I am working as waitstaff for a dinner at a nonprofit, and I’m handing out plates.

Diner: “I want a different plate from a different server.”

Me: “Why?”

Diner: “’Cause I don’t want a dirty [Hispanic slur] handling my food.”

I take his plate and hand it to a coworker, and she gives him his food. No complaints. Okay.

I come back later while there’s a speaker, and I’m pouring coffee, tea, and water.

Diner: “You’re still at my table? [Slurs] don’t belong here.”

I skipped him for coffee, assuming he’d refuse it for me. He caused a scene, demanding coffee. So, I poured. And I kept pouring. As the coffee dumped into his lap. With the entire room watching.

I got fired, but to this day, I regret nothing.

(I am a volunteer working directly with the Administrative Manager of Volunteer Services for a non-profit. One of the things I have to do is double-check that every prospective volunteer’s paperwork is completed before they are activated. I come across one file that is… special. It is marked, “Rejected: Not a Good Fit,” by the assistant manager. Curious to see why the file was rejected — and to make sure the appropriate notes were made as to why this volunteer was rejected — I open the file and am soon reading it out loud to my manager. This is a summary of printed emails between the prospective volunteer and the assistant administrative manager:)

Administrative Manager: “[Prospective Volunteer], just about everything is ready except for your references. You didn’t fill out the form.”

Prospective Volunteer: “Oh, it’s [Reference #1], [Address #1], and [Reference #2], [Address #2].”

Administrative Manager: “[Prospective Volunteer], we sent out the surveys and both came back as not residing in those locations. We need their current addresses to send the surveys to.”

Prospective Volunteer: “Okay, well, here are their phone numbers. Just call them up and ask for their new locations. [Phone numbers].”

Administrative Manager: “[Prospective Volunteer], as they are your references, you need to contact them yourself and get their information. Their current information is supposed to be on the form we gave you to fill out.”

Prospective Volunteer: “I already sent you their phone number, so you can just call them for the relevant information. Thanks.”

Administrative Manager: “[Prospective Volunteer], it is not our responsibility to fill out your paperwork for you. It is yours. If you do not supply us with the information, we cannot activate you as a volunteer.”

Prospective Volunteer: “Well, I sent you their phone numbers, and it should only take a quick phone call, so I don’t know what the problem is. I’m doing you a favor by trying to volunteer my time to your charity. I even did you the favor of calling them and telling them to expect a phone call from you soon.”

Administrative Manager: “[Prospective Volunteer], that is not how this works. We require you to fill out all of the paperwork yourself. Since you are refusing to do the minimum work required, we will not be needing your assistance with our charity. I will be deactivating your file.”

Me: *to manager* “Soooo, this volunteer literally called them to tell them to expect a phone call from our office, but refused to ask for their addresses herself while actually on the phone with these people?”

Manager: *sighing* “I wish I could tell you this is the first time someone expected us to fill out their paperwork for them but… Well, welcome to my world.”

(I start work as a temporary assistant for a non-profit; my main job is to help them prepare for a fundraiser that will be happening in the next week. Within my first day, it is clear that the main boss lady is a huge b****, and she has very clearly been bullying another of the employees. She more or less leaves me alone, other than a snide or frustrating comment here or there, but I’m pretty thick-skinned and I know it’s a temporary position, anyway, so I let most of them go. However, I’m starting to feel uncomfortable because a lot of employees, who I have never met, due to this being a temp job, keep coming to me to complain about the boss. None of this is a good sign, but I soldier on. The day of the fundraiser arrives. I ask them the whole day before if they want me to come help set up, but the boss lady keeps brushing me off. They’re literally walking to their cars when I ask for the final time if they want me to come. Then, this happens:)

Boss: “Oh, yeah, it would be good if you could come and help set up.”

Me: “Okay, cool! Can I have the address for the hotel to put in my GPS?”

Boss: “No, just get in my car.”

Me: “Um… I prefer to drive myself. That way I don’t have to bother you to drive me back to my car when I’ve exceeded my hours; I can just go. Can I have the address, please?”

Boss: *snottily* “Well, are you actually planning to show up?”

Me: “Yes, but I can’t if you won’t give me the address.”

Boss: “Just get in my car! It will be easier that way!”

Me: “No, I’m not getting in your car if you won’t even tell me where we’re going.”

Boss: *snottily, again* “You know, if you want to get paid, you actually have to work.”

Me: “I literally just need the address. I don’t know where the place is, and I prefer to drive myself.”

Boss: “I told you to get in my car!”

Me: “No.”

Boss: “Ugh, fine, you can stay here and enter the donations into [Program], then.”

(I have never heard of this program in my life, and it isn’t in the job description, either.) 

Me: “What’s [Program]?”

Boss: “Are you f****** kidding me? You don’t know [Program]? Fine! Go home, then! Just go home!”

(I’m a little upset at this point, but I turn around and start heading to my car to go home.)

Boss: “Where are you going?!”

(Finally, the boss’s daughter got out of her car and handed me a flyer with the address on it. That’s literally ALL I NEEDED. They drove off. I got in my car and considered actually going home since I really didn’t need to be treated like that, but then figured I needed the money so whatever, I’d help them set up and then go home. I helped them set up, and lo and behold, they were way too busy with the function when it was time for me to go to even say goodbye, so I doubt they would’ve bothered to drive me back to my car if I hadn’t driven myself. I would’ve just been trapped there. The next day, the lady who had been clearly bullied by the boss quit in a rage and stormed out. I called the temp agency and when I explained what happened they pulled me off the job immediately and told me they’d no longer send people there. Good riddance.)

(I work for a nonprofit agency that runs professional licensing examinations. We still use paper applications, and among our rules is that the applications are signed or we will reject them. Although the instructions state they have to be in black or blue ink only, we are willing to accept any color ink, or pencil, or even crayon, as long as they are signed. One Friday afternoon, a young lady calls. I’ve had a long week but am feeling silly and mischievous when I pick up the phone.)

Caller: *speaking timidly* “What happens if you sign the application in red ink?”

Me: *falling victim to a wicked urge* “The application explodes.”

Caller: “Uh… uh… It blows up? Really?”

Me: “Try it and see!”

(She was dead silent for a few moments, and just as I started thinking that I went too far and started to apologize, she exploded in shrieks of laughter. Once she regained her composure, I apologized, as I really shouldn’t have done that, but she dismissed it, and thanked me as she had been stressing out over little things and needed a good laugh. She asked my name and extension so she could reach me again if needed, and she did call back a few times, always with intelligent questions and always sounding glad to hear my voice. The day before her exam she called me again, and I could tell she was feeling nervous, so I cracked some more jokes, gave her a pep talk and what advice I could give, and told her she would be fine. She passed with flying colors and called me to thank me for helping put her at ease. I told her it was all her own doing, and she said that while I really shouldn’t have cracked that joke when she first called, she was so glad I did. I don’t work there anymore, but that remains my favorite memory from that job.)

(I work for a small non-profit that connects people with legal resources. A local hotel accidentally gave out our phone number instead of theirs to a bunch of guests. I have a variation of this phone call about seven times this day.)

Me: “Thank you for calling [Non-Profit]. How may I help you?”

Caller: “Is this [Hotel]?”

Me: “No, I’m sorry. This is [Non-Profit]. We’re a non-profit.”

Caller: “But this is the number I was given!”

Me: “Are you in need of legal resources?”

Caller: “Of course not! I’m trying to call [Hotel].”

Me: “Well, this isn’t [Hotel]; this is a non-profit.”

Caller: “But this is the number I was given!”

Me: *slams head into desk*