At work, few things are as dangerous as a toxic boss. Not only do they pollute the workplace, wreck your physical and mental health, and jeopardize your career growth, but they also lack empathy and abuse the tiniest bit of power they have. Of course, it may be hard to spot harmful behavior at first. But if they call the police only to get what they want? That’s one glaring red flag right there.

One former daycare employee from Tennessee knows this from personal experience. Redditor Real_Card7880 recently shared a story on the ‘AntiWork’ subreddit and detailed how feeling sick and tired at work became much more dramatic than she would have anticipated. See, after the assistant general manager sent her home early for having a fever, the principal was seriously unhappy with this decision.

Instead of letting the woman rest, the boss came banging on her door, demanding she come back to work. What followed was a nasty conflict and a conversation with some very confused officers. Below, you can read the story in full and see how the community reacted. Then be sure to let us know what you think of the boss’ actions and the whole situation in the comments.

A former daycare worker recently shared how getting sick and leaving work early escalated into a dramatic situation

Image credits: renateko (not the actual photo)

After one hour of rest, her boss came knocking on her door to demand she return to work

Image credits: Utility_inc (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/Real_Card7880

Unfortunately, managers placing impossible expectations and demands on their employees is nothing new. But as the Great Resignation has proved, workers have had enough of horrible leaders and their antics — people are continuing to quit in droves, and bad bosses have a lot to do with it.

According to a recent MIT study that investigated the sources of the Great Resignation, the top reason people left their positions was toxic corporate culture. In fact, they found that it impacted their decision more than wages. “A toxic corporate culture is by far the strongest predictor of industry-adjusted attrition and is 10 times more important than compensation in predicting turnover. Our analysis found that the leading elements contributing to toxic cultures include failure to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; workers feeling disrespected; and unethical behavior,” the researchers wrote.

More often than not, an unhealthy workplace culture comes down to one’s boss. Frustrations with the manager push some employees out the door and leave others daydreaming about an opportunity to get away from their leader. But there’s a whole other category of workers who get so used to how things are at their jobs that they can’t even recognize the reality of their situation.

To find out what an expert had to say about toxic company culture, Bored Panda reached out to Laura Kingston, a UK-based coach specializing in career transition and progression. Being the founder of Leap Career Coaching, she aims to help people realize their maximum potential. When asked about the most common signs you’re working for a toxic boss, Kingston pointed out the following ones:

• “Feeling stressed or anxious,
• Feeling that you aren’t good enough at your role and may even risk losing your job,
• Not receiving recognition for your work (In some cases, I have had clients’ bosses shout down their ideas and then take them as their own!)
• Feeling unheard or undervalued,
• Being put under pressure to deliver to unrealistic deadlines,
• Lack of training or mentoring to do the role well,
• Made to feel stupid for not knowing the answers,
• Lack of communication / unclear expectations,
• Lack or no one-to-one sessions or performance reviews.”

Later on, the woman joined the discussion in the comments to clarify a few details

Of course, there may be different levels of toxic bosses. Some of their actions may be more benign, while others set out to make our work life hell by treating us without a dash of respect. Kingston stated that this manager behavior “often happens when a supervisor actually has their own insecurities and projects them onto you as an employee to make themselves feel better.”

“It can be a cultural issue where lack of respect can be a learned behavior from how they have been treated — ‘it’s the way we do things around here.'” However, if you can relate to any of the above mentioned warning signs, your well-being may be at risk. These negative behaviors at work can have a dire impact on your mental and physical health and can create more stress, anxiety, lack of self-worth, crying at work, or trouble sleeping.

“If you are unhappy at work, look to see how you can make changes either in your current role or by finding a new job. You can speak to your manager and explain how their behavior affects you. A great way to address this is by focusing on what you need and what’s in it for them. For example, ‘I perform at my best when I have a clear understanding of your requirements of me, can we work together to agree on a way forward?’ Collaboration is key,” Kingston advised.

“If this doesn’t work, you can escalate to HR or speak to another manager for advice,” she continued. “Think about what you can do to protect your own boundaries, such as when to speak up, instead of saying ‘no’ to more work you can say, ‘I have time to complete that next week.'” Kingston concluded by saying, “Life is too short to be unhappy, take action!”

Redditors jumped to the comment section to share their reactions to this whole situation

And other users were unsure whether the story is true

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