I considered trolling the AI like in those videos that are going around lately, but honestly that's just time and energy I don't want to relinquish. If they can't respect potential employees enough to actually spend a few minutes with them, I don't imagine the workplace itself is very healthy. Not to mention, the job would require a lot of driving my own personal vehicle to and from clients with no compensation for the mileage. I was unfortunately willing to overlook that a bit as I need the money, but the fact that they can't even take the time to speak to me is off-putting and a dealbreaker.

Years ago, I was working in a small auto repair shop, only two full time employees, plus the boss and a part time office worker. Boss always complained that I made too much money. So he decided I was going to get a raise, but he was going to put me on commision. I would only be paid based on the labor charged to customers for the jobs that I did.

So Monday, the first day of my commision time comes along, and I immediately get busy working on jobs left over from the week before. Paying jobs. In the mean time, the office is filling up with customers, and the phone is ringing constantly. Boss calls me up front, says he needs some help. I told him sorry, I don't get paid to answer the phone, or to write up customers, or to call in the stock order, put the stock order away, pick up or deliver parts, drive customers home, clean up the shop other than my own work area, and pretty much everything else that I could think of that I usually did previously, when I was paid hourly, but was no longer part of the "payable" package.

He said, "that's not how it works."

I said it sure is.

I had been there for almost 10 years and pretty much did everything except payroll. It wasn't a great job, but I enjoyed the work. But he was no longer very interested in the work part of owning a business. He would come in late every day, promise a bunch of work, then go to the bar down the street for lunch from around 11 until 2 or 3, some times even later, then come back and then complain that all the work wasn't done.

Sure, it was his place, he could do what he wanted. But if I was doing the work, I expected to get paid for it.

Being on commision only lasted a week or so, I went back to hourly, and got to keep the raise. Things got a little sour after that, and I eventually moved on to another shop.

Huge news from Brazil!

Brazil's Senate has approved a constitutional amendment to end the traditional 6-days-on, 1-day-off work schedule (6x1), replacing it with a 5-day workweek and 2 days of paid rest per week.

Here's what makes this historic:

- Two days off per week instead of just one.

- No pay cuts for workers.

- Weekly working hours will gradually decrease from 44 to 40.

- Millions of Brazilian workers are expected to benefit.

The change still needs to be formally promulgated, and implementation will be gradual.

For millions of people who spend almost their entire lives working just to survive, this means more time with family, more rest, and more time to actually LIVE.

A job should provide a living, not consume your entire life.

Source: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2026-10/senado-aprova-fim-da-escala-6x1-e-reducao-da-jornada-de-trabalho

I was laid off from my former employer in August 2025. I didn't log into my 401k for a few months, but in November 2025 we hired a new financial planner who asked to roll over our old accounts. Well, I found pretty quickly that the 401k institution still had my status listed as "employed." And, as you may know, you cannot roll over a 401k plan from a current employee.

For 3 months, I tried to get my status changed to Terminated. I contacted my former employer (a small business owner, whom I texted, called, and emailed) and he never responded. I provided the financial institution with my layoff paperwork, my proof of unemployment, and anything else they needed. None of these were sufficient. I got in touch with the plan administrator, who also tried to contact the business owner. Still no luck. The business's plan holder is the only person who can mark me terminated. After months, I'm not sure what happened, but he finally clicked the *one button* in the email he'd been getting every three days for months and I was marked as Terminated.

Now, following my financial planner's advice, I need to get these funds rolled over to another account. I did not know this, but, again, the *only\* person who can approve the rollover is your former job's plan holder (in this case, my former boss and business owner). Not the plan administrator, not the financial institution, not the account holder. The former employer.

So I have spent the last 9+ months trying to reach out to him (texts, emails, phone calls, letters, certified letters, texts to other employees, etc.) and have been completely ghosted. Every Monday morning I call my financial instution on my morning commute and wait as their employee sifts through the log of months of calls, audibly gasping and apologizing for what I'm going through. They cannot help me. They keep telling me they will escalate and wait for a manager to follow up. I have been told the "senior leadership is aware of my case" but that hasn't changed much of anything. The plan administrator is as lost as I am -- he's also being ghosted.

No one can help me. I literally need one man to answer an email he gets on a weekly basis to get my funds released from this institution. It's one f*cking click and he can't be bothered to do it.

So in May I initiated a complaint through the Department of Labor. Once they assigned me a representative, she was very helpful and walked me through the process. It is, as a government entity, understandably slow. She leaves a him a voice message and needs to wait 10 business days until the next stage. Which is an email. 10 more business days. Certified letter. Another 10 days. Finally, at my request, my case is being sent over to the Enforcement division of DOL. Perhaps he will respond to armed officers coming to his business. Another 21 days before they can move my case over. However, my case manager sets my expectations ahead of time. I was told "Enforcement typically doesn't take on cases with one individual. They usually only take up cases with a number of claimants against one employer. I don't expect them to take your case and you will have to pursue this claim privately."

And that's exactly what happened. Enforcement did not take up my case. My representative can send a few more scary letters but will ultimately drop the case due to non-contact.

What the fuck is this broken system? I have $20k tied up in this mess, and the only person who can release MY MONEY is the former employer who, for some unknown reason, is completely ghosting me. How is this how the system is built?

I have never received a promotion the entire 4 years I’ve been at my current job.

Hounded them over and over again.

Just been told they have “no money” or “timing is not right”. “We don’t have it in the budget”.

Basically every excuse under the sun to not pay people a market rate for the experience they have.

And yet every month they seem to bring more and more managers onboard because they “know their stuff”.

At this point is basically just become adult daycare for nepo hires. People who just sit on calls all day and offer no value. But everyone around them thinks the sun shines out their ass for some reason.

They’re basically all protecting their own asses because they know they offer no value and would get cut instantly if we needed money.

These managers do nothing aside from scrutinise everything you do in order the make themselves look busy.

And hold hour long meetings where all they talk about is how great their weekends were and how amazing they are. It’s all me me me.

Anytime anything goes wrong they immediately come to you up in arms and stressed for you to “trouble shoot” because they don’t know what they are talking about.

I have just started to respond with; “That’s above my pay grade” and they go absolutely ape shit when they realise they actually have to try and fumble their way through the very job they passed an interview for.

They serve no purpose.

I have 5 direct managers and I am in a team of 4 of us.

But what really grinds my gears is they keep seconding people into roles after claiming they had no money to give the rest of us a pay rise or promotion.

So the “budget” they don’t have magically appears when the face fits. Yet when I ask, they don’t want to know.

They just promoted one person into a;

System infrastructure continuity lead

Whatever the fuck that means

And all of our systems are Microsoft.

This person has basically hidden anytime anything they have done in the past has gone wrong.

And now they WANT TO REWARD THEM with more money and a shiny new job title.

They’re being taken for a ride and they truly believe this person is some sort of genius. They’re all freaking idiots.

The last process this person put in place got scrapped after 2 weeks….. and now they are suddenly the EXPERT in everything.

The higher ups are now moaning about productivity slumping.

Like yeah, no shit we aren’t going to work as fast.

There is no incentive to.

That is why productivity is falling.

All my colleagues just have no motivation anymore because month by month we just keep getting shit slung at us, and nobody ever has our backs.

When something goes wrong it always falls on us. And it is never the managers who step in. Keep getting told “It’s a learning experience” like we aren’t all adults and are still in high school. It’s a humiliation ritual at this point.

When you screw over the workers who actually provide value you will soon learn very quickly that everything can unwind in a few weeks if we don’t play along anymore.

This has been a question I've thought of over the last year while suffering from burnout. Genuinely curious to hear others’ honest answers.

EDIT: this is getting more responses than I expected so I wanted to give more context as to why I’m asking this. I’m a filmmaker and have had this horror film idea inspired by hitting bottom while suffering from burnout. Trying to figure out some details I’m struggling with regarding what I believe is a unique take on a demon pact.

Our office had an employee appreciation lunch last Friday. HR made a big deal about it being on the company and ordered food from a local restaurant.

Today we got an email saying anyone who didn't stay for the team building session afterward has to pay $18 for their meal.

The session wasn't mentioned in the original invite. I left after lunch because I had a client call, which my manager scheduled.

The $18 isn't even the issue. I just find it ridiculous that a company can turn a thank you into something you owe them for.

Three other people got the same email. One of them replied asking where this policy was written and HR hasn't responded yet.

So the corp scumbags recently cracked down on my.job place.

Apparently my manager was 'too nice'. Now we literally have no management. My coworkers have voluntarily taken on their manager duties...and we're still a fucking mess.

So i was planning on leaving once I had an offer.

Then I got my 'raise'. A whopping 30 cents when everyone else got a buck or more.

So I know when Im not wanted. And frankly Im not planning on giving 2 week notice. Im just going to walk.

The question is fairly simple: AM I the asshole if I just walk?

I mean, fuck the corp admins that did this. They dont deserve any help. But Im specifically concerned they will learn nothing when I leave without warning.

Id just be fucking my coworkers in the end. Which is kind of unfair.

Thoughts?

I recently interviewed with a company and got rejected after the initial HR screening. Fair enough. I was completely polite to the recruiter, accepted the rejection and simply moved on with my life.

But then someone from that company actually CALLED MY CURRENT BOSS to tell him I had interviewed with them.

Like, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?

Who does that? Isn’t confidentiality supposed to be a basic part of recruiting?

My entire life, I have had sleep and time management issues. Since I was a kid, when I would lay in bed wide awake for hours, or miss the bus multiple times in a week. On top of this, I deal with other things that make it very difficult (depression and potentially ADD effecting motivation, as well as anxiety and IBS that can make it feel impossible to get out the door on time in the morning).

I have spent my whole life fighting myself trying to fit the mold of workplace compliance. I used to be regularly 15-30 minutes late for work (like…once per week). Then I started working in offices with set schedules and started doing noticeably better with being on time (though it would come and go in waves since maintaining this was still a constant uphill battle).

This last job, I finally got fired over it. Which is funny, considering this was both 1) a job where I was rarely more than 5 minutes late, and 2) the first job that I’ve ever worked that was barely impacted by lateness. This was a SLOW job. The slowest job I’ve ever worked. I could sit there the entire first hour of my morning and not receive one phone call or task. No one was waiting for me to come in to relieve their shift (unlike retail or similar jobs). And what’s even funnier is that my bosses were chronically late themselves for actual important events and meetings.

But none of that matters. If I am late, I am a horrible, disrespectful employee. There is no nuance. There is no grace given the circumstances. Lateness has to be treated like every other job because workplace culture has made it about ethics over actual necessity.

If I show up at my job, clock in, and immediately go into the break room and eat for the first 5 minutes of my shift without doing any work and ignoring phone calls, this wouldn’t be an issue. Hell, I had clocked into work and went into the bathroom to fix my hair/face for 20 minutes without anyone batting an eye. But being 1 minute late to clock in was a huge ordeal. It’s all so fucking nonsensical.

And if you are on time, it’s not good enough. The first year I worked at this job, I made a HUGE effort to be on time, only to be reprimanded in my monthly review for not arriving 5 minutes early. After that, my drive for being on time started to slowly peeter out as I grew more and more resentful.

(And for context, this was a minimum wage, small business office job that did not provide health insurance, but went out of their way to be hostile towards me if I needed to take a day off for health reasons because they thought I should “have my health issues sorted out” on my minimum wage budget).

I’m kind of glad to be free of it, but I know the next one won’t be any better. I am so so so tired. I’m tired of having to completely rely on and cater to an entire culture that has absolutely no regard for me in return. There’s nothing out there for people like me, because people like me will always be perceived negatively no matter where I go or how hard I try to seek out things that might work better for me. It just doesn’t exist when working for anyone but yourself.

Genuinely hate myself and the world I’ve been thrown in.

EDIT: I’m not looking for advice, guys. I know you mean well, but I promise you I have spent over a decade trying to figure this out already and am not making this post because I’ve never tried. Yes, I have been to a psychiatrist and taken medication. Yes, I have done things to try and help with sleep (I currently take melatonin and magnesium. I have spent the last year going to the gym regularly - at least 2-5 times a week for 1-2 hours. I have tried reading and showering and reducing screen time before bed. I have tried setting a bunch of alarms, at different intervals and with different alarm sounds, every single morning. I have downloaded multiple apps to help with my mornings, including an app that keeps a clock-face permanently visible, and one that syncs my lamp with my alarms so that a light turns on when it’s time to wake up). I have had mental issues since childhood (that I had to be institutionalized and medicated for). This is not just an arbitrary issue. My brain is quite literally wired this way. Like I said before: this is a constant uphill battle for me and always will be.

M, 32, London

I've worked as a field service engineer for 15 years straight out of school, working on kitchen appliances and building a career in that.

Althought i have acquired skills and a good background of being handy and able to fix anything I've gotten to the point where i just wasnt passionate about it anymore and not progressed to where i wanted in life so I quit my job and was going travelling to enjoy life and heal my soul.

Cant go travlling now as a family member is terminal ill so have chosen to stay and spend time with them which in the grand scheme of things, is totally fine with me.

But since being out of work, i'm now at the point where I just dont know what to do anymore. I wanted to upskill into doing my refrigeration F gas but its a high cost and availability dates are next year march... I was hoping to have left the UK at this point to go travelling around australia for 2 years.

Im now stuck in a country im not happy in, looking at jobs to cover me for the next 3-6 months to keep me financially afloat and prevent using too much savings.

The problem i have is The more I look, the less I want to work. This isnt a matter of laziness or wanting to sit on my ass 24/7. I just want to be free. To enjoy what little life we have. Maybe I am deeping this too much but after losing a younger brother a few years ago and being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, its just put life into perspective and made me realise how short and sweet it is.

I've applied for similar jobs in the sector, entry level in different careers, also looked at the govt skills bootcamp site rewritten way too many CVs just to beef up experience in other fields but No job feels attainable or preferable right now.

Like, whats the point? Why do i have to spend my time doing something im not passionate about for 8-10 hours a day, day in, day out, breaking my body to make somebody else rich.

After a long career in a physically demanding and mentally demanding customer facing role..I just dont have the energy for it, or for much else if im honest.

Ideally id love to be working outdoors, doing something different that I enjoy. But the lovely winter weather is coming so jobs like that are less in demand now

Why does life have to be like this?

I dont know where to start, what to apply for and what I want anymore.

I dont really know what in expecting in reply to this post. I giess i just need to vent and after being here for a while, ive seen just how many others are experiencing the same.

Burnout is an understatement right now.

I work customer support for a small online retailer. We had four people handling emails earlier this year. Two quit, one got laid off and nobody was replaced. It's just me now.

Last week my boss told me to start replying to customers using my former coworkers' email addresses and signatures. His reasoning is that customers might lose confidence if they realize the entire support department is one person.

Yesterday a customer called asking to speak to someone who left three months ago. My boss told me to say they were busy and offer to help instead.

I'm already handling everyone's workload and now I'm expected to pretend they're still here too. This is getting ridiculous.

i understand all humans need some sort of occupation or purpose, i wouldnt advocate for humans to just sit around all day... but the work week is incredibly draining and i just dont wana do it. especially my manual labor job where i work every saturday and have unpredictable work hours. i feel like i gave every ounce of my energy and will to get through a work week. then sunday is my one off day (which my coworkers encourage me to work lol), i spend most of it sleeping. then i do some laundry and food shopping then BAM its time for bed to get back up for monday morning. i legit feel like im being tortured. no social life, nothing to look forward to, just endless misery. and all of it is because of work. thats the main culpret every time. worst part is my family thinks i have the best job because of the reputation and all my coworkers brainwash eachother into not quitting and the societal pressure of my family, friends and coworkers truly keeps me from quitting because im terrified of judgement... but anyway i feel we shouldnt be working more than 3 days a week as a society. 4 max. we are all drained and these jobs kill you mentally and physically. i wont be surprised if i die young because of this job...

I go to a job I hate and dread more every single day. Not only is it backbreaking, but the pay is horrible. I have multiple health problems, which has made the job even worse. I only stay for health insurance. My coworkers know I don't give a fudge about the job. I constantly call it a sh#$hole in some way keeps me from saying even worse things. I work I retail and customers who know me well I tell them the same thing I tell my coworkers. I force myself to go in and look forward to just not having to be there since I'm in constant pain from some of my health issues. Disability is dragging on my case like the money is coming out of their pockets. I am on stage 3 and have waited almost 2 years. I filed the first time over a decade ago before I got really bad. Now, I am lucky to be able to still walk. Every single day feels like I am being punished for having health problems. The job would still be horrible if I was healthy. But having so many chronic health problems makes it so much worse.

So my boss texted me today about tasks and her being out of office this weekend starting on 10/15. Payroll periods are the 1st through the 15th and 16th through the end of the month each month. I requested I get my check either on the 15th or 16th since our agreement is getting paid either the day-of the end of the period or the following day.

My boss retaliated and fired me, and also raised performance concerns that were never raised before. Her concerns also contradict our in-person conversations re leaving/not coming in due to lack of work and/or for medical reasons. She was always more than ok, sometimes relieved, when I wouldn’t come in/leave early but her text firing me states I have “pushing it for far too long” due to my work hours.

I took an HR course in grad school and my basic knowledge, plus state law (Revised Codes of Washington), suggest this is two separate issues regarding (1) wages and (2) retaliation.

The employer volunteered for my mom, who just retired, so I’m really anxious about all of it because it’s a personal connection.

Hoping for any advice on what route I should take: (a) report it to labor & industries, (b) file a civil lawsuit, or (c) propose a private settlement.

Employment law offices are now closed, since the text firing me was sent at the end of day. Just hoping for some input in the meantime.

Edit: boss leaves town for vacation on the 15th of this month, so tomorrow (PST). She says she’ll mail my check on Monday, which is 3 days late, if it’s postmarked on Monday.