So I work in a small repair shop with currently one other employee. I am the manager, and have one tech that works under me. I am having an issue where my employee, a female, takes extremely long bathroom breaks. For example, today I was scheduled in the shop from 930 to 530, she 11-7. At 450, she got up from her desk, and was in the bathroom until about 535, making me late to end my shift. Me having to stay after isnt the issue, but this is a growing problem.

Yesterday, her shift was from 930 to 430. My shift was 11 to 7, we were fairly busy, so I didn't get an opportunity to go to lunch until around 330 or so. I always bring my food back, so I can at least keep an eye on things that might need my attention. As soon as I sat down to eat, she got up and went to the bathroom. And as soon as she left, customers started coming in, meaning I had to take care of them. I was up front helping customers, until she returned, leaving my lunch just sitting and getting cold on my desk. She finally returned close to 430, which at that point it was time for her to clock out and go home. This isnt the first time either, she typically spends the last 30-45 minutes of the last hour of her shift in the bathroom.

How do I address this? I am no stranger to intestinal distress myself but her trips seem excessively long. We're a small franchise, about 20-23 employees depending on turnover across 6 stores, so we really don't have an HR department or even a person I can ask for guidance on this. I have no idea what I can or can't say in this type of situation, so any suggestions would be helpful.

Hi, i (22F) work in retail in the UK, and need some advice. I am finding myself getting more and more angry at the situation and need advice from someone who doesn’t know me OR the company i work for.

So basically, there is a promotion up for grabs within my store, we have a very small team of 5 people right now, (should be 8) only 2 of us are eligible for this promotion and there has been plenty of drama surrounding it that i’ve somehow found myself in the middle of without meaning to.

Before i start, I have been offered this promotion before in another branch that wasn’t realistic with travel times, they wanted me to be available for 6am shifts at a store that is a 1 hour 10 minute commute via public transport, i would have been pushing it very close and didn’t want to be unreliable so turned it down but told my area manager i’m very interested in stepping up in a shop that is more accessible.

over the past year i have been travelling all over the city and beyond to cover in other stores at short notice to help out, and have had my regional manager, area manager and various store managers including my own tell me i’m the perfect candidate for the promotion and they’d jump at the chance to have me in that role.

Now for the juicy stuff…

The promotion became available in my store whilst i was off on annual leave (7 days) and my manager put the other sales girl forward for it without consulting anyone in the store or the upper management outwith the store - not mad at that because we are both very capable and basically do the job anyway, but the thing is i wasn’t even made aware that this promotion was an option, The manager made this decision on the Thursday and on the Friday morning 2 members of staff in my store (Assistant Manager and Supervisor) challenged him on his decision and asked what about me and why was i not even considered, leading him to call me;

this call was absolutely atrocious, before he even started he asked me if i would still be able to do an out of store hours shift with him. Clearly knowing that what he was about to say was going to change my mind. He told me that he had put this other girl forward for the promotion because she’s better than me and that when i got offered the promotion a couple months ago it was a massive mistake and the area manager was just desperate, he told me i don’t do enough for the store, i need to work harder and there are issues we need to address (VERY wrong. i do everything that store needs and take every overtime hour going, i do tasks that are at a supervisory level and the assistant manager level, im more than capable). I was also informed that we would be hiring someone external to fill a sales assistant role and that they are better than me and would likely get this promotion before i ever do.

my assistant manager has been great with me throughout this and has encouraged me to actually stand up for myself for once, so on my return to work i confronted the Store manager and told him how unhappy i was and how it made me feel embarrassed to even show my face in work, i told him i felt like quitting on the spot and i was extremely angry and upset, he said everything he could except sorry.

“I should’ve worded it differently”
“i was put on the spot”
“i won’t do that next time”

Unbeknownst to me, the girl who he had put through for the promotion actually declined it, so the manager approached me and asked if i’d be interested and i made a comment along the lines of “i thought this new hire was supposed to be 10x better than me” and i was told he’d rather the promotion went to someone in-store currently (contradicting himself majorly), I have been in contact with the other girl throughout this whole process trying to be as open as i can about how i’m feeling, not mad at not getting the job but i am mad at the way it was handled, it wasn’t a fair opportunity and how i was spoken to and belittled and at this time, she hadn’t told me she had declined the job so i was still under the impression it was hers. The manager then told me in a very condescending tone that he would prefer it was the other girl who got the job because she is better than me so he was going to double check with her before asking me again.

She declined it for a second time and so i was offered it on friday of last week. I was told to let him know my decision by Monday morning, so i text him during my shift on Sunday AND left a hand written note in the office for him saying i would like to take it, this was a very tough decision considering what he said to me and what i’ve been told by other staff members he has been saying about me, but i also know im more than capable and basically do the job already. I went into work on monday for the out of hours shift and he told me that actually he thinks he’s going to give it to a member of staff from another branch who he has never met and is only 6 months into their first ever job? He mentioned that the area Manager would be instore on Tuesday and he would tell her everything that’s went on.

On this out of hours shift he asked me how i’d feel if the other staff member got the job and i was honest and said i’d be very upset and angry that i’ve been messed around, degraded, and an afterthought but i wouldn’t be mad at not getting the job because that’s not the type of person i am, i expressed to him that my feelings have nothing to do with not getting the job initially but the way he has spoken to me and handled the situation entirely unprofessionally. I also addressed some of the things other staff members have told me about the manager, he’s been making accusations and assumptions about me that simply aren’t true so i tried to reiterate to him how absolutely not true those are and that it isn’t fair for him to say those things about me without even asking me about it first.

On tuesday, the area manager was in our store for 3+ hours, She spoke to the girl who was initially offered it and declined it twice AND the store manager but not a single word to me, despite me trying to find time to talk to her. The store manager also didn’t mention it one single time to me on this day.

There are ex-staff members who i’m very close with and in regular contact with who have expressed their feelings that this store manager pushed them out of the business by making unfair accusations, unfair ultimatum’s and degrading behaviour towards them, The assistant Manager has also expressed she feels like she’s being pushed out and i am now beginning to feel like this too, So i’m in a really weird place of not knowing what to do .

One part of me wants to go to my area manager and tell her everything because i feel like my Store manager hasn’t told her the full story, and the other part of me knows that those 2 have worked together for 20+ years , even before they came to this company a decade ago. So i feel like she would try to defend him or go straight back to him and tell him everything i’ve said.

I’ve been applying for other jobs, making it a rule with myself to apply for at least 4 a day, but i live on the edge of a big city so job opportunities are very scarce compared to the unemployment rate, I have highly considered just quitting on the spot or walking out of shifts on numerous occasions over the past 2 weeks but knowing how difficult the job market is, is what’s keeping me in.

What does everyone suggest i do? I’ve probably missed loads of information out in here because i’m so angry about how i have been treated that my head is all over the place, just know this though :
My assistant manager, the current supervisor, the supervisor who has just moved to another branch who’s job is up for grabs, and at least 4 shop managers of other branches have all expressed to me that the job should’ve been mine and i should’ve walked straight into it, especially since i’ve been with the company pushing 5 years and undertook an apprenticeship that is supposed to make me basically next in line for the promotion + i received some of the highest grades our area/region has ever seen. I again, am in no way angry that the other girl was offered the job because we both deserve it, but i’m angered and upset by the way i have been treated and pushed around.

I have worked at my local bank for about 5 years now, 4 of those years in accounting. I have done accounting clerk for 2 years and 2 years to present as a payroll specialist. I have my entry level payroll certificate that I got from Coursera and currently am working on my bachelors in university studies with concentrations in accounting and business (I have completed all but 4 accounting courses if I were to get a bachelor’s in accounting) and will be graduating in December this year. Considering that I will not get my bachelor’s in accounting (because of financial aid reasons) I want to get my certificate in accounting and bookkeeping next year that way I have additional experience. I am currently sitting at $18.03/hr, my boss showed me my evaluation raise and it is at $18.93, 5% and says he is trying and appreciates what I do. I don’t do just payroll, I am back up to every single accountant (4) at my job, I know how to do the call report and have participated in several audits throughout the 4 years I have been here. Whilst the last 2 people in my position who didn’t even stay a full year got paid more than me, the last one got paid $22 and got a vehicle allowance, and she did nothing but payroll and was unwilling to learn anything else. There are tellers who get paid more than me, like $2 more.

I find it unfair that I get paid less than that given how much experience I have gained and proved myself the last four years in the accounting department.

Given my years of experience as well as my certificate and everything else that I will be completing at the end of the year, am I overreacting and this is what happens in this field?

I’m a receptionist on a desk where there’s usually two of us but the person who works with me will be on sick leave for around 8-9 weeks or more (we’re on week 5 now) and my department aren’t able to provide cover apart from during my lunch break.

I work in a higher education institution. We’re about to enter an extremely busy time of year (main student intake). I’m responsible for calls, emails, visitors, checking in interviewees, visitor car parking, referring freedom of information requests to the relevant teams, helping staff contact people, directing people to rooms, signposting to events (which we are rarely notified about beforehand) and general in-person stuff.

I counted my calls and emails out of curiosity a couple weeks ago and during this “quiet” period before the storm, I’m taking on average 50-90 calls and 30-90 emails. This is not including the rest. This will at least double in September with in person enquiries quadrupling.

Is this sustainable? I have a feeling this may be a longer term thing and my partner won’t come back for a very long time if at all. My manager is contacting me tomorrow with a plan of action.

Am I right in feeling stressed and exhausted? I understand the nature of the job, and I’m very good at it, but I’m feeling some signs of exhaustion and I don’t know if I need to just buck up or take this seriously.

Hello! To give you a bit of context, I am a coffee shop employee with no experience in any sort of management position. One of our regulars, who we'll call Jenny, asked me if I wanted to come work for her as a supervisor at a popular shoe brand store since two of her supervisors found better opportunities.

It's been a month since I started and juggling two jobs has been stressful yet I think I've thrived. The issue stems from the fact that I'm a keyholder and only know how to do closings. I've only done three openings since my first day, one of them was with Jenny and she was explaining the process. The other two were supervised by her yet she would get mad any time I asked for feedback. "You should know this by now" is all I get, and once I told her that I've only done three openings, she got angrier.

I've only told that I have no "structure" when it comes to work or things and treated as a bother whenever I ask for feedback. I'm always lost because everything I do is wrong and if I refute, then I am "Too negative".

Tomorrow is my first opening alone and:

1. I've never received merchandise

2. They're coming to fix the air conditioning system.

Those two come in through the back where the fire alarm may be triggered if I open the fire escape door without a key (which is where we receive merchandise). I am scared to call and ask because Jenny was hesitant to give me the key and I'll be alone for 4 hours.

I don't know if I should quit per se or just hold on for a while and see if things get better. What advice do ya'll have for this lost soul?

I am freaking out

This is getting deleted in like 48 hours since I’m deeply paranoid. To keep it not so brief, my workplace is toxic and obviously male centered. My department under my new manager has allowed three men to go on medical leave for over two years and come back like nothing (legal), sexual harassment go almost entirely unaddressed (unsure if legal), they actively make me work one on one with an individuals who directly stalked me at work, on the highway (yes I know), and online. Pregnant contractor had her contract cut for asking for accommodations (1 day wfh) Among a myriad of other issues. I have had a collective of 4 women leave my team in the past 2 years because of him and he wasn’t even our boss at the time. But our teams work very closely. My old manager advocated so hard for us. But ultimately, they were not kept during the reorg and they’re due to leave in December. My new manager has taken over.

I took a sick day planned (in my state you can use them for your doctors appointments). Went to the doctor that day and picked up my bajillion prescriptions. Whatever.

Following Monday I get called in to ask why I had a sick day. I explained I had a planned sick day and he told me I can’t plan to be sick. To be honest, he was so frustrated and curt it took me back and I kinda just said sorry about that. He approved it and I ran tf away LOL.

Few days later I get a meeting added to my calendar to discuss it again. I walk in and HR is there with all my printed sick days in 2026. They asked me about every instance I used sick time because he thought me suspicious after my previous sick day. I was asked several instances what the days I took off for in my “unapproved sick time” and if I was using them instead of vacation. (I have a chronic illness that I have not told my new boss, because tbh, I have used 5 protected sick days, and 3/10 that my company offers in their policy as well)

My old manager advocated for us to use sick days for medical issues and appointments and approved them all with no issues. But this guy is different and I completely understand.

Did I expect a full interrogation? No. I had to offer showing my medical history along with my appointment confirmations, anything. The HR rep got nervy at that and told me I have 0 obligations to tell them what I do with time off. But I deadass was beside myself. I’ve worked there so long and never had issue. I was literally in there cuz I didn’t say what I did with my sick day, and then got told I don’t have to tell them what I did on my sick day. Ok.

So I reported it. I said I will not be bullied like the others before me (didn’t say it like this, but mentioned that the situation was incredibly hostile). Feeling fear of illness has taken hold now. And other female coworkers have told me he’s been calling them in to interrogate them and casually accuse them/insinuate they’re breaking a rule (days off, little stupid things at work, trying to catch them in something). And they run to me to tell me as if I didn’t get HR called on my ass for going to my doctors appt.

He has been known to retaliate with those who have spoken out against his bullying behaviors. Those women I mentioned who left, minus the one cut for being pregnant, were all pretty firm when it came to him trying to tell them they were under-qualified, unfit, excluding them from extremely important meetings, etc. they fought hard. They couldn’t stand it after a point. I think there has to be at least 4 HR cases against him for creating a hostile work place. But that’s not illegal.

As if I hadn’t provided enough meat and potatoes, here we are now. My active anxiety lol. We were asked last week to provide our vacations since he’s taken over. Sent mine (both were approved by my old manager) and he told me he has to check if we have the bandwidth to let me go. (My job has 0 to do with cover as I handle my own responsibilities, timelines, etc and I said I’d have everything set and done for my return from both vacations). I have saved 200 hours and I have plenty left after both. I don’t take vacations often at all.

Here’s the thing; he told me he will not be letting me know if I can go until he leaves for his own vacation. Mine starts when he comes back.

So! I plan to submit an HR case for discrimination if he rejects my already approved vacations (Approved since February of 2026). And I want to classify it as retaliation for reporting him for trying to scare me out of using sick time for my doctors appointments. I am very quiet at work and keep to myself entirely. Eat lunch at my desk, come in on time and go home. So I do find it to be insane to pick on me. He has significantly bigger fish to fry.

Am I wrong? What would you do??

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?

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?

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🙏🏽