We’re all capable of doing some stupid things in our personal lives. We might leave the house wearing a shirt inside out by accident or drive away while our coffee was sitting on the top of our car. But if there’s anywhere that we should be professional and on our game at all times, it’s in the workplace. While on the job, we’re getting paid to not be stupid, so to ensure that we don’t lose our jobs, most of us try to hold it together.
We don’t discuss inappropriate topics, we avoid scrolling on our phones or dressing too casually, and we get through the day by being productive, professional and safe. Well, most of us do. For those individuals who make reckless and questionable decisions while on the job, the Idiots at Work Instagram page is waiting in the wings to feature a photo of your masterpieces.
As hilarious as the photos on this list may be, there’s no question that some of them are actually quite dangerous. From bricks flying down the highway without being properly secured to the back of a truck to people balancing on Frankenstein’s monster-esque combinations of ladders, it’s likely that some accidents occured due to what’s going on in these photos.
According to Zippia, about 2.6 million nonfatal workplace accidents and injuries occur each year in the United States. Sprains, strains and tares are the most common injuries to sustain, while overexertion, slips, trips, falls and contact with objects and equipment account for the vast majority of these injuries.
All of these workplace accidents cost the American people a pretty penny each year, coming in at a whopping $250 billion annually. And in 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, had a budget of $591,787,000. But of course, not every workplace has an equal level of risk. 15% of injuries that occur while on the job in the US happen in manufacturing jobs, and construction has some of the highest on the job fatality rates. However, line cooks have been found to be at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 while at work.
Not all stupidity in the workplace leads to accidents and fatalities, however. Sometimes, it simply leads to less than brilliant employees losing their jobs. Liz Ryan wrote a piece for Forbes detailing the stupidest things she’s had to fire employees for, and she first notes that someone lost their job for stealing other workers’ lunches. Apparently, when the lunch thief got caught, he told Liz, “I didn’t like this job anyway.”
Liz went on to note that she’s fired “about a dozen people for having sex in the electrical closet or the security room or someplace else.” Another employee even invited two “call girls” to his room while on a business trip and charged the expense to a company credit card. There’s nothing wrong with having fun on your own time in your own home (and with your own money), but it is quite idiotic to mix work and play like that.
Another infraction Liz says she’s had to fire employees for is selling drugs at work. One of them defended himself by noting that he never sold anything in the building, as he always used the alley instead. But unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to be able to keep his job. Another employee apparently made up his entire career history, lying about his education as well. “Never hurts to try,” he told Liz in defense.
