‘I don't believe in PTO’: Disgruntled employees reflect on the worst things their toxic bosses have said to them on the clock

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Jan 5, 2025 1:00 PM EST

If we had a nickel for every single outlandish thing any of our toxic bosses have ever said to us, we'd probably be able to buy a million-dollar mansion. It's kind of a right of passage for employees, new and old, to get berated by their entitled superiors. Maybe there's something in the water that many bosses drink, but more often than not, you'll be faced with a manager or supervisor who thinks they're a god.

So what do you do with all of the sour memories? Well, you can report them to HR. If that fails, you can either escalate the situation to court or even better, rant about them on Reddit for everyone to see and comment on. If the situation can't be remedied, it makes for some solid, yet twisted, entertainment. The employees who wrote about their experiences in this Reddit thread have a lot to say about their bosses' questionable mentorship tactics, but we'll let you be the judge of that.

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  • "She said I should have more self-esteem or something. So I took my self-esteem and emptied out my stuff at the end of the day and never came back."
    via Oleg Ivanov For Unsplash+
  • What was the worse thing your boss ever said to you?
    via Grand-Waltz-3018
  • Soulfi... "Obviously you don't like yourself, so here are some tips to change who you are: [fifteen minutes of unsolicited advice on how to act like a "real man"]"
    via Soulfighter56
  • squidward-was... Yes! Had a boss tell me I should have more confidence in myself when I said I could do a task within the given time frame. I knew it wasn't possible and asked someone whod been there longer and she said "just be honest and tell her you're working on it but can't now. He'll I've been doing this for years and can't do that in 15 mins"
    via squidward-was-here
  • I told her and she said i should have more self esteem or something. So I took my self esteem and emptied out my stuff at the end of the day and never came back. My only regret was not saying something directly and just leaving then.
    via squidward-was-here
  • Jefffahfffah "I don't believe in PTO."
    via Jefffahfffah
  • aseroan Handed her a Christmas card and she goes "oh, is this your resignation?" ...we don't get along but I try to remain professional and courteous. That comment completely threw me off though.
    via aseroan
  • houseonpost Boss left a signed contract to give to the landlord. I noticed the prices were completely out of whack with the market so I did some investigating and got some new estimates. Talked to the landlord and he provide a new contract with significantly lower prices. saving my boss literally tens of thousands of dollars. Boss
    via houseonpost
  • said, "you must have too much time on your hands." I asked for a small raise (the savings would cover my raise ten times over). He refused the raise so I found a job that paid me significantly more. When I gave him my resignation letter he said he'd give me the raise. I chuckled and said he could no longer afford me.
    via houseonpost
  • MeGusta1233 "You seem to get frustrated easily" despite the fact that he was the entire source of my anger, and put no effort into leadership.
    via MeGusta1233
  • 000
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • RongerKaws "We're a family"
    via RongerKaws

  • No, you are not a family. I'm not one to argue semantics, but in the case of a company claiming that they're “a family”, I will always push against that notion.

    This is a common tactic used by bosses around the globe to make newbie employees feel nurtured, safe, and respected. That's the thing about family—they'll tear you down as soon as they raise you up.

    If you're not new to this site, you likely already know that family doesn't come without hardship and toxicity—the same goes for any workplace. In pushing this familial narrative, bosses are carving out a way to take advantage of their employees in the future. This whole “we're a family" thing is major red flag most of the time.

  • xXxTheRuckus... "You've maxed out on how much you can make here." Background info: I was the 2nd lowest paid technician, yet I got to fix everything no one else could figure out. I walked out without 2 week notice soon after.
    via x**TheRuckus**x
  • MaGhostGoo2 I had a work accident, i sliced my forearm, had surgery, doctors said 3 months I'd return to work. Boss said no it's a 3 week injury stopped payments so i took them to court.
    via MaGhostGoo2
  • infeed While trying to work through a difficult task, I said "maybe we could try.." he interrupted me and shouted "there is no we. It's my way or no way at all. Just do it. " I left for lunch and never came back. The permanent sign out front that said "now hiring" should have been the first red flag
    via infeed
  • andy_nony_mo... Not a bad personal statement but bad career planning. This was at EDS in the early 90's: "PCs are just a fad, we will be on mainframes forever". I knew then to advance my career I would have to go elsewhere.
    via andy_nony_mouse
  • caimancsgo Had my wisdom tooth removed just 1 hour ago, was told there is a real bad infection that has spread. The whole procedure took 3,5 hours in total. Called my boss and said I'm not
    via caimancsgo
  • coming to work the next few days, currently on 5 different meds and my jaw has doubled in size. He said he will never forgive my selfish a for letting all of my
    via caimancsgo
  • letting all of my coworkers work overtime (12-16hrs) while i am "chilling" at home. Before i could say anything else, he just hangs up
    via caimancsgo
  • motorcyclecow... Asked for a raise in pay. Boss advised that I should be able to qualify for food stamps.
    via motorcyclecowboy007
  • AccordingCour... Your too nice to the customers! Customer service job? →
    via AccordingCourage998

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Tags

boss workplace-stories toxic-workplace bosses work askreddit reddit story horrible-management toxic-boss workplace Horrible Bosses reddit thread red flag bad bosses entitled people toxic-work-environment
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