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Original poster

What’s the worst thing you’ve seen in the workplace?

221 replies

chbahjng · 26/11/2024 15:33

Mine won’t be half as bad as some peoples or even a quarter but -

I worked in about a team of 20 and it became very obvious that higher management wanted this team dissolved. At least 12 of us left within the space of a 3 months (no backfilling) because they made it so horrendous and then management shit themselves because all they had left were the lazy ones who did no work.

Another place I worked one manager (who was clearly miserable in life) would get people fired like it was a sport.

OP posts:
SkiingIsHeaven · 30/11/2024 23:15

I found a dead body in a cardboard box while in a survey of a derelict building.

TattedBarley · 30/11/2024 23:18

Worked in a restaurant about 6 years ago. I had to clean the customer toilets on a close shift. Went to clean the men’s, someone had shat and vomited on top of it in one of the urinals. Yes, my managers made me clean it up 🤢

ceallachmint · 30/11/2024 23:20

Heard of an incident where someone farted in the face of someone he walked by while she sat on her dinner break, so she attempted to stab him with a fork in the work canteen.

I nearly died of laughter but had that happened to me I'd have done the exact same thing!!!

ticktickticktickBOOM · 30/11/2024 23:20

A family business I worked in years ago used to have an annual Christmas Cull.

They'd literally walk into the workspace and lead people off one at a time and we'd never see them again. Perhaps 2 or 3 each year.
It was very tense and very cruel.

taxguru · 30/11/2024 23:28

I went to see a client for a meeting. Walked through his office door to see he’d hanged himself. Could have been anyone walking through that door that day. Not what you expect at all.

Pumpkittenspice · 30/11/2024 23:31

I got sacked because I had two weeks of sickness absences over the course of my three years service in one job. (I have both mental health and physical disabilities, which the employer knew about.)

A couple of those days involved me receiving life-saving treatment in hospital, which they sacked me for once I returned. 🙄

Pumpkittenspice · 30/11/2024 23:32

taxguru · 30/11/2024 23:28

I went to see a client for a meeting. Walked through his office door to see he’d hanged himself. Could have been anyone walking through that door that day. Not what you expect at all.

Jesus. I hope you’re okay and I really hope you were able to access counselling x

WorkShmork · 30/11/2024 23:38

MisterPNumber23 · 30/11/2024 20:40

A member of staff stabbing another member of staff in the buttock, and the victim lying about it and saying it was an accident!

This is so intriguing 😄🙈.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 30/11/2024 23:39

DimplesToadfoot · 30/11/2024 18:55

Looking up and seeing a man in a balaclava, shouting at me "where's the effing money" then looking down and seeing the gun in his hand .... I don't remember much more

I think you win the thread.

WomenWhoWearBlackLeadColourfulLives · 30/11/2024 23:40

terriblyangryattimes · 30/11/2024 17:41

I wonder if we used to work together because this is one of mine!

Show quote history

When you say this is one of mine, I hope you mean the story 🤣🤣

ReggaetonLente · 30/11/2024 23:42

When I was about 22 working in a junior admin role in the city two of the asset managers came over to ask if they could video me eating a banana. I declined. One of them is now married to another colleague who must know exactly what he’s like!

WooleyMunky · 01/12/2024 00:06

NHS
Years ago (2000s)
Senior manager got done for 'dodgy hard drive' amongst other things.
Was allowed to return to work and nobody could say anything.

JayJayEl · 01/12/2024 00:13

The deputy head/ALNCo (additional/special learning needs coordinator) teacher of a primary school making fun of the way a child looks (she said he "looks like a sperm"). And upon being asked who the child is, dragging him into a classroom with 3 other teachers (it was lunch time, so no other children), standing behind his back, and physically pulling faces whilst continuing to describe (in child friendly language) what she thinks he looks like. Absolutely abhorrent, and one of the reasons - in a VERY long line of reasons - as to why I quit teaching.

As a side note. That woman is likely someone who frequents Mumsnet. In which case I hope she sees this, and I hope life has done nothing but shit on her since. Because never mind being an awful excuse of a teacher, she's also an awful excuse of a human being. And a supposed Christian woman! Shame on her.

YouTellEmBigD · 01/12/2024 00:27

Many many instances when I worked in care, but two that stand out -
One winter morning, a lady was missing when day staff went to get her up and ready for the day. Searched everywhere, no sign of her. Half an hour later, the kitchen assistant opened the back door to take rubbish out and found her, frozen to death on the step, wearing just a cotton nightdress.
Her care record for the night said "checked 2 hourly, slept well"
Same place, a man in his 90s died in his sleep. Next day when the member of staff who'd been on duty that night out her overall on ready for work, she found his heart medication in her pocket.

shittestusernameever · 01/12/2024 00:43

I will never ever buy food that isn't packaged from a certain coffee shop ever again. Paying premium prices for cakes and bread that went out of date a few days. Don't do it.

I got strips tore off me for binning cakes that were 2 days out of date.

TheDogsMother · 01/12/2024 00:48

The CEO of a company a worked for in the mid 90s onwards screamed into the face of a heavily pregnant woman. I still think about it and he was utterly fucking unhinged.

Tisthesaizon · 01/12/2024 00:51

Serenity45 · 26/11/2024 16:50

Quite a few 'WTF' moments over the years and I've worked for big blue chip companies as well as the charity sector. Spoiler alert I've come across far more twats in the charity sector...

A manager taken through disciplinary for racism and allowed to keep his job "because he's got kids".

The same manager encouraging his team not to take loo / drink breaks to help with their call stats (rather than giving any coaching / support / performance management). Also telling them which days their calls were going to be listened into for quality checks, so they could do things 'properly', before reverting to getting people off the phone as quickly as possible with no real care or thought of the impact on service users (who sometimes needed quite complex in-depth advice).

Another manager (same charity!) sexually assaulting a colleague on a night out (not a works do, a social drink). She didn't feel able to report to police, but did make a complaint at work as he was senior to her. Despite a number of witnesses (including me - he basically put his hand right up her skirt and grabbed her in public) he also kept his job, though he was warned about future conduct.

Same charity - a staff member ended a call with a client who became racially abusive to them (all calls were recorded). Another staff member was told to call the client back and continue with advice and apologise that the previous call was terminated. Absolutely no support for the staff member who had been abused, which left many frontline staff feeling unsafe / unsupported.

When I was much younger I worked in a call centre for a mobile phone company. It was great money at the time and I found it easy tbh. I was never late or off sick and had a good work ethic. I'd been there 2 years when I took 3 days of sick leave with the flu (proper flu, couldn't get out of bed, very weak etc). We were lucky enough to get occupational sick pay, all good.

On my return my manager proceeded to tell me that as I had been off over a weekend day, I would need a sick note. Errrr no I don't I was off for less than 7 days? Manager reluctantly acknowledged this but then said as I didn't have a note I would need to take annual leave instead of sick leave. This actually didn't bother me as I had plenty of days left and thought it would keep my absence record clear. Oh no, the official policy was that I would need to use my annual leave, but it would still be counted as sickness absence. WTAF?? This was confirmed by HR and I ended up going to Citizens Advice who confirmed that this was bullshit (I'm paraphrasing). Also they counted Monday and Friday as 'weekend days' so you could basically be ill 3 days a week.

So I arranged a meeting with my boss / HR to clarify the legality of what I had been told and the cheeky fuckers expressed 'disappointment that I'd felt the need to take advice'. Absolute pisstakers. BUT...an email went out the the whole contact centre the following week confirming that if we should choose to book annual leave to cover sick days, then they could not be counted as sick days.

I've definitely heard of far far worse things, but these are probably the worst I've ad some direct involvement in / awareness of.

The racism and sexism here in your example is totally disgusting. I’ve worked in similar places.

Jellycoconut · 01/12/2024 01:08

I had the misfortune to work in an office with utter wankers as managers who one day made us stay in the room and carry on working while a poor suicidal woman threatened to jump off the roof of the opposite multi storey car park. There were no blinds on the office windows so we had to try to carry on while this awful scene played out and she in the end jumped. It was one of the most awful days. The wanker managers had no sympathy for the poor woman or for any of us crying at our desks. I would have walked out but was in a desperate financial state at the time so was afraid to lose my job.
I changed jobs after that as soon as possible.

borntoblossom · 01/12/2024 01:47

SkiingIsHeaven · 30/11/2024 23:15

I found a dead body in a cardboard box while in a survey of a derelict building.

Jesus!

borntoblossom · 01/12/2024 01:49

In a care home for people with learning disabilities, I saw a woman drink the contents of a toilet brush holder 🤢

Pumpkittenspice · 01/12/2024 01:51

Another one: A teacher left a 10 year old pupil on a class trip. The teacher didn’t even get the sack for it

janeavrilavril · 01/12/2024 02:16

fake deadlines, this is probably only applicable to those who work in design of some sorts. Where to meet an absolute deadline everyone on the design team has to come up with the ideas and the work and the implementation schedules (and stay late and work unpaid overtime)) to find the marketing fuckers had put a couple of days in for their own breathing space and sold the client the world.

janeavrilavril · 01/12/2024 02:18

I did bring this up and never got a fake deadline again and I am still proud of it.

Jenasaurus · 01/12/2024 02:19

Years ago in my first job at the age of 17 some of us were asked to work over the weekend to carry out a stock take. I had to pop up to the mezzanine floor to get some equipment and as I walked up, I discovered the CEO having sex with one of the buyers, both were married, it may not seem that shocking but to a 17 year old it was an eye opener.

ThatSchoolOfficeLady · 01/12/2024 02:24

Ribenaberry12 · 26/11/2024 19:20

School I was working in became part of a multi academy trust. New headteacher was appointed whose regime was absolutely batshit for both staff and pupils. Cue mass resignations as staff found better working conditions elsewhere. New staff were appointed with 90% of them from the Head’s old school which was going down the toilet cos their trust was bankrupt. 12 months later and suddenly all of the old regimes that worked are adopted again. Seen so much shady stuff in MATs.

God yes, MATs are models of cronyism, nepotism, empire building and waste. They seem to be accountable to no one. Meanwhile front line workers in school are bloody exhausted and under supported. I predict it will be a national scandal in 5 years.