The way bosses communicate with their employees can make or break a company. Still, way too many of them add unnecessary confusion and tension.
But the one Tara, who is known on TikTok as @bunkslol, had taken things to an entirely new level.
That toxic man made the woman work on her time off, then berated the results instead of offering constructive criticism, and when she finally decided that enough was enough and handed in her notice, refused to let her quit.
When this woman had enough of her boss, she tried to quit her job
Image credits: bunkslol
But he tried every trick in the book to get her to stay and continued making her life awful
"I've got a pretty, pretty juicy story. At the start of 2021, I left a pretty secure job for a job in the East West community. And it was to produce a new show, which basically was like Gogglebox meets gaming. Um, pretty fun idea and we had some great celebrities lined up. Everything was going really well, it was a small team, it was a start-up company, and it was basically my dream job. And I had the flexibility of, like, working from home, 'cause we didn't have a studio, and we were all based around the country. And at the time, my boss seemed to just be like, you know what, I employ people who do their job really well so that I don't have to do my job. That's a lie. So after months of prep and planning, blah, blah, blah, it got to May? Yeah. And we had filmed the first episode, went live, everything was great. I'm ready for the second one."
Image credits: sarah b / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
"And that's where things start to go very wrong. I did something that my boss didn't seem to like. I did an edit of a video that went on social media. Um, it didn't even go out anywhere. I followed his list, what he wanted and stuff, and oh my god, all broke loose and I was then just bombarded with so many insults to my character and to my work ethic. But these wasn't normal negative feedback you'd get on a piece of work. These were just disgusting comments. I got things like: 'You would make my passed dad roll over,' 'You are beige,' 'I just don't think you're very creative, you're not a creative person.' Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Because of all that, I decided that, you know what, there was, I mean, there were things that he said that I just can't even, ugh, I can't even get out my mouth, because it's just so grim, what he said. I called my mum and my dad and I was like 'I cannot work for this man. This is insane. Over one very small thing, he has just blown up at me, and I just cannot work under these conditions.'"
Image credits: DC Studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
"Things then got worse from that. He said because it was a Sunday, I couldn't quit. And my one week's notice didn't count. And because of me wanting to hand in my notice, he was actually going to extend it so that I had to work 4 weeks. Even though in my contract, it said one week was fine, he said 'I don't care, I'm gonna make you work 4 weeks. I'm gonna hire a private investigator because I think you've been looking for other jobs. I don't trust you.' Even more insults, like, thrown my way, everything. It was terrible. He would call me every single day to the point where I was so anxious when I saw his name pop up on my phone, I would throw up and I'd have to call him back. And I'd purposely miss his call 'cause I was just so terrified of answering the phone. He then forced me to get everything ready for the second episode, because I would have put the whole team in trouble, all this teamwork malarkey that he was throwing at me. Got everything ready for the second episode. Arrived on set with everyone. He didn't even turn up. The whole company went under. He knew it was going under. He didn't pay any of us and left."
Eventually, the woman decided to share her experience online.
And has released a video about it, which since has gone viral
Image credits: bunkslol
Boss: I spotted quite early your… Unfortunately, your creative skills aren't quite there.
Woman: Okay.
Boss: You're not the most creative. I use the word 'beige,' in creative.
Woman: You think I've been looking for other jobs? You think—
Boss: That's not lying.
Woman: But you think I'm lying when I say I haven't, because I said I haven't, and you think I am.
Boss: I've gotta take a position on it. You know I have to take a position on it. Why would you quit a ￡30,000 a year job?
Woman: Because I'm not happy, Leo.
Woman: Okay.
Boss: You're not the most creative. I use the word 'beige,' in creative.
Woman: You think I've been looking for other jobs? You think—
Boss: That's not lying.
Woman: But you think I'm lying when I say I haven't, because I said I haven't, and you think I am.
Boss: I've gotta take a position on it. You know I have to take a position on it. Why would you quit a ￡30,000 a year job?
Woman: Because I'm not happy, Leo.
Image credits: bunkslol
Woman: I would have to send you a letter.
Boss: And it's a week.
Woman: Okay.
Boss: Minimum. I'm actually gonna make it 4 weeks.
Woman: I got it at 1 a.m. Sunday morning.
Boss: Why didn't you send it to us?
Woman: Because I'm conscious it's 1 a.m., Sunday morning. You said it's not a work day, so...
Boss: No no no, when someone quits it's not a work day.
Woman: Right...
Boss: So you got it at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, but you didn't send it to us until like 11 o'clock on Sunday. What happened at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 8 a.m., 7 a.m., 6 a.m.?
Woman: I was asleep.
Boss: Right. Maybe this is a lifestyle thing.
Boss: And it's a week.
Woman: Okay.
Boss: Minimum. I'm actually gonna make it 4 weeks.
Woman: I got it at 1 a.m. Sunday morning.
Boss: Why didn't you send it to us?
Woman: Because I'm conscious it's 1 a.m., Sunday morning. You said it's not a work day, so...
Boss: No no no, when someone quits it's not a work day.
Woman: Right...
Boss: So you got it at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, but you didn't send it to us until like 11 o'clock on Sunday. What happened at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 8 a.m., 7 a.m., 6 a.m.?
Woman: I was asleep.
Boss: Right. Maybe this is a lifestyle thing.
Boss: It shows me you have no care for anyone moving forward.
Woman: I-I-I do.
Boss: Anyone asking about you and your work, I have to not be very, uh, polite.
Woman: I-I-I do.
Boss: Anyone asking about you and your work, I have to not be very, uh, polite.
Ultimately, the employee did stay for a bit longer
But now she's very happy that she stood up for herself and found another job where she’s truly valued.
While Tara's case is memorable for all the wrong reasons, she’s far from alone in wanting to escape bad management. Nearly 7 out of 10 U.S. workers said they would quit their jobs over a bad manager, according to a new LinkedIn's survey.
Millennials, many of whom entered the workforce during the 2008 financial crisis, are the most likely to leave due to poor management, with Gen-Zers close behind.
As we just saw, bad bosses don’t only cost their companies talent, but also money. In fact, some estimates suggest toxic leadership led to more than $223 billion in turnover costs from 2014 to 2019. This is especially relevant in Tara's case, where her toxic boss not only drove her to quit but also contributed to the company’s bankruptcy.
Furthermore, such negative experiences can discourage young people from pursuing management roles themselves; only one-third of employees surveyed said they are looking to make the jump into people management, according to LinkedIn.
Luckily, Tara has managed to recover and now works for a gaming company, where her skills as a content creator are highly valued.
After the challenges she faced, she said she has found a supportive environment that appreciates her talents and allows her to thrive. So her efforts have not only shaped her resilience but also provided her with a brighter path in her career.
People who have heard her story can't believe how entitled the guy was
