#1
i would leave at 1 a.m., which incidently was full day light, and with my clothes literally stiff with fish juice i would walk back to where i was camped, followed by dozens of cats. i made a lot of money and never ate fish again.
#3
Some people definitely love their careers, but this isn’t really the norm. According to a study of over 2,000 employees, nearly 38% of them say that they wouldn’t wish their job on their worst enemy. Meaning that they probably have to struggle through difficult work conditions that might have put a lot of stress on them over time.
The research also found that around 40% of respondents wished someone had warned them not to take their current job. It’s disheartening to realize how many people don’t enjoy the work that they do and that they feel the need to escape. It’s also possible that these kinds of terrible jobs, like the ones mentioned on this list, are harder to leave for a variety of different reasons.
#4
#5
As you can see, some of the stories people shared detail the long hours, low salaries, bad managers, and other reasons why their jobs are terrible. All of these or just one bad condition can make it tough to stick around in even a good organization.
To understand more about bad workplaces and how to deal with them, Bored Panda reached out to Peter Duris. He is the CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, which is an AI-based career super app that helps job seekers get hired with resume and cover letter tools, skills analytics, and automated job search assistance.
Peter told us that “having a poor work-life balance, a salary that you’re unhappy with, or an oil-and-water relationship with your boss can make your job unbearable. In one of our recent surveys, 50% of the respondents told us they would feel less anxious if they had a better work-life balance. So, spending too much time in work mode usually takes a job from bad to awful.”
“It’s [also] not just the managers who can affect you at work. Having difficult relationships with other colleagues or even workplace bullying can often make people leave. Whether it’s a combination of these issues or just one of them, these problems are what can either make or break a job,” he explained.
#7
The best/worst part was when they made us put up "EVERYTHING MUST GO!" signs but told us to keep telling customers we weren't closing. Like, my brother in Christ, there's literally a guy with a clipboard inventorying our ceiling tiles for liquidation.
#8
Even if a job has a ton of red flags, people still tend to stay there and wait it out. One of the main reasons for this is often due to financial obligations like having to take care of one’s family. In the current job market, it’s also tough to get another role easily, so folks might be afraid of jumping ship without any security.
Sometimes a person has put in many years in the same company and achieved a higher salary as well as seniority. In such cases, it can be tough to leave the only workplace you’ve known for a long time and get out of that comfort zone. Even if a person knows that their job is bad, they may probably still stick around for these reasons.
#10
#11
#12
As easy as it can be to tell someone to quit their toxic job, in reality, it’s not that simple. There can be so many factors keeping a person chained to a workplace they dislike. That’s why we asked Peter how exactly to handle a situation like this.
He said: “I believe that there is no job worth sacrificing your mental well-being, but we recognize that it’s not an easy choice to make. Employees who are stuck should definitely try to speak to their managers or the HR team. A conversation can go a long way, and you might be offered valuable advice and support that can really help you.”
“If you truly can’t stand your job, there is nothing wrong with looking elsewhere. 68% of those we surveyed told us that a new career would alleviate their Sunday Scaries. It suggests that a fresh start with better conditions is believed to be an answer for the majority,” he shared.
#13
#14
Big wineries would pay an outfit like ours to do it in the summer after the grape harvest. The crew would show up in an 18-wheeler with an assembly line in the trailer. Pallets of empty wine bottles would be waiting for us.
The n00b (me) would be placed at the start of the line to manually load bottles on the conveyor belt. The trick was to put a bottle between each finger of both hand and load as fast as possible. Shift started at 4am and wouldn't end until 10pm, sometimes midnight.
Bottles would shatter often on the line, wine spilling (something to do with the speed of the line - can't recall). Line would stop, foreman would yell at me, had to sweep glass (sometimes without gloves, glass shards in hands, face etc - no googles - to be expected), and start again. No OSHA in France.
I sucked so bad at the beginning the foreman hated my guts. He'd pull me my slow a*s off the line and assign me on "box duty". Basically to ready cardboard boxes to be packed. A pallet of cardboard boxes would take an hour. There were (sometimes) up to 4 pallets.
I'd come home with messed up, bloody hands, covered in blisters. And reeking on wine. I did this for a whole summer. I was 18 and barely made enough to buy me a used car.
I also have f****d up stories about the grape harvest.
When I hear people bloviate about wine, I have to grit my teeth and walk away. Brutal work. Thankless. Made me hate wine.
Stay in school, kids.
#15
Nearly one-third of our life is spent at work, so it’s not great to learn that so many people have had truly bad job experiences. Hopefully, more folks will feel empowered to quit career paths they don’t enjoy, and the work culture will start improving so that people don’t have to dread going to the office anymore.
Have you ever had a terrible job? Share your experience in the comments.
#16
#17
#18
#20
