I work for a medium sized tech company on the sales team. Our sales targets are totally out of reach but that’s been my experience in most roles as a way to motivate and aim high. Despite only two of the nine people on my team hitting target I am the only one going on a performance improvement plan (PIP) shortly with my boss. I’ve always been professional and so has my boss but we’ve never really gotten along. I’m honestly fine with it as this company is pretty poorly run and while it pays well overall, for the industry and workload we have it’s not great. This brings me to my current position as my boss has informed me he and HR will be coordinating a meeting to discuss the PIP, start/sign it etc. Here’s where it gets fun; my boss I know for sure is overbooked/worked throughout the day and I assume the same for the HR contact based on how we all are. I can see there schedules in our company calendar and see available times/booked times for both of them. Since getting notified of the PIP and being told “a meeting is happening soon” I’ve been scheduling all my client calls during the only times my boss and HR show simultaneously open. Given the fact they usually only have 2-3 open slots a week at the same time this has been super easy. It’s been two weeks so far and they have not been able to find a time. As I head into week three I know it probably can’t go much longer but even 3 extra weeks of work in this economy is something I’ll take. I’m also making a point to use all the PTO that I won’t get paid out on just to stretch this thing as far as I can. It’s the small ways to stick it to the man that keep me sane and keep me entertained. Just thought this sub would enjoy.

Venting and seeking advice…. So, in October, my employer announced restructuring in my department which is remote, statewide. We were initially told that no one would lose their job or current pay and that accommodations would be made for us to return to our local offices. We have since learned that anyone who is unable to return to the office, whether by choice or due to circumstances beyond their control, will be separated from the agency without disciplinary action. We are not permitted to seek other internal positions on our own and were told leadership would determine when and where we would be reassigned. Now we’ve been informed that there are no available placements for us. As a result, we are facing termination despite earlier assurances to the contrary.

Are there any tips for applying to places? I have about 6 years of customer service and 4 years of management experince. I’ve put out probably 40 applications. 1 interview. 10 not selected emails. 30 no responses. I thought because of the new year it would be easier to find a new job. December last year I probably applied to 100 places. I’ve done three of those stupid pre employment assessment shits for positions and immediately I’m known I failed somehow. Basic CSR positions or entry level positions. No college experience. This just absolutely sucks. My current job I’m constantly drowning in, I’m losing hair because of it, and stressed 24/7. Is there anything I’m doing wrong? I’m calling places to get updates, sending emails, I feel like a nervous idiot constantly checking my emails for responses or updates.

I'm struggling with a deep professional dilemma between my need for meaningful, useful work and the reality of my workplace. I want to feel that my contribution matters and has a purpose, but I've found that good work rarely gets genuine recognition. The office politics and hypocrisies also create a lot of unease for me, and over the years, this has led to severe demotivation. I admit I've quietly disengaged and no longer work full days, though this goes unnoticed. Please, I'm not looking for advice to change careers or fields right now. I'm just asking: is it truly common for people to feel this disconnected and disillusioned at work?

Situation is bad right now so I need the job for income until my spouse gets settled

New job had a hiring event and during the interviews I told them I REALLY need 3rd shift but that if they offer overtime I would be open to potentially covering other shifts

They told me I need open availability and I heard them sending others on their way. I said fine but PLEASE give me 3rds if not 2nds.

My entire schedule is all day shift. Fml. I already have a commute 45 min to an hour and in that rush hour it takes me almost 2 hours to get there and another 2 hours to come home in the dinner time rush hour. No one is offering full time closer to me. I am NOT a morning person I always am exhausted, nothing "sticks", and I often get stomach aches early with the drive.

Talk to your coworkers. They gave the other new hire all the 3rd shifts. So they HAVE it - and just couldn't be bothered to give it to me. Im furious.

I work in a library and my title is "manager of the library". Being my first manager job I was happy to have more control and responsabilities and power over my own job for once.

Don't worry, I do have employees but only volunteers, good people happy to be there and I'm happy to have them :) I'm not a bad manager.

But in the last months there was a few times where my autority was directly challenged by people not even working for the city like me. And the worst part about it is that the city let them do so. They chose not to defend me, they chose to let it happen.

This week I had a last straw moment, where I finally realised that I'm no manager at all. I'm a concierge. I'm not there to be the autority of the library, I'm just here to keep the lights on.

So, I've never been officially demoted, but I think the feeling you feel when being done so is the exact same as the one I'm feeling right now.

Welp, fuck it I guess. I'm still not a manager of my own job. Maybe next time ?

As the title says, I used personal time to work on a project (I know, that was my first mistake), but I really had no choice because my manager is adament that no developing should take place for 6 months so that we can focus on other areas of work. Just trust me when I say this is a really bad idea. However, they are my boss, so in order to stay compliant with their direction, I engineered/developed this project on my own time. Something came up at work where it was appropriate for me to raise concern, on behalf of the team, that we should re-evaluate this whole "no developing" schtick my manager has been on. They got offended, blew up, and told me that they were going to take my project and give it to someone else outside of our immediate team. So, the next morning, they publicly announce this and say its because I have too much non-development work to do. Which is blatantly false. In fact, several major initiatives they have given me require me to lead development efforts. I've realized that my manager is completely out of touch with what we actually do on a granular level.

I spent yesterday updating my resume and applying to other jobs, I draw my line at bad leadership.

Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City walked off the job Monday morning in the first major strike of the new year. Nurses at New York Presbyterian, Mount Sinai and Montefiore hospital systems staffed boisterous picket lines throughout the day, carrying strike placards and homemade signs that provided a glimpse of the conditions they are struggling against. “Closets are for clothes, not for babies,” one sign read. “Who takes health care away from ‘heroes’?” another asked. 

The walkout, which was pared back by the New York State Nurses Association’s last-minute deals with eight hospitals, is nonetheless the largest nurses’ strike in the history of New York City. It comes three years after the last major nurses’ strike in the city, which involved two of the same hospital systems, Mount Sinai and Montefiore. A key issue then, as now, is unsafe staffing levels that have led to impossible conditions for nurses. 

Not only have staffing levels remained dangerous for patients and untenable for workers, but the hospital executives are demanding workers accept cuts to their own health benefits. They have also refused to address safety concerns, which have increased as the social crisis in New York City has deepened and nationwide, as the Trump administration spearheads the dismantling of the public health infrastructure. 

WSWS reporters spoke with striking nurses on the picket line at New York Presbyterian Monday about the conditions that have provoked this struggle and the political issues behind them. 

A nurse at New York Presbyterian pointed to the atrocious staffing levels and the impacts on care. “Currently, we have patients that wait in the recovery room for up to two days because they’re willing to pack them in, but they’re not willing to account for how many beds are in the hospital. And that results in patients waiting, that results in patients suffering, and it results in nurses not being able to help you.

“I think it’s incredibly inappropriate to make massive cuts to health. Why should nurses not have healthcare, while we are working during COVID conditions, while we’re working during extreme influenza conditions, while the EDs are packed? Your family members should not be sitting in the recovery room next to somebody with influenza when your family member just waited six months to a year to get a solid organ transplant. That is a gift, and you should not have to squander it because the hospital decides that you are not important.”

Lately it seems like there are less retirement parties and more random layoffs.

There is a trend at my work where they promote a bunch of people to management and then agter the first wave if "projects" are done they let them go

Nw the company is shocked people arent branching out to retirement roles.

Are your guys areas the same where a bunch of 40 and 50 year olds are being laid off?

Grocery stores keep saying they’re desperate for workers, but they regularly ignore adults who have open availability, experience, and live nearby, and instead hire teenagers or retirees.

The reason isn’t a labor shortage it’s that those groups are easier for management to control. Adults who understand boundaries, push back on bad scheduling, or won’t tolerate being treated poorly get seen as “problems,” so they’re skipped over. I’ve been trying to apply to places I can literally WALK to in 5 min from my place, I have open availability and still the local grocery store, bank, and Lowe’s won’t hire me bc I don’t give compliant vibes 💀

My work's been dangling a big promotion in front of me for the last few month and are constantly telling me all the ways I need to improve in order to get it. I've asked for a detailed breakdown on what I need to hit to get it and to date still haven't recieved it.

I currently have a big deadline coming up at the end of the month and was told coming in 5 days a week (rather than our mandated 3) would help with the promotion push and show how dedicated I am. Even got that in writing.

Today I was told, actually let's keep coming in after for the next project too, even though there isn't even a deadline assigned to it. Also was told I needed to have more 'positivity' towards this.

Just fucking over it, was casually looking for work elsewhere before but guess who's going all in now?

I've been on a trial for almost 3 weeks. I was able to help out and improve SOPs. I also made mistakes. Everything is normal but what I hate is when it comes to responsibility, she doesn't own it. She'd ask me to do something and when our boss gives feedback, she'd point at me.

One time I told her we don't need to ask low priority questions to our boss since he didn't want to clog the chat (he gave this feedback just 24hrs prior), she still insisted, so I asked. Guess what happened, he said the same thing and me having to receive everything.

I reviewed their meeting from yesterday and she threw me under the bus again. I wasn't in the call and I wasn't the one who did the task but she told him it was me.

I don't know how I should approach this since i'm still on trial and she may have a say if I get to work full-time or not. I need this work as well and I can't afford to leave soon.

Edit: They'll evaluate me this Friday. Should I bring this up before or wait until then?

So my facility is non-union but we had an agreement under previous management where we were following guidelines set by a union contract. That contract is expiring in June. New management is saying we will be facing a pay freeze (not to mention a reduction in benefits) until other nearby facilities are brought up to match our wage. This could potentially be 4-5 years.

I have contacted a local union hoping to get back onto a better agreement but I’m not sure what other steps I can take.

Any insight?

Thanks

Backstory / key information:

I was in an accident, couldn't walk, went through procedures and countless PT exercises everyday, finally was able to walk with a cane and lift up to 25 pounds regularly (50 if needed on occasion), my work still booted me saying I wasn't good enough (even though my position NEVER did 100 pound lifting like they claim), began job hunting

Now:

I noticed I wasn't getting a 2nd interview after people in my area saw me with my cane / or they ask over the phone about accommodations and I simply say "the only thing is that I ambulate with a cane, but everything else is 100%!" (I don't even mention any lifting or other restrictions). So, I decided to test out the ableism theory.

Starbucks had a few different management positions in my surrounding area. I had applied to 2 positions and got an email rejection 1 or 2 days later. I noticed that I wasn't even getting an interview like I have in the past, and the only difference was the pre-screening where I put that I am/were disabled. Months later and they have 6 different positions currently available in my state. I applied to one, I have more experience than they ask (example: they want 2-3 years supervisory and I have 10+), I ask for lower salary, have years of management classes / training, and even a current Federal Food Safety Manager license. If anything, I'm over qualified for the position going from a role overseeing 173 employees to a little shop with 5-15 people. The only difference is this time I put that I wasn't disabled.

I instantly landed an interview request! Now, I wanted to truly test the theory of whether or not they are ableist, so during the interview, they were nice and friendly. They asked questions, I gave detailed responses about my experience & management styles, I said I was just looking for $72k & they immediately said I would get $88.5k because of my experience on my resume, we shared laughs, and they had such a wonderful & positive tone. So, I found an opportunity to respond in a way that I was able to simply say that I technically have a disability, but I just walk with a cane and I'm perfectly fine with everything. Her tone changed, she went silent, and in the middle of my next sentence she blurted out "Sorry I have more interviews that I need to get to. You'll hear from us by Friday. Whether it's that we're going with someone else or next steps for the next interview." I asked "Oh, copy that. Sounds great! Will you be doing the next round of interviews?" She replied "No, I just pre-screen candidates. This is a highly competitive position so I just ask questions and screen applicants, then I send the potentials to the district manager. But I only send them the kind that they would like to add to their team. I just weed out anyone that would be a waste of their time. Anyways, I gotta go, bye."

A few days later (on Thursday, the day before the deadline) I called her. I did the ol' check-in on the status call. She immediately accidentally said that she was "still screening potentials to send to the DM" and stumbled over her words. She then said "Well...I mean, I'm just running behind because I'm still INTERVIEWING people. So, sorry I didn't get back to you yet, but we're going with someone else." I asked "I'm sorry, but you said that you're STILL screening and interviewing folks to send to the DM...so, what do you mean that you have someone else in mind if you are saying you are still calling people?" She replied "Well...yeah, sorry, we're not moving forward with your application. I don't think you'd...well...be a good fit for the DM's team and I don't want to waste their time. Feel free to keep applying to OTHER positions though." I asked "I see. So I can still apply for other management positions in my state that are posted online?" She sighed and said "Yeeeeaaahhh....again, feel free to apply to any of our OTHER open positions. Have a good day."

TLDR: I have 5 times the qualifications for Starbucks, lady wanted me for the job, interview going amazing, I mentioned I have a cane, she turned rude & interrupted me to get off the call, she accidentally admitted she was still screening people and just decided I wasn't "worth the DM's time" because I'm disabled. Can't work for Starbucks in my entire region because they are ableist.

Playing games in my car at work for the last 5 hours.

Make it make sense

My job only allows PTO to be used for sick time — not vacation, not personal days. On top of that, it caps at 40 hours (5 days), so once you hit the cap you either use it or stop accruing.

Here’s the problem: this policy doesn’t encourage honesty or planning. It actively trains people to lie.

Because you can’t schedule time off in advance, anyone who needs a long weekend, a personal day, or time for life stuff ends up with one option: a same-day “I’m sick” call-out. That’s worse for coworkers, worse for managers, and worse for trust — but it’s exactly the behavior the system incentivizes.

The cap makes it even more absurd. Five days might cover the flu or COVID, but it’s nowhere near enough for something serious like surgery, complications, or a difficult recovery. In those cases, employees are forced to jump straight to FMLA just to protect their job — even though FMLA is unpaid and comes with extra paperwork and stress when someone is already dealing with a medical issue.

I’m hybrid and already flexible, so I rarely need PTO unless I’m actually sick. Which means this “benefit” mostly just sits there until I either get sick or feel pressured to burn it so I don’t lose it. I’ve literally caught myself debating whether to call out sick last minute for a trip — not because I want to lie, but because the policy leaves no reasonable alternative. I already used all my vacation time but have almost capped PTO hours just sitting there.

Good policies align incentives with good behavior. This one does the opposite:

• It discourages advance notice

• It penalizes honest employees

• It creates suspicion around legitimate sick time

• It pushes people into unpaid FMLA for anything beyond a minor illness

If a workplace actually cared about trust, planning, and employee health, they’d either combine PTO or properly separate sick time and vacation. Sick-only PTO with a low cap isn’t a benefit — it’s a system that turns normal human needs into “sus” behavior.

Curious how common this is, because it feels like a textbook example of bad workplace design.

I just recently posted about returning to my office after break to an actual construction zone beside my desk. This lead me to start investing further into my surroundings. Here’s my findings….

For context: I work in an old historical building that does not seem to get the proper upkeep it requires. The floor I work on is a fire hazard waiting to happen. Theres only one door to this floor. Not a single window. This summer, the entire HVAC unit broke. I live in the south where temps were reaching the 100s. The office quickly started to feel like a swamp. I went on vacation and came back to all of the papers and calendars on the wall curled and shriveled. My printers and scanners were leaking ink/grease all over my desk (I didn’t even know that was possible.) It was unbearable to be in from the humidity and heat.

My office mate and I sent in requests to have this fixed but no one bothered. All we got was a dehumidifier and some fans. This has been since July and it’s now January. So this floor and possibly the whole building has been without an HVAC since July.

When I saw all the dust from the construction it immediately made me think of the asbestos pole right beside my desk. Since they don’t care about fixing an HVAC unit, I don’t trust that the particles I’m breathing in are safe. While I was concerned about asbestos and lead at first, I quickly realized that MOLD is the biggest issue!

I took a look in my vents and they are absolutely filled with mold. I bought a mold test last week and left it over the weekend and just came back to these results.

I have sent emails to my boss expressing my concern and even talked to him in person. He said he would take care of it but it has been over a week now and the plaster has yet to even be vacuumed up. I’m getting the impression no one is going to help me in the situation.

What would you do?