Boss Criticizes Employee With Broken Bones For Sitting On A Stool, Changes His Tone Immediately When He Quits
The job industry and the work conditions that employees are subjected to can sometimes feel dystopian, soulless, and robotic, without a scrap of empathy to be found when you need it most. As it turns out, for some managers, technicalities and strictly following procedures are far more important than the health of the employees themselves.
That’s exactly what redditor u/hestolemysmile proved when he shared how he quit his job after getting criticized by his boss for sitting on a stool… even though he had two broken bones in his foot. You’ll find the full text message exchange below, Pandas.
The redditor also had an update for everyone after his post on the r/antiwork subreddit went absolutely viral. It was the top-awarded post on Reddit, got a whopping 235k upvotes (and counting!), and got more awards than we can count. The amount of support redditors gave the author of the post is astounding and is likely to restore at least part of your faith in humanity.
A fulfillment warehouse worker with two broken bones went viral after sharing what happened when he sat on a stool at work
Image credits: hestolemysmile
Here are the messages that made the employee quit his job immediately
Image credits: hestolemysmile
The most astonishing part of the entire story might be the fact that redditor u/hestolemysmile managed to not only get all of his work done with two broken bones but he was also the top-performing employee in the fulfillment warehouse that day.
However, for the redditor’s boss, the fact that he sat on a stool was seemingly more important than being efficient and comfortable. Frankly, it’s no surprise that the author of the post decided to quit then and there. While making big career decisions can be scary, it was very obvious that the redditor felt relief after he quit: “I’m done being bullied by anyone… People like my former boss and family treat people like they own them, and it’s our responsibility to show them that they absolutely do not.”
Luckily, the redditor has enough savings squirreled away that he’ll be able to keep food on the table for a few months while he makes the transition into another, better career path. In fact, he told Reddit that he’s already applied to a few places, but will take a week off to get some rest, spend time with his family, and clean up the park near his home.
The most magical thing? Redditors have been sending the author actual job offers! It’s moments like this that really make you realize that the internet can be a force for good and that online communities like Reddit have the power to change the world for the better, when they’re at their best and most empathetic.
Quite a few people have been thinking about changing up their careers, even if their current jobs aren’t terrible. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a lot of creative burnout and some people simply want a change. Just last week, I reached out to Twitter user Kierra who helps people pivot into tech, especially data-related roles. She opened up to Bored Panda about how she’s been feeling about her job recently.
“I’ve been working in this current position for some years and I’ve been looking for a change. The work isn’t terrible, but I’m not quite as interested in what I’m doing as when I first started. I feel as though others might be feeling the same way. COVID has been rough on everyone in some aspect of life, even if it’s just burnout. So many people are tired of being stuck in their pandemic routines and want a fresh start, something new and exciting… or even freeing.”
According to Kierra, whether or not someone should quit their jobs depends on the individual circumstances of the job. If things are truly toxic, you should get out ASAP. Otherwise, you should consider looking for a new job while still at your old one, for various reasons.
“I always recommend people to look for a job while they are at their current role, mainly for job security and financial reasons. Searching for a new role can take some time and quitting a role cold turkey without any savings can make the job hunt even more stressful,” she told Bored Panda.
However, if you’re in a toxic workplace environment that’s causing a lot of mental and physical strain, you should move on as soon as you can. “I consider that a different situation and I would advise one to leave as soon as they can. Your health is always more important than a job.”
Reddit users have been incredibly supportive of the employee. Here’s what they had to say
Meanwhile, internet users shared their own similar experiences at work
I can't believe the US thinks it's the best country in the world and doesn't even allow workers to sit down during shifts.
American here, the greatest country in the world my ass. The only people who matter are the rich.
Load More Replies...You know, in the UK, the cashiers have chairs. They can sit, stand, switch. Our groceries still get scanned through just the same.
It makes no sense to force retail workers to stand. They act like it "looks unprofessional" to sit, but go to a corporate office or bank -- the receptionist or bankers will be sitting.
Load More Replies...In Europe everyone sits down at checkouts. Bloody ridiculous that it's like a badge of honour in the US that you have stand all day.
Not a badge of honor at all, in fact quite the opposite. Just submission to sadistic assholes for a paycheck.
Load More Replies...I am sickened by the idea that someone with a broken foot is not only NOT being given paid time off to heal, but is being spied on after the fact by someone who only cares about a meaningless rule, and gives no thought to the worker or his achievements. I use Amazon a lot, but man, would I support it if all those warehouse workers walked out and didn't come back. Some don't get breaks at all, and some get toilet or food breaks so short that they have to actually run there and back to be on time. It's disgusting.
I'm not really sure why people think your work is somehow worse because you're sitting down. If anything, this shows that your work is better when sitting down.
When I worked at Whirlpool call center, they were more concerned with stats then actually helping the customer. They have what is called "save a call" which is a nice way of saying you verbally pat the customer on the head and sent them on their way without really addressing their issue. I, on the other hand, got reprimanded for long call times because I took the time to solve their problems. When confronted with this, I asked the manager why I got high praises from customers (proof because they left compliments on our customer feedback line) and did he have any information as to how many of my customers called back with further complaints. Companies are no longer interested in customer satisfaction or employee performance...it's all about numbers and saving money for the big bosses bonuses. I'm glad I work somewhere now where helping the customer is not only appreciated, employee comfort and happiness is also a priority.
I got in trouble for longer call times once when we had a micromanager in charge. I was a sales manager for a financial company and outsold every other sales person there. Sales is a relationship business. Micromanager got fired not long after. He caused so much problems in morale and complaint added up. I won the sales manager award for outselling everyone in the west coast (several offices,) while being the only woman on team.
Load More Replies...Working in manufacturing in the early 2000's, they deemed chairs on the line unacceptable. A couple co-workers and I went to the office and took THEIR chairs, and hid them. Hilarity ensued. Bosses were NOT amused (Union shop)
Good! Boss sits the whole time in his comfortable chair but his employees can not sit a minute. So wrong!
Load More Replies...I had a boss watch me on camera, every single day. For hours. Whenever I looked at my phone, he called the store. If I closed my eyes longer than a microsecond, he would call the store. If I was doing my work, he would call just to tell me to redo everything. I waited for our Christmas event where hundreds of customers were flowing through the door. I was the only cashier while my boss got tipsy. Of course it's Christmas so everyone thinks they are entitled. Making me mad on purpose. So I put my coat on and I left without saying a word. They lost a lot of product that night. They had contacted me saying it was my fault. But I never even bothered calling back to hear the sob story.
I can't believe the US thinks it's the best country in the world and doesn't even allow workers to sit down during shifts.
American here, the greatest country in the world my ass. The only people who matter are the rich.
Load More Replies...You know, in the UK, the cashiers have chairs. They can sit, stand, switch. Our groceries still get scanned through just the same.
It makes no sense to force retail workers to stand. They act like it "looks unprofessional" to sit, but go to a corporate office or bank -- the receptionist or bankers will be sitting.
Load More Replies...In Europe everyone sits down at checkouts. Bloody ridiculous that it's like a badge of honour in the US that you have stand all day.
Not a badge of honor at all, in fact quite the opposite. Just submission to sadistic assholes for a paycheck.
Load More Replies...I am sickened by the idea that someone with a broken foot is not only NOT being given paid time off to heal, but is being spied on after the fact by someone who only cares about a meaningless rule, and gives no thought to the worker or his achievements. I use Amazon a lot, but man, would I support it if all those warehouse workers walked out and didn't come back. Some don't get breaks at all, and some get toilet or food breaks so short that they have to actually run there and back to be on time. It's disgusting.
I'm not really sure why people think your work is somehow worse because you're sitting down. If anything, this shows that your work is better when sitting down.
When I worked at Whirlpool call center, they were more concerned with stats then actually helping the customer. They have what is called "save a call" which is a nice way of saying you verbally pat the customer on the head and sent them on their way without really addressing their issue. I, on the other hand, got reprimanded for long call times because I took the time to solve their problems. When confronted with this, I asked the manager why I got high praises from customers (proof because they left compliments on our customer feedback line) and did he have any information as to how many of my customers called back with further complaints. Companies are no longer interested in customer satisfaction or employee performance...it's all about numbers and saving money for the big bosses bonuses. I'm glad I work somewhere now where helping the customer is not only appreciated, employee comfort and happiness is also a priority.
I got in trouble for longer call times once when we had a micromanager in charge. I was a sales manager for a financial company and outsold every other sales person there. Sales is a relationship business. Micromanager got fired not long after. He caused so much problems in morale and complaint added up. I won the sales manager award for outselling everyone in the west coast (several offices,) while being the only woman on team.
Load More Replies...Working in manufacturing in the early 2000's, they deemed chairs on the line unacceptable. A couple co-workers and I went to the office and took THEIR chairs, and hid them. Hilarity ensued. Bosses were NOT amused (Union shop)
Good! Boss sits the whole time in his comfortable chair but his employees can not sit a minute. So wrong!
Load More Replies...I had a boss watch me on camera, every single day. For hours. Whenever I looked at my phone, he called the store. If I closed my eyes longer than a microsecond, he would call the store. If I was doing my work, he would call just to tell me to redo everything. I waited for our Christmas event where hundreds of customers were flowing through the door. I was the only cashier while my boss got tipsy. Of course it's Christmas so everyone thinks they are entitled. Making me mad on purpose. So I put my coat on and I left without saying a word. They lost a lot of product that night. They had contacted me saying it was my fault. But I never even bothered calling back to hear the sob story.
























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