Getting up early and forcing yourself to head to work is tough as it is, but having a terrible boss waiting for you at the office can really make things overwhelming.
From being completely ungrateful to just flat-out unprofessional, these folks are sharing stories about the worst bosses they’ve ever had.
1.
- I introduced my wife at work. My boss made jokes like, “Bet she married you for your benefits!” and “She’s out of your league.”
Later, he got serious, pulled me aside and said something that made me sick, “Actually, your wife looks like she might need a job. I’ve got an opening for an assistant. Tell her to apply.” After we left, she asked, “Is that the guy you work for every day?”
It hit me hard. I stayed up that night updating my resume. Three weeks later, I got a job offer with better pay and a better boss. I took it without hesitation.
2.
- Had to take 4 weeks off with a collapsed lung, then 4 months later, 2 months for a scheduled surgery (pleurodesis). Came back after to a disciplinary hearing, HR couldn’t even believe it. “It’s not why you missed the time, but just the fact that you missed the time. We can’t have that.” © BadManDeego / Reddit
3.
- I worked as a graphic designer for a startup company. My boss would nitpick the tiniest details that I guarantee you no one would ever notice. She would simply give comments for the sake of giving comments.
I once designed a post with a clean, minimalist layout. My boss stared at it for five minutes, then said, “Can you move the text two pixels to the left? It just feels off.” I made the change—barely noticeable—but she wasn’t satisfied. “Actually, try a slightly warmer black.” It was already black.
We spent two hours tweaking things only she could see. The worst part is that she took forever to give any approvals, holding back our schedule and slowing everything down, and guess what? She complains about the team’s pace being too slow.
4.
- I worked for a small café, doing a manager’s amount of work while being paid minimum wage, and when I contracted pink eye from caring for my sister, my boss got mad at me. After that I applied, and was hired, at Starbucks. His business fell apart without me there and closed within 4 months of me leaving. © VaultHawk / Reddit
5.
- I decided to work as a waitress to make some cash while finishing up uni. My boss gave the most ridiculous demands. She wanted me to maintain a smile all throughout my six-hour shift, even if no customers were present.
She would supervise us from the cameras and make sure we weren’t sitting down and kept our smile. If our smile falters, she’d give us a call through the restaurant phone and ask us why we’re not smiling. I left after two weeks and couldn’t smile for a while after.
6.
- I had a boss who refused to let me take an “unplanned vacation” to see my grandma on her deathbed. I quit on the spot. It was strange because up until that incident, she was really cool and laid back. But when I asked for the weekend off to go visit my dying grandmother, she snapped and lectured me about how I needed to “plan” my “vacation” better. © Ostentia / Reddit
7.
- I used to work in high pressure sales. Once a week, the director would come in and to get everyone energized, and they brought in Monster drinks. Now, I liked the Director. She was nice and professional. My manager, on the other hand, was not.
I got tired of drinking energy drinks, so I decided to not participate this one week. My boss came to me and said, “You didn’t get a monster. You know Wendy bought these for the entire division?” I said I was aware of that, but I didn’t want one. He came up to me and said this, “Listen, go into that office and get one right now.”
So I got up, grabbed a can, walked back to my desk and just left it sitting there. He came back and asked why I didn’t drink it. I told him I didn’t want to have one because my body doesn’t do well with so much caffeine. He stated to me that my lack of energy shows in my performance.
He ended with, “If you keep this up, we may have to let you go.” Lo and behold, I ended up getting fired. © Orphan_Babies / Reddit
8.
- Everything, and I mean every. single. thing was always our “top priority.” “Getting the applications done is your top priority.” “We need to produce this report daily – it’s your top priority.” “That backlog has to be cleared and then kept on top of going forward. It’s your top priority.” I ended up telling her every task can’t be the “top priority” and basically nothing was actually priority anymore. We had a brief argument about it, she threw a hissy fit and stormed off. © Apprehensive_Bug_826 / Reddit
9.
- I worked in a kitchen. I was the morning cook and became good friends with the night cook before he got promoted to head chef. I attended his wedding with my partner, and was close to him. Shortly after he got promoted, he started to get more and more lazy.
I used to stay late after shifts to make sure all the orders were properly put away, while my boss would sit outside for an hour at a time. I put up with it for months. When I told him my partner was pregnant and our baby was due in July, his response was, “Man, that better not ruin my birthday weekend.”
Fast-forward to 4:30 a.m.—my partner goes into labor. I call to let him know I won’t be coming in because, well, my child is being born. An hour later, at 5:30 a.m., he calls back and asks, “Has the baby been born yet?” I say no—and he goes, “Think you can come in for a few hours while you’re waiting?” © Matopus / Reddit
10.
- My first job was working fast food for the biggest cheapskate ever. This was over ten years ago, so I am kinda fuzzy on specifics, but he would regularly schedule me for more hours than I signed up for, didn’t pay me well, and refused to turn the ac on, even in the lobby, to save money.
One day, I was scheduled for a shift that he knew I was not available for (I relied on my parents for rides so I couldn’t work week days), so I spent the night before at a friend’s house who lived close enough for me to walk. It was raining heavily that day, so after walking twenty minutes to work I was drenched. I pulled the door handle and the building was locked.
No signs on the door, just locked. I call my boss, and he says, “You don’t have to work today, we are closed for business.” I say, “Am I working tomorrow?” “No, we are closed for good.” © drfattyphd / Reddit
