Recently, a story from one Reddit user who worked as a videographer for “a 7-figure company” caught everyone’s attention on the r/antiwork subreddit. The person also shared how little they were paid, how toxic the office environment was and how there was “an insane amount of work.”

But the videographer didn’t let their hands down and kept pushing through. “How I managed to do it for 6 months is beyond me, especially for how shitty I was paid.” Naturally, the time came to ask for a raise and this is where the story turns sour.

Not only was the author fired in return, they were also told to not be “pulling their weight,” which is the last thing someone who worked really hard deserves to hear. Read on for the full story below, which ends in pressing delete on the hours upon hours of video work.

After getting fired from his toxic workplace, this Redditor who worked there as a videographer discovered that the company has still been using his work

Image credits: Guillaume Issaly (not the actual photo)

A report from Everfi found that negative stress is overwhelmingly common in the workplace, with a whopping of 54 percent of respondents saying it is prevalent, along with high rates of toxic culture. Similarly, the 2019 Dice survey was conducted to determine how toxic culture at work affects employees. 47 percent of respondents said they want to quit their job for a place with “better working conditions.”

The signs of it include but are not limited to toxic behavior, distrust, and resentment, egregious conduct like harassment, discrimination, and bullying that are, sadly, all prevalent in today’s workplace. Sometimes, it’s the overall negative vibe that seems to penetrate the office which often lingers for many years to come.

So fed up with the whole thing, he deleted thousands of hours of work

If you feel like you’re trapped in a toxic workplace, there are some concrete things you should know in order to get out of it. So we spoke with Marilyn Starkloff, a marketing coordinator and content strategist who said that first of all, you gotta trust your gut. “If you used to like what you do but now you only dread it. Does your workplace bring out the worst in you? Do you drive to work thinking about all the different ways you can crash your car? Then it’s time to say your goodbyes and find a new job,” she said.

Paradoxically, while the toxic workplace trap is really real and very hard to overcome, many survivors who left it say they regret not making the decision sooner. This is what happened to Marilyn. “I regret not leaving sooner than I did. It was not until covid when I was on furlough for those few months, I realized while I was no longer working at that job, my mental and physical health improved tremendously. I squandered five years at a horrible workplace because I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ‘what ifs’ and was afraid of quitting.”

Don’t let the fear of “what ifs” stop you from leaving the toxic workplace

The fears of not being able to find another job, or of ending up in an equally bad if not worse work atmosphere, fear of the boss’ reaction and how it would look on your resume, are very real. But there are few things as liberating as pulling the trigger and confronting those “what ifs” in order to free yourself.

“Learn to put yourself first, not your boss. We only have one life, so make the most of it by surrounding yourself with people that love and support you. Don’t let fear and ‘what ifs’ rule your life; instead, take action,” Marilyn said to anyone who’s struggling in a similar situation right now.

She continued: “I understand that circumstances are tough, and that leaving your hostile/abusive workplace isn’t easy. There are ways to cope, like I did over the past five years. I strongly advise you to use these approaches only when actively looking for a new employment.”

And this is what people commented on this whole situation

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