Page 11 | What's the strangest thing you have been told off for at work?

NoEffingWay · 2021-10-07T17:08:18+00:00

I once got told off for leaving on time, I had done my contracted hours, all of my work was done but apparently leaving on time was frowned upon [hmm]. The same job told me off when I left 'for only working my 4 weeks notice'. I think they genuinely expected me to stay even after leaving [grin].

naturallyred · 08/10/2021 18:03

A ex colleague who had been in the job too long and was nearing retirement, told me I was being too loud & bringing on ‘one of her migraines’….in a pre-school nursery

SirGawain · 08/10/2021 18:06

Helping with a kids holiday club. Eight year old got a small paper cut so I washed it quickly and put a plaster on it. (I am a trained First Aider). I was then rebuked by another volunteer (jobsworth) helper who said that it could be considered as child abuse! WTAF. I had to restrain myself from telling them to piss off.

MummyMayo1988 · 08/10/2021 18:14

My first job was in a shop at 16 with I was at college. The staff were all older ladies who had no patience for the students; even tho we did all the work/hours no one else wanted to do. I was very shy at first and constantly getting told off for doing little things wrong.
Years later, I was co-running the entertainment counter with another (lazy) colleague. We had a new boss and she was a real task master. She would praise you to your face then absolutely slate you behind your back. She once told me off, really aggressively, for leaving a set of keys where customers could pick them up. No one could have done anything with them. They were for a separate room in the stockroom which required a code to get into.
I remember once she got really hot on the breaks we were allowed. We had to go for break/lunch at certain times and were told if we missed it; we had to go without. Anyways - another colleague asked to swop and I said; "I don't think I'm allowed". Little did I know she was hiding round a corner spying on me (she had form for this with anyone she didn't like). I was summoned into the office and sworn at for saying; "That's the time I'm allowed" with an attitude. It tried to explain that she had misheard but she became really aggressive and told me to get out.
She was really nice to me the rest of the day bc the other colleague told her what I really said.
She was an evil bitch! I left a job that I really loved bc of her.
Cant tell you how happy I was when the shop - then later the whole chain - closed due to poor management and millions of debt.

CrimpityCrimpity · 08/10/2021 18:24

I was told off by my manager for buying my lunch every day. He told me I wasn't paid enough to buy food everyday, and by bringing it into the office I was distracting my colleagues and I was encouraging them to stop using the office kitchen which would be a waste of resources. I only had soups and paninis from the cafe across the road, it's not like I brought in 5 course meals with waiters and a mariachi band.

weffles · 08/10/2021 18:25

Handing my boss the post in the wrong way. I lasted about 3 weeks.

Grandma60 · 08/10/2021 18:28

I had a part time job that was mornings only, finishing at 1pm. My colleagues were all full timers who went to lunch at 12.30, leaving me by myself for the last half hour. I got a severe telling off for working "too hard" for that solitary half hour, because ìt was showing up my colleagues.

Smashingspinster · 08/10/2021 18:32

Got told off for looking annoyed in a meeting my boss sat in mocking me and making fun of everything I said.

Supergirl1958 · 08/10/2021 18:33

I once got told off for being off with stress

Whycantibeapuppy · 08/10/2021 18:51

Oh soooo many!

Retail working, my store manager went to cover another store leaving one deputy in charge and me (minimum wage but wanted to progress so happy to do it to prove myself) ended up working 28 days in a row including 13 shifts of 6:30-8:30 because there were no other key holders. Dared to ask the area manager if she had someone to cover, got a phone call from my boss bollocking me for daring to ask her even tho I had text proof that he said I could!

Because the men’s toilets got painted magnolia and it wasn’t an interesting colour enough. Apparently I should have overruled my male manager who made the decision. Got this bollocking in a staff meeting.

Same manager told me I was letting the team down and should think about how everyone else was suffering ….after having a severe psychotic episode including hearing voices and an attempt on my own life. Same manager told my friend she should get tested for bipolar because her mood swings were irrational. This was less than a week after my friends mum passed away

Same manager also bollocked me for taking time off because my grandma died. Apparently grandparents don’t count as close family. She later took a week off because her rabbit died

Livingonthedarkside · 08/10/2021 18:52

Returned to work from May leave on the Monday, Thursday night took my daughter into hospital in blue lights and sent emails advising I was not going to be in and why. My daughter came out of hospital Sunday evening and I returned to work. I was pulled into a disciplinary by my male boss who hated children that I need to get a network of support to be in hospital with my child so I could attend work.

Same boss while with the team who joked about him being the company’s Santa, stood right in front of me and said I hate kids I would end up punching one in the face…

Trudij123 · 08/10/2021 18:53

I got a final warning ( with a blemish free 22 year run up) for taking a day off college to go racing at Royal Ascot where the racing club I was in had a runner. I had finished work when the declarations went up to show she was definitely running and I asked college if I was allowed to take the day off to go ( which they agreed as I had already passed the exam that we were studying for that day)
Work already had me covered for the week because I was away at college and it genuinely didn’t occur to me that I’d have to ask somewhere I wasn’t going to be if I could not be there that day.
I apparently got “found out” because someone I worked with saw my Facebook check in and said I had pulled a sickie to go ( I hadn’t) I sat in my disciplinary meeting ( complete with external HR !) and pointed out that if I had any inkling I would have been in trouble the first thing I would have done was NOT put on social media that I was there… boss didn’t like me pointing out that I had asked the place I was supposed to be if I could have the day off and they had agreed and my not being at work had absolutely no bearing on the running of the practice because they had already got me covered. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Every year my check in comes up on memories it gets shared with increasingly laughing anecdotes about me making sure I’d told everyone who could remotely need to know that I was there…
Every year

Vynalbob · 08/10/2021 19:14

Told off for leaving an almost abandoned railway station 30 seconds early.... I could see a long way up the only access lane.... unfortunately it was reported by an executive from Head office who missed the train.

A trainee was once told off for putting railway detonators on one of those large old black radiators.... I couldn't stop laughing as he kept saying....
why is it wrong
what's the problem

FrenchBulldogsareFab · 08/10/2021 19:15

I worked for a London property developer back in early 2000's who liked to promote bully barrow boys to director level roles. My director boss hated the smell of food and staff eating at lunch. He cut the plug off the microwave after a fellow colleague reheated a curry. Bastard PLC company.

Tigger1895 · 08/10/2021 19:24

I was told off for pointing a finger at a customer. The fact was I held up a finger and asked the customer to give me 1 minute to check on the situation.

riceuten · 08/10/2021 19:25

Where do I start?

Countless "where do you think you're going?" an hour or more after my core hours had left
Talking in a foreign language on the phone to a client
Going out to lunch when told to by my boss and then being asked why I had spent an hour out of the office (we were not paid for the hour lunch!)
Not contributing enough (a fiver) to a staff member who was leaving where I had been employed for a month, and had never met
Taking my suit jacket off during a meeting with clients
Not staying late when I had tickets for the theatre and a random manager decided I needed to stay late and help him with a document
Refusing to call a boss "Sir" in a meeting
Not wearing a suit to our Xmas do (it was in a local pub out in the sticks, not the Savoy)

I could go on.

Newwifeatnumber10 · 08/10/2021 19:36

For wearing the wrong handbag! True story!

purplebunny2012 · 08/10/2021 19:39

Putting on an automated reply that we were really busy due to staffing levels and my replies may be delayed. It's a university and all the other depts are allowed to do this, but it's frowned on in mine for telling everyone we're struggling, never mind that I was picking up the work for 2 vacant posts on top of my full workload

PearlyShamps · 08/10/2021 19:40

I was working in a very upmarket (independent) ladies wear shop. Two ladies came in and were acting suspiciously. When they tried to pay with a credit card, I called the credit card company to get authorization as I suspected it was a stolen card. I was correct in my suspicions and the card was indeed stolen. I was given a HUGE telling off by one of the owners of the shop as I had lost them the sale. She said she didn't care if it was stolen, they'd still get their money - and she told me I was in NO circumstances ever to call for authorization again. About 2 months later I was suspicious of another customer and pointed out my suspicions to my boss, without calling the credit card company. I also explained WHY I was suspicious (very English looking lady trying badly to sign a Chinese signature). She continued with the transaction, and subsequently received a notification from the CC company that she would not be paid out for the transaction as insufficient care had been taken by us (her) when checking the signature. She lost £750. She eventually reluctantly said I was now allowed to call for authorization if I was suspicious.

CatPerson99 · 08/10/2021 19:46

‘Scuttling’ in to the desk officers’ office while they were talking on the phone to do filing. Nothing to do with disturbing them - apparently my walk was wrong.

Henio · 08/10/2021 19:48

I was once told off for sending out 2 top halves of a toasted teacake on a plate instead of a bottom and a top 😂 The guy acted like I'd done something horrific

IrishNinja · 08/10/2021 19:49

Our office is pass access only due to GDPR compliance. One early morning shift someone banged on the door so I went to open it. But not before doing a comedy dance/walk and getting everyone to chant "there's somebody at the door" in the style of that old Emu Pink Windmill show. When I opened the door (with a leg kicking flourish) the CEO was there with a bunch of visiting investors. I froze in my pose and then slammed the door in their faces. To be fair to the CEO he was trying not to laugh as he reminded me about professional behaviour in the office

Vixyboo · 08/10/2021 19:49

@Lizzie523

I was once accused of sighing over the phone. The incident became known as sigh-gate as I was forced to apologise to the sigh-ee in person and everything. It was my first graduate job and I left after a year.

This wins

Vixyboo · 08/10/2021 19:50

@IrishNinja

Our office is pass access only due to GDPR compliance. One early morning shift someone banged on the door so I went to open it. But not before doing a comedy dance/walk and getting everyone to chant "there's somebody at the door" in the style of that old Emu Pink Windmill show. When I opened the door (with a leg kicking flourish) the CEO was there with a bunch of visiting investors. I froze in my pose and then slammed the door in their faces. To be fair to the CEO he was trying not to laugh as he reminded me about professional behaviour in the office

So good!

Mollymoostoo · 08/10/2021 19:52

Taking a work mate put for coffee and a cake the week before she was getting married. We went for a late lunch break and told a manager but apparently I had to tell my own manager if I was going to be out of the building for safeguarding reasons.
After this is told her every time I was popping out until she get sick of it.

longwayoff · 08/10/2021 20:00

I temped for some company or other and there was a small kitchen for tea making. Half a dozen teaspoons were kept in half a mug of manky looking water. This repellent practice was insisted upon by the office manager. Take teaspoon, use it, then replace in the nasty place. She saw me remove a spoon, pour boiling water over it, use it, wash it, dry it and put it in the cutlery drawer. She was furious with me. 'I've told you before how we store the teaspoons, what's wrong with you, why can't you understand? Put them in the, the cup when you've used them' Nope, I didn't get it either but decided an explanation (What ? Why? Yuk ) might send her over the edge so just sloped off without arguing. Barking.