My company decided that it would sell our social club when land prices shot up. This was met with much anger as the social club was a massive part of their lives and had been for generations.

In return, the company offered a discount service, e.g., 2% off a laptop that you could probably find cheaper if you shopped around.

Even those who never used the social club weren’t happy with the replacement service; it was slow, offered limited benefits, and came with a huge amount of email spam.

After months of trying to make any savings whatsoever and failing, I am getting sick of the emails and I try to unsubscribe. Finding nothing on the emails or webpage, I contact them directly.

Me: “I want to stop the emails from your company, but I can’t find out how to unsubscribe. “

Representative: “I’m sorry, it is the company that signs you up; we can’t unsubscribe individuals. But have you tried the service? We offer many excellent—”

Me: “I’m going to stop you there, I have tried. It’s a worthless service to me. Thank you for your help, but I will be talking to my manager.”

Representative: “But if you look, you could make many savings. We have a special on diamond rings—”

I rarely hang up on people, but I did then.

I contacted my manager, who had his own misgivings on the service and many years enjoying the service club. He raised it to his manager. Apparently, enough people were dissatisfied with the service, so they brought in a representative to have a Q&A on “how to get more out of the [service]”.

It went down like a lead balloon. Every attendee asked had a bad experience or just couldn’t use the service due to its poor design or complete lack of worthwhile savings.

It was discontinued the following month and replaced with regular funded employee days. It’s not the same, but it does give a little bit of that social element that was previously destroyed without thought.

I have a coworker who is very dramatic. We are both on the management team with several other leaders in our large workplace. She is rude, will announce mistakes of the staff very loudly for everyone to hear, and has spread horrible rumours. She has the mentality that her team will always be perfect, and everyone else is the problem. She has had warnings for her behaviour and is on her last legs. 

Today, we are having our daily catch-up between all the teams to see the workload, and those leaving are handing over to the next shift. My oh-so-lovely coworker starts complaining and yelling about a task not completed by all shifts — including hers today, but she won’t admit that.

Coworker #1: “And if [task] is not completed by the time I start my shift tomorrow, I am walking out that door. We have KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and you lot are too lazy to do them, and I am sick of this bulls***! Get it done or I am out that door!”

All of the team are either looking at each other trying not to laugh or completely zoned out because we are all over listening to her rants. She leaves for the day and my boss, [Coworker #2], and I start talking.

Boss: “What the h***? Out the door? Really?”

Coworker #2: “Yeah, it’s like a power trip phrase for her. She thinks we care or that we would be lost without her — that if she walked, we would be begging for her to come back. I can’t wait for the day she actually walks. I’ll be dancing. Maybe we should leave [task] unfinished if it actually gets rid of her.”

It wasn’t the next day, but a few days later, she had her monthly “personal development” session with a superior and it was suggested she try to take a bit more constructive criticism on board and think about how her team can improve. She started screaming her head off and stormed out of work saying, “I’m done!”

She tried to come back two hours later, but her swipe cards had already been deactivated as she had abandoned her position, which meant she also lost all her built-up leave entitlements and payouts. I could see [Coworker #2] dancing at her station after the spectacle. My workplace was suddenly a very peaceful and enjoyable place to work. It’s amazing how one person can change an atmosphere with their toxicity.

I’m working away, fixing one of the rebuilds. I get it done and send it down the line. What should happen is the next one automatically rolling into the station, but nothing comes.

I look up the line and it looks like the line is full. So, what’s the hold-up?! I go to the previous station to ask the guy what’s going on.

Me: “Hey, what’s with the delay?”

Worker: “Yeah, I’m doing it.”

He isn’t; he is on his phone, just kind of spaced out.

Me: “Well, you should be two in front of me. Why are you so behind? Did something happen? I’ve got no work.”

Worker: “I said I’m doing it!”

Fine, whatever. He should know what he’s doing; he’s been here long enough. I grabbed a drink and went back to my station.

I waited a while — still no work. I headed back to the previous station again. When I got there, the guy was just standing there, listening to music. It looked like he hadn’t done a thing.

I let my manager know my numbers were going to be down and why. I didn’t see it happen, but the guy got dragged into the office, apparently stinking of weed, and he had no idea why everyone was annoyed at him.

He refused a drug test, refused any help, and refused to give up his car keys.

What was going to be a written warning and suspension turned into getting the police called to stop him from driving away and ultimately led to him being fired on the spot.

One of the managers has to take some time off for urgent “family matters”. The details are quite sad and you would think people would get on and do what they could to take the load off him or at least not give the guy more stress.

But not [Employee]. [Employee] doesn’t care about anything past his nose. I’ve had the joy of dealing with him while his actual manager spends most of his time at home.

Me: “[Employee], your numbers are terrible this month. What’s going on?”

He just shrugs.

Me: “No, seriously. You’ve done less than anyone. What’s the issue?”

Employee: “The machine keeps playing up.”

Me: “When did you highlight it?”

He just looks at me funny.

Me: “When did you tell someone that it was playing up”

Employee: “Not my job, is it?”

Me: “Your job, [Employee], is to follow the work instructions. On every work instruction is the contact details of maintenance, who it states must be contacted in case of issues with machinery.”

Employee: “No, it doesn’t, and even if it does, how am I supposed to contact them when I’m stood here?”

I get the work instruction, find the one he signed, and point out the bold print.

Me: “‘Contact maintenance on [number] or tell [Supervisor].’”

Employee: “Well, I didn’t see that.”

Me: “Nope, you saw it, and I know you’ve raised issues before. I’m passing you over for a write-up.”

Employee: “That’s bulls***. [Manager] would never write me up.”

Me: “Guess what? He’s not here. I am.”

Employee: “Well, I’ll call him.”

Me: “You dare, and I will have you written up for that, as well. He is not to be disturbed and you know d*** well why.”

He stormed off. I passed the details to Human Resources. As I was talking to them, they got a call from [Manager]. Apparently, [Employee] called him several times. When he answered and told him to stop calling, [Employee] hit him with a barrage of profanity.

The write-up I put forward wasn’t needed; they fired [Employee] without it. He was gone before the end of the day.

During the last recession, I took a job at a company that makes special washers, springs, etc. I previously worked in high-accuracy, high-tech companies, and this is some of the most basic engineering I have worked with, but I am genuinely happy to have a job.

It is clear straight away that the team I am working with has been there forever, they’re all set in their ways, and they don’t like change. None of them speak to me and they all complain constantly. 

The current winge is about their office; it has shrunk slightly because the business needed the space. The office is still 40% bigger than it needs to be, but they complain anyway. 

This carries on for months until I’ve had enough. I suggest some ways we could make the space work better — new equipment that takes up less space and is easier to use, changing an empty desk into a work area, etc. It’s all stuff that I have seen working before and will make their lives easier.

The team hates every idea I give and responds with nonsense excuses or just refusing to listen. Knowing this is a dead-end, I shut up and get on with the work. They seem happy being miserable.

Months later, the same original gripes and complaints keep on coming. What is worse is that some of these old ways of working are affecting the customers, and now I am getting complaints from my boss, expecting me to stop them.

My boss brings me into a meeting room to discuss it.

Manager: “We are getting a lot of complaints about missing parts.”

Me: “Yes, they are being counted by hand, and mistakes will happen as long as we do this.”

Manager: “So, how do we improve?”

Me: “Stop the problem at its source; change from manual counting to a machine. It is inexpensive and will pay the company back in costs within a few years. It is simple to use and implement.”

Manager: “Great. So, why haven’t you said this before?”

Me: “Every suggestion is shot down by the team. When I try to encourage improvement, I get complaints. Then you discipline me for not working together with them and tell me to ‘toe the line’.”

Manager: “Ah, okay. Well, the next issue, then? Marks and damages. Lots of complaints here.”

Me: “I believe we have discussed this one, too. I wanted to test out some new worktops. But—”

Manager: “Oh, yes, there were some complaints from the team and we dropped it.”

Me: “I don’t know what to tell you. You employ me to fix these issues. I have given you multiple cost-effective options to do so, all proven with little to no risk. But the operator is telling you that he doesn’t want to even try, so we just don’t?! And the problems stay here forever. I have tried reason, I have tried demonstrating the savings and benefits, and I have tried bringing the team with me and hearing their ideas, but they don’t want to change. They are actively stopping progress and improvement.”

Manager: “Yes, a tricky one… Okay, so, the next issue.”

We went through the list and it was all the same. I’d make a suggestion, but the team wouldn’t like it or would refuse to try. The manager would like the idea but refuse to help.

I knew then that I was wasting my time in this job; nothing I would do could change anything. The company would rather lose thousands a month, and potentially customers, than ask the guy whose job it was to put parts in a bag to try something slightly different. I quit that month.