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40 People Reveal “Dark Secrets” About Their Jobs That Common People Aren’t Supposed To Know
We all know how to keep a secret. Most of us learned as a child when we first decided to sneak an extra cookie before bedtime or refused to reveal to anyone who our best friend had a crush on. The average person is keeping an impressive 13 secrets at any given time, so we tend to exercise our vault capabilities often. But that is nothing compared to how many secrets the average corporation is holding onto, that is until some employees with loose lips decide to spill the beans...
Workers from various industries have been revealing “dirty little secrets” on Reddit from their professions that consumers aren’t intended to know, so we’ve gathered a list of some of the juiciest ones down below to keep you pandas informed. From secrets that can help you save a little money to revelations that might make you view an entire company differently, we hope this list opens up your eyes to what’s happening behind the scenes in these sectors.
Be sure to upvote the responses you find most shocking or upsetting, and then let us know in the comments if there are any juicy facts from your field you would like to reveal as well. And if you’re interested in even more of these dirty little secrets, you can check out Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic right here.
More info: Reddit | Reddit | Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I am a welder for a company that builds rollercoasters... Every single weld is inspected and x-rayed for any defect. So I guess this doesn't apply but just so everyone can feel a little bit safer I figured I'd let you internet people know.
#2
Teacher here: I hide YOUR secrets. If your kids know it, I know it. Children are tactless and impulsive and they tell me all about your reproductive habits, financial difficulties, domestic problems, and tindr dates. I know so much about moms and dads that I wish I could erase from my brain forever.
But I will never tell! You're welcome!
Paul Macdonell 2 years ago
It's okay. Our kids tell us about you too. We'll keep it a secret. .
#3
How we fix our computer issues in IT: We turn it off and on again.
Seriously, this fixes 99% of computer issues.
Many of us have been in a situation at work where we realized that something suspicious was going on. Whether we had to sign an NDA or a contract promising that we would keep our lips sealed about the business’ practices or we were threatened with losing our job if we opened up to the public, it’s no secret that companies keep information from the public. Sometimes secrets are used to ensure the business has a leg-up over competitors or utilized to keep the magic alive, at places like theme parks and Disneyland. But other times, dirty little secrets are intentionally kept because business owners know that the public would not be supportive of their practices.
When secrets come to light about discrimination or unfair treatment of employees behind the scenes, consumers are quick to boycott or tarnish the name of a company. And they should be. We all want to know where our money is going, and if a corporation does not align with our morals, they won’t get a penny more. Unfortunately, however, many businesses have mastered the art of keeping company secrets under lock and key, so we are very lucky when employees, like the people featured on this list, decide to open up.
#4
Many of the books you read - especially romance - aren't written by the person who's name is on the cover.
Most romance books are ghostwritten and bought by someone else (often a man, I've found) and published under a female's name with a fake bio.
How do I know this?
I'm a ghostwriter.
#5
If I start CPR on you, you have about a 5% chance to survive. I still try my hardest.
Mihai Mara 2 years ago
If you start singing Justin Bieber 's "Baby baby baby" while.you do CPR on me, chances of me waking up and slapping you are 98,59%
#6
Tech support. I google most of your problems. Good tech support is very well worded google searches
Valentin Iulian 2 years ago
Can confirm. I work as a sys admin / database admin at a multinational corporation. A good IT person rarely has all the answers at hand. The real skill is to know what questions to ask and where to ask them. Google is a great place to start. With several billion people using the internet daily, there’s a very high chance someone has already encountered the same issue as you and has posted his solution on a forum somewhere 😊
To consumers, it might seem suspicious that companies feel the need to hide things from us. But according to David Lonsdale, President of Allegiance Capital, many companies depend on keeping secrets for their livelihood, particularly when they decide to sell the business to someone else. He explains in an article he wrote for Inc. that if businesses revealed all of their secrets, they could lose control during a sale. Appearances are extremely important when running a business, so David says that a business owner should have full control over what the public knows about their company. This requires having a trustworthy investment bank, he notes, so there are never any surprises or concerns about what information is released.
David also notes that when a sale is made, the former and new owners should collaborate and decide precisely what story will be released to the public. “Effective confidentiality management provides control and prevents unfounded information from impacting the sale,” David writes.
#7
If your baby is in full-time care (40+ hours a week) the odds are that we know about their milestones (rolling, crawling, walking, talking, etc...) before you do. It's just because the majority of their waking time is spent with us. We don't tell you because working hard to provide for your kid doesn't make you a bad parent, and we don't want you to feel like you're missing out.
Tenacious Squirrel 2 years ago
I don’t have kids but feel I’d rather know (and be happy, presumably) that my child had made progress - whenever it happened. I guess I don’t understand parenthood, it all seems quite self serving/centred 🤷🏻♀️
#8
In mascara ads, the models are wearing lash extensions. No mascara is going to make your lashes that long, sorry.
#9
Valet driver here, dont leave your drugs in the car. A kid took a pound out of a customers car a few years back and the dude came back FLIPPIN out screaming at the manager. When the manager finally asked what was stolen and he told him weed, my manager just said "oh. Well you can file a police report then"
The next reason David notes for why companies must maintain secrets during a sale is because they could lose customers if the information became public. “If customers discover you are selling the business, they may be less willing to do business with you, because they can’t predict what will happen next or how it will impact them,” David writes. “Your competitors are fully aware of this, and can be expected to use any information about a possible sale to help lure customers away from you.”
He also notes that potential new customers may be deterred from doing business with you if they get word of the sale happening. It’s not ideal to be trapped in a contract with new owners that the customers do not know well, or perhaps even trust. David explains that new owners usually do not impact the customers at all, but customers tend to scare easily if they hear about the information abruptly. David says it’s best to reveal the news of a sale to them when you and the new owners feel ready.
#10
Teacher - it's that time of year to make class placements for next year. Every year there are two or three teachers in the school (elementary) who are so awful, we cry over which students we have to 'sacrifice' to them and hope they are strong enough to survive a year with Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So.
#11
Once you realize that a "real estate agent" is actually just a "used house salesman", you start to understand what real estate is really about.
Tammilee Truitt 2 years ago
I'm selling my house of 23 yrs. I've disclosed honestly. Just hope the buyers can find trustworthy contractors and repair people. Good house with good bones. Always a struggle to get good people fair price for simplest things. Makes owning a home too expensive for me now.
#12
Wash your fruit, we find spiders hanging out in grapes and berries all the time, your friendly neighborhood grocery store employee
Mihai Mara 2 years ago
There are people who don't wash their fruit/vegetables? Just think about all the hands that touched the fruit/veggies before you, about all the pesticides used, about the dust/dirt/ on them and about all the spiders and flies that landed on them.
Another reason David says companies must maintain secrets during a sale is to not lose high-value employees. He explains that employees often worry that their jobs are in jeopardy when they hear news of a sale, and if they start jumping ship, the quality of the business could suffer. David recommends keeping key employees in on the sale, so they can help throughout the process, and letting everyone else know later on. Similar to how customers can be scared off by the news of a sale, employees can be too. Finally, David writes that keeping a sale under wraps until it’s necessary to break the news can be vital to maintaining company value.
“In the end, confidentiality is all about ethics,” he writes. “You and the professionals you hire to sell your company are entrusted with information that can have a serious impact upon the company, and even the lives of those associated with it. Yes, loose lips sink ships. But they can also sink your sale.”
#14
It is against Walmart's company policy for hourly employees to call 911 in the event of an emergency. Rather, they must notify the nearest manager, which could take anywhere from minutes to weeks depending on where the manager is, what they are doing, whether the hourly employee has a walkie, etc. Employees can be, and have been, fired for calling 911 to report an in-store emergency.
#15
Plumber.
I make over half my money using one tool that costs $50, and a skill that can be learned in 20 minutes.
Edit: The tool is a shifter and the skill is knowing how to pull apart and install taps. Drain snakes and plungers are how I make almost all the rest. That "almost" is the reason I need all of my other tools.
It’s interesting that David Lonsdale notes the ethics of keeping company secrets when a business is being sold, because it often feels like corporations keep things to the public to conceal unethical practices. But according to Sarah Green Carmichael at Harvard Business Review, companies might be realizing that it’s actually better to reveal their highly guarded secrets. She spoke to Sami Luukkonen, Accenture’s Global Electronics and High Tech Industry Lead, about why secrecy is becoming less helpful for businesses over time, and he explained that while the tech industry has long been full of secrets, times are changing.
“The technology itself is now really driving the need to become more open,” Sami told HBR. “With digitalization and the Internet of Things, that’s really changing the industry. The convergence of intelligent products, processes, and services, that’s really causing the need for change. So companies need to open up about what kind of products are coming, and that’s really difficult for most companies because of the legacy of protecting intellectual property.”
#16
My family owns a liquor store- when the economy goes down our business goes up
#17
Every driver of a truck has nodded off at one time or another making them an 80,000 lb death missile.
Elliot Fowler 2 years ago
The way truck drivers are exploited in the industry, especially in the US is very shameful and sad.
#18
I worked in an independent senior citizens center for five years. I don't know about other facilities that are independent, but at mine, you were supposed to be mostly to completely independent. There were some tenants that needed a caretaker with them at all times, but the families found that cheaper than moving them to an assisted living facility.
After about two years, we got a new director. We went from 20 rooms filled to all 42 in a few months. Several of these tenants I would hardly call mostly to completely independent. Clearly my boss just wanted to fill the rooms and get his bonus. We had three women move in during the same week that all had dementia. One of them went completely downhill in a period of eight months.
When she first got there, she just seemed forgetful and quick to anger. After a month, she forgot her children were adults and that her husband died. Another month, and she had no idea where she was. She thought the facility was a hotel and would always talk about how horribly she was treated. She caught her apartment on fire. She'd freak out when there were guests in the dining room. Eventually she refused to bathe, and ended up with a severe yeast infection between rolls on her stomach. We had no idea that was going on, we just knew she wasn't bathing and smelled very foul. She ended her eight month stay stealing other tenant's outdoor decorations and becoming incontinent. The others caused all kinds of problems, wouldn't stop harassing staff to the point where it was getting really hard to perform our tasks, other tenants threatened to move out and refused to go to meals so they could avoid them...
My point of this is: Just because a facility says they'll accept your dementia ridden parents doesn't mean you should place them there. Sure, it's cheaper for you. But they don't get the care they need. There are no nurses in our independent facility. In the five years I worked there, we only had two half hour meetings educating our staff about dementia and how to handle the people suffering from it. There's no one watching them 24/7. They could seriously harm themselves and others. They need to be somewhere where the staff is trained to handle them at their worst, and properly guide them through the horrible transition.
Please, think twice before putting them in independent facilities.
Tammilee Truitt 2 years ago
So sorry for you and others affected by this. Needs to be a law, set fines, something.
Sami explains that companies are no longer creating products that only do one thing, so they have to reach out and collaborate with other companies that can help them create a product that does everything. He notes the example of Apple creating the Apple Watch. “The consumer isn’t just buying a watch, they are buying a multipurpose device. And Apple is not a company that’s an expert in, say, wellness, so they have to collaborate with those companies to create an offering to the end consumer,” Sami explained. “The Watch is an ecosystem product, and these ecosystem products are the driving force that are really forcing companies to collaborate. That’s why I say it’s a technology-driven cultural change. At the same time, Apple is a special case. They’re able to take command of the ecosystem because of their very strong brand. It’s almost a requirement to go and collaborate with Apple.”
#19
In a call centre, we're more likely to waive admin fees if you're nice to us and we like you. Also we're more likely to charge you (more) if you're rude or patronising.
#20
Most cheap sex toys are made out of unstable materials (TPE, TPR) that may leech chemicals into your body and may over time start to melt, especially if stored with other toys. These material can also be Porous and a perfect home for bacteria, so black spots might grow on your dildo.
Edit: I'm exceptionally drunk, leave me alone. All your questions can be answered here: http://dangerouslilly.com/toxictoys/
#21
If you're sitting at a blackjack table and aren't sure what play to make, ask the dealer. No, seriously. We're trained to know the official Blackjack strategy guide and are allowed to give you that information (considered common knowledge). If the dealer doesn't know it off hand, their supervisor should have a copy of it and will help you out.
Tammilee Truitt 2 years ago
I love black jack, but with most things, am lazy. Thanks for the info.
But even though tech companies are being required to collaborate with one another, they still seem hesitant to reveal to the general public what they’re up to. According to Digital Information World, tech companies attempt to make consumers feel protected by assuring that they won’t sell our data to outside companies. However, they do contribute to helping advertisers create targeted ads, which allows the tech companies and the advertisers to make money off of us. Have you ever heard the idea that if something is free, you’re the product? That’s exactly how the free areas of the internet work, particularly social media. And now, those ads are curated based on your search history, what you’ve been watching, your area, and even what you’ve been saying.
#22
Your massage therapist is also trying to hold in their fart.
#23
Baggage handler. If you check a skateboard by just slapping a sticker on it it will get ridden.
#24
A lot of people think military is synonymous with discipline and top-tier job training.
I've seen things that would make a McDonald's worker think that their job is pretty high-class.
Tenacious Squirrel 2 years ago
Discipline yes, to some extent (although a sort of blind discipline whilst on the job only, I think we’re all fairly familiar with forces personnel reputations when “off duty”). Top tier training? I’m not sure that’s strongly associated with the armed forces, unless it’s referring only to technical training of certain physical things (equipment, fitness etc).
Apparently tech companies even alter the definition of the word “sale” to suit their particular needs. Digital Information World explains that advertisers can use bidding techniques to acquire data from tech companies without a technical “sale” taking place. “You should remember that tech companies only need to adhere to the legal definitions of various terminology, and this allows them to bend the rules a little bit and still be able to claim that they do not sell user data,” Digital Information World notes. "It is important to be cognizant of the various ways in which companies can use legalese to make it seem like they are not actually violating your privacy. This can be useful in terms of safeguarding yourself from losing control over your personal information in a day and age where privacy violations are unfortunately becoming highly commonplace all in all."
#25
This is gonna get buried but here goes.
Bouncers don't give a f**k about you, your problems, or anything other than not having the rules/law broken.
If you are cool to us, we will be cool to you. Come at us with an attitude, or hostility, and we will respond in kind. We aren't paid to be nice.
#26
Sewer inspector. I can tell exactly who/ what house is dumping oil and grease down their drains. It's usually the churches and businesses that get nastygrams and fines but we need to shame the house people too.
SheamusFanFrom1987 2 years ago
Just going down there alone makes you guys a hell of a lot braver than most of us. Thank you.
#27
Doctor here. I'll see a patient Monday morning in the hospital, work all night and then Tuesday morning in the hospital, and I won't have slept in the 24 hours in between.
And this is totally normal and accepted practice in medicine.
If you have ever worked in any of these industries, you might not be shocked by all of these answers, but I hope you're all learning something from this list that you'll remember the next time you rent a car, visit your accountant or do your weekly shop at the grocery store. Keep upvoting any of the dirty little secrets that you think all your fellow pandas would like to know, and then feel free to reveal any of your own industry secrets in the comments down below. And if you want to check out our last article on this same topic, you can find it right here.
#28
IT technician here, I do genuinley try not to look at people's Downloads or browser history but occasionally I do. Your all a sick sick bunch of freaks but luckily, so am I :)
DuchessDegu 2 years ago
When I worked in IT sometimes you need to, if only to make sure they haven't been downloading known malware
#29
I work in video games. Our job is to make our game as addictive as possible so that we can make the most money out of micro-transactions. (Think mobile phone games) A lot of our game design is by marketing telling us what people will most likely buy in the game by watching data. Sure, it starts free-to-play, but to keep you playing and paying we mine data to make it more "sticky."
After a while I felt like I was working for a drug dealer and quit recommending our games to people I knew. Sure, people have fun playing the games we make, but I don't want to hear later about how much money you or your kids wasted on it.
#30
I own a bar, we get rich while a lot of people drown their sorrows in alcohol (Serious, that really depresses me somehow)
#31
Barely anyone in the state of Georgia gets an autopsy. If you wanted to kill someone over the age of 40, all you would really need to do is make sure that they had some kind of previous medical history and the body was found outside of a metropolitan area. The coroners here are only required to have a high school diploma. Some states are worse, most better.
#32
After working in the travel industry I can tell you that hotel room rates are often not fixed prices. If guests come to the front desk and ask the price we generally start at the high end. Most people accept this as fact and pay up. However, if a customer is hesitent or threatens to walk out we can sometimes drop the price to keep them there. Often there is a bottom line price set by the owners- we can't go any lower than that or we lose money.
Mihai Mara 2 years ago
Noted: in the future i will be more.hesitant when going to a hotel. Me: "Hi there, I have a reservation for three days" Hotel: "What name is the reservation on?" Me: "I'm not so sure about this, let me think for a minute" Hotel: "Huh?"
#33
Medical lab scientist
The pregnancy test that we run for your doctor that costs ridiculous amounts of money are the same tests you can buy at the grocery store.
Kise Miarse 2 years ago
The quick kits, yes. And you will still be just as pregnant (or not) at 9am when the dollar store opens, so please don't clog up my Emergency Dept in the middle of the night.
#34
I worked for Whole Foods, that stuff in the prepared foods section you pay top dollar for isn't even organic. It's not even from the store. We'd go buy ingredients from Costco. Whole Foods tries to justify you paying so much money for your meals because it's all organic and fresh ingredients but it's a lie. Also the hot bar is just reheated leftovers from the day before.
#35
In mental health, often the appearance of progress is more important than progress itself
Edit: I'm *not* saying counseling or therapy don't work at all, just saying there is sometimes pressure to inflate positives to have clients stick around.
Mihai Mara 2 years ago
Yes, but I think even the appearance of progress gives the client a bit of confidence boost, so in the end it's a little lie to push people forward.
#36
In the legal profession, the most difficult a*****e in the entire case is often your own client.
#37
I get paid to tell you what your employees have been telling you.
#38
FedEx Office doesn't recycle.
I've personally killed probably close to an acre of forest.
#39
Home construction. It is so bad. Amazing what people will pay a half mil for. Total rubbish. You won't believe the number of foundation failures or how many roof trusses have termites pre-installed and for gods sake never look under the carpet.
Chich 2 years ago
Watched them build new "luxury" homes hearby once. They somehow made a hole in the roof big enough for a kid to fall through. Didn't replace the sheathing, just shingled over it. Also heard later that people were complaining about bulging walls. Turned out to be construction waste ( bits of wood, drywall etc) that had just been chucked in behind the drywall rather than taken out to the bin.
#40
I used to work for a major package delivery service unloading semi trailers.
The flat screen TV you ordered for christmas was under a gun safe and a lift kit for a truck.
What do you think ?
Ladedah 2 years ago
Med-surg nurse here. If you're one of those dramatic people who like to randomly threaten to kill yourself or start screaming that you "want to die" whenever you don't get your way, then it's probably best not to do it in a hospital if you don't actually mean it. We will take away all of your personal belongings (including any personal clothing or cell phone) and stuff someone in the room to watch you 24/7. You can't even pee without that person in the bathroom. If you're only saying it because you're desperate to get outside and smoke... or get back to some personal situation at home... or are wanting out of the hospital real bad for some reason or other, then good luck; you've just earned yourself an involuntary psych hold and security WILL bring you back to the room if you try to leave.
Adam L 2 years ago
TL;DR Management lies. I worked multiple restaurant locations. All of them refused to allow us to mark something as "out of stock". We were to let the order come in and call the customer to offer something equivalent or a little more expensive instead of offering refunds. Imagine trying to call a customer in the middle of a lunch or dinner rush to have someone scream at us "what do you mean you're out of [insert item here]. Your system allowed me to order it!" instead of just letting us temporarily remove it until we got more. Places I worked that had delivery wouldn't let us turn off delivery even if we had no driver, except in extreme emergencies like inclement weather. We had to call customers and ask them to come pick up their order. All because corporate/ownership didn't want to lose order placement numbers.
TheFloydist 2 years ago
I worked for a TV/Electronics repair place for a little under a year. If you have a TV that has a messed up image with a spider web pattern, the screen is broken and it is not economical to repair (unless of course it is not being repaired on your dime/aka you have a spendy warranty deal). It is the easiest thing to diagnose. With that in mind use this information as a good litmus test for how honest/shady your local repair place is. If you have a malfunctioning TV or other device that needs repairs, call in and describe having a TV with a broken screen. If they tell you to still bring the TV in and get it diagnosed, they are shady af and just want to get a diagnostic fee out of you. If they tell you it sounds like a broken screen and it isn't economical to repair, they're being honest and up front with you and is a good sign that they will try to be fair with you.
TheFloydist 2 years ago (edited)
Also be aware that it is increasingly more difficult to operate a successful electronics repair shop because designs are trending smaller with fewer serviceable parts, or parts that are difficult to repair without more expensive specialized soldering equipment. And beyond that parts are just more controlled by manufacturers. You're not going to find most replacement boards for big brands because the original manufacturer won't sell to unaffiliated repair shops/ the public, and becoming affiliated requires attending often pricy educational seminars or jumping through other certification hoops. And when you are affiliated and replace a board you have to send the defective board back to the manufacturer or incur a fine that can wipe out all your profit. Right to repair has slowly eroded in the background over the past several decades.
Load More Replies... Ladedah 2 years ago
Med-surg nurse here. If you're one of those dramatic people who like to randomly threaten to kill yourself or start screaming that you "want to die" whenever you don't get your way, then it's probably best not to do it in a hospital if you don't actually mean it. We will take away all of your personal belongings (including any personal clothing or cell phone) and stuff someone in the room to watch you 24/7. You can't even pee without that person in the bathroom. If you're only saying it because you're desperate to get outside and smoke... or get back to some personal situation at home... or are wanting out of the hospital real bad for some reason or other, then good luck; you've just earned yourself an involuntary psych hold and security WILL bring you back to the room if you try to leave.
Adam L 2 years ago
TL;DR Management lies. I worked multiple restaurant locations. All of them refused to allow us to mark something as "out of stock". We were to let the order come in and call the customer to offer something equivalent or a little more expensive instead of offering refunds. Imagine trying to call a customer in the middle of a lunch or dinner rush to have someone scream at us "what do you mean you're out of [insert item here]. Your system allowed me to order it!" instead of just letting us temporarily remove it until we got more. Places I worked that had delivery wouldn't let us turn off delivery even if we had no driver, except in extreme emergencies like inclement weather. We had to call customers and ask them to come pick up their order. All because corporate/ownership didn't want to lose order placement numbers.
TheFloydist 2 years ago
I worked for a TV/Electronics repair place for a little under a year. If you have a TV that has a messed up image with a spider web pattern, the screen is broken and it is not economical to repair (unless of course it is not being repaired on your dime/aka you have a spendy warranty deal). It is the easiest thing to diagnose. With that in mind use this information as a good litmus test for how honest/shady your local repair place is. If you have a malfunctioning TV or other device that needs repairs, call in and describe having a TV with a broken screen. If they tell you to still bring the TV in and get it diagnosed, they are shady af and just want to get a diagnostic fee out of you. If they tell you it sounds like a broken screen and it isn't economical to repair, they're being honest and up front with you and is a good sign that they will try to be fair with you.
TheFloydist 2 years ago (edited)
Also be aware that it is increasingly more difficult to operate a successful electronics repair shop because designs are trending smaller with fewer serviceable parts, or parts that are difficult to repair without more expensive specialized soldering equipment. And beyond that parts are just more controlled by manufacturers. You're not going to find most replacement boards for big brands because the original manufacturer won't sell to unaffiliated repair shops/ the public, and becoming affiliated requires attending often pricy educational seminars or jumping through other certification hoops. And when you are affiliated and replace a board you have to send the defective board back to the manufacturer or incur a fine that can wipe out all your profit. Right to repair has slowly eroded in the background over the past several decades.
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