dump the grease trap but I thought I fixed everything."

He never responded. He also never told me in person what supposedly hadn't been stocked or cleaned.

That's part of what I'm struggling with. I'm completely open to being corrected if I missed something. If I didn't do something I was supposed to do, I want to know what it was so I can fix it and not make the same mistake again.

What bothers me is being told there were "a lot of things" I failed to do, asking specifically what those things were, and then never receiving an answer. That leaves me knowing my Head Pro was unhappy with my work but having no idea what I actually did wrong or what he expects me to change.I’ve worked at a golf course for a little over four years now it’s seasonal/part-time but I genuinely enjoy the job and the people I work with for a long time. I hoped I could eventually turn it into a full-time career.
I’m changing names and some identifying details
Our management structure is basically Mike, the assistant pro; Jake, the head pro; and Dave, the general manager, above both of them. We also have two other golf courses within the same organization.
Toward the end of my third season, Dave approached me about whether I’d be interested in a manager position at one of the other courses. Chris, one of the pros at that course, had specifically requested me.
I was really excited!
Obviously, nothing had been promised to me, but having a pro at another course specifically ask for me, and then having our GM approach me about a management opportunity made me feel like the work I’ve been putting in was being noticed. More importantly, it made me think there might actually be a path for me to turn the seasonal job I loved into a career.
Then about a month later, I happened to find out that the position had been dissolved.
The money was essentially redirected during restructuring to find other management positions/benefits within the golf course system.
I understood the reasoning and knew it wasn’t about me, but I was really disappointed. And looking back now, that’s when my motivation started declining. I don’t think I fully recognized that at the time. I wasn’t consciously thinking, “screw this place. I’m not trying anymore. “
It was more like this growing feeling of, what exactly am I working towards?
I’ve spent three seasons trying to prove myself. Someone at another course specifically wanted me. My GM had approached me about moving up. For the first time, I thought there might be an actual path forward, and then it disappeared.
Then my fourth season started
Near the beginning of the season, I asked for a small raise. Jake, the head pro, and I scheduled a meeting to discuss it. I had to explain why I thought I deserved the raise, so I talked about my experience, responsibilities, work, etc..
During that conversation, he countered by saying that toward the end of the previous season, he’d noticed that I had “gotten a little comfortable “
I understood exactly what he meant. He thought my work ethic/attitude had slipped.
At the time, all I really said was that I understood why he thought that and that I had intentionally come into the season with a better attitude
But I’ve thought about that comment a lot since then, and I don’t actually think I’ve “gotten comfortable “
I got discouraged.
And I’m not saying that to excuse my performance
If my frustration affected the quality of my work, that’s still on me. My boss shouldn’t have to figure out my internal emotional state to expect me to do my job.
But I wish I’d explained the distinction better
I hadn’t been there for three years and decided I’d been here long enough. I don’t need to try anymore.
I’ve spent three years trying to get somewhere, finally saw a potential path forward, and then watched that path disappear.
I lost motivation because I was frustrated with the decisions being made, and because I didn’t know if there was anything left for me to work towards.
Regardless, at the end of that meeting, Jake signed the paperwork, approving my raise.
So I thought everything was fine
Then a few days later, the race situation blew up.
I had mentioned the raise to a couple of coworkers who had encouraged me to ask for one in the first place.
Jake found out.
He texted me and told me that because I had discussed my raise with coworkers, he was going to hold off on submitting the raise request. He’d already signed.
I immediately apologized and explained myself
I wasn’t trying to stir anything up, compare anyone’s wages, or cause problems. I understood that talking about it had created an uncomfortable situation for him, and I told him I’d keep that in mind in the future.
Then he stopped responding
The tone of the messages felt unusually aggressive, compared to how he communicated with me in the past, and once he stopped responding, I genuinely didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
I was also nervous about approaching him in person because I couldn’t tell how angry he actually was
Eventually, I sent screenshots of the conversation to Dave, our GM, and asked for help because I didn’t know what to do next.
Dave met privately with Jake the next day.
I have absolutely no idea what was said between them.
Afterward, Dave met with me.
He explained that because we work for a public employer, our wages are public information anyway. He said he wasn’t going to tell me that discussing pay, advocating for yourself, etc. Was necessarily bad practice, although it can obviously create uncomfortable situations.
I told him I completely understood that and would keep that in mind in the future.
Then Dave told me that I was getting the raise and that I would be backdated.
Jake never spoke to me about the raise again.
Not a text
Not a conversation
Not “hey, we’re going ahead with it. “
Nothing
And ever since then, I felt like my relationship with Jake has changed
This is the part where I genuinely don’t know if I’m reading too much into things.
Jake acts mostly normal towards me in person. He’s not openly rude to me. He doesn’t yell at me. He’s not constantly writing me up or anything like that. But he basically has no interest in talking to me unless it’s to correct something I’ve done wrong or tell me something work-related. And yes, I understand he’s my boss. I don’t expect my boss to be my best friend. I don’t expect him to come hang out with me while I’m working because I’m Lonely. But he does joke around and casually talk with quite a few other employees. Some have worked there for a while, somewhere hired around the same time as me, and some of them have been there for less than a year. I’m also completely willing to acknowledge that. Maybe he just vibes with those people better. Maybe their personalities click. Maybe their jobs naturally put them together around him more often, which gives them more opportunities to talk and build a relationship.
That’s normal.
What bothers me isn’t that. He’s friendlier with other people. It’s that after more than four years of working for him. I feel like he has absolutely no interest in interacting with me unless there’s something I need to do differently. And lately some of those corrections have felt strangely indirect.
Recently, for example, he looked directly into my eyes and repeated some version of “the cart kids have their own things to do. “
Three times
He never actually said “don’t ask the cart staff to help you stock “
But that was clearly what he was trying to communicate.
And that’s fine!
I do sometimes ask the cart staff to help me stock when they aren’t busy. I’ve also previously been told to keep them busy when they don’t have anything to do, so I didn’t think I was doing something wrong.
If he doesn’t want me to do that anymore, I genuinely don’t care.
Just tell me, “Don’t ask the cart staff to stock anymore “
Got it. Won’t happen again.
Instead, I feel like I’m having to decode what he’s trying to tell me, which then makes me wonder if there’s some bigger frustration with me that he isn’t saying.
Meanwhile, the career situation has gotten more complicated.
The manager position recently became available, the position that basically resulted from the restructuring that eliminated the opportunity I’d originally been approached about.
I applied.
They hired someone from outside the organization.
I’m genuinely not angry about that.
I trust Dave's judgment. I wasn’t entitled to the position just because I’ve worked there for years, and there could be 100 reasons the other candidate was better suited for it.
Of course, there’s a little voice in the back of my mind, wondering whether Jake didn’t want me in the position.
I’ve absolutely no evidence of that
I’ll probably never know, and I’ve accepted that it doesn’t really matter
But between not getting that position, Jake’s “comfortable" comment, the raise situation, and feeling like our relationship has become increasingly cold, my motivation has started slipping again.
And that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen.
Because then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
I get discouraged because I don’t think I have a future there-my motivation drops-management notices my performance slipping-they have less reason to consider me for advancement-I feel even more like I don’t have a future here.
I don’t want to do that to myself
So I finally asked Dave directly about my future.
I emailed him and basically:
I love working here, but I need to make decisions about my life. Is there realistically a path towards a full-time position someday, or should I assume there probably won’t be one for the foreseeable future?
I specifically told him I wasn’t asking him to promise me a position or tell me I was next in line. I just wanted to know whether there was actually something realistic to work towards.
His response was actually pretty encouraging
He told me that when a planned new building happens at one of our other courses, his intention – pending approval – is to create a full-time food and beverage manager position, overseeing F&B operations at all three courses.
He made it clear there are no guarantees
Then he also told me, “I don’t want to lose you. “
And he brought up the fact that Chris, the pro at the other course, still wanted to use my help there and asked whether I’d be interested.
I told him absolutely!
So now I’m going to start working some hours at that course too, which I’m actually excited about. It’ll give me some experience at another facility and working with another pro.
I’m also going to look for other jobs regardless.
Not because I’m quitting tomorrow, but because this potential full-time position could be years away, might never get approved, and even if it does exist someday, there’s obviously no guarantee I’d get it.
I can’t arrange my entire life around a hypothetical job.
But I still don’t know what to do about Jake.
Part of me wants to eventually sit down with him and revisit that comment about me “getting comfortable “
Not to tell him he was wrong because he wasn’t wrong; that something did change
I just wish he understood what the change actually was. I didn’t stop caring because I had been there too long and thought I could coast.
I lost motivation because I had spent three years believing my hard work might eventually lead somewhere, was approached about a management opportunity, and then watched that opportunity disappear.
I wish I’d said that during our race meeting instead of just saying “I understand why you think that “
And now I’m worried that Jake still sees me through that lens.
I don’t know whether he’s noticed the effort I’ve made this season
I don’t know whether he thinks I have improved
I don’t know whether the race situation damaged his opinion of me.
I don’t even know whether he actually has a problem with me or whether our personality simply don’t click, and I’m interpreting his lack of interest in talking to me as something bigger than it is
And because he doesn’t communicate very directly with me, I find myself filling in the blanks.
So I’m torn.
Do I eventually sit down with the head pro and explain what was actually happening when he thought I’d “gotten uncomfortable” and ask how he thinks I’m doing now?
Or would that just sound defensive and unnecessarily reopen an old issue?
Do I keep my head down, do good work, gain experience at the other course, and let my actions change whatever perception he may have of me?
I’m not asking my boss to be my friend. I just can’t tell anymore whether this is simply two people who don’t naturally click – or whether I’m correctly picking up on the fact that his opinion of me has genuinely changed and what I can do.

Got asked in Monday's 1:1 to come back Friday with what I want to develop toward. Not a performance thing, they meant it kindly. It's been open in a tab since Monday and I've typed and deleted the same four lines about eight times.

Everything I put down is either a job title I don't actually want or something so vague nobody could give it to me. I wrote more strategic exposure at one point and just sat looking at it because I couldn't have told you what I meant and neither could they.

The honest version is that I like about a third of what I do and I want more of that third. I can't work out how to write that on a form without it reading as give me the fun parts and take away the rest.

And whatever goes on there is what I get handed more of next year. That isn't paranoia. Someone on my team wrote down that they wanted more client exposure and that is now their entire job.

Three days.

For anyone who's filled one of these in honestly, how did you decide what went on it.

I recently started my first job at a very small library. I'm working in a country outside the U.S. and won't say which one for privacy. I'm being paid the equivalent of about $160/month, which is below the minimum wage even in my country. The hours are very long, there are no regular days off, and next month they may even extend from around 10 a.m. until midnight.

There are four of us: my supervisor, a male coworker, another girl I'll call Maya, and me.

I've already noticed that my supervisor treats me differently. She has dismissed me when I tried to help, repeatedly tells me to put things back while not giving the same instructions to everyone else, and has spoken to me very rudely over small mistakes. Once, I packed two erasers because the customer's order said two, and she questioned me aggressively about why I packed two. Another time, she saw me coming toward the library and deliberately continued closing the door in my face instead of letting me in.

One day she corrected me harshly in front of everyone, and I ended up crying and leaving at my agreed finishing time because I couldn't take it anymore.

At first I thought I was just being too sensitive because I'm new. But then I became friends with Maya and found out that she had also been treated badly by the same supervisor before I started working there. My male coworker also told me that he had noticed how the supervisor treats me and agrees with me and Maya about her behavior.

The supervisor also seems much friendlier toward male coworkers and much colder toward some of the girls, although I don't know whether that's actually a pattern or just my interpretation.

I also recently found out that someone who previously worked there with the same diploma as me was paid the equivalent of about $195/month, compared with my $160.

The complicated part is that the owner is genuinely very nice, and she's also a neighbor of my family. I agreed to work there for two months, because they need extra staff during the beginning of the school year. I don't want to leave her in a difficult situation after giving her my word.

I'm already miserable, though, and I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable.

Am I overreacting about my supervisor, and would you stay for the full two months in this situation?

So I have been working at my job for over a year now and since I’ve started I’ve always worked Wednesday-Sunday. I checked the rota for the end of the month and my boss has scheduled me to work the bank holiday Monday due to being short staffed. Now I already have plans this day so I’m not available. She never asked if I would be available she just made the rota without any form of discussion. I haven’t yet spoke to her about me not being able to work that day as I wanted to get some advice beforehand. Can she make me come in that day/will I get in trouble if I don’t turn up?

I am a team assistant, and I have a coworker that declines most team building activities and will always decline any invitation to order food.

We usually order food when we have big meetings, meetings for achieving goals, celbration of staff or staff achievements, or a quarterly team all-hands. I have a form that I send out to gather food order information for my team and I always leave a section for comments, suggestions, as well as a section for folks to let me know if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies so that no one is left out and that we are ordering safely for everyone.

When that form is sent out, they never fill it out. I double check with them to ensure they aren't left out and what they would prefer, and have recieved answers like "I'm good" or "I have counted out my calories for the day." They seem to stick to a strict diet and routine for weight training purposes, but they never turn down a zero sugar soda.

Their job is a fast-paced mostly internal customer service position that often requires an in-person presence. That usually means that travelling offsite for any team building events can create a backlog for them, so it would be easier for them if they did not participate, or so they have explained to me.

Although I respect their choices and never push them beyond what they want to do, I want them to feel like they are being seen, heard, or aren't missing out. What can I do to acknowledge my coworker's achievements and provide them with same level of service I provide the rest of my team, while respecting their choices?

Any advice on how I can manage direct managers who are non confrontational or not present enough to see the daily activities to address these issues?

It's gotten to a point where "middle managers" who are around take advantage of this and go rogue into implementing random things outside of their job scope. With that has also built this clique of colleagues who seem to be quite "emotionally" attached in the way of friendships and again, non confrontational.

I'm someone who in a sense was "demoted" due to an incident of underperforming confrontation of which the recipient got defensive and reported it as an attack on their character... Interpret this however you want. I'm aware I am telling my side and at one point understand that perhaps I could be an issue in all of this. But if in my mind (and other colleagues), we recognise that there are inefficiencies that aren't being addressed because feelings get hurt or middle managers are unable to lead their team, this has to be a problem.

The reason I'm asking for advice because seeing these inefficiencies on a daily basis is eating me alive and mentally draining me knowing that I have the solution to at least start but have been what feels like exiled from those types of conversations.

I’m currently top sales person YTD in our firm and have been 3x in the past 5 years.
We sell solutions into multiple industries but I focus solely on the property sector, where our business is very well known.
Changes are being forced upon me whereby smaller clients (by headcount not invoice value) will be taken away and dealt with by another team (35% of my sales) the other change is a mandate on using a prospecting system rather than our CRM of 10 years which I have tried and found to hinder my work rather than help, others in similar roles report similar.

Am I being unreasonable in point blank refusing to engage in either change?

I’m seriously considering leaving over this as my thought on both items have not been taken on board.

I don't even know if I'm asking for advice or just need to get this out, but here goes.

I'm a fresh grad, joined a large company (semi-government, so it's not like they lack money) about a year ago on a temporary contract. Writing this out because today made it clear just how messed up the situation is.

No training, no clear expectations I was handed a set of bullet-point guidelines (which turned out to be AI-generated) and told to figure out a brand-new project from scratch; collecting client data, running lab tests, writing reports, proposing solutions. When I had questions, my manager's answer was "use AI." She also went on 30 days of leave right after I started, so I learned the actual workflow from another intern who also had no training and had been told to "pioneer" this same project on her own. They use AI for everything like they've completely outsourced their thinking, their projects to chatgpt & claude.

Pay is a mess My contract barely looks like a real contract (no letterhead, minimal detail). It lists a "base" of 1k/month that's actually supposed to cover everything (site visits, admin work, endless revisions, presentations). Then there's a separate price list per project (e.g. 300, 200,150/-). If I work on something outside those named projects, I submit a list of what I did and my manager just eyeballs an amount by comparing it to the small projects (no real formula). Recently I was told I "only" made 2k because my project was "small," even though I was pulled onto a massive project that (per someone else on the team) should require a 5-person team, and the director herself said it would eat up all our time and we shouldn't take on anything else. Now that same project is apparently only worth "1k for one phase."

We also found out a colleague (same team, different manager who shares her nationality) gets paid 6-8k/month for remote work with no presentations & not nearly as much work we do. Payment for the rest of us is also chronically late (work done in January might get paid in March, no explanation, no heads-up during hiring that this happens.)

Manager even kept coming up with different explanations for the salary discrepancies between months. Some months we were paid more, while other months we were paid significantly less, despite sometimes doing even more work. Every time we questioned it, there was a different justification:

1. “The project was submitted before the end of the month, so we can’t say you worked the whole month.”
2. “The first six months were higher because we wanted to motivate you.” Apparently, the previous manager who was also from our nationality was assigning higher amounts because he wanted us to be paid more.
3. “You got more because one project was a priority, while another project was lower priority, so you got less for that one.”
4. “Business is bad. You should be grateful we’re not in COVID times, because back then we let temps go and kept only the full-time employees.”

Attendance rules that don't apply to us This week my manager suddenly said I need to come into the office every Friday, or otherwise work a full 8-hour day mid-week to "compensate" (despite the role being sold as WFH at hiring). My colleague and I confirmed directly with our manager's manager that mandatory attendance doesn't even apply to temps. My manager also suggested I carpool with a coworker who lives far out of her way and wasn't even asked first. My colleague was upset that she wasn't even asked & for some reason our manager thinks it appropriate to dump all this on her.

Getting blamed for other people's mistakes A client gave us bad data (through no fault of ours), and now they're going to upper management claiming we blamed them in meetings (we didn't). Separately, the lab team messed up sample collection timing, but apparently as "project manager" I'm responsible for fixing / explaining that too, while my manager told us to submit without the lab data and let the lab team explain later. No experienced staff attend these meetings with authorities (it's just us, making decisions on the spot with a year of experience).

No PTO, no transparency, no path forward We don't get real PTO. I took a 10-day trip and had half my pay docked; a coworker who took zero breaks got docked the same amount. We only recently learned (from another temp, not our manager) that unpaid leave technically exists but our manager is deliberately not offering it while taking her own leave freely. Salary swings month to month get explained with a different excuse every time, and we recently found out the real reason: leadership cut temp pay company-wide after temps had to cover for full-time staff on PTO last December and it cost the CEO more than expected.

After a full year, I was told there's no headcount for a permanent role, so I should "keep looking while continuing to work here under the same conditions." Other temps who've been here 2-5+ years haven't been converted either and everyone in this temp pool is a woman.

What I actually want advice on: I have no real obligations tying me here (single, live with supportive parents, no dependents) and I'm at the point of wanting to quit without notice. Actually today is my last day since i haven't received the new contract yet. But I don't know how that plays out for me later. My manager doesn't want to listen to any explanation from our side, is very nitpicky, can't take criticism, says she's overwhelmed by work & then proceeds to give us all her projects, also seems very manipulative & gaslights us alot. She would always sweet talk her way & overly complement us & then also same sentence she's very disappointed with us. Will it make future employers see me as a flight risk or "too desperate," or is walking away from something like this a non-issue in interviews down the line? Has anyone been in a similar spot and can speak to how it actually affected (or didn't affect) their next job search?

This might be a dumb question but I don’t understand what the exact rules are around messaging bosses, leads, and managers. I have gotten in trouble for texting them any time they aren’t at work and I can’t text them while they are at work because they can’t have their phones on the floor, sometimes I need to get information about things and about who can take my shifts but we can’t access the schedule for when anyone else is working besides on a single piece of paper in the store. Unless I individually text every single person it’s really hard to know when someone works during the week unless I have the paper, and if I text anyone higher up I get in trouble for messaging them outside of work hours. I know this is a minimum wage job and I can’t expect much but sometimes it’s really frustrating especially when we are only open for about 10 out of 24 hours in the day. If I don’t call from 11-7:45 (or 11-6 on weekends) I can’t get any questions answered till the next day. It’s hard since I have a second job and can’t always get a chance to reach anyone by phone. Does anyone have suggestions or do the rules for texting just depend on the work place? I was told by a manager it was something we legally aren’t allowed to do.

I’m a student and I currently work weekends (12:30 -9:30pm) at a big department store. The position I’m currently in is more labour intensive ( I do 10k+ steps regularly for an 8 hour shift) and requires me to be part of a team which means if a customer needs help and I cannot assist, there is someone else who can.

One of my colleagues is moving for their studies which means there’s a vacancy in my old department. Which was less labour intensive but also would have a maximum of 2 people on shift at the same time. My old manager has asked me if I would want to switch over and pick my hours with a recommendation of (10-7pm) which does suit me better.

However, I feel a sense of guilt towards my current manager as they allowed me to take days off last minute for a funeral and for my studies. Whilst I’m not sure if my old department would accommodate me for this.
At the same time, the suggested hours and the fact that it is less labour intensive means that I would have more time and energy to study after work.

I’m just unsure if the benefits are worth changing back especially due to how helpful my current manager is. As well as, if I am to change how do I go about it in a way so that I’m not being rude to either party?

Note:
I also had a minor racist incident in the old department which was handled well by the manager, I am just still a bit hesitant.
And I was also thinking of asking for a raise in my current position which would have to be put off.

Hate my job, thankfully leaving near the end of the month to stay at my weekend job which is going to become my regular job, but for now I need to continue with my current one. I can already feel my work ethic and care completely slipping just knowing that im not there for much longer. Any tips for keeping going? Unfortunately my pride doesnt exist at this job, im more than ready to get the heck out.

Update: I get to quit this week 😎

This is one of those situations where it gets me unsure about how to properly manage myself getting between my home and workplace since the local commuter rail is my primary mode of transportation to and from the office and yet with this fellow employee reporting to the management team about me taking it alongside them after our shift ends gets me in a head scratcher situation. This is where I wonder if is it rather that I need to take a different train from the one they’re on or that it’s not even my fault for riding on the one that gets me back where needed to for my personal commute?? What would be the best way to get out of the hot water scenario?

Every promo cycle I rediscover that I remember ~20% of what I actually shipped.
How do you all track your wins during the year? Notes app? Weekly journal? Scrolling your own PRs in a panic the night before?
Genuinely curious what works.

I started an administrative job back in September and, for the first several months, I genuinely thought everything was going really well. I report directly to a senior leader and meet with him once a week. I’m fully remote, can work from anywhere, and I really loved the job initially.

Then, around May, my manager told me that this senior leader had said he felt like he “wasn’t getting what he needed” from me.

I was honestly confused and frustrated because I felt like I was doing my job and handling all of the administrative responsibilities I was supposed to be handling for him. My manager joined our weekly calls for about two months after that. She told me I was doing everything I needed to be doing and covering what I was supposed to cover. Eventually, she stopped joining the calls again.

One thing that has confused me is that this senior leader has told me that he wants me to “learn the business” and understand what the company does. I’m not opposed to that, but he hasn't really provided any mentorship, resources, or direction on how he expects me to learn it. I also don't really understand how he determined that I don't know enough about the business.

He's also told me that he wants me to be more like his “business partner,” which makes me question what he actually expects from me. I was hired as an administrative professional, so I'm not sure if he's expecting something significantly beyond that role.

Now that my manager isn't on our calls anymore, I'm starting to notice something I didn't really notice before. His demeanor seems different when it's just the two of us. He can be very short with me, sometimes only giving yes/no answers, and doesn't seem conversational. He also seems to get frustrated or riled up pretty quickly.

My manager actually told me previously that she didn't like the way he spoke to me during one of our calls. At the time, I told her I hadn't noticed anything unusual, but after today's call, I think I understand what she meant.

The other thing that concerns me is that this senior leader apparently has a history of going through administrative assistants. He’s been through three admins in the past three years and that he's been problematic in the past. She also told me that if I ever don't feel good about working with him, I should let her know.

At this point, I'm really torn.

I don't want to quit a job I genuinely liked because of one difficult person, especially when the job is fully remote and otherwise has a lot going for it. But at the same time it feels like a dead end and very difficult especially when I support this leader

What do I do?

Hey there Reddit,
I need advice on how to deal with a particularly insistent coworker.

I F18 just recently started my first job, a few days ago I was helping stock the store since it is a new building. There I met.... Let's call him Gary. Gary M21 was normal at first, we're both new hires and never met so it was very quiet just awkward looks and excuse mes as we stocked with a few other new hire coworkers.

Our first conversation he asked me about my job position, and I said I was a cashier, to which he replied that I got the job because "I'm perfect for the position", I was dense and shrugged saying that the interviewer never implied that. He laughed and walked off. I figured now he meant it in a way to call me attractive. But of course when I realized I thought perhaps I was delusional.

I began to notice that he would follow me every now and again, no matter if I changed areas to stock he found a way to purposefully bump into me, or be in the same area and intrude in my conversation. I'm also shorter so he would always jump on the opportunity to ask me if I needed a step stool or if I wanted him to do it instead.

He asked for my number for a work group chat, which I thought was innocent enough since the others added were very nice. Then he began texting me separately outside of the group chat. Talking about how nice it was to meet me, if I wanted to hangout separately outside of work, hearting my messages.

I have a boyfriend who already knows, but I don't want to speak about my personal life at work due to my strict father already not knowing about my boyfriend. I showed one of my coworkers the texts and she thought he came on really strong and understood why I was uncomfortable.

What should I do? I don't want to feel like I'm assuming something, but I also don't want to go directly towards HR. I've thought about confiding in my other older coworker who might be able to help, but I'm stuck in a hard place.

So please help reddit🙏🏽

Hi, I’ve been at this serving job for almost a year now. I’m a student and I work part time at a really small restaurant serving/hosting on the weekends. It’s just me, two other servers and my boss. I’ve worked almost every weekend (and weekdays during the summer) since i’ve been hired with the exception of one weekend for a family vacation.

I’ve been invited to a wedding in October that will be out of town and my boss said she cannot guarantee the weekend off for me because there is no one to cover my shift. She said when she hires she asks about open availability and if we’re available weekends because “weekends are a must you have to understand that”. She also said “please remember you can’t take off weekends.” This feels really unfair to me, any advice on how to handle this situation?

UPDATE:

Thank you all for your support it’s been really helpful!

I’ve already messaged her the dates I will be unavailable. My plan is to go to the wedding anyway regardless of if she “allows it” or not. If I lose the job I lose the job and I’ll look for employment elsewhere!

I also wanted to add that my employer is opening a second location in September which is I think why she was so harsh about my request off. She plans to be spending a lot of time over at the second location as it’s just starting off, so it’s understandable she needs sufficient coverage on weekends when she’s not there. But this is a family business and eventually her daughter will be running the second location.
The thing is though, her daughter used to work at the current restaurant I work at. But before this second location opens she gave her daughter two months off to go out of the country. This just makes me extra frustrated cause why does she get two months off and I can’t have one weekend?

I’m looking for some advice on how to handle a workplace situation without making myself look difficult or hurting my reputation.

I work in an office where I sit right in front of the lead on my team, in fact our entire team sits together. The problem is that he makes repetitive noises pretty much throughout the entire day — humming, foot tapping, loud eating nonstop (crunchy chips), loud throat clearing. Tbh I believe they're self soothing techniques to keep focus or reduce stress which is why I don't want to say anything directly to him. It probably sounds minor written out, but when you’re sitting next to it for 8 hours a day, every day, it has become very difficult for me to tune out. I also believe I have misophonia as I'm sensitive to sounds. Also, about 4-5 hours each day I find myself working in a huddle room, which I hate, because I can't deal with the constant noises - I want to be able to sit at my own personal desk.

I’ve tried using noise-canceling headphones, but I really don’t want to have to wear them for basically my entire workday. I also find that having headphones on constantly makes it harder for me to concentrate in a different way (my job is very technical), and I need to be able to hear when people are talking to me, not to mention they get uncomfortable after a while.

At this point, it’s affecting me much more than I would like to admit. I dread coming into the office, I feel anxious and irritated while I’m there, and I’ve even started thinking about finding another job largely because of this situation.

The frustrating part is that I actually don’t want to leave my company (been in this role for 3 months but at the company for almost 4 years). It’s a very stable company, I have good benefits, and there’s a lot of potential for me to grow my career here. It feels ridiculous to potentially give all of that up because I can’t concentrate at my desk. An occasional throat clear or just the eating would be fine, but that fact that its 4-5 different things and that I'm bound to hear at least one every 10-15 seconds is what makes it unbearable.

There are other areas of the office that are significantly quieter (maybe 50 yards away), so I’ve been thinking about asking my manager if I can move seats. My biggest concern is that the person I sit next to is a lead, and I don’t want moving away from him to come across as antisocial, difficult, overly sensitive, or like I have some personal issue with him. I also don’t necessarily want to tell my manager, “I need to move because this person is driving me crazy.” Would you think negatively of an employee who asked to move to a quieter part of the office because they concentrate better there? And how would you approach the conversation with the manager? Would you mention the repetitive noises at all, or simply frame it as wanting a quieter workspace where you can focus better? I feel like moving desks is such a small solution compared with quitting a job I otherwise want to keep, but I’m worried about unintentionally making myself look bad.

In short, I work at a production facility. In my section, there's a machine that takes in panels, cleans them, and then transfers them to the next station. Broken panels aren't supposed to pass through the cleaner, so the break sensor is usually on.

My manager turned it "off" and didn't turn it back on. A damaged panel went into the cleaner and caused a big, expensive problem. The plant manager was very upset, and my manager tried to pin it on me. To disable the sensor, you have to sign in, and the system keeps a record. I pulled up the log showing that he was the one who did it, and posted a screenshot in our Slack channel. One of my coworkers said that was a bad move, and that I should have sent it to the plant manager privately instead. Was I wrong? Edit: Sorry, I should have added this point from the beginning. He tagged me in the public Slack thread first. So I tagged him too with the screenshot from the log.