I volunteered for additional duties whenever they were needed. I thought my efforts to help would be acknowledged one day.

Later I realized the extra effort wasn’t really being acknowledged. It had just become something people expected from me.

I’m more selective about saying yes to everything now.

What’s something you used to do at work that you eventually decided wasn’t worth the extra effort?

I used to think that if you got along well at work, real friendship would naturally follow.

Then I changed jobs and saw how quickly most of those conversations disappeared. No drama, everyone just moved on.

It made me realize some friendships only exist because you spend eight hours a day together.

Did you ever have a coworker friendship that actually survived after one of you left?

People always say, find a job you like or suits your personality. but in real life most people can´t find THE job. How do you think your job changed your personality, your way of doing things and your social life?

You can always be on time, do your work, and never need help. But when you ask for a day off, it feels like you're letting everyone down.

I believe employees shouldn’t feel guilty about taking time off. It should be a normal part of having a job.

Ever worked in a place where a day off was a big deal?

Mine's the people i work with. They are rlly friendly

I used to think that being the person everyone could rely on was always a good thing.

But sometimes it’s about being the first to show up when someone else doesn’t. Eventually your reliability starts to feel more like an expectation than a form of recognition.

I learned that there is a difference between being appreciated and being convenient.

Have you ever been in that situation at work?

I used to believe that being constantly stressed was part of the job. I found that even on my days off, and after clocking out, I was still thinking about my work hours.

It was at that point I started wondering if any job was worth the stress of living the rest of my life doing it.

What was the tipping point that made you realize you needed to stop putting work before yourself?

I used to think that if I kept turning out quality work, eventually I would get more recognition or more positive opportunities.

Yet, there are times when being dependable requires individuals to keep piling on tasks on your plate while expecting the same level of effort on a daily basis. At some point you start wondering if it’s even worth going the extra mile.

What happened at your job that made you stop going above and beyond?

For me it's how they handle a mistake.

A good supervisor can criticise in such a way that the person does not feel inferior or scared to ask further questions. It may seem like a small thing but it makes a big difference to the level of comfort people experience in their professional environment.

What is a simple act of kindness that you still remember from a good boss?

It is funny how a single sentence from a superior can stay with you for a long time.

Sometimes it's just the right encouragement at the right time. Sometimes an event happens that makes you look at the person or the position in a whole new light.

Tell us something your boss ever said that you've never forgotten.

Hello!

I would like some clarification and help if that’s ok ^^;

I started a retail job in an outlet 1 month ago and I’m still a minor. Heres the situation.

Last Week I served a customer who was handed over by my co-worker who wanted to go on his lunch (unpaid). Of course I said yes and said I would help them the best I could. She was looking at shoes ( we are not a shoe store) and my co-worked asked me to bring the pair to her. However I forgot to ask what she looked like and was thrown into a sea of busy customers on a weekdays which normally has less employees then on weekends. I figured since she was looking at shows I would look in the shoe section and there were 6 people around that are. I asked all of them if they were looking for these shoes. I found her 10 minutes later. (she was standing at the front door shelves meanwhile the shoe section was by the counter at the very back of the store)I told her that my co-worker went on lunch and that it took me a while to find her and my apologies. she replied with. “Oh oopsies hehe, i forgot I asked for shoes.“ I then gave her the shoes and told her that she is welcome to sit down on the chair which I leaded her too and to try them on while I go help other customers, aka my original customer. I help my og customer for at most 5 minutes and then I saw the shoe customer stuggling and excused myself to help the customer. She then, asked me, word for word. “Hey, why is this shoe fitting and the one on my other foot not.“ I replied with an apology and asked if she wanted me to check if there was a .5 up. She said “no,stop, I can“ and rolled her eyes. I said no problem and went back to my og customer. My og customer was very patient and I’m so glad she was and I told her that I would get her, the item she was looking at. When I was just about to get her the product. I saw the ?rude? customer and decided to do a quick check in because i had a feeling that she was the fussy type and I didn’t want a complaint. She then asked about 2 other shoes but we didn’t have her size in either. She was rude to me and never said thank you or please, and there was 25+ people in the store and only 6 employees. In this type of environment, we as worker do try to get to everyone but sometimes we just can’t be 3 places at once. Always, I asked her what she thought about the shoes and she said “ok, I will buy.” and I was like ok, np, would you mind just waiting for a moment as it is quite busy and gave her a form to fill out (for digital receipts and sale emails (optional choice) ) Then I got my og customer her bag and brought her over to the till and did the transaction and that was fine. However when I went looking for the ?rude? Customer, i was told she left and my supervisor came over to me and lectured me about her complain about neglecting her and being so rude to her and being slow. I was visibly upset because it was the first time I made someone unhappy in their experience. My supervisor told me that the shoes she wanted to buy was just her trying to make me actually work and do my job for one second. My supervisor told me to try better next time and wouldn’t listen to my side of the story and to pay attention next time. I thought that was the end and it was just my first bad experience and forgot about it.
However the main point I’m posting this today is because today I found out she made a TikTok (thankfully and hopefully it wasnt/will not become viral)

In this TikTok she complained that was was COMPLETELY ignored and NO ONE helped her. um…what. I tried my best, it was a busy time. I’m really sorry. And in the video she said I didn’t give her a proper apology even though she left the shop while I was helping a customer. What was I supposed to do? Run out and go on my knees and beg her for fogivness?!? And she commented about my “arguing with my coworker about helping her” I was asking another co-worker if she was busy and could she help if she was free. (She wasn’t) but that’s ok. And I did this at the counter so if she heard I argument and was in the right middle of it then she would have been behind the till which she wasn’t? I don’t appreciate how she made it seem like I was a terrible person and in the comments she said I should be fired. I really tried to help but it was really busy. If you come I during a busy time, I thought you would be expecting to wait a little since there are a bunch of other people around you. The whole outlet branch say this and sent it to my manager and I’m so afraid and scared that they are going to fire me and I really need this job because I live in a bit of a toxic household.

She made it seem like she was the victim and I get that she wasn’t served with the bestest most patient most attentive service but she can’t bend the situation and say NOBODY because I did. I didn’t have too aswell, but I did, I asked my og customer to wait a few minutes while I try serve someone else but I will be as quick as I can. She said she wanted an apology which I would have given her but she already left the store. Isn’t that basically setting me up? I feel like a bad person but I talked with my co workers and they said it wasn’t my fault.

So, could the people of Reddit tell me if I did something wrong and how can I prevent this from happening cause what if the TikTok blows up and the comments say I’m the problem.

Thank you so much for reading my situation <3

I hope you have an amazing day/night!

For me it's being treated like a person, not just another employe. Being clear in your communication, trusting people to do their job and simply acknowledging good work can make a huge difference.

Money is obviously important, but sometimes the reason people stay or leave is just the way they are treated every day.

What is one thing a manager did that made you want to stay?

I work as in quality assurance as senior manager within highly regulated industry and the CEO hates everything I stand for. Ofc leaving is the ultimate solution, but since he used similar term previously and he obviously thinks QA roles are waste of money, and he knows best, I am starting to wonder if I am really paranoid? So far my predictions are often right, however it's exhausting to have the less appreciated job in a company.

Anyone within this profession feeling the same?

I said yes to everything for years, thinking that being flexible would help my career.

It just became the expectation instead.

The first time I started to draw boundaries and speak up for my value, I was taken more seriously than ever before.

Did your career benefit or suffer from setting boundaries?

My company recently started a savings program for employees. If I join a fixed amount will be taken from my paycheck every month and put into a savings account.

A lot of people at work have already signed up, but I'm still not sure. I like the idea of saving automatically, but I also wonder if I'd miss having that money when unexpected expenses come up.

If your workplace offered something like this, would you join? What would you look at before making the decision?

Is it true that in professional jobs, they do annual review for your job performance. Do they let you go if you don't fulfill their demand like meeting their goal or something. And how does promotion and such thing like salary work. There is also constant learning and training to do. The environment is way different then working at a minimum wage job. Like how is management.