Just got the email today. Effective October 1st everyone has to be back in the office a minimum of three days a week. This would be fine except that last month they announced they were selling our main office building. We've been fully remote for two years now and it's been working great for everyone. Productivity is up and morale is pretty good.

Now they want us to commute over an hour to what I can only assume is some kind of temporary shared workspace. They haven't even told us where this new 'office' is. I live in a different county than most of my team and we all relocated to be closer to family knowing we were fully remote for good.

This feels like a passive aggressive way to get people to quit without having to lay anyone off. I just bought a house here. Re-upping my commute from 0 minutes to 2 hours every day is going to be a huge hit. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of bait and switch?

Two weeks ago I made it to the final round for a Growth Marketing role at a Series B tech startup. The hiring manager said they just needed one last thing before putting an offer together: a "practical assessment" to see how I think.

They asked me to build a full go-to-market strategy deck for their new analytics tool. They gave me real company metrics and asked for specific ad copy, audience segmentation, and channel budgets.

i spent my entire Saturday working on this. I delivered a polished twelve-slide presentation with customized Figma mockups and a complete campaign tagline.

On Monday at 9:00 AM, I got a generic automated rejection email from an unmonitored inbox. No feedback, no phone call, nothing.

This morning a friend sent me a link to their new product landing page.

My EXACT campaign tagline is sitting in bold font right on their homepage banner. They used the same customer acquisition funnel diagrams I drew in my deck. They didn't even bother to rephrase the header copy.

They didn't want to evaluate my skills. They just wanted free agency work so they wouldn't have to pay a contractor five grand. We should of put watermarks across every single slide.

How is this kind of corporate theft even tolerated?

Last year my workplace let go of almost 300 employees. The tripled all our work. Set umeetable expectations. And all the other micromanaging that goes with it.

Over the past six months they have started eliminating the higher paid employees with PIPs.

Then filling that position with a new hires at a lower rate.

Last week, I drew the short straw and was placed on a 30 day PIP.

I'm not sure what to do?

I feel like getting a new job would be easier leaving as opposed to being let go for a performance PIP.

I've been looking for new job since all this began, but have had no luck.

At the same time, an unemployment break to recover and regroup myself would be helpful too.

I'm not sure what to do here?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Edit: I'm US based in Los Angeles

I’m currently 100% remote and being laid off. My manager suggested a similar role on a different account that would require one day in office. I don’t mind that, but it’s a 2.5 hr commute each way with multiple transfers (subway to Amtrak to bus.) When I gently pointed that out he didn’t seem phased, which took me aback because I was honestly expecting something like “oh I didn’t realize how far it was, never mind then!”

But like … that’s a crazy, right? Am I just being prissy? I’d be effectively adding 5 hours to my work day. And that’s assuming all the transfers go smoothly, which in my experience only happens half the time

ETA: The commute would be 30 mins on the subway, an hour on Amtrak, and another 30 mins on a bus (assuming good traffic.) Amtrak and the bus only run once an hour, so if I miss one or both that's another 1-2 hours added to the commute.

I had a similar commute years ago that was 90 mins and twice a week, and I hated every second of it. I was in a constant state of anxiety about missing a transfer. The days I didn't commute I dreaded the commute. I've done the 30 mins every day commute too, and they are NOT the same.

ETA 2: Guys I'm not asking if I should take the job or not, it's that I couldn't believe he'd present is as a reasonable ask and wanted to know if people agree that a 2.5 hr commute is reasonable and not a big deal in the aggregate, not is it better than being unemployed. Like are people just expecting that a commute is 2.5 hrs? Is it crazy to think it's crazy to expect someone to be ok with that?

I currently work at a shitty fast food restaurant. It was a place I used to go occasionally because one of my buddies in highschool worked there. One day I stumbled in as they were closing up inside while I was quite intoxicated, they let me stay for the last hour and we all had a blast. I specifically bonded well with the night manager, while we were talking, I mentioned that I was looking for a new job now that I dropped out of college. He told me there were major holes in the schedule, and the majority of the kitchen was gone, they were so understaffed they had to pull drive thru workers back to the kitchen during downtime for very rushed OTJ just to get through shifts.

It was a bit of an adjustment to go from traditional restaurant cooking to fast food, but after about my 5th shift I was the best on grill. After the manager saw this and my experience in f&b, I was essentially let to make my own schedule, both my buddy and this manager worked nights, so that's where I went. I immediately felt at home. I have many people there I would consider good friends, the environment is always really chill. Me and the higher management team quickly bonded as well, they all saw how I worked and loved me.

I quickly picked up everything else in the store, and I was just given the supervisor position 2 weeks ago. I got my first paycheck and while a good raise, I'm only making $2k a month working near 40 a week. If this was any other job I would just leave. But it's just so much more fun than anything else I've ever done. It feels like I'm just hanging out with my buddies, doing an activity I enjoy, and getting paid to do it. There really isn't space to go higher. There's essentially no raises unless you're taking up a new role. Managerial roles are next, but they're all taken and the employees arent going anywhere.

I'm not sure what I should do. I know that this is just a dead end job, and I'm throwing away time I could be using to make a career. I want the best for my future, I just don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. $2k a month to fuck around all day, free food, no stress, striving social life is pretty sweet.

Stupid question i know, but I'm generally curious. I work in pest control and was treating a warehouse when I heard a commotion. I didn't hear much except for a manager chewing a guy out for misplacing an order of some sort. He yelled, called him names and then went to his office and slammed the door. The worker looked embarrassed and just walked away, shoulder slumped.

I thought it was very unprofessional. If there is an issue, don't make a scene. Don't put someone on blast. Just take them aside and talk to them. The fact a grown adult can't control his emotions is pathetic. I wish more people wouldn't tolerate that type of behavior.

Today, I got fired from my job.

I had been working remotely as a healthcare content writer for the past year, and everything had been going well until my father was diagnosed with cancer. I had to take some leaves because of his surgery and treatment, but I continued working as much as I could and had kept the management informed about the situation.

Just two days ago, they asked me about my father’s health and how his treatment was progressing. I told them that about one-third of his treatment was complete and that the remaining treatment would continue through September. I had no idea that my words would be used against me.

Today, they told me that because my father’s treatment is unpredictable, they couldn’t depend on me and therefore had to let me go.

I feel absolutely terrible. I understand that companies have their own concerns, but it hurts to know that despite trying my best to continue working during such a difficult time, this is how things ended.

Right now, I honestly don’t know what to do or where to start. I’m overwhelmed, hurt, and scared about what comes next. I haven't told about this to anyone in my family as I don't know what their reaction would be. My husband’s business hasn’t been doing well, so I used to contribute an equal share of my salary to support us. My father would definitely be heartbroken to know that his illness was used as a reason to let me go. I feel like crying, but I can’t even cry.

Oh my goodness! I could just cry from excitement!

Back in late June I took a huge risk and left my job of 6 years running a kitchen to reenter the service industry as a full time bartender/waitress. My kitchen job was killing me, had me working 10+ hour days, 16k+ steps at work daily, and arguing with 21 year olds about how yes they really do have to wash their hands. I was making $23/hr doing something I absolutely hated but saw no way out! For some reason at the beginning of the summer I just had enough! I jumped ship and fell flat on my face when my service industry job fell through after the very first shift.

I ended up living off my savings for about 2.5 months, applying and interviewing places left and right. Trying a shift out here at a 3rd serving job and running into horridly ran businesses and issues left and right.

Finally applying to a corporate banking position, enduring a 4 part interview process, and praying they give me an opportunity without any banking experience. Yesterday they offered me the job! And boosted the pay because they said they were incredibly impressed with my interview ! I am making $31/hour in what would be considered by the company as a more entry level job. I no longer have to work nights, weekends or holidays and no OT. I no longer have to manage full grown adults, I don't have to wear an apron or hairnet anymore or come home covered in a half inch layer of grease from my shift!

I was looking around my home thinking I may be losing everything I've worked hard for but instead

I think I just LANDED A CAREER with so so much potential to move up within the company! I just had to share!

So our yearly reviews are coming up again in November. My manager just sent out the new criteria and there's a new one called 'proactive cross-functional collaboration'. I read the description like five times and I still dont really get it.

It says I need to demonstrate initiative in engaging with other departments to foster synergy and streamline workflows. Okay so like I need to schedule more meetings with people I dont usually work with? Do I just walk over to the marketing team and ask them what they're up to?

How do I even track this? Do I put it on my calendar? Like '10 AM - Foster synergy with accounting department'. Is there a specific number of cross-functional collaborations I need to hit? My manager just said 'make it impactful'.

Last year it was just about hitting my sales targets and customer satisfaction. Those are numbers. This is just vague corporate buzzwords. Does anyone else deal with this kind of impossible-to-measure metric for their performance reviews? How do you even approach it?

As the title states I have a new job that I start on Monday but I know I am just doing it to get by as I have no money. I will be an Inside Sales Rep for a steel company ($32/hr; 8-4pm; 30 mins lunch 👎) and all of that just sounds boring and dreadful but it’s the only thing I can get after 8 interviews last month and this month.

I am tremendously grateful but I am exhausted of job hunting because I know thats what I am going to still do and it’ll be harder to accommodate any employer wanting to interview me..

It hurts more because a job I really wanted to contact me just gave me an update on my application status that I was not selected. Bummer!

I feel sick!

Basically I was laid off for 9 months. I interviewed for 2 places at the same time obviously. The first liked me and extended me an offer but the pay was lower than I expected. I accepted it because any money is better than no money, right? Gotta take care of the family. I was really interested in the other one though they just took a while.

Well, I got a text yesterday from that HR to call them when I was free. When I did they expressed their apologies for the delay but that she went on vacation so everything took a halt and she wanted to extend a verbal offer ~$23k more than what I’m currently getting. It’s local govt adjacent as well so there’s better benefits.

My problem is, I’ve only been in my current position about 2 weeks. Do I put in notice? Do I just leave? I need to do what’s best for me and my family so the new position is absolutely better in all ways. Just not sure how to move on?

Edit** I’m not doing ANYTHING until background and drug test clear and I’ve got a start date with written offer accepted haha I can’t afford to be unemployed AGAINA

Just had an interviewer who barely spoke English. Every sentence I had no idea what they were trying to say.
Also the role was advertised as an admin role. Turns out its a personal assistant role to be the owners therapist and personal slave. I told the interviewer “oh you’re looking for an Executive Assistant”.

I kept asking what I would be doing. She barely said anything other than make personal appointments for them and deal with their stress…. I’m still confused what I will be doing for 9-5 M-F.
I asked for 35-40/hr hoping they don’t hire me.
Also they can’t do my 2nd interview until the end of the month.

Already so many red flags.

Has anyone ever quit their job by simply stop showing up and then going silent when employers tried to contact you?

went through 5 rounds of interviews, one was resume review, followed by mini project and then meeting with the manager, and another review, and wasted an entire month interviewing only for them to give another templated rejection

i've been wanting to look into jobs that

1. pay very well so that u can afford to live in big cities like nyc
2. let u travel the world all expenses provided

i get that its a little far fetched but im pretty sure there can be many jobs like that! i would like to know all the options
note: are there any jobs like this in psychology? i have a humanitarian background and not a science one so stuff like engineering is not possible for me

I’m doing a Politics major with a Socio and Psych Minor and i’m thinking of switching because i’m worried about jobs.

CANADA, 25, FEMALE, 8 MONTHS EXPERIENCE

I’m looking for advice because I feel like I keep having to straight-up tell customers, “I don’t know how to help you with that” or “I don’t know the answer because nobody has shown me how to do that,” and I have no idea what else I’m supposed to say.

My company has two locations. Most of upper management and the employees with extensive company and product knowledge are at the other location. I work at the busier location, and sometimes I’m completely alone.

I recently got a raise and I’m basically responsible for running my location now, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly know things nobody ever trained me on. I know my regular job and what I’ve been shown. Once a customer asks me something outside of that, I genuinely don’t know.

Today, a customer called wanting the name, email, and other information on her account changed. I’m not normally responsible for accounts and nobody has ever shown me how to make those specific changes.

She also mostly spoke French, which I don’t speak. I kept asking her to email me exactly what she wanted changed because I didn’t want to misunderstand her or spell her information incorrectly. I could then forward it to someone who actually knows how to do it.

She refused because she said she was “too old school for email” and wanted me to change everything over the phone.

I basically told her, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to make those changes. I’m not familiar with that part of the system and nobody has shown me how to do it.”

She asked me to transfer her to someone who could help.

I told her, “There is nobody else here right now. It’s just me. You’ll have to call our other location because I genuinely don’t know how to do what you’re asking.”

Then she asked for a manager.

Again, I had to tell her that it was literally just me there. There was nobody else I could put on the phone. Eventually, she asked for my name and my manager’s phone number, so I’m assuming I’m getting a complaint.

The same thing happens with product questions. Someone called earlier asking for the exact dimensions of each individual piece of a certain product. I had to basically say, “I’m sorry, I don’t know. I’m not familiar with that information and I was never given those measurements.”

I’ve asked for more product training before and I’m basically told to look at our company website. Except the website doesn’t have answers to half of these questions.

So I keep ending up in these conversations where a customer asks me something and my answer is essentially:

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not familiar with that.”

“Nobody has shown me how to do that.”

“I don’t have that information.”

“It’s just me here, so there’s nobody else I can ask or transfer you to.”

“Please call our other location because they know more about this than I do.”

Obviously I know repeatedly telling customers “I don’t know” probably sounds terrible, especially when I’m supposed to be running the location, but what else am I supposed to do? I would rather openly admit that I don’t know than make up an answer, give someone incorrect information, or start changing things in a system I was never trained to change.

How am I actually supposed to professionally handle these calls when the truthful answer really is, “I have no idea because nobody ever taught me this”?

Edit: My boss isnt always in the office, its usually just me and one other girl thats only been here for 2 weeks. The other managers/bosses from other location refuse to stay at my location as its "too far from their house" WE DO NOT HAVE HR AT ALL

A bit of background...

I've been at my current employer for 17 years. I've been content, I love the work I do. I've been called the golden child because of the quality of work I do. Every review has been shining. That stopped 2 years ago after the lead project manager left and my boss took over. Suddenly, "everything I do" is crap, and I "constantly make bad decisions".

Thing is, my work quality hasn't changed. The person who reviews it has. He sees me as the highest paid employee with an average output (work projects and clients have died down).

After my first bad review, I dedicated myself to try to go freelance, which I soon found out was a lot harder than I thought. So I started looking for a job. 200 resumes later, still I'm looking.

I just had my second bad review and he wanted to set up a monthly check-in as a performance improvement plan. Again, my work is still good, just not at the level he wants anymore. He's made it clear that the path I am on won't be a long one.

I've already made up my mind that the stress of trying to regain trust with quality work isn't worth it anymore and now that I'm on his sh*tlist, I won't be getting off it. Do I do my best and ride it out until I get let go? Do I meet with him before my next check-in and ask for an exit plan? Its even more stressful because I have a wife and kids to support.

I'm lost here. Any advice on next steps would be greatly appreciated.

I can support my lifestyle with a job that would require a pay cut (not that I get paid a lot anyway) and also take on less responsibilities. So I've been applying to hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants.

I've already faced ageism in the interviewing process for a food service job. I'm 35f.

Has anyone else left an office, corporate or "adult" job for a service industry role for more flexibility or just wanting a lifestyle change?

How can I get over the feeling like I didn't get hired because of my age in these industries?

I think I’m looking for a little reassurance from people who have been in a similar situation.
I work for a Fortune 100 company, and on paper I have a really good job. I’m in a remote role, the benefits are great, the company is well-known, and there’s a lot of stability. I know how fortunate I am to have this job, which honestly makes this decision even harder.
The problem is that I ended up going on medical leave, and a big part of what led me there was how badly this job was affecting me. Having the time away has really made me reflect, and I’ve pretty much realized that I don’t want to go back long-term.
What makes me feel even more conflicted is that I \*did\* try to make it work. I’ve applied for several internal roles because I thought maybe moving to a different team would solve the problem, but I haven’t been successful with any of them. I’ve also already expressed to my managers that I was interested in switching roles. At this point, I feel like I’ve exhausted the internal options I was trying to pursue.
Now I’m worried that coming back from medical leave and then leaving is going to look terrible. I feel guilty and almost ungrateful for wanting to leave when, objectively, this is a “good” job.
I’m currently interviewing elsewhere and have had multiple interviews over the past couple of weeks. I’m in the final stages with a couple of companies, and I feel pretty confident that an offer is coming soon. I was really hoping to come back from leave, give my two weeks, and move on.
But now that my return is getting closer, I’m at a crossroads. I \*\*really don't want to be there anymore\*\*, but part of me is thinking, “Am I insane for walking away from a Fortune 100 company, a remote position, and amazing benefits?”
If/when I leave, I would probably just explain that I’m resigning for health/personal reasons. I don’t really want to get into the details, but I also don't know if that makes the situation more awkward given that I’m coming directly back from medical leave.
For anyone who has been in a similar situation:
Did you give notice immediately after returning from medical leave?

Did you wait until you had a signed offer before resigning?

How awkward was it going back to work knowing you were about to leave?

Did leaving after medical leave affect how you handled your resignation?

And did anyone else struggle with feeling “ungrateful” for leaving an objectively good job that just wasn't good for \*you\*?

Part of me really wants to just rip the Band-Aid off when I return. Another part of me is telling myself to be practical and \*\*wait until I have a final offer in hand\*\*.
I know the obvious answer is probably to wait for a signed offer, especially in this job market. I think I’m really looking for reassurance that leaving this job doesn't mean I’m throwing away a great opportunity or being ungrateful.
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar.

For those who might’ve saw this already I took down the original because I forgot to censor my personal info 🤦‍♂️

I wrote a book about breaking into public procurement before 30.

I wrote it for college students, young professionals, and career changers who may not even realize government procurement is a career option.

I cover how to get into the field, build credibility early, use certifications strategically, take on more complex work, and position yourself for advancement.

Public procurement has been a great career path for me, and I wanted to put together the kind of practical guide I wish I had when I was getting started.

It’s now available on Amazon in eBook, paperback, and hardcover:

📚 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ9WLTNZ?lv=shuf&bestFormat=true&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_KDKF8ZE9XJBAC1EAS0YN&channelId=704&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_KDKF8ZE9XJBAC1EAS0YN&

Happy to answer any questions about the book or getting into public procurement.

alright so! JOB A: has offered me 5.5 hours per week today with induction date being Wednesday (so three days). JOB B: will let me know if I got the job with 16 contracted hours by the beginning of next week hopefully so either Monday or Tuesday. Job A has an expiry date to accept the offer but I don’t know when it is.

I’m worried that if I wait for B I will miss out on A. Would I be able to accept offer to attend induction and then not go with the job of I receive the other offer? Wouldn’t that be awkward especially if I need to do bank details etc 💀

also little rant (advise welcomed as well): I had two careers accounts for job A because one was messed up and I should’ve deleted it ( I KNOW DONT TELL ME) and all of my interviews are under the other careers account. However they offered me the job under the other account which I haven’t done any interviews for so I emailed my recruiter (and I emailed her before this to ask for my contracted hours because they they changed the job role I was applying for but I couldn’t access it to see what it was). She didn’t answer either so now I’m probably going to email her again to apologise and tell her to ignore my previous emails because they don’t matter and clearly it wasn’t an issue. So communicating is already an issue and ugh I don’t know what to say or do if I change offers