These are specifically levied against poor blue-collar workers, and while the given reason of it being for 'safety' is somewhat reasonable, in effect it just becomes a mechanism of control and extra 'hoops' between poor people and the resources they need to survive. It's meant as a filter to weed out people who will not degrade themselves sufficiently for a paycheck.

It's not as if they work, every poor blue-collar worker on every job site is taking some kind of substance to cope with the back-breaking drudgery their existence entails.

Maybe I'd feel different if these jobs were at least a way to step up in the world; you trade hard physical labor for a good paycheck. But these are poor-paying jobs that break the people doing them down.

It's a small company of <100 employees. About a year ago, they did an "anonymous" survey about how to make it a better place to work. A couple months ago, leadership announced they were working 401k matching to bring the company more in line with the benefits offered by their competitors.

This month, I noticed they were contributing about a dollar a paycheck to my 401k. I went and asked my boss. Apparently, they decided to do a 3% "rate" match, as in they contribute 3% of what I contribute. For every dollar I contribute, my employer contributes 3 cents. I guess that's 3 cents more than a lot of people get. But really, leadership thought they could make their employees happy and have competitive benefits for about $1000 per month.

I don't know if it's greed or cluelessness. How can anyone misunderstand 401k matching that badly?

I work an office job in a physical building. I don't engage with or do work outside of office hours. This is the 3rd time my office manager has texted me off the clock with non-emergency questions. My company functions in 1998, there is no remote option or access to any information without being in office.

What sends me over the edge is that this time she asked me specifics about shit she could have easily looked up AT WORK or simply asked the customer she talked to without bothering me at all. I don't engage with or track work things when I'm not physically there. How the fuck would I know what specific items a delivery driver failed to drop off if I can't look at the fucking information.

I'm muting her number going forward, idgaf if there's a work emergency. There's no reason to do this to people. My company ships supplies to businesses, there is absolutely nothing so extremely important that it needs to be texted about off the clock.

If it was my boss asking about the $35k shipment where I am point if contact, fine. I'll answer that. But a lightweight customer service question? Fuck all the way off.

BTW I'm absolutely talking to my boss about adding billable hours for being asked to perform labor off the clock. 10 minutes is 10 minutes. Pay me.

I know the Latin doesn't exactly work. "Quid pro non" is better in that regard, but doesn't rhyme or sound right. I know that doesn't really matter, just trying to nip some comments in the bud.

Quick TL;DR from my last post:

I’m a master electrician in Germany and took over a management position during my probation period. The position had apparently been difficult to fill for a long time and my predecessor quit almost immediately.

For the first few months everything seemed fine. My official probation reviews were actually good. In June I was rated above expectations for work ethic, quality and professional interest. Independence and judgment met expectations, and my behavior toward coworkers and management was rated as flawless.

My boss also told me early on not to come in too aggressively as the new manager, especially with older employees, so I deliberately tried to be cooperative and build relationships first.

Then, near the end of probation, everything suddenly flipped.

I was told I lack “role understanding,” assertiveness and leadership presence. Several ratings dropped from above/meets expectations to only “partially meets expectations.”

The weird part is that my current written review still says my work quality is fine, I’m reliable, cooperative and behave professionally.

The main criticism is basically that I don’t act enough like “the boss.”

For example, I asked another department when they could accommodate some work. My boss later told me I should have simply given them a date and said, essentially, “This is when we’re doing it. If you don’t like it, complain to my boss.”

Which is almost the opposite of how he initially told me to behave.

There were a bunch of other accusations that became weaker once I asked for specifics.

I was accused of taking advantage of flexible working hours, even though the timekeeping system should show that I usually start around 6:30–7:00 and often work 9–10 hour days.

I was criticized for not progressing enough with my onboarding, even though previous probation records literally state that parts of the onboarding were still outstanding and were supposed to be organized later. I also only received the actual onboarding plan after asking for it.

There was also a claim that I couldn’t perform a certain electrical switching task. I pointed out that I had already done it and that it was documented.

Another example: I asked what I should have done differently on one project. My boss said I should have emailed two people telling them to clear the work area. I told him I had already done exactly that. After some discussion, that criticism basically disappeared.

Still, HR and my boss told me I had about two weeks to show a better “understanding of my role.”

I asked the obvious question:

What exactly do you want me to do differently, and how will you measure whether I improved?

They genuinely couldn’t give me a measurable answer.

The response was basically that they would ask other departments whether my “presence” had improved.

Now the actual update:

I involved the works council.

Apparently, after the works council spoke to my boss, the situation changed again.

Originally HR talked about extending my probation by another three months.

Now my boss apparently told the works council that the decision is more like:

permanent employment or termination.

He supposedly says the decision is genuinely difficult for him and that he wants to see how I perform over the next 1–2 weeks.

He also wants to meet me privately outside of work to talk.

That part feels strange to me.

On top of that, I have roughly three weeks worth of accumulated overtime. If things go according to the current plan, my last actual working day before using those hours would already be around September 10.

So this supposed “1–2 week evaluation period” is basically only a handful of actual working days.

I honestly don’t know what to make of this anymore.

Part of me thinks I should just play the game for a few days: be more assertive, make decisions more visibly, give people firm deadlines, show more “leadership presence” and see if I get the permanent contract.

The other part of me has completely lost trust.

I don’t want to turn myself into some fake authoritarian manager just because the expectations suddenly changed at the end of probation.

And even if they offer me a permanent contract, I’m asking myself whether I even want to stay after all of this.

I’m also wondering what to make of the request to meet privately outside work. Maybe he genuinely wants to talk openly without HR around. Maybe it’s nothing. But at this point I’m suspicious of basically everything.

So my questions are:

Would you still try to secure the permanent position, even if you already planned to leave later?

Would you agree to the private/off-site conversation with your boss?

And does this whole process sound like a genuine last chance to you, or more like they’re trying to keep their options open until the very end?

At this point I’m leaning toward: stay professional, document everything, don’t volunteer for heroics, let the works council do its job and quietly prepare my exit.

But I’d really like some outside perspectives.

Some people don't get that this a privilege that not everyone has. How do you explain it to them?

Started a new job today after getting laid off four weeks ago.

Job posting said health benefits available for eligible employees. I, like most people, read that as, “finish your probationary period and you can get insurance.”

Apparently, what that actually means is, “we have health insurance for our employees in the other country we operate in, but not for US employees.”

Allegedly they’re working on it, but rumblings in the workplace are indirectly calling that lip service.

While I’m glad I have a job, I really wish they would’ve been more up front about the benefits situation, as those are a large reason that most people seek employment. I have a few conditions that require medication, and those medications are NOT cheap without insurance, and generics are still expensive.

Fingers crossed they legitimately get something soon, but guess who gets to go back to submitting applications?

This is my 4th season working for a landscaping company. Over the course of the season our foreman quit and I’ve taken on a lot of her responsibilities. Back in May we were given new uniforms and I received a “foreman” uniform and told I was becoming a foreman. There was no meeting prior to the announcement and no change in pay. So basically my responsibilities have increased and I’ve taken on a leadership role with no raise.

I’m just now leaving the meeting I requested to have asking for a raise and they will not give me one. I was told that I’ve really excelled in my role and “if I keep it up” then they will “revisit” the possibility of a raise

I'm over 50. Spouse will be retiring next year and I get insurance through him. So I've been trying to find a job with benefits for a couple of years because private health insurance will take up too much salary.

Had a company that was very excited about my qualifications and asked for a quick video introduction. They got back to me within 24 hours of submitting my application and within 24 hours of submitting my written assessment question answers. They asked for a 30 - 60 second video that was just an intro (they included a script to show what they wanted.) Recorded that, got an automated email telling me it was received. And nothing for the past 10 days.

Friday I had a virtual panel interview for a position with a state agency. So much about DEI. I was supposed to get the interview questions 30 minutes before my interview started but didn't get them until 10 minutes before. 1/3 of the questions were DEI related, 0 were related to any skills needed for the position. The panel interviewers were smiling and happy looking when they let me into the room until I turned my camera on then their demeanors changed. I was told they would make a decision on who would advance to in person interviews so I should expect an email on the decision this week. I got the rejection email before they finished the rest of their interviews on Friday.

Today I spent 90 minutes applying for an non-faculty opening at a school. Just got told by one of my references that the reference form says that just because the position is advertised doesn't mean it actually exists. Nothing on their website or on the billion or so pages I had to enter info on for the actual application mentioned this. Both references said it was one of the worst reference experiences they've ever had.

Nearly half of the team were fired today in 'restructuring'.

How do we make sure we're not left behind?

I’ve been struggling to find a job since being let go Nov 2025. Finally found a temporary gig that would pay my rent for the next 2 months. Only the bosses suck. Like, not just work wise, personality wise.

It really emphasises to me how when you have money to fall back on, it’s not simply privilege.. it enables you to, I dunno, stand up for yourself like a normal human being? So many times they have been rude and I just had to bite my tongue and smile because I can’t afford to lose the gig.

The gig itself isn’t great; no overtime pay but overtime is common (worked until 6am once and still had to go to office), no benefits, fully wfo for work that is digital. I’m a temporary worker so I don’t even have a company desktop. Every day I’m dragging my laptop to work.

Well. That’s just reality I guess, and I should be grateful I even found this.

Hi! I work a front desk position at a hotel, I started in mid July and have a few complaints about the work I’m doing and how my boss is using me.

For starters, I’ve worked in hospitality at similar hotels in the same role for about 4 or 5 years now, I moved jobs in July to a new property and though the interview process was weird, I needed the money so I took the job. By weird I mean that I interviewed with the GM of the property for about 10 minutes, and then she got pulled into a meeting and I talked to two random employees for like 5 minutes and then I left, I got a call offering the position later that afternoon.

When I was hired I was given specific hours that I would be working and while my training schedule wasn’t what was promised the first two weeks I overlooked it because I was in training. Then after I finished training the AGM quit, and our housekeeping supervisor quit. So after I finished my training my promised hours were essentially thrown out the window and I was then scheduled to be a housekeeping supervisor (with no pay raise I was told that this position payed the same amount) for pretty much the rest of the time I’ve been working here which has been a month and a half now. So my set schedule promised at the interview, thrown out the window. And now they’re expecting me to cover night audit (overnights) on the weekends and pretty much telling me I won’t get my full time hours if I don’t.

I’ve also learned that they expected to get rid of a pm person when they hired me and they still haven’t gotten rid of him so my schedule that wasn’t promised isn’t open yet.

I’m pretty much ready to quit this job but I need the health insurance, I plan on moving in a little over a month to another city so I knew this job would be short term anyway, but I took the job expecting it to be a standard front desk job like the ones I’ve had where I can read for a good portion of the shift, but now I spend all my time running around the floors and managing conflict between housekeepers whose language I don’t even speak. On top of that my sleep schedule isn’t feasible with having to stay up on the overnights and then be ready to work 9-5 on the day after.

I’m just tired and over it, and on top of this my boss can’t help herself to give me a hard time, and dismisses my complaints when I have them. I just feel like I’m being used and wanted to shout into the void I guess.

Fuck capitalism, I have to pay my rent

I need to talk about this bizarre job description for a founding marketing job at what I assume to be a start up or side business.

Please tell me I'm not stroking out and this job description really is over the top and word salad. Not to mention condescending? Patronizing? Lines of text are randomly bold! (I can share screenshots if folks want them)

The entire thing is so bizarre and looooong, I had to include it entirely.

I would never want to work for this company, it sounds exhausting. Do you think this is like a weird "let the rich founder just run with it" or are there actually companies like this?

Let me know if this is against the rules, I tried to remove their name and didn't want to post the screenshots for ease of reading... I'm sure you could Google some of this and easily find it because damn. I needed to get outside opinions!

*/JOB DESCRIPTION\*

Head of Marketing

At xxx, the innovation sister company of xxx, we build AI-native adtech platforms. Our lead platform is moving from build into beta.

We already know what we think it is. We have a category thesis, a tagline we believe in, a manifesto, and a defined audience. And the tech is amazing. What we do not have is someone to take all of that from a strong idea to a thing the market actually says back to us.

That is the job.

The hard part, stated plainly

There is an obvious version of what we sell. It is easier to explain, it already has a name, and several very well funded companies are already sitting in it, with more arriving. Positioning ourselves there would be the safe move, and we believe it would be fatal. It is a commodity ditch.

The position we believe in is harder to say, harder to sell on first contact, and much better. It makes a claim about how ordinary businesses become known that the incumbents cannot make.

Your job is to take that position, sharpen it, and make it real. Not invent it from nothing, and not soften it into the legible thing everyone else is selling. The pull toward that ditch will be constant, it will come from smart people with good reasons, and holding the line while still shipping revenue is the difficulty of the role.

If you have never had to defend a position that was right but harder to explain, this will not go well for either of us.

What we believe, and the ratio

Marketing exists to create demand, not to serve it. Not to support sales. Not to feed a pipeline. Most of the people who will eventually buy from us are not in the market today, and reaching them is not waste, it is the job. Our thinking is rooted in Ehrenberg-Bass: mental availability, distinctive brand assets, easy to remember beats clever at persuading.

So here is the ratio, plainly. About 60 percent of this role is creating demand (category, brand, reach, the argument) and about 40 percent is capturing it, with your own hands (the site, the signup funnel, lifecycle, paid, AEO, and the instrumentation that proves any of it worked).

Our lead platform is self-serve. There is no sales team standing by to catch a lead. If someone becomes interested and the path from interest to first dollar is bad, that is a marketing failure and it is yours. The bottom of the funnel is not beneath this job, it is downstream of it.

On measurement: we are not anti-data. We are against letting only the measurable things count.

Role overview

You own marketing for xxx. All of it, as a function of one, leveraged by AI, with executive air cover and a real creative engine behind you. When the model proves out, you hire beneath you.

What does not exist yet is the market believing any of it. Nobody outside this building uses our language. No demand engine, no baseline, no proof. Turning internal conviction into external reality is the whole assignment, and it is unglamorous more often than not.

This is a founding function inside a company that is not early stage: established leadership, developed doctrine, and a capital position most founding marketers never get. Want it because of that, not in spite of it.

What you'll own

Creating demand

The category and its language. Pressure-test the thesis, sharpen it, and evolve it into positioning and narrative that survive real buyers. Then extend it into every surface so it is a platform, not a tagline. The center of the job.

Brand. Voice, identity, and standards, built with our creative team. Brand as demand creation, not as a guidelines PDF.

Reach. The channels that build mental availability, including the broadcast and audio ones this company knows better than anyone.

The story in market. Content, social, editorial, and PR that carries an argument instead of filling a calendar.

Capturing it, yourself

The self-serve funnel. Signup, activation, onboarding. You will be in the analytics finding where people quit.

Lifecycle and email. Nurture, retention, winback.

Paid, where it earns its place. With the discipline to know when a channel is buying demand we already made versus making new.

Search and answer-engine visibility. People will start looking once we give them the words. Be there when they do.

Instrumentation. Measurement that defends top-of-funnel spend to a skeptical room, and reporting that shows what converts.

Across both: turning product reality into market reality with product, engineering and creative; building AI workflows we have not thought of yet; and hiring your team when the math says so.

Who you are

You have a belief system about how marketing works, and you can tell us where it came from. A conviction with an origin story, ideally one that cost you something.

You have made a market actually use a new idea. Not authored a positioning deck. Carried a position through campaigns, product, and press until customers and competitors used the words.

This is the gate.

You can tell the difference between a position that is right and one that is merely legible, and you will defend the harder one.

You are unmistakably practical. You have shipped the landing page, written the email sequence, read the funnel report, and killed your own campaign when the numbers said to. Recently, and with your own hands.

You have marketed a platform, ideally one worth nothing until both sides showed up. Tell us how you broke the cold start.

You know the small business owner as a buyer. The owner-operator who signs the check and has never bought television, not a procurement committee. And you will do that grind yourself.

Presence. You will be the face of this platform on stages, on camera, and on podcasts. You need the energy that makes strangers lean forward. Not negotiable, not coachable.

You build with AI, you do not just use it. Opinions about the tools, your own job rebuilt around them, and something you made that you can show us.

Marketing has actually been your title. Ten-plus years of real depth in brand, category, demand creation, or product marketing. Broadcast literacy (TV, radio, audio, CTV) is a strong plus.

You will push back when you think we are wrong. We would rather argue with you than manage you.

The two ways people fail this role: the strategist with a beautiful worldview who has not shipped anything in five years, and the operator who runs every channel but has no idea what the company is trying to mean. We need both halves in one person.

What this role is not

Not a demand-gen or performance-marketing seat. Running lead capture and automation is part of the job. Believing that is the job is the mismatch. If your center of gravity is MQL-to-SQL modeling, you will be unhappy.

Not a sales, BD, partnerships, or revenue role. Separate seats, separate hires. No quota.

Not a CMO seat. No org underneath you on day one. You earn that.

Your first year

Months 1 to 3. Absorb the product, the thesis, and the customer. Come back with your honest read: where the position is strong, where it is soft, what you would sharpen. We want it argued with, not accepted. In parallel, stand up the stack, instrument the site and funnel, and set the baselines we do not have today.

Months 4 to 6. The evolved positioning is settled and adopted across leadership, product, and creative. Site rebuilt around it. Content and social carrying the argument. First paid tests running. Lifecycle sequences shipped.

Months 7 to 12. By month twelve we should know three things: whether the market has started using our words instead of the commodity category's, whether demand is being created at the pace the platform requires, and whether the path from first visit to first dollar has improved on real volume. If so, the playbook carries to the next product.

I am so drained out demotivated crusted by my previous experience that I don't want to go through same experience ever again . toxic boss toxic work screw that I am so done