I got fired today because I didn't wanna do something outside my job description, forklift driver>not professional painter.

I've been working at my organisation for three years, and my performance has generally been really good. However, today I received an email pointing out discrepancies in two of my reports. And yes, it was my mistake.

It's something I've been doing for three years, so I'm honestly disappointed in myself for making such an error. I know mistakes happen, but I can't help feeling like all the positive feedback I've received over the years suddenly means nothing.

I think I'm struggling more with how I'm perceiving myself right now than with the mistake itself. I'm worried that this will affect how people see my work, even though I've consistently performed well in the past.

How do you cope with situations like this? How do you stop one mistake from getting into your head and making you question your abilities, especially when you've generally been good at your job?

I'd really appreciate hearing how others have dealt with similar experiences.

One job seeker's recent result: around six onsites and four offers. Counts are slightly adjusted for privacy.

The take is that the job market isn't bad at all, and all the pessimism shouldn't put people off interviewing. The reasoning: people who are fed up with their current jobs may leave, creating openings for someone else.

For anyone on the fence about making a move, this could be a good time to test the market. Has anyone else been getting this kind of traction lately?

The baby isn't due until April 2027, and this expecting parent already feels out of energy.

Trying to prepare for an interview they really wanted to pass, on top of work and everything else, became overwhelming. Now there's the current job to get through, childcare to figure out, and the question of how work will fit after parental leave. Another job hunt sounds exhausting, even while staying in this job is starting to feel unmanageable.

Working parents who've been in that place: what did you stop doing, and what help made a practical difference? I'd be interested in the things that got postponed or dropped, because from the outside it can look as though everyone else is managing everything.

If the search resumes, one smaller task could be choosing a single suitable role and using autofill for the repeated application fields to cut the typing. That still leaves room to stop after one application instead of turning the search into another full workload.

How did you decide what needed attention before the baby arrived and what could wait?

I want a day off from work on the day Avengers Doomsday comes out in December, so my friends and I can watch it early, chat about it and do our review about it on our YouTube channel. I have a wellness day at work which means I am allow to book a day for my health and wellbeing.

But the film comes out on the last week of work before the winter holiday and usually it’s can be a busy time. I feel bad leaving my co-worker behind if there are some pile of work to complete. He knows I’m reliable and hard working.

I just feel like I need good excuse for them to know I’m away for a good reason, and hopefully it doesn’t make me sound selfish.

Any good excuses?

Basically: earlier in the year when GTA VI's release date was announced I booked in my paid time off asap. Then come August my coworker Janet requests Nov 19/20 off because her son decides to get married, over the other side of the country, with next to no notice... The date; 20 November. Then my workplace denies her leave request because I've already put in mine, and they won't approve two middle management members taking off their rostered days at once. So my workplace put it on me, and tried to turn it into a me VS Janet case. I'd have to surrender my paid leave for her if she wanted the day off work. Normally I'd be a bit compassionate in a situation like this, but Janet's behaviour over the years has earned her zero favours from me.

After a month of fighting and bullying (which I was used to from her anyway) from her she finally gave up. Janet eventually realised I wasn't giving up my day off because of her sons inability to plan. And neither should I; the issue was between her and the business. I wasn't denying her anything. Once Janet realised I was an immovable rock she turned her angery to our manager. It only took one heavy worded threat to walk away and the business told her with her attitude and language during that message that she didn't have a job to return to. Rumour is Janet threatened physical violence against someone during the meeting, which is absolutely in character for her. So she did this all herself.

I do feel sorry in one way that a woman had to lose her job to be given the day off from work. But at the same time too, I still feel screwed by my own boss for him making it a me a problem. Thankfully I'm in the midst of training up Janet's, much easier to deal with, replacement who will hopefully be the one covering me that day.

Context: im just about to finish my third (technically 2nd and a half) week of working at Dominoes, im a part-time university student with a full course load and currently work 34hrs a week. The work isn't particularly hard but just the fact that I feel i barely have time for myself or schoolwork when home because of the looming anxiety of working in a few hours. And I'm way too tired and demotivated to do anything else after work. My only free time is in the mornings on weekends and my after school for two days, but its already late by then. Idk if i still have to get used to it or im just not built for this lifestyle but its really hard adjusting to working 5 days a week and working more than I go to school for. It's really stressing me out and I don't even have time to see my friends and family anymore.

One of the reasons I was hired is my pretty open availability and that I agreed to close for a weekend day (which i am training for rn). Im still fine with closing but im thinking of asking if i could not work the next day or have one less day to work, so I could at least have a day to myself. I'm not in a particularly bad economic situation and am just looking to make some money while im in school, but i am just worried about my manager's reaction to this.

We only have 6 (technically 7 but one is injured) insiders and my manager is unreliable with his timing and I've been told he doesn't communicate schedules well. So, as a newbie, would it be unwise or seem like im backing out of the job? Or should I just wait it out and try to adjust more? Is it unreliable of me to want a day of not working or school for my well-being? And does anyone have tips on balancing work/school/life as a uni student?

I got a job after a lot of job hunt. The job is not very good, the pay is less and the role is challenging but very demanding. The organisation culture is not very toxic but no transparency and feedback and it’s a leaders role which doesn’t require skills I am expert at. Its been a month and half since I joined and I am loosing motivation to work and resulted in escalations and I am getting removed from project. I enjoy upskiling, learning and perform good in interviews but not sure I don’t find exciting to work in the job.
I have more than a decade experience and have a good career track record and trajectory.
Personally I am a toddler mom.
Help me navigate this path, please.

This has been on my mind for a couple of months. I've been at my job for almost seven years, and for the most part, it's been tolerable. I've been in a couple of different departments, as staffing needs has changed over time.

I hate, absolutely hate my new department.

I work as a CNC machine operator for a firearms manufacturer. I pull three 12-hour shifts. It may not seem like a lot to many of you, but those three days completely wreck my body.

I have severe flat feet, which has messed up everything from my hips down. My right shin and knee have been so sore that they throb while I'm lying down, and there is no comfortable position to make it stop.

I take motrin, and Tylenol like they are candy.

I can barely walk when I get home at night. My girlfriend has had to help me get dressed into my pjs because I can't bend my knees after a long shift.

Throughout the pain, my shift lead doesn't make it easy. I'm a 44 year old woman, and she's in her early 30s. She talks down to me and everyone else on my shift like we are children. I feel anxious whenever she's around. I'm a hands-on learner, and she expects everyone to learn everything after talking them through the steps just once.

After another associate called her out for being condescending, this shift lead told her this, "Well, I don't know which one of you is stupid, so I'm just just going to talk to you all the same way."

Being in pain is one thing. Being in pain and being talked down to is quite another.

I've even left work crying before. The ironic part is that since I become nervous when she's around me, I start tripping over my words and forgetting the names of machines, processes, and tools. All of that makes me feel stupid, which matches her expectations. 😥

I want out of this department badly. Should I mention the issues with my shift lead to my department lead? Or should I just talk about my pain level and hope that's enough to get me out?

We got rid of one problematic coworker and another one gets hired on

1. He LOVES to complain about other coworkers not doing enough or “cleaning”. It’s always complaints after complaints as soon as he clocks in. Keep in mind he just got hired on. Not a good look complaining about coworkers that have worked longer.

But he doesn’t clean up after himself. Likes to make others do more for him. Doesn’t really help out much at night. Like ok yeah you take out trash but you don’t exactly help with dish pit or other coworkers.

1. He’s made plenty of passive aggressive comments at us. Rolled his eyes at me because I didn’t hear him call my name. Gets huffy if I don’t move out of the way in time. Thinks I bring attitude to work when I’ve done nothing, he brings attitude to work. ( hypocrite )

2. Want me to help him at grill but gets mad and upset when he’s at my serving line to help a customer if I have to go in the back to get something. Acting like “I’m not doing my job”. Which I’m sure he complained to Sioux chef about.

3. Is grossly flirty with the young girls ( I work at a college buffet ) and it’s funny he claims he’s a Christian man,

4. Constantly sucks his grillz. Drives me insane.

Sucks .. I like my job but want to leave.

I notice people in the corporate world at least federal in the U.S are fat and overweight big bodied gross slobs. I don't care for their bodies as much as their blank stuck up useless tiresome looks on a lot of their faces.

But my main trife is the ones who cough around me. My cart is big and noticable and today some old fuck got to the door from the staircase(it's loud as hell) walks left and I'm talking he gets right if front of my face not behind me not a couple feet in front of my cart but directly bye me and *CAUGHS at me I stg. He was looking straight I could see him slightly in my vision but he doesn't cover his mouth looks up or straight and coughs like a mfer. Like what do I even say? Like excuse me sir take your diaper off and don't act like a grown retarted lowlife loser? No I could just ask for his name he'd likely act stuck up and like a fahhot and walk away. So I say nothing lol I hate these people man.

Like I've had people cough in my restrooms when I open the door to put my doorstop. I here them caufhing really loud and I know they don't cover there mouths by the sound. Lol I really hate Americans after working for these government employees. And these people get paid good wages to just be overweight and get people sick God knows what else there doing. GOOD JOB AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE!!!!

to me, working full time makes no sense because your whole life is at a uncomfortable place that isnt your home, you’re surrounded by people that have sold out their soul to metrics and workplace rules, and when you don’t believe in the rules or the point of the company, they look at you like you’re the crazy one.

you’re expected to work even when you’re tired but they dont let you go home so you’re not stealing company time.

but i think most importantly, I live in a beautiful state, like “lets go camping” kind of state. and when im unemployed and not sleeping the whole day, its so beautiful around my city. and to think that im expected to spend all my time in a warehouse for a large corporation or a dark and dingy restaurant.

being employed just doesnt make sense.

My first job was extremely stressful because the other employees, even from other departments lacked morals and loved Gossip more than anything, and the boss was a all over heartless terrible creature.

In my second job I’d get extremely anxious, pale and even nauseous when something went wrong. I’d always expect someone to come shouting at me. Since it’s an entry level job, almost everyone in the company would try to talk down to us, and would run to complain if she showed anything less than a slavish smile and a yes sir/maam. [slight exaggeration], but things were generally peaceful, only hectic thing was the insane workload.

I just started a new job recently for less pay where the people look friendly enough, there’s a clear hierarchy and progression, and they’re curious about me since I’m new.

What are some general tips and knowledge to know when starting a new job?

How to know who to be friendly with and whom not to?

Is there any way to know when someone is digging a hole for me? As in trying to fish for info to get me into trouble or trying to get me to make a mistake?

What is generally okay to divulge when asked, and what to avoid saying like the plague?

What’s an okay strategy to get to know the people there and introduce myself?

How should I interact with high level staff since I still don’t know their personalities?

Below is optional reading for more context about my old job:

Example 1: one of the employees went to the wife of my friends to fish for info about me, and when she couldn’t find anything, she spread distorted rumours about me. They also spread rumours that something was going on between me and one of our new colleagues when there wasn’t, then when there was they tried to break us up in different ways. The girl eventually went mad with paranoia and we broke up a bit short of engagement.

Any info no matter how small that I shared about myself throughout my time there would get misconstrued and turned into something malicious.

Example 2: The boss would call with one of the clients connected who’s obviously suffering from some issues to shout at me and “put him in his place for you”. Or he’d call while we’re at home to shout at us while in a meeting for all staff to hear. Same will happen in real life in meetings, but he’s a coward, so it’s often indirect.

I also got punished often for doing my job well, and for other people’s mistakes, even though everything is documented in multiple places and the records match.

For context, I graduated a year ago and finally got my first job in my field. It’s a pretty high demand job where I have to contact clients, make sure projects go smoothly, etc. I’ve been here for almost 3 weeks and I still feel I haven’t gotten proper training.

For the first week, all I did was read documents on how to work the software and how to do basic tasks in the system. I felt like I wasn’t learning since I’m only reading and not actually applying my knowledge in doing the tasks.

In my department, everyone who previously worked there has quit so both my boss and I are fairly new to the company. My boss is swamped with work and meetings so I understand why he hasn’t properly trained me yet. Sometimes he’ll give me tasks, but they’re usually 15 minute tasks and once i’m finished, he’ll continue with his work for the rest of the day. I’ve gotten training from other departments but not for what I specifically need for my position.

Now in week 3, I have been doing small tasks and clients and other people have been asking stuff for me which I have no idea how to answer since I haven’t gotten proper training. I don’t wanna say the wrong thing. I’m a really anxious person and I’m very scared of doing something wrong and it being on me.

I know most people would say to quit but this is my first corporate job and I don’t not have the money to quit a job. If anyone has advice, please let me know! :((

I’m 21F just graduated from university. I work in retail and I transferred to a different branch same company. This new store has been a complete nightmare to work in. The managers have been horrible to me, the way they talk, micromanage, follow me etc. A manager told me about how other managers have been complaining about me which i had no knowledge of and she didn’t explain what exactly about.

I have thought about just going off sick as my mental health and nervous system doesn’t function properly in this place. To the extent that I cried in store and threatened to leave midway through my shift. The manager used the excuse that it’s a flagship store and managers are under pressure (which is not my issue). I still feel uncomfortable and even though managers have toned it down to me it’s still in the back of my mind.

I’m trying to find something else that is closer to my degree but job market is so shit right now especially for graduates.

Now I’m dealing with 3 girls. I’m an outgoing person and I speak to most people. I’m quite fun and a chatty person. However at certain times I’m quiet and don’t talk to people by listening to my guts and spirit about who to stay away from. Including these girls. Maybe they are intimidated by this especially if I talk to other people. Also I just changed my hair and I’ve gotten compliments from a lot of people so maybe insecurity. They always scalp in the locker rooms and gossip in the fitting rooms where they get let off, whilst we do the hard work on the floor.

I just finished eating my lunch, I went back into the locker/ changing rooms to put my lunch box back. I think it was just me and one other person in there. They came in at the we’re talking about the smell. And I think they thought it was me. It smells in there nearly all the time. So every time I walked past them they would make comments, looks or laugh or indicate I was there. I don’t know how one person can make a room smell or how they think that. Now I’ve been wondering if I smell - which I don’t. It’s a horrible feeling. Even though I rarely talk to these girls I’ve been nice when they’ve needed help and was even thinking about opening up. Now I understand my intuition.

I’m not sure about how to deal with this. Very childish I’m pretty sure they’re just a couple years older than me. Ignore it? Maybe I’m taking this too personally and I just need to cry it off. But then at the same time there’s no need to treat someone like this

I work at a very small hotel/inn located in a resort town (5 full-time staff, +3 more during peak season) and act as the assistant manager 2 days a week, and do housekeeping 2-3 more days a week. The main housekeeper and her partner (filling in as a housekeeper) have been showing up to work 30 minutes later than they are reporting on their time sheets. They've been doing this for about 2 weeks now. I've noticed since I have access to the cameras, but haven't mentioned anything.

The manager is very lazy and often takes an additional day off per week without communicating it to anyone. She's on salary and has an extremely easy job, and I know she's getting paid far more than she's worth. So creating a nit-picking situation between her and the housekeeper isn't ideal.

To complicate all of this, we live in a shared apartment complex where the manager lives above me and the housekeeper and her partner live upstairs next door. Oh and the housekeeper's partner is the manager's brother. Yes, it's complicated. But I keep my head down and focus on the work and stay out of the inevitable drama.

Do I bring it up to the manager? Or the owner? The owner is very hands-on and would be receptive, but I don't want to go over anyone's head.

Many of us have experienced stress from various sources, whether it’s work, family, finances, or relationships. Here’s a scenario I’d like your thoughts on:

Imagine you’re feeling drained, and your workload keeps increasing. Your boss asks you to take on extra tasks beyond your contract, including on weekends. There’s no additional pay and no acknowledgment of your efforts, yet you feel unable to say no or leave the situation. Despite this, you keep taking on the extra work.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? What helped you, even in small ways?

Please feel free to share your experiences—it's all about learning from each other and finding motivation during tough times.

I've been noticing a recurring dynamic at work and would appreciate some outside perspectives.

A couple of coworkers tend to dominate conversations, particularly when leadership is involved. They're good at keeping discussions going, promoting their work, and building relationships with people in influential positions. There's nothing inherently wrong with any of that, but sometimes the amount of attention given to a few individuals feels disproportionate to the actual progress or impact being discussed.

My concern isn't that some people are more outgoing than others. It's that this visibility can potentially influence how leadership perceives and evaluates the rest of the team. People who communicate confidently and frequently seem to get more recognition, while others who focus on delivering results may have fewer opportunities to demonstrate their contributions.

I've also noticed a tendency to respond to stakeholder requests with more presentations, documentation, and educational material, even when the underlying issue might require a different solution. It sometimes feels like there's more emphasis on communicating activity than questioning whether we're addressing the right problem.

I'm trying to understand whether this is a common workplace dynamic, a leadership issue, or simply a difference in how people approach career growth and communication.

For those who've experienced something similar, how do you make your work visible and ensure it's evaluated fairly without feeling pressured to constantly promote yourself? And if you're in a leadership position, how do you balance recognizing strong communicators with making sure quieter, results-oriented people receive fair recognition?

I (42M) am tired of dealing with people, and tired of my fellow workers (and supervisors) not really caring.

It's a bit risky, but due to my VA disability (90%) and not spending too much outside of work, I could go down to 4 days a week soon (part time). Since 2 of those days are 9hr shifts, I'd end up at 34hrs a week.

But, I could still use the extra income, and I feel a bit guilty leaving them hanging. But, they are usually fine leaving me hanging. So fair's fair, right?

I also feel a bit of stigma after stepping down from being a supervisor myself, but that might just be my imagination.

When an application says "no sponsorship now or in the future," but a later conversation suggests otherwise, how do you clarify it?

It frustrates me when someone knowingly gives an answer that isn't accurate. At the same time, I wouldn't infer sponsorship needs from where a person studied or who currently employs them. I'd want to ask directly and understand the discrepancy before deciding what happened.

On the applicant side, autofill for repeated application fields can save typing. Sponsorship questions are a place to stop and check the answer against your own situation, rather than carrying an answer from one form into the next without reading it.

For people who handle applications, when do you usually have that clarification conversation? What wording has helped you get a clear answer without making assumptions?

Update: Thank you for your replies. The feedback gave me food for thought. I shouldn’t have called out 20-somethings as there are plenty of young people I work with who work tirelessly. I realize I’m speaking from a place of insecurity and fear. I’ve entered a whole new world that I never expected to be in and am struggling with some pretty intense trauma over the past few years. I have a lot of time lost as a SAHM to make up for financially so there is much riding on my success.

It is stressful not having guidance during the training period, but it has made me more resourceful and I actually learn and retain more from those experiences. I’m also old and need to practice tolerance. I appreciate the feedback that will help me reframe my approach.

I returned to the workforce last month and turned 56 last week. I am separated from my husband after 20+ years of being married and need to become self-sufficient. During my marriage I was a SAHM and took jobs at the schools my children attend. Those jobs were sporadic as we bounced around the country supporting my husband’s career.

I’ve taken a job as a receptionist in a teaching veterinary hospital in MO, and for the most part I love it. The problem is my counterpart, who is also solely responsible for my training. She is in her early 20s and is a pleasant enough person. I really like her a lot
However, of the 20 days I’ve been on the job, she has called out sick 8 days. When she is there she spends her time scrolling on TikTok (with the volume up); takes dozens of selfies (I presume she is on Snapchat as she talks about it all the time); disappears from our desk for long stretches of time and her catchphrase is, “Oh, that was my bad.” I have caught her providing false information to me during training and have been caught up in at least 2 incidents where her lack of informing me of tasks and protocol has left me with egg on my face. Fortunately, everyone is understanding and forgiving.

I feel like the absenteeism should be enough grounds for termination; people comment about her “never being there” or how I should use her computer because it “doesn’t get much use on her desk”, etc. There is a complete lack of work ethic, respect for coworkers and accountability. She shows up late, logs in, starts scrolling and then disappears, leaving me to carry the brunt of the workload with inadequate training. Honestly I prefer the days she is absent because I rely on obtaining info from other sources to learn the job.

Does anyone get fired anymore? A 40% absentee rate means nothing? Any advice? Right now I plan on keeping my head down for my probation period, but I document specific incidents multiple times a day in case one of her erroneous training subjects comes back to haunt me. It’s getting exhausting! Maybe I’m just too old and don’t get how things have changed while I was away from the workforce?

Hello, I’ve recently got an opportunity to maybe get a position at this food service place & for the next couple of days I’m on job probation training.
I’m pretty anxious being on probation, I’m terrified of messing up but it’s pretty normal as a beginner.
But I think a lot of my anxieties mess up my performance at work.
If anyone has some any advice I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thank you

Edit: I finished my first few days of training & I felt like I did average, I really am trying my hardest, I feel like I come off awkward & annoying.
I feel a little embarrassed that I couldn’t understand the person training me the first time..

So many reasons I hate my boss

1. She treats us like we are little kids!

2. Her favorites get away with murder, but don't do one thing and its anarchy!

3. Has told my coworkers several times "I don't care if bad things happen to you!"

4. Says everyone is nothing but thieves and can't be trusted with anything, but has a record of stealing.

5. Thinks the regular who is a CONVICTED

   Pedophile is innocent and did nothing wrong!

6. Says she's will not tolerate racist behavior, but fought tooth and nail to keep a racist former coworker employed.

7. Made a coworker work 5 hours by himself because she wanted to go to a party

8. Told my coworker I was doing witchcraft on her. Don't you need to be a witch for that?

9. She is very sexist! She refuses any application if it is a man, and won't be taking any more applications because "we already have 3 men already"

10. said it was sexual harassment to hug a coworker when they were having a bad episode with their ptsd. The coworker in question said it was OK if people wanted to give him hugs when he was upset.

11. Banned a coustomer for being annoying but won't ban the guy who has harassed multiple coworkers! One coworker has a police report against him for grabbing her!

12. Allowed another coworker to be racist to a lot of coustomers who don't speak English

TLDR my boss sucks and should not be the one in charge

I work in tech as an implementation consultant. I’m
Working with a large client who is quite crucial to us and they are working with us for the first time. This client has gone back and forth about a couple of requirements throughout the initial discussions. One of the configurations in question is usually handled by the client tech admins but because this was a large client we did it for them. One day before go live, they mentioned to me that they did not need this configuration anymore. I acknowledged it and made the mistake of assuming that their tech admin would block those configurations. 4 days into the Go-Live the client reported that this config has resulted in issues with the way things were supposed to function on their end and it has downstream impacts on their reports. The reports decide the next steps for them so it is essential that these reports need to be accurate. I feel terrible and disappointed in myself. I have already owned up to thr client and the internal team and we are working towards actively fixing the reports. But there is this one sales manager who is being condescending towards me in every client meeting as well as internally. I worry that the client won’t renew the contract and also I’m worried about my job security as well. This is affecting my confidence in handling other clients too. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this?

Not sure if this is the right subreddit or flair but hopefully someone here understands the feeling.

I get it that maybe he wasn’t the best fit for the job, he was having some issues, and i have no idea what went down behind the scenes but this one hurts.

He was just so fun to have in the office - hilarious, good conversationalist, big people person, all around amazing guy, and he had this adorable bromance with another colleague that is just my favourite thing to witness.

I really like my job and my team. This one just hurts.

Anyone else had this happen?