Page 6 | Stupidest bollockings you’ve had at work?

TimeAtTheBar · 2022-08-03T12:52:15+00:00

I got called into a meeting with my bosses boss yesterday to address a complaint from a member of my team that I had disappeared off for half an hour last weekend. …I took just half an hour of my one hour paid break and left another manager in charge. Apart from the fact I am SO DONE with this particular job, this could have easily been resolved without a face to face meeting which I found intimidating and overkill. To make me feel better, tell me about your stupid or unfair bollockings please; because I am still raging about it a day later.

MyLifeIsFictional · 03/08/2022 18:54

For leaving work at 2:30pm on the Friday and then not coming in on the following Monday.

I was on a part time contract with my 2:30pm Friday finish and no Mondays built into my contract.

I was told that if they had known i was part time I wouldn't have got the promotion.

The HR person sitting in nearly had a fit and asked me to step out for five minutes. I spent those 5 minutes with the union rep. When I was called back in the HR person said there had been a miscommunication and everything was ok.

QuestionableMouse · 03/08/2022 19:00

Got a proper screaming bollocking for putting a horse in a different and "wrong" stable. Only problem was, I'd been on holiday for the entire week before and had no idea what she was screaming about. Hadn't even set foot on the yard at that point.

Horrible woman. I walked out of that job a few months later because of that woman.

Elsiebear90 · 03/08/2022 19:00

Got told off in the staff room in front of 6 other members of staff for not handing in my notice at the end of my fixed term contract, when I said I didn’t think I needed to as I’m working until the end of my contract I was told “well it would have been polite”. To make matters worse I made it very clear I wanted to remain working there and was disappointed my contract wasn’t turned permanent or extended, so they were fully aware I was leaving as it was their choice not to keep me 🤷🏻‍♀️

AlwaysAnonymous · 03/08/2022 19:04

I once got a bollocking for accompanying another staff member to the nearby newsagent to buy some milk for the office. We were based in the city centre and the shop was literally just outside our main doors. We were gone 5-10 minutes tops. Someone in senior management complained and my manager basically said not to do it again because some other team members ‘don’t have the privilege’ of being able to leave to go get milk. Thought I was going mad. It did confirm to me how little trust that organisation had in its employees and I ended up finding another job soon after.

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 03/08/2022 19:04

thequeenoftheandals · 03/08/2022 18:34

I have severe endometriosis and have random flare ups (IYKYK). Some flare ups come and go and others linger for longer and need to ride out. I was at my desk and I had an orange (up until this point this was not a trigger food), I got an intense flare up. Around me my team were all seated and I stood up and went to the loo. I was bleeding, heavily so I knew this flare up had nicely timed itself with the start of my dreaded period. It was now time to go home to WFH. On the way back to my desk I bumped into another manager (C), who was oblivious to my pale face snd he just nattered away; suddenly I felt sick rise to my mouth and I turned back and ran towards the loo. My running away had stopped his monologue mid sentence but I had puked so violently (I hadn’t made it fully to the loo) that it was in my hair, my dress and it was just a shit show. I was so upset that I was in so much pain and I know had literal puke on me. I returned to my desk and I obviously I didn’t look like how I had left 5 or so minutes ago, and I told my manager I wasn’t feeling well and would be going home to work. My manager and my colleagues had all wished me well and sympathised. When I got home (10 mins later) I saw I had a meeting the following day at 9am in my diary with my manager and C, thought nothing of it and continued working (even though I felt like shit but wanted to be a ‘team player’).

Next day I get to the office and go to the meeting room and my manager is there as is C and two members of HR. Apparently C had raised a complaint that I had acted ‘unprofessionally’ by ‘running off’ and ‘leaving him stranded’ whilst he was mid sentence. He wanted a written apology for my unprofessionalism. My manager was aggrieved that I had ‘made a scene’ when I had returned from the loos and he was ‘concerned I was letting my personal life interfere with my work’. He wanted to discuss placing me on a PIP. He was also ‘disgusted’ that I had ‘announced to everyone I was bleeding’ (I hadn’t told anyone, a colleague in another team had heard me puking and asked my team mate if I was okay and how shit was having period cramps) and ‘how my sick had smelt so bad it had made him feel queasy’.

I was fucking flabbergasted.

I looked at them both. Sitting there drunk on their power. I looked at them and looked at HR and calmly said: I was sick. I said but I had literal puke in my mouth when C was bleating on (about his shitty kids mind, not even work related chat). I said but I had continued to work even though I probably shouldn’t have, that’s how professional I am and how little I let my personal life impact my work. I reminded them that though anyone can be sick, my episode was caused by endometriosis… the very endometriosis which they knew about, the endometriosis which they knew about at interview stage when they gave me the job, the endometriosis which they knew caused me flare ups, the endometriosis which they (ought to have) known is protected under the Equalities Act, and the endometriosis which allowed me to take unlimited additional sick days (as agreed with HR when I joined).

The two twats’ smile quickly faded.

HR (who clearly didn’t have the foggiest what their complaint was) jumped in before they could retort and apologised profusely and said that of course it had been a misunderstanding….

In the end I handed in my notice after I was given several thousands of pounds to stop me from bringing a discrimination complaint and I left with a wonderful, pre agreed written reference.

Both the twats were soon demoted and left the company.

Fuck you very much!!

Well done you!!!
What absolute idiots you had to suffer.

ABBAsnumberonefan · 03/08/2022 19:07

pinkstripeycat · 03/08/2022 18:16

I was in my late 40s and worked in a call centre. I was asking a colleague for advice on a call as we were encouraged to do to avoid bothering the team leaders. One of the newly appointed team leaders aged 19 asked me what I should be doing. I turned and looked at her before she said “oh no it’s ok.”
I thought you’re damn right it’s ok little miss teenager when I’m older than your mother (who also worked there)

Okay little miss ageist

TimBoothseyes · 03/08/2022 19:07

I supervised a small team and, unlike the other supervisors who were on their teams backs constantly, I was fairly relaxed. As long as the work got done and the targets were met then that was fine by me. I got called into a meeting because...and I kid you not....my team were " constantly hitting targets and the other supervisors thought it was unfair" , along with " I hadn't brought any disciplinary action against any member of my team for over 4 months" (when a member of my team had been consistently late, but that issue had been sorted and she was fine after I had spoken to her about it). I thought WTF no wonder morale was so low in the factory when I was being bollocked for hitting targets and having a well motivated team. If I hadn't been made redundant in 2020 I would not have stayed until 2021 that's for sure.

VickerishAllsort · 03/08/2022 19:09

Over 8 months pregnant and I got told off by my manager and his attack dog for going to the loo too often, ie "at least 4 times today".

Hawkins001 · 03/08/2022 19:14

DangerouslyBored · 03/08/2022 17:14

I used to work on a city trading floor. The big boss was a tiny man but a massive arsehole. He used to go apoplectic if someone came into the office without a tie or if they drank a drink from a can instead of pouring it into a glass. Like throwing his intray against the wall, shouting and swearing crazy. Fucking mentalist.

How intense is it with finance trading ? Presumption being I've read the mea Ming correctly of city trading floor ?

SparklyPumpkins · 03/08/2022 19:14

When I was about 17 I worked at a hotel which sometimes hosted weddings. After one such wedding we were clearing up and I was hoovering. Apparently the 'big boss' (a horrible man) had said something to me which I hadn't heard as I was hoovering. He then proceeded to scream at me ARE YOU DEAF AS WELL AS STUPID? All for a £4 an hour. Horrible.

blackgreywhite · 03/08/2022 19:16

Had a lesson observation (practical lesson) while I was training to be a teacher and was criticised & marked down because my pupils were too well behaved.

I quit teacher training and got employed by the school to teach directly instead (shortage subject).

Cognacsoft · 03/08/2022 19:16

Got bollocked for arriving 20 minutes late to work one morning.
Explained I’d stopped to help at a road accident where a child had been knocked off his bicycle.
Was told not to be so helpful in future.

I worked in a hospital laboratory and was a former nurse!
And the other nurse that attended was sent by a gp from the surgery up the road who had seen the accident but didn’t stop to help himself!

ticklemeflo · 03/08/2022 19:17

NC just in case.

When working in a primary school, all staff were given a dressing down in a meeting regarding getting into PE kit on PE days during breaks or lunches rather than changing just before the lesson. General consensus was HT was being ridiculous and staff mood was not good.
A short while after this I was summoned to the HT and told I'd been reported for leaking this 'confidential' meeting to a parent, but wasn't told who'd reported me.
I hadn't spoken to any parents for some time, and I denied the accusation
absolutely, but was very upset about the whole thing.

A couple of weeks later I was out drinking with two friends, one a parent and one a colleague. Parent happens to also be a good friend of the chair of governors. Parent comes out with a chatty reference to the PE kit thing and mood in school. Colleague and I dutifully said sorry, we can't talk about it. Parent then said, 'Oh, don't worry, I won't say anything - I often hear about things I shouldn't from chair of governors' name.'
Colleague and I realise that we might now know the source of the leak.

Next day my colleague & I went into the office and reported what parent had said to us. School sec was very interested and told us that the person who reported me was, guess who? Yep, chair of governors. We reckon they had gossiped about it themselves and then picked me to report as a scapegoat to cover their own arse.

h0rsewithn0name · 03/08/2022 19:18

Last week I had health and safety responsibility added to my job description. Today I did a risk assessment and emailed the boss to ask approval to purchase basic first aid training for key holders (currently no-one has any). I was bollocked for over-stepping the mark!

FrasierCraneDay · 03/08/2022 19:19

Not adding on random mobiles and sim only extras onto customers accounts to make the managers statistics look better apparently failing to comply with distance selling regulations was easier to deal with than not "selling" enough. I handed my notice in soon after and every single customer I spoke to during my notice got their contracts extended at an extremely discounted rate

imnotthatkindofmum · 03/08/2022 19:23

TheFutureIs · 03/08/2022 14:55

Told I was sitting down too much in the classroom......... when I was 7 months pregnant and had sciatica

Ha! I always teach sitting down due to joint pain. It's actually harder and you need to be much better at your job imo. They should be praising you!

Wildflower922 · 03/08/2022 19:27

On my placement year I was sent home from work (80 minute round trip) to change because my dress was too bright 😂 office job, should have told her where to go in hindsight

NotMyDust · 03/08/2022 19:28

QuestionableMouse · 03/08/2022 19:00

Got a proper screaming bollocking for putting a horse in a different and "wrong" stable. Only problem was, I'd been on holiday for the entire week before and had no idea what she was screaming about. Hadn't even set foot on the yard at that point.

Horrible woman. I walked out of that job a few months later because of that woman.

this is the second or third horse related post on here.
just sayin'....
People can get very l..."in" to that world cant they

Mangogogogo · 03/08/2022 19:34

Had a miscarriage at 18. Didn’t even know I was pregnant and my (female!!!) boss said ‘this better not happen every month’

few year ago I had a bipolar episode and my boss emailed me to ask me ‘why I wasn’t reliable’ 😂😂. Just forwarded it straight to HR and he apologised when I went back

Panjandrum123 · 03/08/2022 19:37

I work in Finance. We had a new project that hadn’t been given the go ahead, though we all knew it would be. We needed to get people booked and working on the project otherwise we’d be unable to deliver the product and risk being in breach of contract.

Big Boss comes in, I explain what we need to do & we need to secure some upfront funds in the normal way. This is exactly as we’ve done things before, many times. She goes ape, you can commit to spend but we can’t make payments. I explain no payments, no staff working etc etc.

Got sent on a Finance for Non-Finance Managers course because my Line Manager couldn’t say to Big Boss actually you’re the one who doesn’t get it.

Still rankles.

Brigante9 · 03/08/2022 19:42

imnotthatkindofmum · 03/08/2022 19:23

Ha! I always teach sitting down due to joint pain. It's actually harder and you need to be much better at your job imo. They should be praising you!

Show quote history

Told off via my head of department by the head for sitting to teach, even though he was the one that told me to apply (successfully) for a blue badge due to an accident that limits my mobility. The other department in the same corridor ALL sit to teach.

Different school, I was told I could not complain any more about someone in my department who simply couldn’t teach. When a new headteacher arrived, he promptly put her on competence procedures and then got rid of her!

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 03/08/2022 19:42

I got told off once for taking too long on the toilet (ibs). And apparently talking over a colleague and leaving her out of a conversation when in fact what I was doing was trying to include her. This colleague just used to complain to the boss about everything I did and wondered why everyone kept leaving the team. We get on ok now but I can't forget

whoisbruno · 03/08/2022 19:52

I was once called to my boss's office because she had noticed I was on the Cambridge weight plan diet and had decided that this was unhealthy for me.
Went into a whole speech about how she had struggled with weight all her life and nothing had helped her so she was convinced that nothing would help me. She was very forceful and I ended up just agreeing with her.. and carried on anyway!

Bibbedybobbity · 03/08/2022 19:54

There are so many with my first job I almost want to name and shame both the company and the boss

repeatedly rammed down the junior nature of my role to keep by asking me to redo the press cuttings if they were more than 1mm off completely straight on the backing sheet
equally told me that I was the reason why business wasn’t going well because I wasn’t doing enough to bring clients in and that other members would ‘nail me to the wall’ if he allowed them to
continually told me that I my work was only complimented by clients because they fancied me
never gave me adequate work to do but told me I was never doing enough

It was pretty shit

KatherineofGaunt · 03/08/2022 20:00

In my previous job, told off for leaving school during my unpaid lunch break sometimes to eat lunch with my husband. Apparently I should be eating in the staffroom with the other staff. Every day.

In my first teaching job, I got told off for wearing a vest top with thick straps in the summer. I wasn't showing my bra, I was wearing a nice skirt with it. But apparently I should have been wearing a cardigan too. I went into the staffroom and just looked at the other 3 members of staff wearing vest tops and wondered why I'd been singled out.

Early 20s I worked as a TA in a secondary school where the sixth form had no uniform. I got told off by the headteacher for still being in the classroom just after a lesson had finished. I was tidying up, helping the teacher. I told him I worked there, I wasn't a sixth former and at least he looked embarrassed.

In my current job, told off for turning up to an INSET day that started at 9am...at 8:45am. When I questioned it, I was told "it's still a work day" and that I should have been there by 8am! That manager's left, fortunately.

At another school, bollocked for a different class on a completely different site going on a school trip to a musical. I was in charge of Music at the time. Apparently it was too expensive and I shouldn't have organised it. I had no idea, it was never mentioned to me before that, I wasn't responsible for okay-ing school trips, musical or otherwise, and it should have been signed off by a member of SLT beforehand who should have said something as that was the point of them giving it the OK.

I have done other jobs but teaching for me has been by far the one with the most batshit, made-up rules and jobsworths!