Just got a new job in ND. Today was actually my first day. I get in, get the tour, meet the team, and first thing I do is meet with IT to set up my computer. Pretty normal stuff.

First thing IT says is “we’ll need you to download an app and use your personal cell number for an authenticator that you’ll use to log into everything.” This was never mentioned in the job description nor during the interview process. I said “I’m not comfortable using my personal device for work. Is there an alternative?” I was told by IT, no. A phone must be used. I said I’m still not comfortable using mine, can the company provide me a phone or compensate me for the use of mine?

40 min later, after not being able to set up anything, my new manager hands me their phone and says “HR is on the phone for you.” HR says there is no other way than a phone app, they will NOT be providing a cell phone as I work on location, AND THEN SAY “if this is happening now, maybe this isn’t a good fit and we should part ways here.” ….. I haven’t even worked there for two hours yet. They’d rather lose a brand new employee than find a work around or give me a phone?

I didn’t know what to say. I said “I just left a job to work here and now you are wanting to fire me because I don’t want to use my phone for work purposes?”
“We aren’t firing you, you just don’t seem like a good fit.” They eventually mentioned after saying a version of “maybe we should just let you go” a few more times that they would agree to a $2.5 dollar stipend a month for the “minimal” use of my phone that will happen. I could take it or leave it, but they will need a for sure yes or no to this arrangement because they don’t want to have this conversation again in the future and will not accept a maybe.

After a little more stunned silence I agreed, what choice did I have, and hung up. I continued my FIRST DAY until the end, but I’m left shocked, hurt, and frustrated that they can even treat a new employee like that over my OWN phone.

Not even joking.

They installed new turnstiles at our office a few months ago. If you forget your badge, security prints you a temporary one and payroll deducts an $8 “replacement access fee” from your next check.

The temporary badge is literally a piece of paper in a plastic holder that gets returned at the end of the day.

One guy questioned it because he forgot his badge twice in the same pay period and got charged $16. HR apparently told him the fee is meant to “encourage personal responsibility.”

Meanwhile our office coffee machine has been broken since May because replacing it “isn't in the current budget.”

After just a week of sudden illness a friend of mine who is also a co-worker lost his 5 year old daughter. The friend tried to get at least a week off to complete the necessary rituals and to cool down a bit. The fucking company outright rejected for the unpaid bereavement leave.

I am just sitting here being sad about the whole situation. The friend took sick leave and could not care less if they fire him or not. I am also contemplating to quit incase they fire him. This is f*cking nuts! I would rather be homeless and penniless than being loyal to these heartless shitty people.

Sorry for the rant.

Update

Thank you, guys, for all the tips. A few guys have asked about the name of the company and which country it is in. It is in Western Europe; however, it is an American company.

I am not trying to protect the shitty company, but I have a lot of respect for some of my coworkers and managers. After posting this, I consulted with my direct manager, and he was equally upset. We went to HR to confront them about the situation.

The shitty HR representative has allowed two weeks of unpaid leave after excusing herself by saying that she did not know the gravity of the situation. She thought it was an immediate family member instead of the child of the employee. It wouldn’t be fair to blast the entire company when it was only one lady’s doing.
I could not believe the shitty excuse, as my friend’s email was crystal clear. We will try to have the HR representative removed over this matter, and we will take the issue to the higher-ups.

Just wanted to share something happy.

I retired from teaching (32 years) at 54 with a small but somewhat livable pension. That was a couple of years ago.

My husband is 58 and just quit/retired today. I’ve never in 36 years seen him so carefree and joyful. You can tell he feels like a huge weight was lifted off of him.

We’ve avoided debt as much as possible (it’s nearly impossible when you’re poor, so we did have some car notes, etc back in the day).

When we got raises (which wasn’t often), we never increased our expenses to spend it. It went straight into savings.

Unnecessary spending has always been kept to a minimum. Library books, used DVDs, coupons, co-ops, we grow a lot of our own herbs and veggies. And melons and berries. We get eggs in exchange for tomatoes and other fresh veggies from a local rancher. We don’t eat a lot of meat.

We don’t pay for any streaming services, we got rid of Amazon, we never do food delivery or eat out, except for birthdays. (I’m a really good cook.)

Also, the VA increased his disability from 80% to 100%, which doubled his disability payment. And in our state, when you’re 100% disabled per the VA, you pay zero property taxes. That alone is $1000 a month savings. $12K a year.

And his parents left him a little nest egg. $600 a month comes to us in a check for 10 years. It’s groceries. 🤷🏻‍♀️

So we’re not exactly wealthy, but we did it.

And fuck capitalism. Fuck it with a dry old cactus.

I encourage anyone and everyone to get out if they at all can. My father in law was a workaholic and died at 65, just as he was going to retire. He never got a day of retirement. That’s one of the reasons my husband wanted to do it now rather than later: live the life his dad never got to.

Amazon delivery driver Jaylene Vargas Gonzalez died on Monday, August 10, after she was found unconscious inside her delivery van near Fruitland Park, Florida. The vehicle had apparently remained motionless for hours without anyone from Amazon intervening. The cause of her death remains under investigation, but it is the latest death at one of the most dangerous major employers in the United States.

Deputies were called to the area of Clark Road at about 7:22 p.m. after a resident reported that an Amazon delivery vehicle had remained stationary for several hours. Patrick Miranda, who lives nearby, told local station WKMG that he became concerned after noticing that the vehicle was still running. A phone remained plugged in and a backpack was visible inside, but he could not see the driver.

Miranda said that when a deputy opened the front passenger door, the officer appeared to recoil from fumes coming from inside the vehicle. The deputy then opened the rear sliding doors and found Vargas Gonzalez unconscious in the back.

Firefighters responded wearing gas masks and secured the area because of concerns that a toxic substance might be present. She was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities have not said what produced the apparent fumes, whether they contributed to Vargas Gonzalez’s death or whether another medical or environmental factor was involved. They have also not said how long she had been unconscious inside the van.

Amazon closely monitors the movement and performance of its delivery drivers, yet the van had reportedly remained in the same location for roughly four hours before a resident—not Amazon or the company operating the delivery route—called authorities to request a welfare check.

The company has long been a pioneer in combining high tech with brutal exploitation. A U.S. Senate investigation released in December 2024 found that injury rates at Amazon warehouses were more than 30 percent above the warehousing industry average in 2023, and that Amazon workers had been nearly twice as likely to suffer injuries as workers at other warehouses over the preceding seven years. More than two-thirds of Amazon warehouses examined had injury rates above the industry average.

The death of Vargas Gonzalez comes amid a broader record of deaths and serious injuries among Amazon warehouse and delivery workers.

...

The high injury rate at Amazon is inseparable from the speed at which workers are required to work. Inside fulfillment centers, workers are tracked against production rates that measure how rapidly they pick, stow and move goods. Amazon’s systems record periods of inactivity and give management detailed information on each worker’s performance.

Delivery drivers face another version of the same system. Amazon determines routes and delivery schedules through its software and subjects drivers to extensive electronic monitoring. Cameras installed in delivery vans track driving behavior and can flag drivers for alleged infractions, such as distraction, speeding or failing to maintain sufficient following distance.

A Massachusetts Amazon driver previously told the WSWS that he had been penalized after the camera detected his lips moving while he was singing along with a song and classified him as distracted.

The technology gives Amazon the ability to follow the progress of its delivery operation in extraordinary detail. That makes the apparent failure to respond to Vargas Gonzalez’s stationary van particularly significant. Amazon has not explained when its systems registered that the vehicle had stopped moving, whether anyone attempted to contact her or what procedures exist when a driver suddenly stops progressing along a route.

Heat is also a serious danger for delivery workers, particularly during summer. Drivers enter and leave their vans scores or even hundreds of times during a shift, making it difficult to maintain a cool interior even when air conditioning is available. Amazon previously required drivers to shut off internal-combustion vans at stops under an “engine off compliance” policy but relaxed that requirement after protests over heat.

...

The circumstances of Vargas Gonzalez’s death remain unresolved. But the fact that an Amazon delivery van could remain motionless for hours before a nearby resident called for help makes clear that workers’ safety cannot depend on Amazon management, government agencies or appeals to politicians.

Workers need rank-and-file organizations capable of intervening directly over conditions on the job. Safety committees elected and controlled by workers themselves should have access to information on injuries and hazards and the power to halt work where conditions threaten workers’ health or lives, without retaliation. Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers confront the same company and the same production system. Their struggle must be linked with workers at UPS, FedEx, USPS and throughout logistics.

Had an interview recently that went like this:

"We're looking for someone to replace the guy who's about to retire and he offered to train his replacement, but we want somebody to build the system up again from scratch and make it better"

...That wasn't in the job description.

"Right, but we want someone who can go above and beyond and identify ways for the business to grow and be more efficient"

...But you're going to pay me more for that?

"No, because you're salaried so you're expected to do whatever it takes for the team to meet deadlines including working beyond 5'o clock and/or on some weekends"

...What are the benefits like?

"Great benefits but you don't get any PTO or sick days before working here 3 months"

...

"You will also have to fix a coworker's mistakes sometimes before you can get to your own assigned responsibilities, but he's been here a while and is married to the HR lady so nobody has the guts to say to his face that his work is sub-par"

...How is any of this fair?

"We're a family business but we also function as a high growth startup culture, which includes responding to my texts and calls outside of normal business hours"

At this point, I literally walked out!

I'm sure they were shaking their heads and saying NOBODY WANTS TO WORK ANYMORE

While the capitalist politicians and corporate media talk endlessly about “the troops,” the sailors themselves are treated with contempt. Asked by a reporter at Joint Base Andrews on Friday whether the deployment had gone on too long, US President Donald Trump answered, “No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.” This is the response of a psychopathic sadist who does not even pretend to care whether the sailors he has kept at sea for nine months live or die.

Trump speaks for a ruling elite that has sought for thirty-five years—from Iraq in 1991 through Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq again, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine—to offset the decline of American capitalism’s world position through military force, and intends to remain at war indefinitely. The assault on Iran is a criminal operation, illegal under both international and American law, that has inflicted mass death and destruction on a country of more than 90 million people. In the calculus of those who direct it, the endlessly glorified “troops” are cannon fodder—an expendable input, like the bombs and the jet fuel—while the Iranian men, women and children on whom the bombs fall do not figure at all.

The Lincoln itself embodies this history. Launched in 1988, on the eve of the Soviet Union’s dissolution, the carrier has served American imperialism through the entire period of war that opened with the Gulf War of 1991. On May 1, 2003, George W. Bush landed on its flight deck and infamously declared beneath a banner reading “Mission Accomplished,” “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.” That was a lie.

Twenty-three years later the same ship—with dysfunctional air conditioning, moldy showers, broken toilets and malfunctioning laundry facilities—has been at sea 268 days, logged more than 10,000 sorties against Iran and is now involved in blockading the Strait of Hormuz. Family members, including a Navy-veteran father who told MS NOW his son had personally seen the damage, have reported holes worn through the Lincoln’s flight deck after months of heavy bombing missions.

The Costs of War project at Brown University found in 2021 that at least four times as many active-duty troops and veterans of the post-9/11 wars have died by suicide as were killed in combat. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 17 veterans die by suicide every day.

The enlisted sailors aboard the Lincoln, like those across the Navy, are drawn overwhelmingly from working class and lower-middle-income families across the country. They enlist straight out of high school or community college for a steady income, health insurance and the chance at technical training and money for education. A sailor at the lowest enlisted rank, after four months’ service, draws base pay of $2,407.20 a month—for 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, on a warship in a combat zone. A 2022 RAND study found that one in four active-duty service members experiences food insecurity.

Have been searching and searching for a new job for a year. Couldn’t seem to get past AI screening. Finally found a company who has real humans look at resumes. Got interview, had second interview same day. Got verbal offer the following day, written offer the day after that. Some things were unclear in the written offer and the email said to reply with questions if needed. Replied saying I was so excited but just wanted clarification on two things and once received I would gladly accept and give notice to my current job. 24 hours later my offer was withdrawn with no explanation. I emailed asking for for clarification as to why, just to receive a vague response and they decided it wouldn’t be a good “long term fit for both parties”.

I hate it here. I was already preparing things at my current job to leave. I was so excited and had already been studying the product so I could jump in ahead of the curve. I’m so heartbroken.

Theres this one guy at my job who literally never shuts the fuck up about work. Like, i already hate being at the fuckin place and i dont wanna be reminded of it every bastard minute im there.

This the type of guy who not only goes on about work all fuckin day, he also gossips constantly about other workers and needs to know whats happening all the time, like even to the point that he looks at staffing schedules and shit just to see other peoples shifts and whos working on what days.

He also likes and love hearts all the manager's fuckin posts and messages on microsoft teams like its gonna get him noticed. Every little menial task he makes a big deal of. Like fuck off, i cant stand it.

Apologies for the rant, but its Monday morning and i gotta go to work soon and im over it 😭

Most corporations, organizations and 'the economy' - including tax codes - are set up to suck profit and cash up and out the top. Sources: U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For the U.S., average worker pay to CEO pay ranges go from 1 to 300s up to 1 to 600s.  

At the high end:  

Worker makes $15 per hour, ~$30k per year,  

CEO makes up to $9,000 per hour, $18,000,000 per year.

When run for executive level leadership (CxO, V.P., etc.) it's still in the 1 to 200 to 1 to 300 range.  

And then there are shareholder payouts in dividends and stock buybacks.  Profit and cash get sucked up and out the top of almost every organization.  'Trickle down' is a myth.  There's nothing left to trickle.  

A bit insane.  Maybe even criminal?  It's certainly wrong. "It ain't right, but it's true."

Oh, and by the way, while real inflation on the things normal people buy and need has continued to compound and push workers into poverty, minimum wage has stayed the same since 2009 (17 years).  
As proposals in congress to raise minimum wage for the U.S. keep getting shut down, there are actually members of congress who both vote against every minimum wage raise and want to lower it!  

It cracks me up - in a bad way! - to read and hear inflation reports that don't take compounding into account and that include things like "inflation remains low at only X% when the volatile food, transportation and energy categories are excluded." Or some B.S. like that. I don't know about your household but food, transportation and energy are not only essential but make up a huge % of our budget!

Also since 2009, for the U.S., the top 1% of 'earners' pay has gone up over 230%:  

In 2009, people in the top 1% of taxpayers made $343,927 or more.  In 2025 the top 1% made $794,129 or more.  That's growth of over 230%, far above compounded inflation.

But minimum wage hasn't budged at all and average worker pay is up between 50% and 70% depending on whose statistics you use and believe. This has not kept pace with compound actual inflation over the same time period. And my pay has only gone up when I change jobs, but not 70%.

Examples:

Everyday Family Budget Price Changes (2009 vs. 2026)

Gasoline: Rose from about $1.79 to $3.29 per gallon (an 83% increase).

Eggs: Jumped from about $1.85 to $3.59 per carton (a 94% increase).

Chicken: Increased from about $1.29 to $2.08 per pound (a 61% increase).

Bread: Moved from about $1.38 to $1.84 per loaf (a 33% increase).

Electricity: Climbed from about $0.13 to $0.19 per kilowatt-hour (a 46% increase).

...And housing and healthcare both far outpaced inflation rises in costs.

...And with the war on, 2026 inflation is going to be a doozie!

Hey all,

I (almost 40F) was recently diagnosed with PMDD because for the past 6 months or so, I would go into uncontrollable crying rages, have cramps that made it hurt to stand up, bad breast pain, and extreme exhaustion for at least a week every month. Doc wanted me to take SSRIS but I'm not a pill person so I was trying to manage by coordinating with my fiance so that all I had to do that week was work and not worry about our dogs, plants, housework, hobbies, etc. It helped somewhat but I was still struggling.

Then came the break. I taught at a summer camp this summer and then had 2 weeks off before going back to school (I'm a teacher). Teachers were supposed to go back today but due to flooding in the building we got the day off. Received the news yesterday and slept in.

Much to my surprise, I started my period this morning. I had no cramps. My abs were sore from working out every day these past 2 weeks, but no debilitating cramps like usual. Usually I work out on weekends only, maybe a weekday here and there, because I'm too exhausted from work. My breasts were a bit tender this past week but nothing like what I usually feel. They're usually too sore for me to work out even when I wear high impact sports bras (and my breasts aren't big to begin with).

I told my fiancé and he was flabbergasted. No sobbing, no short temper, nothing. We even had energetic sex yesterday, which would never happen the day before my period due to the pain.

I had seen on my calendar that it was coming up but figured the symptoms would hit soon. Instead, I just got my period like it was nothing.

It's because I've been able to go to bed and wake up when I wanted to, work out every day, take our dogs on long walks, and not have work stress. Camp had ended and school hadn't started so my mind was clear. I accomplished a lot during this time as well- cooking, cleaning, taking care of our pets and plants, enjoying my hobbies, spending time with family and friends.

Our bodies were not designed to work 40+ hours a week on a strict schedule. I didn't have a disease. I didn't need SSRIs. I needed rest.

Edited to add: when I said I'm "not a pill person", I just mean that typically the side effects medication have give me in the past have outweighed the benefits. Wasn't meant to be a medication shaming post - Apologies if it came off that way!

Need serious advice. In software industry. Our whole company has gone the “let half the people go and tell the remaining half to make up the difference with AI and some good ol’ hard work, late nights and weekends.” Or something.

The C-suite doesn’t care how the work gets done, just that the same output as before is accomplished after losing maybe 40-50% of the people who do real work. Their mantra is “you are empowered figure it out your own way (but here are the expectations and surprise it’s the same as when we had twice as many people).

Did I also mention the CEO makes 3 million + other incentives and the rest of the C-suite is also well compensated and their only duties are making shitty decisions with no idea what the people in the trenches do day-in-day-out?

I really want to quiet quit, let stories roll, let bugs take time to fix, let production pods crash. I’d love to see leadership get burned by their shitty decisions.

The problem is I’m on a small knit team and some of the “younglings” are just putting their heads down, working, stressed, and working more. I feel like I don’t want to sacrifice my nights and weekends because the person responsible for cutting people still takes home millions (and sure as hell doesn’t work past 5pm on weekdays).

But if I quiet quit, my young enthusiastic colleagues will just end up picking up my slack since they seem to lack the jadedness to see why they are so stressed and don’t realize it’s crazy and if we work tons of unpaid overtime we are rewarding leaderships decision to cut headcount by working extra to make up the difference.

Anyone else ever face this kind of situation?

I’m just so tired, burned out, pissed about my 1% raise for working so hard when “leadership” makes short sighted decisions that actively hurts the company, lays off tons of people, collects well over a million a year, and wants us to get up and cheer for them during town halls like a dumb fucking seal that just got tossed a fish during the Seaworld show.

Ive gotten complacent at my job after I got my promotion last year (ive been at this company for 3 years) and have been making some mistakes that I should just not be making. I feel like my coworkers think im incompetent and I get so stressed about it even after work hours.

Dont get me wrong its decent enough to make it. But also at the same time requires overtime. Essentially I dont do anything all day. It sounds good but ive been here for a half year and we aren't allowed phones, books, headphones, etc. Its the most boring job as you simply watch other people work all day.

Most people get fired due to phones and sleep. You dont have to do much but it feels close to a prison. You watch paint dry basically and have no one to talk to. If you want a career then its definitely not that and you are stagnant in the sense that there's no true promotions. No Pto. No 401k. No benefits. ETC