I’m (M 59)burning up my leave credits before I retire in 3 years.

I have massive amounts of sick that I never used because I rarely called in sick over the last 30 years. They don’t pay it out at retirement and I would lose it if I don’t use it.

I was always dedicated and hard working but in the last few years, it seems that doesn’t count for much anymore.

They have been stingy with raises and nickel and dime us on everything. They were pressuring us older guys to retire so the could replace us with younger cheaper workers But that backfired because new employees see what it’s like and leave as soon as they get another job.

Now we’re understaffed so they are rejecting vacation requests and making OT mandatory. Now I’m stuck with massive amounts of leave that I will lose if I don’t use and can’t get time off, time is running out.

One of the perks of being old is you often have a lot of reasons to get medical time off even if you are generally healthy.

I’m taking a month off for a surgery that could have waited until I was retired but I’m doing it now so I can do it on the company dime.

So on Monday I got laid off (10 years of experience), but I was offered to bid on some other jobs that no one else wanted(because they suck). Now for context there were only two people in this company that can(or could) do my job, me and my day shifter(who has 13 years of experience).

Today they laid off my day shifter, but gave him the option of biding on the same jobs they offered me, he told them to F-Off. So they then offered him his old job back at less pay(taking him down to what I was making), once again he said F-Off.

This leaves them with no one doing my old job, which was to produce and shape steel parts that were used to make the final product. No parts means no product so now they're asking me to come back to my old job. I need the paycheck(I have kids) but REALLY want to tell them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

I have other prospects that I'm just waiting on a phone call to start so I'm really tempted to take the job back just for the money then once I get a new offer tell them "Later" and bolt. They gave me no heads up, why should I give them one. And all this because a multi-billion dollar company lost 1.3% last quarter.

Hi guys, I really hope everyone is doing great this holiday season. I have been suffering being mistreated, underappreciated and underpaid at my job for months now, ever since the company got restructured. When I resigned today, my manager said, "well, we are going to miss you, although I doubt you will miss us." His comment is really what made me want to post this here. The amount of self-awareness he has of how bad the job is, but with no motivation to change anything around to make it better for employees really surprised me. We are talking a major multinational company with plenty of resources that is allowing its work culture to decline without any plan to improve. Sheesh.

I have a special needs son who had gotten a job at a certain big box store. He was so proud of himself, and good at his job, and things had gone great for months. Last month, he had a severely low point, and while working, purchased a bottle of pills and took the whole bottle in a self harm attempt, then notified his manager so that they could call an ambulance. (It was a cry for help, and ultimately, he's ok and doing better.) The store gave him two weeks off (essentially a suspension) to get himself together and have some down time before coming back fresh. Today was his first day back, and they let him work for two hours before calling him in and firing him.

The reason they gave was that he violated workplace safety rules. Which I totally understand, and we live in an at-will employment state, so there is no recourse regardless. But my issue is the way they handled it. If they needed a few days to determine his fate, then I could understand that. But the fact that they let him wait the entire two weeks, then let him come to work, hopeful, for two hours before firing him just seems ridiculously cruel to me. Especially considering the activity he's being fired for in the first place. How have you been jerked around before being let go, regardless of whether it was justified or not?

EDIT - there have been a couple of comments about whether they were justified in firing him. As I made clear, I absolutely understand their reason for firing him. I don't dispute it in the least. It's the manner in which they deliberately drew it out afterward that I have issue with.

EDIT 2 - A couple of people have commented on the idea of him returning to a job that made him make this attempt. To clarify, his job has nothing whatsoever to do with his attempt. He has recently lost two people very close to him, which was the main catalyst. He thrives on routine, and the job was, overall, a good thing for his mental health. He is doing ok with it, and is already putting in applications with some other places. As for what I want, to clarify, no, of course I would not have wanted them to fire him on the spot. I felt that drawing it out, then allowing him to return with hope that things could be normal again was the cruel part. A couple of you have pointed out that they likely hoped he would simply abandon the job by the end of the two weeks, and that is an excellent point that I had not considered, and makes far more sense to me than how it was presented by them initially. I also want to thank all of those who offered well wishes - he has a strong support network in place and is doing better. This was an impulsive act due to outside circumstances unrelated to the job, and not something that had been brewing for a long time. Regardless, he is seeing a therapist, and has been in far better spirits and more like himself since. Again, thank you all for your responses. I now see their actions as more a matter of efficiency and conflict avoidance rather than cruelty, and it all makes much more sense to me.

I work for a giant corporation, and the people on my team that work the hardest are then rewarded with even more expectations and no compensation. For example, this one guy "Ted" on my team is only a year out of college, he has the lowest salary due to being the most junior but he is by far the most efficient and productive member of our team. How is he rewarded for it? He's expected to train senior engineers that are making twice as much as him that have 20+ years experience, and when they mess up (which is often) he's expected to jump on and help them regardless of the day or time. I'm talking weekend phone calls, 11pm phone calls, etc.

I'm average at my job, I've gotten good reviews but nothing stellar because I don't want to fall into the same trap as him. The other top performers in my team are treated the exact same way, our manager demands that they be available for weekend work even when they're not on-call because they have "the most experience."

Meanwhile our most senior engineer who is getting paid the most is not only the most incompetent, but has a horrible personality. She literally screams at people in meetings, she refuses to do any work, refuses to help when asked because "that's not my ticket so not my problem," and yet demands that people immediately drop what they're doing to help her with the most basic of tasks.

Everyone on my team (besides the incompetent senior engineer) got together to try to change this toxic culture; we've spoken to our boss, his boss, then her boss, and nothing. We've even gone to HR... nothing. I'll be looking for a new job as soon as I'm able to but I'm still worried about my next place being like this.

I've been at this job for a little over 2 months and I'm quitting next week. I have to give them the mandatory (where I'm from) 2 weeks notice. And I'm dreading that they'll make my life a living hell in retaliation. But also, I'm feeling sorry for them as they will be screwed (I'm the only dental assistant/receptionist/cleaning lady and they depend on me to function). Here's why I'm an idiot for feeling bad:

• they treat me like I'm grossly incompetent, micromanage me and even substitute me themselves (the entire team is 3 dentists and me) while assisting in fear that I'm going to screw up the simplest of things.

• they accused me of losing an expensive package that came in the mail and pestered me for 2 days before I found it in the place I told them I left it (I didn't look there first because I assumed they had).

• they send me whatsapp messages and voice memos at 7, 8, 9, or 10pm every single day. I clock out at 6.

• they just told me not to speak to patients during the procedure (I'm very caring and I know for a fact me talking to them doesn't hurt, it does in fact help).

• they expect me to memorize every single thing they say but don't give a damn about my input, even tho I'm proven right time and time again.

• they expect me to take home the clinic's phone and take calls during the weekend.

• I make minimum wage.

Can someone relate to this or am I the world's biggest idiot? Why am I feeling sorry for these people? I should just say "oh, NOW I'm valuable, eh? Not my problem you have to find someone else". But because of my stupid empathy, and because they are nice to me once in a blue moon, I feel sorry. I hate myself sometimes.

Update: I did it! I gave my 2 weeks notice. They were not expecting it and are afraid they won't find a replacement in time. It went much better than I expected but of course they can still go crazy these last weeks and if that happens, sick leave is the way to go. It's kind of interesting, I thought they were treating me like crap to make me quit but after today I'm thinking they are just clueless rather than evil (remains to be seen) and expected me to give the same amount of dedication (aka as having no life) for minimum wage. Still not ok but less harmful, don't assume malice where ignorance can be the cause and whatnot.

This week at work we had a two day third party guided workshop related to the “5 love languages for appreciation at work.” To start we had to do a survey that was full of questions like.

“Choose the way you would most prefer your manager showing appreciation.”

A) A nice designer luxury watch that you like? B) a high five? C) being told a job well done!?

In a room full of staff, executives and managers the results were publicly available on a projector. Out of 65 people I was the only person who ended up with gifts. That’s fine, but I was absolutely villainized by the instructor. She would ask things like “what does the selfish one think?” And laugh and others would laugh. Completely unacceptable in my opinion.

I’m super curious what the people in this subreddit think of this? Do you think the results were skewed because they are public and because of the people in the room?

The goal of the workshop is your supposed to print out the report and post in your office so people now how to properly appreciate you. I’m really contemplating getting it blown up to take up most of my wall when you walk into mine. Don’t come appreciate me unless you bring expensive gifts lmfao.

Do you ever feel like you have to constantly be on guard at work and employers lack any emotional intelligence?

Even stuff like annual leave policies for example......if I want a day at short notice and my job can be covered, why not just be nice to me and allow me to have it off rather than stick to strict policy of multiple weeks notice? Why do they then get fucked off if I refuse to bend for anything and stick solidly to my terms and conditions?

I feel the work place is set up to give you the absolute minimum necessary and even less in emotion intelligence?

Hi All, not sure if this is the right place to post this…I resigned from my job due to a very toxic manager. The minute I left the building, my former boss changed my email password so that I no longer had access. That is fine by me, but my concern is that they could send out an email as me. What is to prevent this from happening?! How would I even know if they did do this? My former employer is an awful person and I am worried they could potentially sabotage me.

I never heard that phrase until I was talking to some people about their abusive spouse. Apparently, you shower people with positive attention for months or even years and then you just stop suddenly.

My last job did that. They were so over the top I thought I was in a dream. Then, out of the blue, they stopped and turned mean.

I have never experienced anything like it. Normally jobs are neutral and then turn mean not love bombing new employees for months then stopping

Anyway I left the job but I often think about how confusing it was to have worked there. My brain is treating it as a trauma. I barely can remember anything about the job other than the love bombing.

So you likely want examples: 1. Supervisor taking me in her car to get my parking permits and other paperwork 2. CO workers hand making me Christmas stockings or giving me gift baskets every holiday 3. We all walking to lunch together on multiple occasions 4. Supervisor taking us golfing or to rage rooms or to fancy restaurants 5. Supervisor taking co worker to the hospital when he had a migraine

These are just examples but I have never worked at a job that love bombs employees. They literally treat you like a king or queen but when they get upset with you they go stone cold.

I want to vent about the absolutely toxic and unfair environment I endured at this job. No matter how many hoops I jumped through to address things the "right way," nothing ever got fixed. Instead, I was the one who got axed under the excuse of not being a "good fit." Sure. Let’s call it that.

The main problem? One administrative staff member who made my job a nightmare. She sabotaged me at every turn—overstepping boundaries, passive aggressive comments, taking over tasks I was already handling, and even rummaging through my desk like she owned the place. Imagine walking into your office and finding your drawers open again. When I confronted her, she had the nerve to ignore me like I didn’t even exist.

I once asked her to send a simple email to new volunteers, which was literally her job. I needed them to arrive 30 minutes early for an intro. She flipped out, arguing with me and swinging between sugary sweet and outright aggressive. When I held my ground, she slammed her clipboard down like a toddler, got defensive, and said she’d only do it if my supervisor agreed. So, I looped in my supervisor, and guess what? She sided with me—but then told me to just handle it myself to avoid upsetting the admin! Are you kidding me?

Let’s talk about the inappropriate comments too. One day, we were talking about donated toys, and I mentioned that a doll’s outfit seemed too revealing. Her response? “What bothers me is that she’s white.” I’m half Native American and half Caucasian, so yeah, that hit me the wrong way. When I tried to address it, she dodged the conversation completely. And this wasn’t even the first time she’d made unnecessary, borderline racist comments.

HR? Useless. I begged to move desks because I was so uncomfortable, sometimes I’d work outside just to avoid her. HR told me she “thought highly of me” and wanted to “support” me—what a joke. They even said I could file a harassment complaint, but warned me that it might “escalate” and lead to someone losing their job. Thanks for the subtle intimidation.

They tried to patch things up by bringing in a therapist and a conflict resolution specialist. Did it help? Not one bit, because the main issue wasn't being addressed. And let’s not forget the cherry on top—this admin’s husband is a higher-up in the church’s session. So, of course, nothing ever happened to her.

The misrepresentation of my actions was constant. One day, she came in sick, and during the conversation, I mentioned someone else had gone home the day before for feeling ill. Suddenly, I’m being accused by HR of trying to send her home, which was NOT true. Even after I explained and others in the conversation backed my story up, I was still treated like I was in the wrong.

Then there was another coworker. We worked together and were friendly at work, but nothing beyond that. Then, out of nowhere, his wife approaches me in the office—completely out of the blue—and starts accusing me of having an affair with him. I had no clue what she was talking about. It turns out this woman had been accusing me of this affair for weeks. Meanwhile HR knew of this mess and told me to at like nothing had happened. People start whispering, wondering if the affair rumors are true, and now I’m being forced to pretend nothing’s wrong because HR said so. Turned out, HR started a rumor and that's why she didn't want me saying anything.

I’m done dealing with this toxic, petty nonsense. This whole situation has been a nightmare, and the lack of support from HR, the admin, and even my coworker and his wife has made it ten times worse. How is this place still operating like this? How are people allowed to act this way? I just wanted to vent, because I’m so done.

Ultimately, they let me go because I wasn’t a “good fit.” What I wasn’t a good fit for was this toxic circus. There was literally people there who mishandle the church credit card and another person who reveals confidential info and has write ups a mile high. Yet I'M the one they get rid of? They set me up to fail and made it impossible for me to succeed. And the absolute kicker? Despite ALL this shit—being accused of an affair, dealing with toxic coworkers, HR doing NOTHING—I don’t even have a legal case. I’m stuck with all this crap because there’s no solid proof to back up any claims. No harassment claim I can file, no legal action to take. This whole situation is just a damn mess, and I’m left dealing with the fallout while everyone else gets to move on with their lives. It's beyond infuriating. Despite my best efforts to handle things professionally, I was constantly undermined, dismissed, and treated like I didn’t matter.

Why would a manager encourage their team members to “poke around” and see what they can find. When things are slow, why is the team member responsible for looking for a new project or task? Isn’t it the managers job to provide tasks to their members?

Why is the answer always: “you want to learn about this? Then reach out to Brenda because I don’t know” which I get but Shouldn’t tasks and projects provide with the basic learning so when you do reach out to Brenda is for complex things?

Why are you getting mad that the day is slow and Timmy isn’t looking for work to do? Shouldn’t you be giving Timmy that work?

EDIT: here’s more context on the type of team this is:

Opportunities are limited

There are two main tasks + an individual project which can also be that second main task.

Managers take most of the work and responsibilities.

Projects and ideas given are often dismissed only to be brought later as someone else’s idea.

Your initiative and go to attitude is slowed down by the manager disguised as a “step by step guide”

Once you learn the main task, there’s only so much you can do.

There are always projects and things in the works but you never see it unless the manager really needs help.

You’re asked to be available for your teams but no one wants to give up their tasks to share them with others.

Hello, we have a small group chat where I work, it's often helpful but everyone just complain about each other's mistakes by taking pictures and posting permanently. Even where there's a small piece of breadcrumb on the ground, they take pictures of that and complain how bad the closing/ other shift did. Why? If it's not a major mistake why can't we just let it go quietly? If the other guy forgot to wipe the containters because it was busy, why not take 5 minutes wiping it up instead of taking 7 pictures of different angles and complain? I would just let most small mistakes go away quietly personally. Why do people do this? It honestly makes the whole atmosphere worse since everyone is so picky to each other

Hey everyone,

I’ve been reflecting on my own experiences in the workplace and wondering why so many of us tolerate toxic environments. Whether it’s unreasonable expectations, lack of support, or just plain disrespect, it feels like a lot of people are stuck in jobs that make them miserable.

I’ve been guilty of it myself, thinking that “it’s just a job” or “I need to pay the bills.” But at what cost? I’m curious to hear your thoughts and experiences. Have you ever left a toxic job, or are you currently stuck in one? What advice would you give to someone who’s trying to break free from that cycle?

I’m 22 and just recently joined corporate. Quick question, do you have to be a psychopath to be in a leadership position? Is it like this everywhere? No communication but then expecting me to know everything? Is this normal? Hello?

The situation really depended on the dynamics of the workplace. I used to work at a Barberito’s, which is a fast-casual restaurant similar to Moe’s or Chipotle. As an employee, you could enjoy a shift meal, but it was best to avoid doing so when the owner was present, as he was notoriously stingy. You could tell he was not happy offering the meal, even if he allowed it.

Among my coworkers, there was a white, chubby guy who was exceptionally lazy and regularly offloaded most of his responsibilities onto others. The prep cook was an absolute nightmare; I don’t use that term lightly. He had a way of making you feel unwelcome. If you ever approached him for help, he would roll his eyes and respond with a condescending or passive-aggressive comment. It was even worse than I can convey. As a new employee trying to learn the ropes, I often found myself in need of assistance. I would leave our interactions feeling disheartened by his arrogance.

On the other hand, the head manager was a decent guy, perhaps around 39, and quite intelligent. He had a solid educational background and seemed to come from a good family, which made it perplexing to me why he was working at a place like Barberito’s in early 2019, where the floor staff was making between $8 and $9 an hour. I couldn’t fathom what the head manager was earning, but he truly kept the place running. The owner’s stinginess cast a shadow over my respect for the business — especially considering that the manager had a wife and a baby on the way.

Another of my coworkers was an overweight black kid who rarely spoke and seemed genuinely shy. I tried to engage him in conversation, thinking it might help him open up. He did decent work and didn’t pose any threat to anyone, but I got the vibe that he might be an anime enthusiast. I knew little about anime, so I attempted to connect with him through conversations about video games and movies, but he seldom responded. Instead, he would stare at me with a blank expression, as if trying to size me up. Eventually, after a week of minimal interaction, I decided to let him be.

Having worked there for just over a month, I needed to scrape together some money since I had moved to town and didn’t know many people. At $8 an hour, my financial situation felt precarious, especially once my savings began to dwindle. I started to sense that the quiet guy was giving me looks of disdain. One day, while I was eating my shift meal, I noticed he looked particularly agitated, grinding his teeth. I asked if he was alright, trying to diffuse any potential conflict. Although he didn’t respond verbally, his expression made it clear he was unhappy. The staring contest ended when he returned to his work.

I began to think he might be upset that I was taking my shift meal without paying. I recalled that very few other employees ever seemed to take advantage of this perk. I thought to myself, “Either these people are exceptionally loyal to the store and don’t want to jeopardize any potential profits for the owner, or they’ve simply grown tired of eating Barberito’s after working there for so long.” I couldn’t help but question if the owner had discouraged employees from utilizing the free meal through subtle gaslighting tactics. I remembered him mentioning this to me at the beginning: a friendly pitch about the “free company meal.” From my experience in the restaurant industry, I recognized this tactic well.

On my first day, I took my shift meal a few hours before the busy period. I enjoyed a burrito, chips, and a drink. The owner didn’t seem thrilled to see me eating. I approached him to confirm our entitlement to the daily meal. He said yes but cautiously added, “Just try not to go crazy.” His body language indicated otherwise. I made sure to clarify by asking, “Are you SURE?” He glanced up with a shaky smile and nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine. Enjoy!” As I walked away, he called after me, “Hey, maybe you won’t have to buy groceries anymore!” He laughed genuinely.

I wondered if there were any laws requiring restaurants to provide employees with a daily meal, and if the owner resented that. I genuinely enjoyed indulging during my shifts. Later, the head manager approached me and warned me to refrain from taking a shift meal while the owner was around. “I think he’s a little OCD. But you can order whatever you want on my watch, okay buddy?” I thanked him for the reassurance.

Typically, if a boss has a particular pet peeve, I try to avoid that out of respect. However, given that I was making $8 an hour in 2019, I felt no obligation to let a stingy owner gaslight me into foregoing my rightful meal. I had applied for better jobs, and I believed it was only a matter of time before I moved on.

Every day I worked, I indulged in my shift meal. The location was in a bustling college town where it wasn’t uncommon to have lines out the door. Events and parades drew crowds downtown, resulting in booming business. During football season, forget about it – it was the busiest restaurant I had ever worked in. I couldn’t fathom how the night shift managed it. With bars everywhere, drunk college kids flooded in every night. It was clear the owner was making enough money to justify offering shift meals.

Finally, I received a call for an interview with a much better employer — a mechanic position at a plant that promised a living wage. I got the job.

On my last day at Barberito’s, I went about preparing my usual shift meal. Surprisingly, it was quite slow that day. The quiet black kid was there, standing alertly, ready to take customer orders. His method of doing so—pointing, nodding, and occasionally grunting—was amusingly effective, even if he rarely spoke.

The other employees were lounging at the tables, absorbed in their phones, while the head manager occupied himself with paperwork in the back office. I decided it was the right time to let him know I found a better job, shake his hand, and bid farewell.

As I was preparing to leave, boredom and hunger tempted me to make myself a steak taco. The quiet kid noticed and suddenly raised his voice, clearly and firmly calling for the manager. The manager rushed out, puzzled, asking what the issue was.

The silent kid spoke loudly and clearly, “I saw him eating a taco, and I know he already had a shift meal earlier.”

The head manager responded, “Okay, Josh, just keep it to one meal a day or you’ll need to pay.” He shrugged and returned to his office. It was time for me to clock out anyway, so I headed out without mentioning my new job.

As I left, the silent dude’s glare intensified. Catching my gaze, he declared, “Don’t let me catch you doing that again. I’m considering informing Brian,” the owner. Then he resumed his watch for customers.

Months passed before I returned to Barberito’s for a meal. When I finally did, it was during the night shift. The employees I recognized but hadn’t worked with gave me a hard time. “What happened? Why did you quit without telling anyone?” one asked, laughing.

I smiled and replied, “Oh, I found a better job, you know how it is.” Satisfied with that answer, he took my order.

Then came a surprising twist. As I went to pay, the worker joked with another, “Hey, doesn’t this guy still owe us for a taco?” They both laughed, then the other added, “It’s on us. Don’t worry.”

Instead of a fountain drink, I opted for water, filling a clear cup. Just as I turned to fill it, one of the night shift workers loomed over my shoulder, smirking. He quipped, “Ah man, we’re just making sure you won’t end up owing us for a fountain drink. That’s all.”

I made a last-minute decision two months ago to leave a toxic work environment that was severely negatively affecting my mental health. But I had a phone interview today who side-stepped all my usual reasons for leaving (“I was ready for a change after working there so long”), and I’m bad liar so I told him the truth how I left because my supervisor and I didn’t get along because we were ex-friends. And he told me I had great experience but because of the conflict with my supervisor he wouldn’t consider me further. I just feel that my old supervisor made things hell for me there and I thought I could escape it but apparently they’re making things hell for me still.

I wouldn't be with this company anymore if my role weren't remote. It's a huge company, 50k+ global employees, top of their industry. Everyone I work with is bitter, dishonest and downright rude. Not only that, my direct manager is untrustworthy, forgets his responsibilities, and is resistant to any form of feedback.

I really just don't get the culture of dishonesty. I've been with this company for seven months and it's not just that my colleagues lie; it's that they are do it about inconsequential things and they forget what they've lied about.

This just happened this morning. Had a call with my manager to review project status. I started with, "You weren't on Friday's call, right? Let me fill you in." To which he responds, "No actually I was a fly on the wall for that whole call." Now I know that not ONCE did he log into last Friday's call, he even told me on Friday morning that he would not be attending. Consider me surprised when I tell him what happened during that meeting and he clearly had no idea.

Another example, a lie revealed after many months. When I first met my colleague, who moved from a different department, she told me that after college, she interned at Company X before moving to the company we work for now. She even told me that she worked with her old boss's wife at Company X. I eventually met her old boss in the summer, and asked her, "Oh, this is the manager whose wife you worked with at Company X?" Imagine my face when she replied, "What? I never worked at Company X." AND YET, just last week, her and I are in a call with our boss and he asks her, "You've always been with [our company] yeah?", and SHE TELLS HIM "Oh no, I interned at Company X." ???

This happens with other colleagues I correspond with daily too - sooner or later I realize that they weren't honest with something they told me in the past.

Does this happen as often in other companies too?

Self gaslighting so hard on this. I feel like it's all so icky and yet I feel like I'm a burden to the company

1-Managers sharing medical information about another employee

2-Managers allowing/encouraging and participating in making fun of disabled customers (there were drawings involved)

3-Sucde jokes, courtesy of the CEO during his speech at the yearly company "team building" event. But don't worry, that wasn't the only time (the drawings, again).

4-Attendance points for using sick time

5-Managers complaining to employees about other employees and addressing conflict infront of customers and employees

I've spoken up about 2 and 3 on this list and I feel the most guilty for "stirring the pot". It was totally swept under the rug by HR and multiple managers. Those are the two MOST fucked up things on this list imo, and I still feel bad for speaking up and like I am treated differently because of it.

.....so anyway I called out sick yesterday and today to have a long holiday week off even though I'll be written up because FUCK IT lol.

Started a new job on Dec 2nd and I’m already hating it. The micro managing is intense and the people are bitter and sarcastic/snarky all the time. If I get another snarky response, I will snap back. I don’t tolerate shit anymore. I’m almost 60 and tired of hateful people.

I joined a small startup in the past working on backend with a team, and although it felt good initially it slowly started to fade and things began to get weird. These forced everyday lunches with my coworkers began to unfold into a silent war of cheapness and fake smiles.

Coworker started to do extra chores like pouring coffee for higher ups and buying Indian takeaway from a shady guy at the metro station. The hour plus long commute began to wear on me each day. Another coworker keeps getting help and big projects because he and the senior speak the same language. Besides all that the atmosphere really felt stale, fake, and boring. I tried making connections but ultimately they didn’t seem to care much.

I didn’t see any future in that place so I left and started my own business. Although first year was hard I still managed to break even and we have a core following of loyal customers. I traded in a stable career to build a dream of my own.

I'm currently in my last week of work at my current job. I don't have anything lined up, so I'm freaking out just a bit. I just know that my situation there is not tolerable and negatively affecting my health. I'm having mixed feelings about whether or not I made the right call. I know that I'm in for a rough job search, so I'm really hoping that I don't regret my decision to leave this job.

If you've been though this - quitting a toxic/unhealthy job without another one lined up - what did you tell yourself to get over the worry?

I’ve tried applying for other jobs. This economy is horrible, I never hear back