20 Times Bosses Were Out of Touch With Reality

"I texted my boss during a shift about the extreme danger of wind chills reaching minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, worried about being locked out while doing the trash. The boss responded, calling me 'a full-grown man' and threatening, 'If you close early and we get a complaint, you will be terminated,' because 'we got to be there for the customers who love Dunkin'."

"My boss confidently handed me a small, battery-powered rotary hammer (a drill) to complete a demolition job on a rocky terrain, insisting it was the powerful 'jackhammer' I needed. It shows a complete lack of knowledge about the basic tools required for construction work."

"When I step away from my desk, my boss returns my confidential files by just dropping them in a loose stack on the carpet right behind my partially open door. Respect for privacy, organizational procedures, or the simple act of placing them on my desk is apparently too much to ask."

"A passive-aggressive sign is posted stating: 'NOBODY IS ENTITLED TO ‘CHARGE UP’ ANY MOBILE PHONES... ON THESE PREMISES. IT IS THEFT OF ELECTRICITY, AND YOU MAY FIND A DEDUCTION HAS BEEN MADE FROM YOUR PAY.' The boss is threatening wage theft over the minimal cost of charging a cell phone." 

"My boss consistently leaves a new roll of toilet paper resting unsecured on top of the empty cardboard tube in the employee bathroom dispenser, rather than taking the two seconds to install it properly. It’s a perfect symbol of their willingness to do the bare minimum for the staff."

"My severely unorganized boss decided to dump the entire contents of his messy desk drawer, a chaotic mix of pens, pencils, and miscellaneous items, into the neat office pen tray that I had previously organized by color and type."

"At 4 PM on a Friday, my boss handed me a ridiculously thick stack of paper envelopes, a pile of outstanding invoices, to make sure everything had been paid. This wasn't even part of my job description, ruining my anticipation for the weekend."

"My boss refuses to buy more commercial cleaning supplies. Instead, he insists we add household dish soap (Dawn) to the little bleach we have left for cleaning, creating a dangerous and ineffective solution simply to save a few dollars."

"Last week, my boss overheard the staff complaining about the lack of raises and financial struggles. This week, as a 'reward' or morale booster, everyone received a single, individually wrapped sugar cookie, proving they completely missed the point."

"A poorly designed office sign announces that the Open Enrollment period for medical benefits is only 9 days long. The poster was put up on January 8th, leaving employees only one day to actively 'pick them again,' or they will lose their benefits until the next year. This forces urgent action during a high-stress holiday period."

"My boss tried to call me in on my scheduled day off, which I had booked a month in advance to visit my grandmother with Alzheimer's. The boss responded to my refusal: 'im sure your grandmother will understand. its not like she’ll even remember you visited anyway! ;)' I quit immediately."

"A sign was posted warning: 'DO NOT USE SHARPIES OR WET ERASE... ON THE BOARDING WHITEBOARDS.' My boss then taped two pink post-its next to it, pointing to a Sharpie and a Wet Erase marker with labels, treating the staff like children who can’t tell the difference."

"I messaged my boss, Rick, asking for Thursday off for a last-minute personal issue, offering to reschedule if needed. Seven hours later, after I asked if he got the message, he replied with only 'Yes, I did.' He read the request and chose to ignore it without approving or denying it."

"My boss announced a new rule stating that emails and chats must be checked and responded to 'in increments on 5-10 minutes' even while working through other tasks. They even demanded training on how to achieve this unrealistic level of constant availability."

"I had to call out because one of my chinchillas died suddenly. My boss’s response in the group chat was, 'You are not allowed to switch with anyone anymore. This is ridiculous. We schedule you for a reason.' This complete lack of professionalism and basic human empathy was shocking."

"My job has strict rules against overtime due to financial problems, which is fine. But my boss sent me a note saying I shouldn't be working overtime, specifically because I had worked one extra minute. They are micro-managing my time down to the second."

"A close-up of a Honeywell thermostat shows the 'Inside' temperature is a sweltering 83°F (approximately 28°C) on a Wednesday morning at 10:20 AM. The control panel is set to 'Cool' with the target temperature at 70°F, yet the boss is clearly ignoring the uncomfortable and unproductive heat in the office."

"The boss reportedly disliked the color of the chairs in the employee break room and, rather than replacing them, decided to remove them entirely. The photo shows two small round pedestal tables in a stark room, offering employees nowhere to sit during their breaks, highlighting a commitment to petty aesthetics over staff comfort."

"In an online review, a customer complained about a male receptionist who 'save girls number and text them later on,' calling it the 'Worst experience.' The owner's official, verified response to this serious claim of misconduct was simply, 'Hehehehe we do.' 

"At my old job, the bosses routinely parked their luxury vehicles (a BMW and a Porsche) across two spaces each, right in front of the main entrance marked 'CENTRAL INDUSTRIES, INC.' This was their way of publicly demonstrating their superior status and disregard for the employees."