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30 People Reveal Industry Secrets About Their Jobs That Common People Aren’t Supposed To Know
Every industry and profession has at least a few skeletons in their closet. Dark secrets that the layperson might not know but really should. When Reddit user Juaninamillion asked their fellow redditors to share such industry secrets, they started up a viral discussion that really got people opening up about the less-than-stellar nooks and crannies of their jobs.
Check out some of these industry secrets that you may not have known about and remember to upvote the ones that left an impression on you as you scroll down. If you have any secrets that you want to share, we’ll be eagerly watching the comment section.
Unfortunately, it’s not just specific industries that need some fine-tuning—it’s the mentality of the entire job market. One of the most widely known ‘secrets’ is how recruiters responsible for hiring rely on completely unrealistic expectations and having candidates jump through increasingly difficult hoops. While other issues are how new employees usually have limited opportunities for growth and learning within tech companies. Bored Panda spoke about these problems with IT and AI industry professional and founder of FastAPI, Sebastián Ramírez.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Wearing gloves in kitchens is a goddamn lie. They don't offer any sort of protection, they're actually more prone to spreading germs and filth because people don't wash them between touching different kinds of food. They exist to give the illusion of safety and professionalism. As someone who's worked in kitchens, I'd much rather see a cook wash their hands than throw a latex glove on.
Mica Fiverline 4 years ago
worked in a kitchen, can confirm. Just wash your hands people, its easier than fiddling with the gloves^^
RELATED:
#2
I work with kids at a daycare and we see babies take their first steps sometimes but we never tell the parents because we don't want them to feel bad about missing it
#3
I'm just going to say it: KELLOGS FROSTED FLAKES AND STORE BRAND GENERIC FROSTED FLAKES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!
Source: myself. I worked in the packing factory and changed the boxes all the time!
Dippin Dot 4 years ago
Yep. Again, this is called private label. I worked in food manufacturing too.
According to Ramírez, current recruitment practices are working far from perfectly. Unfortunately, we don’t have any ‘silver bullet’ alternatives to the current system where in order to get a job, you have to meet expectations that are increasingly divorced from reality. However, he believes that there are some things that could help improve the way the job market operates.
Ramírez thinks that developer teams, team leaders, and others directly related to the job opening should get more involved in the recruitment process.
“That shouldn't be left for HR departments to handle alone, it should be a team effort. That's probably even more important as the area/industry gets more technical or complex. The same way athletes, let's say runners, are not hired based on the number of years they have been running, or certificates of the tracks they have run on, in other areas, like technology, we should get the teams and internal ‘experts’ more involved in that hiring process,” the professional explained how hiring practices could become better.
#4
Corporate safety culture is not about protecting you from injury, it's about protecting the company from a lawsuit after you get injured.
#5
When businesses like taco bell, petsmart or others ask you to round up to donate to a cause it is 100% for the tax write off they receive. They are allowed to donate money and pay less taxes. Instead of paying from their overall sales and profits they con customers to pay extra to do it for them. This leaves their overall sales intact while increasing their yearly profit by paying less in taxes. If you want to donate just do it yourself and give more then a buck.
#6
I am a Romanian who has worked for a US military contractor. The DOD doesn’t care about the price of the things the military is buying. I once sold a bag of 240 hex nuts for 9000 dollars ( it’s not a typo) which i got for 25 dollars. The spending the DOD does is really as bad as you might have heard of. The more they spend the better. It is actually scary how much money they throw away.
He also noted that there’s a problem with people getting promoted: people need clear ways to grow easily within the companies that they join. “It should be way more common than it is. Anyone that starts as an intern/junior should be able to grow professionally to a senior,” he pointed out.
“It would also probably help if there were specific company policies asking or requiring employees to keep learning and acquiring new skills. It could be through courses, by tackling new challenges, etc. People would benefit from acquiring new skills, being able to be more productive, and having better chances of growing in their careers. And companies would benefit from having people more capable, more productive, being able to learn skills relevant for the specific job, while having happier and more loyal employees.”
#7
Olive oil. I work at an olive oil bottling plant in Rome, New York. We had only one oil, but put it in 27 different packages, that sold at different prices. Some of the bottles claim to be aged and imported. Some claimed to be virgin, others extra virgin. Some cold pressed. One brand sold for $30 fir 12 oz., where another sold 128 oz for $12.
All the exact same oil.
#8
Nothing about The Voice, American Idol, etc is real. Your votes don’t matter. Everything is pre-determined. In some cases they even choose your audition song for you, and if they want to tear you down for entertainment, they’ll choose something they know you can’t sing. And with the contacts artists sign, you cannot refuse.
Source: professional musician, I have not been on those shows but have friends who have. I cannot name names, them even telling me that stuff was against contract legalities.
#9
Funeral homes are businesses, and funeral directors will absolutely take advantage of grieving people.
The most offensive to me are the cremation boxes. They're literally just big cardboard boxes, and should cost less than a hundred dollars. But they also make really expensive boxes, and directors will say things like "grandma would be more comfortable in this". No, she won't, because she's dead. Some of these boxes reach 1000 dollars, and of course are all just burned.
Little Wonder 4 years ago
I used to work in online memorials and one of the funeral directors accidentally attached a funeral invoice to an email. Which I, of course, read. There was a $400 "transfer fee" to move the body from the chapel to the cemetery, but I know for a fact that particular chapel is on the grounds of the cemetery. Absolute scam designed to cash in on people who are grieving. Also the invoice was written in comic sans, no joke.
#10
This one is a little trivial compared to others in here, but: wine isn't vegan. It's not even vegetarian in some cases.
The fining* process uses egg whites, and sometimes isinglass (fish parts). When I worked in a tasting room people would come in and be like "I'm vegan but thank God I can still have wine, amiright!" And I wanted to tell them that they weren't right, but I also wanted to sell them wine.
#11
The clothes you find at an outlet (more often than not) are not "cast-offs" or overages from the regular store. There's a whole separate entity that designs and produces clothes at a lesser quality for outlet prices.
#12
Starbucks corporate makes us have those recycling bins in the lobby to present this green image, but most of the time all of the garbage ends up going to the dump anyway because the facility doesn’t have recycling
GirlFriday 4 years ago
I read that the coffee cups can't be recycled because of the lining that makes them stand up to the heat of the coffee.
#13
I don't know that this is a secret but flight attendants and pilots don't get paid while boarding, deplaning, and delays. So when you're delayed and angry, so are we. We're not making money and still have to be there.
#14
I work in a vet ER. If you check the resuscitate box on our form we will absolutely do our best to resuscitate your pet.
And I mean at least 15 mins chest compressions, intubating and manual breathing, heat support and reviving drugs. It's an all hands on deck situation and we take it extremely seriously.
That being said, I have never seen it do more than have a pet have a heartbeat and automatic breathing long enough for an owner to say goodbye. I have never seen an animal recover.
Basically you shouldn't check that resuscitate box. It doesn't do anything but let us fight for your pet's life and lose.
I'm a DNR myself. I don't want to go through that and I don't want the ER staff to go through another unsuccessful attempt.
Katie Garr 4 years ago
when my sister's guinea pig was at the vet with cancer, we checked the box to resuscitate her. we knew she wouldn't come back once she was gone; she could hardly breathe and was struggling a lot. we checked the box because of my 8 year old sister to make her feel like everything that could be done was done to save her guinea pig. later on we asked the vet for the form back and un-checked the box. we didn't want the guinea pig to go through it but we wanted my sister to feel like we tried everything. the guinea pig died quietly and peacefully at the vet's office the next day.
#15
Animator here. It's coming more and more to light lately, but big animation studios and game companies treat their employees like [crap] and pay them barely anything and expect them to work hard "because of the love for the job". And they can get away with that because there are hundreds of thousands of other creatives who would be more than happy to deal with all of the BS just for a chance to work at a AAA studio. Really it's not just animation though, the entire entertainment industry is this way.
Dynein 4 years ago
(Comparatively) bad payment and working conditions are a pretty good assumption for ANY type of field that is many people's dream career, no matter how many degrees it requires. Doesn't apply to every individual employer, of course - but an upsetting amount of employers prefers to provide work conditions that are juuuuust above the lowest bar possible where they still get enough job applicants and remain withing the lines of the working laws as they are enforced.... and in dream-career industries with masses of people trying to break in, that bar can be very low indeed.
#16
That food on your plate wasn't made with love or care, it was quickly made with stress and hate by a cook either swearing at somebody or being sworn at.
#17
Doctors spend so much time in their specific niche that they know jack s**t about anything else.
#18
If you’re rude to a Starbucks barista most of the time we’ll just decaffeinate your drink.
Tabitha L 4 years ago
Good tip!! I only drink decaf (heart can't handle caffeine). Starbucks employees hate when I ask for a decaf coffee. They don't keep decaf brewed, and hate doing pour overs. They are always trying to get me to get an Americano instead of a drip decaf. So now I know, be rude, and I can get all the decaf that I want/need. (PS. I'm not actually going to be mean to people who work at a Starbucks.)
#19
Almost every register nurse has what is called a blacklist of doctors she or he would not want even remotely near them should they need emergency services.
People need to take better care and precaution of who they choose to accept as their doctor.
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
That's why if you want to find a good doctor you go to a NURSE, not another doctor or referral service.
#20
Mobile Homes are cheaply made and mass produced by people making 9 bucks an hour and don't give a [crap] if it's up to code or safe. Hundreds of people in a factory with little supervision, and the main goal is to get as many made as possible, with little care to protocol, codes and fire stopping. I got hired as a HUD admin, ended up doing inspections so we could stop getting fined by the fire marshal and the amount of crap that is overlooked and not cared about is infuriating.
Falcon 4 years ago
Can confirm. In my line of work we visit a lot of newly built houses and the amount of defects that have been "fixed" by slapping drywall in front of it is insane. Also seen brand new buildings with cracks running through the concrete. I feel bad for the people taking a home loan for 30+ years to live in an already broken "brand new" house.
#21
I work in the wedding industry. Every single service you purchase for your wedding has a marked up price because we know you’re going to spend it.
#22
People always joke that most psychologists become psychologists because they are crazy. I've worked in close proximity to a bunch of forensic psychs for the last few years - it is true.
Dynein 4 years ago
The question is if they are the kind of crazy where they are decent people with just a more personal understanding of the many ways a brain can be effed up, or the kind of crazy where they are too effed up themselves to realize how much they can eff up other people's brains as psychologists.
#23
Other academics will steal your work for themselves and publish it under their name.
Hans 4 years ago
...risking to lose their job, and definitely losing their merits, and thereby their career. The more serious problem is the imbalance of junior and senior researchers, quite often leading to publications with the names of senior researchers on it in addition to that of junior researchers, who actually did all the work.
#24
Hospitals are not clean
The only really clean place in a hospital is the operating room, other than that the place is crawling with germs and whatever else has mutated on the floors and walls.
#25
I worked for a movie theatre. A large bag of popcorn that cost the customer $5.99 (at the time) cost the movie theatre six cents to produce, including the butter, the kernels, the bag, the power used by the popper and the time it took the concession employee to fill up the bag and give it to the customer.
Linus Nilsson 4 years ago
Yes, but in America, the concessions is pretty much how the theaters make their money. They only get to keep a very small percentage of the ticket sales, the rest goes to the movie company
#26
I make super expensive stuff that is bought by several governments and some high-end consumer product manufacturers. One of the machines that every bit of product has to go through only works right if you stand there and poke at it with a stick. We don’t even have a special stick. It’s just a metal rod that fell off of another piece of equipment that we wrapped some tape around to make a handle. We always make the new guy do it, because it is super boring.
#27
When renting a storage unit you do not need to get the insurance they offer. Even if they say it's "mandatory", it's illegal to force you to get insurance. Also the rent will increase yearly, forever.
PotatoNinja5000 4 years ago
Pretty sure those are beach huts. We have some fancier and more stereotypical ones down my way, but they also can be in this design.
#28
At a hospital the straight cash price discount for many outpatient tests (MRI, CT, X-Ray, Ultrasound, Labs, etc.) can often be cheaper than using insurance and dealing with deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, and on and on.
I’ve seen test billed for thousands of dollars to insurance cost a cash paying patient less than $400.
It’s insane.
#29
In academia, you create content for privately owned journals like Science and Nature, but still you have to pay them. Also scientists who review journals articles for the peer review process do it for free.
If you don’t participate in this process, you can’t get papers and if you don’t have papers you don’t get funding and subsequently starve and die.
Hans 4 years ago
That is why more and more funding givers enforce so called open access (OA) publications. In that case, a fee is paid for the publication process, but the finally typeset and published article is available to the public. For example, the European Comission mandates this now for research generated through its programs. Similarly, the Norwegian state has undergone comtracts with major publishers like Springer and Elsevier, mandating OA, whenever an author working for a Norwegian institution is the corresponding author.
#30
The official policy for customer dissatisfaction at a particular Canadian coffee franchise I worked at was, "offer them free stuff until they stop complaining."
What do you think ?
Hans 4 years ago
This series desperately needs fact checking. Some of these are true, some only apply to the US but would be illegal for example in Europe. Some would be illegal almost everywhere and may only be rare cases. And some are outright wrong.
Eepe 4 years ago
... yeah, but it’s only a problem if they get caught. And if they get caught, they get fined, straighten up long enough to pass the next inspection, then go right back to what they were doing. Doesn’t matter where they are, people who would do something like that are going to do it...
Load More Replies... Ben Smith 4 years ago
This is mostly “my business does this particular thing” so I’m going to badmouth the whole industry despite having zero idea what actually happens outside these walls.
Ruth Peacock 4 years ago
This is not about different industries, it's about what industries do in the USA. I am getting so sick of the assumption that what happens in the USA is standard world-wide.
80 Van 4 years ago
I don’t think that’s the assumption, at least in this post. People are sharing their experiences on Reddit, and BP is reposting. I don’t think were meant to assume this covers every experience everywhere, but that there are trends that these particular posters noticed. And, while some certainly have marks of being in the US, none of them say that they are only from the US. These might be experiences in other countries besides your own as well, even if they don’t match your own experience.
Load More Replies... Hans 4 years ago
This series desperately needs fact checking. Some of these are true, some only apply to the US but would be illegal for example in Europe. Some would be illegal almost everywhere and may only be rare cases. And some are outright wrong.
Eepe 4 years ago
... yeah, but it’s only a problem if they get caught. And if they get caught, they get fined, straighten up long enough to pass the next inspection, then go right back to what they were doing. Doesn’t matter where they are, people who would do something like that are going to do it...
Load More Replies... Ben Smith 4 years ago
This is mostly “my business does this particular thing” so I’m going to badmouth the whole industry despite having zero idea what actually happens outside these walls.
Ruth Peacock 4 years ago
This is not about different industries, it's about what industries do in the USA. I am getting so sick of the assumption that what happens in the USA is standard world-wide.
80 Van 4 years ago
I don’t think that’s the assumption, at least in this post. People are sharing their experiences on Reddit, and BP is reposting. I don’t think were meant to assume this covers every experience everywhere, but that there are trends that these particular posters noticed. And, while some certainly have marks of being in the US, none of them say that they are only from the US. These might be experiences in other countries besides your own as well, even if they don’t match your own experience.
Load More Replies...
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