You know the type: clipboard in hand, power in the posture, a smile that says “I’ve cc’d your soul.” They were supposed to keep the chaos in check, steer the ship, boost morale. Instead? Let’s just say the ship took on a lot of water. Somehow, with all the calendars, policies, and pep talks in the world, they still managed to steer straight into the storm.
This isn’t just about mistakes, it’s about full-blown management malfunctions. Step into the fluorescent-lit world of leadership gone sideways… and watch how the ones in charge managed to lose the plot.
1
No Overtime, No Day Off, No Respect
“I didn’t get paid overtime for because I dare to asked for the day after Christmas off since no one else was working either.”
2
Promised to Pay Me. Then Didn’t.
“My manager lied to me and promised to pay me. Their staffing company was embezzling my pay.”
3
Called Me a Waste of Space in Week 3
“Called me a waste of money and space because I made one mistake my 3 week of training. I had a 3 month probation and I quitted: They wanted me to stay for 6 more months before quitting and I said nope.”
4
One Sick Day in Years. Got a Threatening Call.
“I worked at a place for a couple of years with no call outs or anything; I got the flu and called out one day and got an angry call from the GM demanding that I come in or I’ll be fired.”
5
She Slept with My Employee. Then Came for Me.
“I had a manager who gaslit me regularly and was secretly sleeping with one of my employees: taking them home for “special projects” while her family was upstairs. I was the only one who knew, and she threatened and manipulated me.”
6
Manager Threw Things When We Missed Fake Goals
“Early in my career at a market research company, my manager set impossible call goals on purpose and yelled at us, even throwing things when we didn’t meet them.”
7
Got Drunk and Called Me Boring
“I went on a client trip with my manager and coworker who got drunk and insulted me on the ride home calling me boring and lame, even though I had the best numbers in the company.”
8
Company Sent Everyone to Ireland... Except Us
"At a 70-person company, the CFO sent every single employee on a free trip to Ireland, except me and my colleague in IT because “we couldn’t be spared.” No bonus, no promise to send us later, not even an apology. Just completely left out like we didn’t matter.”
9
Got a Raise. Got a Car. Got a Scratch From My GM.
“Asked for a raise, then got a good deal on my dream car. Two weeks later, the GM (who hadn’t said a word until then) shows up grinning next to a fresh, clearly intentional scratch on it and says: “Had to happen sometime.” I knew it was him.”
10
Made Me Pay for a Dine and Dash
“When I was a server I had a table walk out and the manager made me pay their $92 tab.”
11
Took My Credit, Blamed Me For Everything.
“Called me a N*zi numerous times, took credit for all the work I did, and blamed me for everything that went wrong in his work world. Luckily he was fired.”
12
Death in the Family? Prove It.
“Demanded death certificates for two close family losses (something not required by company policy).”
13
He Didn’t Read The File. Just Ruined My Week.
“Put me on a PIP over a temporary medical issue that was already documented and approved by HR.”
14
Had to Message Him to Pee
“He made me message him every time I used the restroom or left my desk, even to print job materials.”
15
Asked Questions During Training. Got Punished for It.
“He said I was asking too many questions during my 60-day training period and that I was ‘distracting the team’.”
16
Micromanager Level: Must Approve All Human Interaction
“Micromanaging and defensive to the point he insists ALL communication outside the team MUST be sent out by him.”
17
Not an HR-approved response
“Called me a B*tch and told me to s*ck his nuts instead of doing his job.”
18
Punished Me for Getting Pregnant
“Early in my career, I had a manager who felt threatened by me and constantly tried to pin her mistakes on me, but I protected myself by getting her bad instructions in writing. When that didn’t work, she escalated by sidelining me, trying to alienate me from coworkers, and eventually retaliating against me for taking maternity leave.”
19
The Cucumber Story
“I got written up at Walmart for not keeping cucumbers stocked on Christmas Eve, even though I spent two hours helping the overwhelmed cart pushers who had no lunch breaks. I was being a team player, but my manager didn’t care, and I almost quit on the spot.”
20
Threw a Book at My Head for Being Too Efficient
“I had a manager throw a book at me and hit me in the back of the head because I implemented a software feature in about 10% of the time that they told someone else it would take their whole team to do it.”
21
‘Hold On.’ Every Time. Forever.
“My manager has a condescending attitude. She thinks she's better/smarter than everyone. Every single time I ask her a question, she goes: 'Hold on', acting like she's busy. Doesn't appreciate or recognize any of the process improvements I've done.”
22
Told Me I’ll Never Be Good Enough
“Told me to my face I wasn’t good enough and never would be good enough. I never have forgotten that.”
23
Worked 20 Hours a Day for... Absolutely Nothing
“Late working hours (20 hour work days) for a deliverable that ended up not being immediately needed anyways.”
24
He Yelled. I Walked Out.
“Had a manager with a short temper who yelled and belittled people; six months in, he tried it with me. I walked out immediately and told him if I ever saw him in public, he’d better walk the other way.”
25
Went on Honeymoon. Came Back Jobless.
“In a 1-1, I shared that the role wasn’t where I saw myself long term, but I never resigned. While I was on my honeymoon, my manager processed a resignation on my behalf, claiming I had “quit verbally”. I only found out it was my last day when I got back.”
26
Forced Me to Sign a PIP, Then Gaslit Me About It
“My manager asked me into a private room and forced me to sign a PIP under duress and then claimed it never occurred. When I produced the PIP we both signed, he said I fabricated it.”
27
Cooked the Numbers. Served Me to HR.
“Faked and skewed/cherry-picked metrics to make me appear as a slacker before HR.”
28
Micromanager? More Like Micro-Monster.
“All my managers that I didn’t like in the past were micro managers, or they would throw a ridiculous amount of work at me without giving me a chance to ask questions or plan my time to get the work done.”
29
Asked for a Day Off. Got Called... WHAT?
“Told me to, and I quote, "Stop being a p*ssy", when I asked for a day off after working 13 days straight.”
30
Three Days of Training, Four Months of Disappearing
“My manager trained me for only three days before leaving for four months, then expected me to handle more tasks without support. I was put on a PIP for not knowing an ERP system I wasn’t trained on and, despite improving, my manager says they haven’t seen any progress.”
