I work in an IT infrastructure department for a large company. There have recently been waves of layoffs happening. I have been tasked with sending files from terminated employees laptops/desktops, to their department managers. When a request for C drive or user profile access comes in, a sort of snapshot of the employees profile and work history is sent with it. Just received one for an employee who has been with this company for over 40 years. Began their career here in the 80s. Way before I was even born. I already knew company loyalty was nonsense because they will never show loyalty back. It's just sad to put myself in their shoes, and think about how they must be feeling.

Was what I said to myself when I handed in my resignation.

My manager just before my 2 year review called me unexpectedly into a side room (as we have a shared office) and started to talk to me about how they needed someone in the team who was more "obsessive" and "takes the time and care to obsessive over the little things and details". (A slave IMO)

And "not to take it the wrong way, but you have a life"

Because my work hours are 9-6 and I get in before him at 8:50am, take my 1 hour lunch break AWAY from the office for up to an hour (which I do cut short if workload needed it) and leave at 6:30pm sometimes 7pm while he stays on till 8pm most nights. He eats his lunch at his desk and takes 10 mins to go out to get it.

He then talked about how "we have budgets and schedules to stick to". I asked him for any examples of projects I had missed deadlines on or impacted budget and he couldn't give me any answer "off the top of his head" (because there wasn't any)

He then said I have 1 WEEK to "proove to him" I have what it takes for this position. I asked him what project he'll give me to demonstrate what it is he's looking for and work towards and said "to keep working on my current projects and we'll see by the end of the week". I asked see what? And he said "regretfully seeing in letting you go". That was all I needed to hear.

This meeting was 1 month on the dot before my 2 year mark at the company. Any longer than that the company legally needed to pay me redundancy if they let me go.(in the UK) I knew what he was gearing up for and that BS 1 week wasn't going to change anything. I took the weekend to think about what to do as I saw myself with 2 options. Work my ass off the next week for him to "let me go" and then demand to drag it out as per my contract with the proper disciplinary procedure to pass the 2 year mark to force them to pay me redundancy OR hand in my notice and not burn bridges.

The next morning I walked into work with my notice in hand and the one thing I kept thinking in my head was "F*ck you, you were lucky to have me". My manager was surprised when I handed him my notice and said "off the record, this is probably the best outcome for a awful situation" which solidified my thinking in that they were looking for cheap ways to save money as the company was starting to struggle.

Oh an the best part? They hired me back less than a week later as a freelancer on my FULL freelancer rate lol. Not long after I left my colleague also left and now they hired someone to cover BOTH our positions. Poor sod.

TL;DR: old boss had no life other than work and expected me to be his minion but as I "have a life" he wanted to push me out the company. He gave me 1 week to "proove to him I have what it takes". When I walked in the next morning with my resignation in hand all I could think about was "F*ck you, you were lucky to have me".

In the U.S., people wear overwork like a badge of honor. ‘Look at me, I work 70 hours a week, I haven’t taken a vacation in years, and I’m so successful.’ But here’s the reality: You’re not a hero. You’re a victim of a system that’s taught you your worth is tied to how much you can produce.

And what happens when someone decides to opt out of this insanity? When they say, ‘I’d rather work just enough to live comfortably and enjoy my life’? Suddenly, they’re ‘lazy,’ ‘entitled,’ or ‘a drain on society.’

Let’s face it:

• Hustle culture is modern-day slavery. You’re chained to your job, pretending it’s freedom because you can afford an overpriced car or apartment.

• Immigrants, especially Latinos, are hit even harder. We’re told to ‘prove our worth’ by grinding endlessly, as if our value depends on how much we suffer.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: The people you call lazy might just be smarter than you. They figured out that no one remembers the guy who died working overtime. So why do you hate them?

1.  Is it jealousy because they’re doing what you secretly wish you could?

2.  Is it fear of admitting your sacrifices might be pointless?

3.  Or do you really believe the billionaires profiting from your exhaustion care about you?

A few months ago, I tried to resign from my job as an Operations Manager at a commercial waterproofing company. At the time, my main focus was securing a down payment for a new home, and when I gave my notice, the company convinced me to stay by saying I only had to answer to the owner and that they would help me financially. The owner ended up giving me $10K, with $5K being specifically mentioned as something I might need to pay back depending on how the rest of the year went—though it was never brought up again.

Fast forward to recently, I decided to leave for good after dealing with ongoing stress from billing issues, project complications, and a lack of clear direction. A major project ran into problems, and my boss implied my job was on the line. Around the same time, his son was brought in to oversee operations, and I felt like my role was becoming unstable. There was also tension with a salesman who I suspected was working against me. The stress was wearing me down, and I felt like I cared more about the company than it cared about me.

When I officially put in my notice, they terminated me on the spot. They demanded I return my company laptop that same day and hinted at “repercussions” if I didn’t. The owner even suggested he could take legal action over the money he gave me for the house. On top of that, I was a salaried employee, but they refused to issue my final paycheck, claiming I hadn’t worked my last week—even though I was in the hospital with my family after a major surgery and was still answering calls and emails.

I’ve already moved on to a new job with better structure and long-term potential, but looking back, I keep wondering—was I in the wrong for leaving when I did? Should I have stuck it out longer?

Almost 52, been working in hospitality for 30 years. Raised my kid on tips from serving and bartending, when his dad noped out and never paid child support. So this past year, I went back to school and I'm about to finish a bachelor's degree. I've been working on call events for two different agencies, so that I can adjust my work schedule around classes. It's springtime hiring season, so I applied to a new agency that a coworker told me was busy with lots of big accounts. I send them a resume on Indeed, they message me and we set up a meeting. I get there 5 minutes early, check in with the receptionist and take a seat to wait. 5 minutes go by, and I overhear a lady in a nearby office chewing out a vendor over the phone. She is going full Karen on them and using profanity. The receptionist doesn't seem fazed. I'm very uncomfortable. Another 25 minutes goes by, and no one has said boo to me. So I leave without a word to anyone, and by the time I am exiting the elevator in the lobby my phone is ringing. The same number calls three more times as I walk back to the subway. Told my kid about it later and he was like "good job, that is what they deserve". It felt good to leave. 😊

My job makes me suicidal and I think I’m going to quit. I’ve tried for so long to stick it out, but I keep wanting to die because of it. It dawned on me today that it’s not worth it. My life is worth more than my toxic employer, shitty salary, and shitty benefits.

If anyone else is in the same boat: You’re worth it.

You are a worker, not an employee

You are a worker, not an associate

You are a worker, not a team member

You are a worker, not a staff member

You are a worker, not a representative

You are a worker, not a partner

You have a boss, not a manager

You have a boss, not a leader

You have a boss, not a superior

You have a boss, not a higher-up

You have a boss, not an executive

You have a boss, not a director

So I work retail unloading trucks. For the past year, our team has really struggled after our job responsibilities were changed and we lost a LOT of good people because of it. The job was already harder, but losing those people and not being able to hire new talent meant those of us that stayed had to work even harder.

As a hard worker, I especially picked up a lot of the slack, even being told by my leads that I was basically carrying the team. Well, carrying that team eventually literally broke my back. I was out for a while month with no pay and when I came back, was told I couldn't call out again for 6 months.

Well, I got a LoA approved for my time off but again, couldn't get paid for it at all since I hadn't been there for a whole year but I did have weight restrictions. After being back a week where I was given light duty work to do, the stress of the holiday season and the light crew made it so I was pushed to do heavier work even though my back was not fully healed. Today, after being put on the second hardest position, I hurt my back again and will have to take more time off.

So I'm already deep in the hole from the previous missed work, can't afford rent or food, and now have to pay for more doctors bills to get another LoA approved and be paid only half of my wages. I'm probably facing eviction due to this too.

Meanwhile people on the team who do half the work I do are getting by just fine. It's not worth it. Fuck work.

Edit: because I keep getting a lot of the same comments due to me skipping it; the initial injury, though caused by strain from work, did not happen at work. Only the re-injury happened at work and I'm waiting to hear back about that but odds are it won't be covered.

Don’t forget to punish any corporations that try to take advantage of these tariffs to gain profit. Which I’m sure they all will. Let’s make a list of any egregious up charges. I’m in the market for a new car and I used to work in the industry. I can almost guarantee they’re printing new stickers as I type this. Mfer’s.

My boss called me in in the middle of doing my end of shift duties for my shift end I was about halfway through. She let me go and took my badge then I went back to the front and clocked out, meanwhile another manager said “wait they might want you to finish your end of shift cleanup”. I told her they just terminated my employment and I had already clocked out. She looked aggravated and told me just to go. Yeah, I planned on it once you’re terminated they can’t ask you to do any work. I know my rights. Basically they thought they were going to get one over on me. Sucks to suck.

Worked at a this place for about a year, did a major systems overhaul with them where I was the front runner for work completed for the project, which helped us finish on our deadline, got praised and honored for my work, then I was told I'd get a nice raise, my raise was less than a fucking dollar in software development... I got a 2% raise when inflation is absolutely ravaging the country and prices have gone up much more than 2%.. works a fucking joke...

Did an unpaid internship at a private practice (8 hours per week counting commute) where I did tasks like filling syringes, setting up for procedures, room take-down, making surgical packs, autoclaving instruments, etc. To give some context, I’m a premed in college.

I was not trained beyond shadowing another unpaid intern for 4 hours & was spoken to very condescendingly throughout the entire experience by the lead MA. I was often snapped at, ignored multiple times when greeting clinic staff, and told to “get out” of a room on my last day working there because I was supposedly taking too long to set it up. It was bad enough that I would get anxiety before going because I had a feeling I’d be yelled at again for something small & reconsidered if I was smart enough for my desired career path. I’m pretty sure I was not the problem as the internship was at least bearable when this specific lead MA was on vacation for 2 weeks. I felt comfortable asking questions & improved as an intern during this time. I understand healthcare environments are fast-paced & to grow thicker skin but I decided to quit immediately once I found something better. Came up with a concise but professional enough email where I even included an “I appreciate the experience and all I was able to gain from it” while actually despising being there.

Instead of receiving even the slightest bit of gratitude for literally volunteering or a neutral professional response I was met with an email claiming that I did not follow the common courtesy of a 2 week notice before resignation. Not sure if i’m being dramatic but if you’re relying on unpaid premed interns so much maybe you should be paying them?? Or at least treating them with respect since they are literally giving up their time to be at your clinic instead of doing the million other things expected of med school applicants.

The doctor running the clinic also lives in a 30 million dollar house, so it’s not like the place is struggling financially or anything ?? 😭😭😭

No differerent than purchasing different editions of a video game.

I don't care what you want from me. I'll adjust my output to the input (my wage). Also go fuck yourself.

I’ve had a part time fast food job for a few months now. I recently lost my full time job/career cause of doge. They didn’t know I had a full time job when I was hired. They knew this was my only job after I lost the first one, though, and would schedule me maybe 10-12 hours a week, 15 if I was lucky. I just got a temporary full time job two weeks ago and have been fine with 50 hours a week. It’s manageable.

My manager found out two days ago that I have a full time job and guess who is scheduled to close every single week night? Guess who is working over 20 hours this week there for the first time since I’ve been hired? The night after I tell my manager about my job, she makes the schedule and sends it to me and I’m fucking working 25 hours this week closing. Not even scheduled on the weekends I’m only working weeknights. There is no way this wasn’t on purpose or something and I’m so pissed off. I need the money so I’m gonna keep working but fuck it feels like she did it just because I mentioned (not even complained!!!) to her how tired I’ve been from getting home at 1130-12 from here and having to wake up at 530 for my other job.

This is just a rant but man. Fuck this job and fuck my bosses. They make us clock out and don’t let us leave for half an hour. They don’t let us have our phones on us like it’s fucking high school. I got written up for a mistake that happened due to not having cell service on my DAY OFF. I got a warning because my shoes had a little mud of them when I walked in even though it was raining. There’s too many oil stains on my shirt too apparently as if I don’t work in the kitchen on the fryers all day. I don’t even deal with customers. They scream at us and fuck us over then blame us for their mistakes. I get consistently scolded by and sent home early by one manager and I’m starting to believe it’s a discrimination thing but I don’t even have the energy to get into that.

I used to believe that hard work gets noticed. Stay late, take extra projects, go the extra mile and…..someone will recognize it, right? Well you are Wrong.

Instead, I watched people who talk more than they work climb faster. I saw promotions handed out based on office politics, not performance. The guy who “just vibes” at work? Somehow got a raise before me.

At some point, I stopped trying. If loyalty and effort don’t pay off, why give more than the bare minimum? Nope!!!

Anyone in the same boat?

I’ve been a squeaky wheel at every single job I’ve had. I’m very vocal about ways that workers can be better off or be happier. I’m very demanding of what I need whether it’s time off, better pay or whatever else. I’ve usually gotten it, and if I didn’t I left. I’m a hard worker and do well in any job. I’ve done almost every job you can think of and I’m not loyal to any company.

So many people I’ve worked with never questioned the rules, but would complain and never do anything about it. I understand that it’s easier to just shut up and do the work, and it could affect you keeping your job. But at the end of the day, if more people are open about what needs to change, the better off workers will be. They need us more than we need them.

I think the only way we will see change is if we rise up and are vocal about our rights. Every other first world country has worker protections, MANDATORY paid time off by law, parental leave, you name it…

In America, they can deny us these things because they legally can. So it’s up to workers to be honest and open without fear.

It's insane to claim someone who is making profits off your attention, time, energy, stress, and even health cares about you, all business and profit depend on literally exploiting people to extract more than you provide that's how it works, you will never, ever, find a business owner who is financially 'successful' and doesn't operate this way

When you see CEOs firing thousands of people, what they do is balancing data, you're literally data to them. They got giant think tanks that calculate profit and treat their employees as variables to maximize it, you are not even a sentient being to them, you are literally just that, data. And it hurts your ego reading this and you don't like knowing the truth, but it's still the truth

Applied for a job for which I am very well qualified with the pay being offered at X per hour. The company called me and wanted me to come in for an interview but now says that the role actually only pays Y per hour, Y being about 35% less than X. Nevermind the fact that Y simply isn't a livable wage for my current situation but also they tried to pull the bait and switch. So I told them yeah absolutely I'll come in for an interview. But just now about 20 minutes before said interview I emailed them and told them I can't make it.

Fuck these corporations and their bullshit tactics. I realize I'm very fortunate and not everyone is in a position to be able to turn down work, but those of you who are should absolutely be flexing the little power we do have.

This would fix so many issues with intentional understaffing.

Denying time off? Employee gets overtime all the time until they are allowed to take a break. After a week, double overtime. Something like that.

How do I play "not interested in climbing the ladder" game? I don't offer suggestions, I don't go above and beyond, I don't work beyond office hours, I don't bring important matters to management and I certainly do not care to ask for a promotion.

Edit. Reason for this post....I am mentally tired of looking at goal setting nonsense which I know will NOT lead to a salary increase this year. I can't count how many times I feel the wrong people are getting increases for work other folks did.

Another edit: Company is not giving standard annual salary increases which is affecting office morale and impacting my interest/motivation in giving a crap about goals. Maybe that's why I don't care about climbing the ladder like some folks.

Been working at McDonald's for the last few years (yeah you can laugh) and realized that they had been working me like a dog for all that time. They'd have me go onto multiple stations, cover for other peoples stations and do maintenance and cleaning while taking orders. I remember being coached on Drive Thru by a crew coach and he told me that I needed to learn to multitask between taking orders and cashing them. When I asked him what he meant he demonstrated shoving the card reader out of the window, whilst geustering taking an order on Drive Thru - all whilst tip tapping on the screen. When I asked him how it was possible to listen to the customers order, put it through on the display, cash the cars coming through and confirm their payments all at the same time, he shrugged and said 'make it happen'.

They expect you to work through your break. I've seen this happen. They will try to stop you from going to the toilet. They will yell and swear at you if you mess up or are too slow for their liking. Even worse is that most of my 'coworkers' are children that get in after school. You can guess how that goes.

Tl;DR: McDonald's is pioneering an underage workforce and most parents either don't care, or are encouraging it

I had been working at a chain haircut place for about a year. I had finally had enough, insane clients, awful pay, crazy slow days where we would get 2-3 clients MAX. Even through the busiest season (Summer haircuts, back to school, Christmas) I barely made enough to pay my bills. The busiest day I worked was the day before back to school, and I did 16 haircuts but barely broke $100 in tips. I don't even have many bills. No loans, no car payments other than insurance, and small credit card bills. Most recently, the staff had been constantly threatened with write ups for literally everything, and my hours were cut because I don't think the business can even afford to have more than two full time people on staff. I randomly dropped off my resume at a spot that didn't have any listings online, got an interview on Wednesday, got the job on Thursday. I was scheduled to open on Friday at the old job, so I went in and opened, and as soon as another coworker came in I packed up and said bye. One of my coworkers looked panicked when I told her, and was like "but but, you can't!" Like I needed to ask for permission. But God, it felt amazing to just waltz out. I wrote a resignation email when I got in the car and sent it to my manager and district manager. I picked up a joint, drove out to the mountains, and watched the sunset while I smoked and watched my District Manager desperately try to call me with "some questions". If I do reply it will for sure be over email so I can have record of these questions. But damn, I love this feeling so much! Keep up the fight guys, you don't have to stay in a terrible situation! Life can take some unexpected and crazy turns!