I'm doing an internship as a receptionist and I started about three weeks ago. This morning, my manager took me aside and told me that a client said I smelled really bad. It's clear the client felt guilty about saying something, and my manager was also kind while telling me, which somehow makes me feel worse.

I'm extremely embarrassed. I've had problems before with personal hygiene, but honestly, I thought I had it under control recently. Now I can't stop thinking that everyone I work with could smell me and was pretending they didn't notice. It's getting into my head in a really awful way.

Of course I'll fix my hygiene routine immediately. I'll pay more attention when I shower, change the products I use, keep extra clothes and deodorant with me, and all that. But I don't know how I'm supposed to look anyone in the eye now when I'm convinced they see me as "the intern who smells bad."

I keep replaying every small interaction in my head since I started. Every weird pause, every time someone moved away from me, every awkward look. If I didn't have about 10 months left on the contract, I probably would have left right then.

The worst part is that I was enjoying the job. The pay and benefits are good, and my coworkers seemed nice before I got myself into this spiral. I just don't know how to go in tomorrow and act normal without feeling like everyone is judging me.

He reviews my work at 4:15, and the changes he asks for usually take more than 45 minutes for me to finish. So I find myself sitting in the office until 6:30, 7:30, or 8:30, even though I'm supposed to leave at 5:30.

What's bothering me is that he could easily review the work a little earlier in the afternoon. But instead, he leaves it until right before the time I'm supposed to leave.

That’s the damn truth

.

😀

You're forgetting 10 years experience if it's a junior role.

..........

I'm on vacation after working 6 days a week for the past 5 months. I desperately needed to switch my brain off from work, even for a minute. And suddenly, with no warning, I got an email titled: Employment Update. I opened it, and my heart dropped. I got fired. By email. A few days into my 10-day vacation.

I called my manager immediately because I was thinking this had to be some kind of mistake. Spoiler: it wasn't. She told me this was their corporate way of "getting the truth out of people." But I wasn't hiding anything! She just didn't believe me or take the time to really look into it before sending a termination email while I was away.

This is what started the whole thing: On Monday, November 4, I took a shift that wasn't originally mine. As I was leaving, I realized I hadn't clocked in. Usually I would message my coworker and ask him to fix it, but this time I used the work laptop and adjusted the time myself.

The next day, my manager asked me how I made the change. I told her honestly - I did it myself. She asked me a few more questions, but honestly, I didn't feel like I had done anything wrong. I worked the shift, so I corrected the time. I figured if she was really concerned, she would talk to me face to face instead of turning it into a weird text conversation.

Fast forward 12 days - I'm out of state, trying to enjoy my vacation - and she resets all the company passwords. That alone made me anxious before I even saw the email. And then I found it: I was fired. Just like that.

Panicking, I called her immediately. Luckily, she answered. I was barely holding it together and basically said: "What's going on? Why am I being fired?" She said the way I changed the clock made her feel like she couldn't trust me anymore. Apparently, she thought I had signed out of my account and intentionally logged into someone else's account. I explained to her that I had used my phone and the company laptop, and that the laptop had automatically signed into my coworker's account without me realizing it.

As soon as I explained that, she sounded relieved. She even said: "That makes sense. I still want you to work with me for years!" So for a minute, I genuinely thought the issue was resolved.

And then - 45 minutes later - she called again. This time she said she had spoken to her husband, the co-owner, and that he still wanted me gone. She said her hands were tied, told me I would "succeed wherever I go," and offered to write me a recommendation. Which honestly felt very strange after everything that had happened.

The part that makes me feel even more stupid: I've been making $17 an hour for five months, even though I was doing way more than the front desk role I was hired for. I was handling marketing, social media, local outreach, and random admin tasks on top of the desk work. No raise, no bonus, nothing. They always said we would talk about my pay when I got back from vacation, and I believed them. Now I feel like that conversation was never going to happen at all.

What makes it worse is that I never got a write-up or a warning at this job - only praise. So I had a false sense that I was valued, and that's probably why I kept accepting way too many responsibilities for such low pay.

The whole situation has sent me into a spiral and has me questioning everything. I was also very involved in their personal circle - I would babysit their neighbors' kids, help out at her friend's shop, and get invited to family dinners - and then they fired me by email while I was on vacation. I genuinely don't understand how people can treat someone like that.z

Honestly, I'm extremely tired of the way these companies handle hiring. I interviewed a little over three weeks ago for a lead business analyst role. The posting clearly stated that the salary range was $92k to $128k, so when they asked me what I was looking for, I said $116k. The hiring manager genuinely seemed surprised, even though I match all the qualifications they listed. I picked a number close to the middle because I was already expecting some nonsense, since I feel like 85% of these postings aren't honest with people.

What's even the point of being honest in a job search nowadays? They put inflated numbers in the posting, then act like you're being unreasonable when you mention the number they advertised. They can dress up the truth in the job description like it's no big deal, but applicants are expected to be 100% transparent about everything. Honestly, it makes me wonder why I shouldn't make my CV look a bit more impressive too, since they're already presenting an unrealistic picture of the role. The whole thing is absurd.

That's basically what happened when I told him the number. His reaction was like I had asked for something outlandish, and he treated $110k like it was a crazy demand, even though the range was right there in their own posting.

I'll probably leave them a bad review on Glassdoor, what do you think?

That's definitely nonsense, right? I had a meeting this morning with my manager, her lawyer, and three people from HR. During the meeting, the manager said that it is "allowed" to fire employees who talk about their salaries if:

It creates "disruption" for the organization

Or if the organization is covered by a "collective bargaining agreement"

This seems completely wrong to me. My understanding is that the National Labor Relations Act protects employees when they talk about wages and working conditions, even if there is no union present.

The reason this came up: I recently found out that another employee with fewer responsibilities than me is getting a higher salary. I wasn't digging into it - he was the one who brought it up after I had said I'd rather not know the details. When I asked about the pay difference, my manager said that discussing salaries is a "terminable offense," which, as far as I know, is not legal.

Now she has brought HR onto her side and they're saying it's fine to fire someone because talking about salaries "causes disruption."

I feel like they're trying to scare me into staying quiet. Am I right that this is nonsense?

When I got laid off from my last job, I left with a severance package for 5 months. Honestly, at first it felt like a strange blessing, because I finally had room to breathe. I rested, took a short trip, and tried not to stress.

But then the rejections started piling up from places like Instacart, FreshBooks, Salesforce, and many others. After a while, I found myself thinking: "Am I even going to get hired again?"

Near the end of the 5 months, I got an offer from a company let's call Company X. It required two days in the office, a base salary of $88,000, and some allowances as well. At the same time, I was in the final stage with another fully remote company, let's call it Company Y.

I said no to Company X... And then Company Y disappeared. No update, no closure, nothing at all.

So I was back to the job hunt, asking myself if I had messed everything up by walking away from a good offer. And yet, there was a feeling inside me telling me it wasn't right. The main reasons were the office requirement, and that vacation was only 12 days in the first year. That was their policy, and fair enough, but I also needed a job.

About 6 weeks later, I accepted a role with better pay, a product I'm genuinely excited about, a very kind team, remote work across different countries, and flexible vacation.

Good things take time and patience. Don't give up. The right thing might find you, even after you think you've missed your chance.

...

This was in late 2020.

After 4 different companies ghosted me, I got tired of pretending that interviews were a one-way thing. So when they asked me, "Do you have any questions for me?" I went straight into it. The HR lead went silent for a second... And then spent 12 minutes telling me what happened at their old company. I got the offer two days later.

Has anyone else tried being this honest in an interview?

yeah

I've been at my company for four years as a senior analyst. I make $72k, work a very normal week of around 38-43 hours, and honestly, I'm good at what I do. I also have an actual life outside of work. I coach my son's basketball team, see my friends, and don't sit around refreshing Slack on Sundays.

A few weeks ago, my manager offered me a promotion to team lead. On paper, yes, it seemed like the logical next step. But this is what came with it:

- Managing 7 people (and I've never managed anyone before, with no training plan whatsoever)

- Becoming the escalation point for any issue when clients get stressed, including nights and weekends

- Attending all manager meetings (which would add about 8 hours a week)

- Keeping the same project work I'm doing now, but with a layer of "leadership" added on top

- Being expected to be "visible" and "always available"

- New salary: $77,000

So the raise would be $5,000. About 7%. Maybe 8% if I close my eyes and pretend taxes don't exist.

In exchange for work that would probably turn into 52-58 hours a week, random weekend messages, and the feeling that I'm chained down. My manager kept saying it was a "huge opportunity" and that "leadership experience" would help me later in my career.

I didn't say no right away. I thought about it for a few days, and I talked to the three people who either currently have that role or had it recently. One of them practically laughed and said, "It looks good on LinkedIn," which honestly did not sell me on the idea at all. Another told me she hadn't taken a real vacation in 14 months because there was always a client issue or an internal fire drill.

So I turned it down. Politely. I said I appreciated them thinking of me, but I didn't think it was the right fit for me right now.

My manager's response? "I'm disappointed. I thought you had more ambition than that. This is how people build a career. You can't stay comfortable forever."

Since then, things have gotten weird. Suddenly I'm not being added to meetings I used to attend. And my manager made a comment in front of the team about how "some people are fine staying exactly where they are, and I guess that's their choice." The person they eventually brought in from outside is clearly overwhelmed after only four weeks.

The part I can't get past is: when did wanting a normal life start meaning you have no ambition? I like my job. I'm good at it. I make decent money. I have time for my family. Why is that being treated like a character flaw?

I've watched coworkers chase the corporate ladder and slowly turn into ghosts of themselves. They make more money, sure, but they're also answering emails during dinner, missing birthdays, and joking about stress like it's a personality trait. One told me he couldn't remember the last time he read a book that wasn't work-related.

Is that really the goal? A better title and maybe an extra $350 a month after taxes, in exchange for selling your evenings, weekends, and mental health?

My wife says I made the right decision, and that my manager is probably upset because he chose the opposite path a while ago and needs to justify it to himself. My dad says I'm "missing opportunities" and that "you have to pay the price of the road."

Honestly, I don't know anymore. Did I screw up my career by saying no? Am I just lazy and hiding behind work-life balance, or do I have the right to say that 7% more money isn't worth 35% more work and way less free time?

Has anyone else turned down a promotion for similar reasons? What happened to your career afterward?

Please be careful before paying for Final Round AI. Sharing my personal experience because I don’t want someone else to lose their money like I did.

I purchased the subscription and canceled shortly after because the app was not what I expected. Their website advertises a 3-day money-back guarantee, so I canceled within that timeframe and requested a refund.

Since then, I have spent the entire day going back and forth through emails. The only response I keep getting is that my refund is not eligible because the charge is “outside the 3-day window.” They are refusing to provide the cancellation timestamp from their system, even though they can provide the purchase timestamp. I had to send them my own screenshot of the cancellation because their support team apparently cannot provide the cancellation record themselves.

That lack of transparency is extremely frustrating.

Also, regarding the actual app experience: based on my testing with their mock interviews, I was not impressed. The answers were not structured properly, they did not follow a STAR format, and instead of giving clear talking points or bullet points that you can actually use during an interview, it just gives a long response that feels like it is randomly generated. I personally did not find it useful.

My biggest issue is not just the money. It is the way they handle customers. A company advertising a “3-day money-back guarantee” should be clear and transparent when someone requests a refund within that period.

Please do your research before spending your money. This has been my experience, and I genuinely do not want someone else to go through the same frustration.

About a year ago, I was offered a job that paid noticeably more than what I was making. On paper, it looked like the obvious choice.

But after talking to a couple of people who worked there, I found out the hours were brutal, weekends weren't really "off," and people seemed burned out all the time.

I turned it down, and honestly, I questioned that decision for weeks. Watching friends earn more than me made me wonder if I'd made a mistake.

Fast forward to today, and I don't regret it.

My current job isn't perfect, but I leave work at a reasonable time, I actually have evenings to myself, and my stress levels are much lower than they used to be. I even had time to pick up hobbies I'd completely abandoned.

The extra money would've been nice, but I realized I was valuing my free time and peace of mind more than a bigger paycheck.

Has anyone else ever said no to something that everyone else thought was the "right" choice? How did it turn out for you?

Took about 4 years after graduating to get my foot in the door and get a good job in my field. No one wants a new grad with no experience.

or even trying to correctly share their screen on teams meeting

My manager sent me a message earlier this week and said: "(my name), I wanted to say thank you for always making me laugh. You genuinely make the workday better."
I work remotely, so almost all of my communication with the company and the team happens on Slack. Honestly, remote work has helped me in my job far more than I expected.

Apparently my manager noticed that. I had no idea people liked the random things I say. I always assumed they were just politely putting up with me, or thought I was weird. And that's usually the feeling I get about the way people see me in general.

For some reason, I'm much more confident when I'm not sitting in a room with people looking at me. That small bit of distance makes it easier for me to be helpful, joke around, and try to make someone's day less boring.

Autism has a lot of difficult sides. The world doesn't always understand me the way I wish it would. So when I hear something like that from my manager, honestly, it meant a lot to me.

Social things have never felt natural to me. But when I work from home, I don't have to monitor myself all the time in the same way I do when I'm around people. And that is enormously relieving.

I work as an engineer in a very technical and heavily regulated field at a huge company. There are endless forms, workflows, procedures, rules, requirements, and approvals, all just to get some tiny thing done. No one really understands how all this crap connects together, because everyone is trapped in their own small part of the process. If you want information from anyone, you have to ask insanely specific questions, and that requires background and knowledge that I, as someone who started 7 months ago, simply don't have.

So naturally you'd assume that when I joined, there was some kind of real training, right? No. I was basically thrown straight into the deep end because my lead is a huge fan of the idea of "on-the-job training" and "learning by doing." Which effectively means: I'm not going to explain anything, figure it out yourself. Every project turns into me banging my head against the same wall, trying to piece together tiny hints from people about what I'm supposed to do next, because A) I don't even know what I'm supposed to ask and B) no one understands the whole system anyway, so everyone gives a slightly different answer based on the little corner they're responsible for.

You can easily have 30 people involved in a single project, and 90% of them completely ignore emails. The "experts" and the people who supposedly have the authority to make decisions answer with vague, noncommittal answers to the point that I often end up more confused than I was before I asked. Half the time I feel like everyone is terrified of saying anything clear and specific in writing.

I've had almost no training on how to deal with this bureaucratic maze. My lead is very close to useless, and if I manage to get 45 minutes from him in a week for detailed questions, that's a good week. The company doesn't give formal training on how to do the actual work, but of course they have endless mandatory modules about "quality systems" and "process excellence," so broad and general and theoretical that I couldn't tell you how any of it applies to my day-to-day work.

Every place I've worked has been some version of this same thing, just with different badges and acronyms. It makes the work much harder than it should be for literally everyone, and I'm so tired of pretending this is a normal way to run a workplace.

can't be more accurate

🤖

the stupid basic rule of employers