Boss demands lab employees provide testing reports earlier in the day, they warn him that the data won't be complete, his insistence leads to more work for him: ‘He can't figure it out’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Nov 20, 2025 5:00 AM EST

Completing a work-related task as fast as possible does not necessarily mean the job was done well, but apparently, many managers struggle to come to terms with that. In their eyes, a fast job means a good job, because they simply can't be bothered.

That kind of logic is what probably led the boss in the story below to demand that the science lab employees provide a daily report at 11:00 AM. Even though the results from their tests can never be ready at that time, the boss insisted on this report as early as possible, which led the employee to give him reports with half-completed data.

By the end of the month, when it was time to gather all the reports, lo and behold, the boss had a lot of missing sections he had to complete. Since he only realised it at the end of the day, none of the employees were there to help him out, and he had to find a way to clean up his own mess.

Will the boss learn from this mistake and take back his demand for incomplete reports? We'll have to wait and see…

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  • Lab research team doing research microscope
    via Stockbusters

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I need this report earlier!

    So i work in a science lab, and normally we write up our results for the day around 2pm when all of the testing is done, we leave at 3:30.
    via kyle1234513
  • the bosses boss being mostly admin and managerial works 9- 5 the bosses boss wants this report magically earlier in the day before were done with all of our testing, he walks into the lab holding one of the reports (this is paraphrased),"I need this earlier, you guys are always giving it to me after the days already over and I cant make any changes, I need to know whats going on sooner rather than later to make adjustments.
    via kyle1234513
  • 11 would be much better." I try explaining the reports done at 2 because thats when all of the numbers are in, if I do it earlier it wont be complete.
    via kyle1234513
  • he says back what will be missing?.... (this and this, i point to the sections) he says oh those arent important, we dont make changes based on those.
    via kyle1234513
  • So I ask him to send me an email as a reminder to me, and to the rest of the lab as well so they can make this change.
    via kyle1234513
  • "will do" He walks back down to his office and sends it. im floored. So I ask my direct boss and she smiles too knowing what would happen.
    via kyle1234513
  • For the full month we comply, but we leave 2 uninteresting numbers off the daily report every day simply because the numbers arent in yet, the testing hasnt been done, everyone in the lab is on board with this.
    via kyle1234513
  • Lab workers having enough
    via tomazl

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • so the end of the month comes around and the boss is looking to print out his monthly compliance report and he has a big empty section for two pages.
    via kyle1234513
  • he cant figure it out. all of us have left by 3:30, and what should be a simple 5minute print and hole punch job he does at the end of every month he has to go find where 2 points of data are kept.
    via kyle1234513
  • bosses boss was stuck staying late on the last day of the month to get the report in.
    via kyle1234513
  • my boss ignored his calls for a few hours but finally gave in around 7 to get back to him to tell him where he could find the numbers.
    via kyle1234513
  • (everything is labeled in the lab, he shouldve been able to resolve it himself) he was there till about 8 putting data in.
    via kyle1234513
  • FeedingCoxeysArmy You left us hanging. Did Boss request you go back to 2:30 report times or are you still leaving out the 2 results he deemed unimportant?
    via FeedingCoxeysArmy
  • OP kyle1234513 theyre left off the report, we still do the incomplete report at 11, but we update those 2 numbers for him a day behind now. more work for us. yaaaaaay.
    via kyle1234513
  • Gaplmaginary4040 Send an 11am report & a 2pm report
    via Gaplmaginary4040
  • OP kyle1234513 thats more work for me >.<
    via kyle1234513
  • Upset_Practice_5700 So you could have put yesterdays 2 numbers in todays report under the yesterdays numbers section?
    via Upset_Practice_5700
  • OP kyle1234513 nope, report sheet has "todays" numbers. we followed directions.
    via kyle1234513
  • pcas87 This sounds like you and boss are just looking for ways to be more incompetent. Poor patients have to wait an entire day because you cant get off your ass and do your job properly.
    via pcas87
  • OP kyle1234513 at any point in time through the month the head honcho couldve checked the report in advance, to see this data isnt logging. he didnt. just goes to show he doesnt check things until its his personal immediate need showcasing his poor scheduling and time management.
    via kyle1234513
  • Ivy_Thornsplitter Oh man. Working on HPLC, I get called all the time for "is it in spec?" I reply with "I don't know, the sop says this is how to run it and that takes a few hours." They never like that answer.
    via Ivy_Thornsplitter

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boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job tests tales-from-the-workplace results ceo lab overworked-employees workplace company report funny
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