Many years ago, I took a job in retail and met some great friends there — specifically, [Supervisor] and [Coworker].

Even though I was hired as a part-time worker, I still worked full-time hours. [Coworker] was the full-time person. Protocol was that if a full-time person left, the next person in line got the job, and that was based on seniority.

A new girl was hired. [New Girl] was about twenty years old. She was a know-it-all, and she loved to start arguments with fellow coworkers. She bragged a lot about how she was a model and a cheerleader, her family was rich, and she had been the class valedictorian.

[New Girl] caused nearly everyone in the department to quit within her first two weeks there. She made [Supervisor] and [Coworker] both cry. Complaints were made to upper management and Human Resources, and nothing happened.

[New Girl] was also late every day.

[Coworker] decided to quit, and I was so sad that she was leaving. [Supervisor] pointed out, however, that I was next in line for the full-time position, and it came with a good raise. She said the assistant manager would talk to me about whether I wanted it. But he never did.

Instead, [New Girl] came in and bragged about how he had given the position to her. [New Girl] had only been there for two months. [Supervisor] was appalled. I was furious. [New Girl] let it go to her head and was more arrogant than ever.

The company did inventory twice a year, and normally, it was the full-time person’s job to complete it.

When I was hired, I made it known that I couldn’t come in earlier than 8:00 am because I had two small kids to get to school, and [Supervisor] agreed to work with me on this.

[Supervisor] said that [New Girl] would be doing inventory even if she hadn’t gotten full-time; I was off the hook and didn’t have to worry about it all.

The day before inventory, [Supervisor] came to me.

Supervisor: “[Assistant Manager] changed the schedule; he has you working inventory. I tried to talk him out of it, but [New Girl] said she can’t get up early and be here at 5:00 am.”

I let [Supervisor] know I couldn’t, either. She found someone else who would, but the [Assistant Manager] said no, I had to do it.

I had no one to take my kids to school; all my friends and family worked early, and my kid’s dad couldn’t do it, either. My boyfriend who worked until 3:00 am offered to do it. We stayed at his house that night, and I went on to work.

[Supervisor] was there.

Supervisor: “Oh, you found somebody to take the kids to school!”

Me: “Yes.” *Jokingly* “I thought I was going to have to bring them in with me!”

Then, I found out that [Assistant Manager] had scheduled me again for inventory the next morning. Luckily, my boyfriend had gotten the kids to school on time and agreed to do it again.

A week later, I applied for another job and interviewed for it. It went very well, and I was confident I had the job. I decided to be honest with [Supervisor] that I was looking for another job; I trusted her. She said she was looking, too. 

A few days later, [Assistant Manager] called [Supervisor] and me into his office.

Assistant Manager: “Do you want to tell me what it is that you told [Supervisor]?”

I looked over at [Supervisor]. I thought she had told him about the interview. 

Me: “I had a job interview, and it went well. If they hire me, I am going to work there.”

Assistant Manager: “No, that’s not it. It was during inventory.”

Me: “Oh. I jokingly said that if I hadn’t gotten someone to take care of the kids, they would have had to come with me.”

Assistant Manager: “Yes, that’s it. You should know your kids can’t come to work with you.”

Me: “Yes, I am aware of that. It was a joke.” 

Assistant Manager: “I am not laughing. There are laws against child labor.”

Me: “Yes, I know that, too. It was a joke. If I couldn’t find anyone, I just would have come in late.”

Assistant Manager: “We don’t like anyone who comes in late. It’s not being a team player, and you won’t get promoted.”

I was livid, but I kept quiet.

Assistant Manager: “About this possible new job… I am appalled that you would leave us. We pay you fairly, and we treat you fairly.”

Me: “Actually, you don’t. I have only had a total of thirteen cents in raises. I was passed over for a full-time position because you gave that to [New Girl], who is always late and runs off the other good hardworking employees. [New Girl] couldn’t get up to work inventory, and I had a legitimate reason why I couldn’t, but her excuse was more plausible than mine. You don’t treat me fairly. You call me into this office over a joke, but more serious issues like [New Hire] causing everyone to quit aren’t worthy of your time?”

I got up and walked out.

[Supervisor] caught up with me.

Supervisor: “I’m sorry. I thought he’d think it was funny that you said you’d bring your kids to work. He laughed about it when I said it, and I thought he understood that it was a joke.”

A few days later, I got the job I had interviewed for.

This story takes place a few years ago when I have just started working as a librarian. At the time, we have a policy that new hires are not sent out for coverage for the first six months.

I work for one of the worst managers in our library system. She has an awful reputation among her staff, and it is deserved. I am surprised when, in my second month, I am asked to cover at a branch that will increase my commute by about an hour each way. After asking, I just go and deal with it.

It’s a snowy day, but I make it on time. About half an hour after I get there, meet the staff, and sit down to start working, we get a call.

It’s my awful manager, demanding that the branch send me back as too many others called in sick that day. The woman I’m working with that day tells her off and eventually hangs up on the bad manager.

Despite the longer commute, I had a great day.

At the trucking company where I work, we had a temp come in to help us catch up on our filing of bills of lading for deliveries. There were twelve of us in billing, and just my filing basket alone was three feet high — only two or three weeks behind.

I thought [Temp] finished mine and moved on to the next way too fast.

My suspicions were confirmed when I walked in on her just grabbing a huge handful of pages and shoving them in the back of some random file.

It then took three temps working for weeks, going through every file, to correct her mess.

In our area, every year, one year of high schoolers will get a week of internships at various workplaces to get a feel of work life. It’s a great way for them to learn what comes after school and get a foot into the work market as they’re at the age of getting summer/extra jobs.

One year during that week, our grocery store got a young man who would do nothing. We’d give him a task, and when checking in on him later, we’d find that he had done none of it; he had found himself a stool and was fiddling with his phone. (This was pre-smartphones, by the way.) We would tell him to work, he would get up, and he would sit down again the second we were out of sight.

Needless to say, we got to work extra by chasing him down and getting him to do his tasks, and he did not get an offer to work further with us for the rest of the term or the following summer. It was a long week.

Funnily, though, his younger brother came to us the following year, and he was the hardest-working intern we ever had — right up on par with us ordinary staff. He wasn’t waiting for tasks; he would seek them out. It’s too bad he got a paying job elsewhere and would not return to us.

Related:
So Not Ready For A “Real Job”

I’m former military, and I’m a new leasing agent at a new senior apartment complex. One of our original residents passed away. 

Me: *To the manager* “Might we lower our flag to half-staff in respect for [Resident]?”

Manager: “Yes, let’s do that.”

Not long after, a retired military gentleman stopped by to ask about our flag.

Me: “We thought it fitting respect for a passed resident.”

He was impressed and brought a few friends over who ended up renting!