Strangest thing you have ever got into trouble for at work?

[NoEffingWay]

Not 'looking like I was listening in a meeting'- I was actually listening and was able to recite information but apparently that wasn't good enough!

For 'not having a degree'- I was a Saturday girl in a shop, I was 16 at the time.

For 'being tired'-I had a baby at home and was getting up at 4am to look after them so wasn't feeling well rested but was expected to pretend I was energetic .

Just today, for wearing nail polish to work.

Except I didn't, I just have a bruised nail from squishing it and it's very purple!

I was working unpaid on my day off, it was Easter Sunday. I got in trouble for not doing a wheelchair safety inspection, proper shouting. Nobody in the 70 years of the business having been open had ever done a wheelchair safety inspection so I’m not sure how I could have anticipated one needed doing on Easter Sunday!

I was eventually made redundant after burning out and taking too much sick leave when I got shingles (a grand total of 10 days). They failed to acknowledge that I’d worked every single day for three months without a single day off, unpaid of course, which had probably contributed to the shingles! The worst employer ever!

Is it medical profession? Where can't you were nail polish? just being curious

*wear

For not sending work to school when I was in critical care. When told, the headteacher said I should still have sent it in and that it was no excuse.

For not knowing which trays I should be using to serve residents' meals on my first day in the job, I was told "you're not very bright, are you dear?" in front of colleagues by a vile bitch of a woman.

No love, you're just shit at explaining yourself. God she was a raging cunt, universally hated. And I am perfectly bright, but I think she hated us uni students who did shifts during the holidays.

There have been others; these days I would stand up for myself but back then I had no confidence.

For having 2 minutes longer on my lunch break; I was heavily pregnant with spd and it took me awhile to walk back from staff room! Apparently it wasn't acceptable despite me having flexi and being in credit and no emergency that required my presence. Unfortunately a very poor manager on a powertrip (who only got the job by default because she been there years and wouldn't qualify if went for it today)
I was also told off for saying staff had smoke breaks that weren't accounted for yet I was chastising for the above situation. 🤔Needless to say I didn't return after maternity leave

For saying please on an email.
For being rude on an email (I wasn't, I just didn't say please)

I got sacked for dumping the bosses son, I was 17.

Got asked by my line manager why I had slowed down doing my (physical) job. I was seven and a half months pregnant at the time and still doing all the heavy lifting etc it just took me a little longer. After he continued to rant at me I walked into the large HR office and told them if they didn't move my departments immediately I would be leaving. He got a right bollocking for that!

@Blackmagicqueen that's reminded me of the time I was told off for pointing out that a manager had had five smoke breaks over an 8 hour shift. I wouldn't have cared except he used to make a massive deal of how he never took a break whilst taking several 15 min breaks (more than he was entitled to in actual breaks) whereas I genuinely never took a break and didn't stop for the whole 8 hour shift.

McDonald's! Not allowed in case it contaminates the food. Which I'm nowhere near for 99% of my shift unless I'm taking a tray out 🤷🏻‍♀️😕

In a summer job - for working too efficiently as it made other people look bad.

In another job- for taking the ( one day of) annual leave that I had requested and been granted. It was "presumptuous" apparently.

For eating all the food ( I hadn't).

I bet this sort of reprimand is more common than you think - from both men and women with internalised misogyny.

For taking an extended lunch break to be with my mum as she died at her care home and support my niece who was quite distraught. The care home had rung to say they didn’t think mum would last the afternoon so could I come by. I told work I might be some time, got there and said I might not come back for the afternoon and got told off as “it means we’ll have to deal with clients for you - when are we supposed to get our own work done?”

Meant to explain that when I got there it was apparent I wouldn’t be leaving the care home that afternoon as Mum was not dying ina timely manner so I rang work to update them and got told off.

For writing the word augment in a press release, because apparently augment is not a real word.

For being a stroppy teenage intern at a meeting when the man in question mistook me for one when in fact I was a far older than teenage person who also happened to be a senior manager at the time (but feeling ill at the time, probably didn't look my happiest).

For being screamed at to have the temerity to request a few days off during a period when I had extremely important meetings to run (no such meetings existed).

Some other far more ridiculous stuff that would out me.

All at different places.

Happy days!

(I work for myself now, most chilled out boss I've ever had 😁)

I'm so sorry for your loss and for the hideous way you were treated. X

dressing well.
complaining I didn’t get a parking spot when all newcomers did.
handing in my notice.

Thanks. It was one of many shorty things they did to me there, but it was above and beyond, even for them.

Stupid autocorrect- shitty things, not shorty!

Using a post it note for a message. Cue outright stampy shouty tantrum by odd bloke who ran the office. All the ladies flocked around him to pacify him and calm him down. Hmm. Bloody weird. Was temping thank heavens, didn't go back.

For not telling the duty manager that we had called an ambulance for the customer I was in the process of resuscitating.
As a trained first aider which included incident management, I had my hands full without dealing with an untrained staff member who felt he could interfere. It's one of the few occasions store management have to take a back seat and support us.

I asked when he wanted to be called, before, during or after saving the patients life.

I was asked if I would be interested in a promotion once 'because we're looking for somebody who can think for themselves'.

'Do you realise just how much trouble I've got into over the years by thinking for myself?'

The boss roared with laughter. I got the job.

For wearing my cardigan when resuscitating a patient. It was the middle of the night and cold. Myself and staff nurse told off by the night sister. No mention of the fact we saved the patient's life, just torn off a strip.

We were allowed to wear cardigans when sitting down, but had to remove them to care for patients. Apparently the cardigans are 'unprofessional'. Oh how I hate that word.....

One of my colleagues received a gushing thank you letter after he helped with moving office furniture around.
My manager hauled me into the office and told me off for never having had a thank you letter.
I would never expect one. We were hospital porters, and moving stuff about is our job. I was the only female porter though, and my boss did make my working life very difficult.