In the business world, as in life, success and failure often stand just a small action apart. As much as we’d like to believe that every thriving company has climbed the ladder through hard work, integrity, and a commitment to ethical methods, the truth can sometimes be a bit more disappointing. Let us welcome you to the dark side of the corporate universe, where we’ll explore all those unethical business practices that are, unsurprisingly, still very common.
It’s crazy how, in this day and age, with all the information available to us, unfair labor practices are not a thing of the past. Unfortunately, like an unwanted relative who always shows up uninvited to family gatherings, some unethical companies and their questionable procedures just refuse to go away.
But why should you care about business ethics? Well, unless you’re a fan of company scandals, modern slavery, or the thought of hard-earned money slipping through your fingers due to unscrupulous business behavior, this topic should matter to you. Whether you’re a consumer, an employee, or a business owner, understanding how some companies work can help you spot red flags, make more informed decisions, and maybe even save you from becoming the next headline in the news. After all, no one really wants to be the person who supports or works for a company known for its dishonest practices, even less getting tricked by them.
Inspired by a Reddit thread where users shared their encounters with unethical sales tactics and shady practices, we’re about to uncover the truth lurking beneath the shiny wrapper of corporate success. Go on then, take a look at what people had to say, and feel free to share your own stories and experiences with other fellow Pandas in the comments below!
#1
SmthgWicked said:
"It’s shady to give dedicated, long-term employees a measly 2-3% annual raise (if any at all), while hiring less experienced people for the same (or higher) salary, than the experienced employee. It essentially punishes loyal employees."
"It’s shady to give dedicated, long-term employees a measly 2-3% annual raise (if any at all), while hiring less experienced people for the same (or higher) salary, than the experienced employee. It essentially punishes loyal employees."
Gimbu replied:
"And they wonder why the recent generations tend to company hop more. No loyalty from the company? Don't expect any from the employees."
"And they wonder why the recent generations tend to company hop more. No loyalty from the company? Don't expect any from the employees."
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86points
#2
"Convenience fees for paying online. Instead of mailing in a check/money order.
Are you f***ing kidding me? You should be giving me a DISCOUNT for saving you labor costs of processing my payment."
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81points
#3
"Tying health insurance to employment. Your boss is a terrible human being? Better not quit; you don't want to die."
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72points
#4
nsnide said:
"Textbooks. F***ing overpriced textbooks. Bonus points if the professor of the class is also the author."
"Textbooks. F***ing overpriced textbooks. Bonus points if the professor of the class is also the author."
jbarr3 replied:
"I had a few professors in college that wrote the textbook but gave us the PDF versions for free."
"I had a few professors in college that wrote the textbook but gave us the PDF versions for free."
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70points
#5
xxkoloblicinxx said:
"Doing illegal things to make $20 million then getting caught and paying a $5 million fine."
"Doing illegal things to make $20 million then getting caught and paying a $5 million fine."
cheyras replied:
"These kinds of fines should scale relative to how much you made doing the illegal thing."
"These kinds of fines should scale relative to how much you made doing the illegal thing."
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67points
#6
gt35r said:
"Cutting peoples hours just enough to not be considered full time so they don't have to give you benefits. Those bosses are true pieces of s**t and I happen to know a few of them."
"Cutting peoples hours just enough to not be considered full time so they don't have to give you benefits. Those bosses are true pieces of s**t and I happen to know a few of them."
couragehelpme replied:
"A lot of people think this is a recent thing, but it's been like this for as long as I can remember. In the early 2000s my mom came home one night in tears telling me she lost her health insurance because they got a new manager and he cut everyone's hours to hire new part-time employees. She'd been working there full-time for years at that point. And this was back when private insurance could deny you for pre-existing conditions, so that job was her only lifeline."
"A lot of people think this is a recent thing, but it's been like this for as long as I can remember. In the early 2000s my mom came home one night in tears telling me she lost her health insurance because they got a new manager and he cut everyone's hours to hire new part-time employees. She'd been working there full-time for years at that point. And this was back when private insurance could deny you for pre-existing conditions, so that job was her only lifeline."
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66points
#7
"Making you pay more for printing your own damn tickets at home. StubHub, ticketmaster etc."
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65points
#8
Puff_the_magic_luke said:
"Paying invoices late, especially BIG companies that pay a few months late. It kills small business, and seems to be quite normal here in the UK."
"Paying invoices late, especially BIG companies that pay a few months late. It kills small business, and seems to be quite normal here in the UK."
P0sitive_Outlook replied:
"My father did some work on a solicitors' building, and they didn't pay. My mother noticed after a month they hadn't paid, and went up to have a word. The receptionist said "That's fine, i'll get it sorted and we'll post the cheque to you". My mother said "I live across the road, i can see my house from here; i'll just take the cheque". The receptionist said "I'll need to get the owner to write the check". My mother said "I can wait". The receptionist went back to work. My mother waited. The receptionist did nothing further to get the cheque and was talking to clients in the waiting area. My mother confronted her and said it's cool, she can just go through to the back room and talk to the owner. The receptionist called the owner in. [Whole bunch of arguments and bloody haggling for time in front of the clients]. My father got paid."
"My father did some work on a solicitors' building, and they didn't pay. My mother noticed after a month they hadn't paid, and went up to have a word. The receptionist said "That's fine, i'll get it sorted and we'll post the cheque to you". My mother said "I live across the road, i can see my house from here; i'll just take the cheque". The receptionist said "I'll need to get the owner to write the check". My mother said "I can wait". The receptionist went back to work. My mother waited. The receptionist did nothing further to get the cheque and was talking to clients in the waiting area. My mother confronted her and said it's cool, she can just go through to the back room and talk to the owner. The receptionist called the owner in. [Whole bunch of arguments and bloody haggling for time in front of the clients]. My father got paid."
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65points
#10
leyland1989 said:
"People give no f***s about your luggage or parcel, they get dropped, thrown around everyday behind the close door, especially heavy items."
"People give no f***s about your luggage or parcel, they get dropped, thrown around everyday behind the close door, especially heavy items."
George_E_Hale replied:
"I remember looking out the plane window at the luggage handlers (I do not recommend this) in Birmingham (US). They were dropping boxes, kicking things halfheartedly to push them in, acting like junior high kids given chores they don't want to do. Their orange vests hung shoddily from their shoulders as they shuffled around on the tarmac. Many hours later we arrived in Japan. The luggage handlers had white gloves (seriously), signaled each other in their transport carts, signaled and stopped even when no one seemed near, really took their jobs seriously. I don't suggest nothing ever gets lost in Japan and I know Japan isn't perfect. But the difference was striking."
"I remember looking out the plane window at the luggage handlers (I do not recommend this) in Birmingham (US). They were dropping boxes, kicking things halfheartedly to push them in, acting like junior high kids given chores they don't want to do. Their orange vests hung shoddily from their shoulders as they shuffled around on the tarmac. Many hours later we arrived in Japan. The luggage handlers had white gloves (seriously), signaled each other in their transport carts, signaled and stopped even when no one seemed near, really took their jobs seriously. I don't suggest nothing ever gets lost in Japan and I know Japan isn't perfect. But the difference was striking."
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57points
#11
"About 15 years ago, I worked for a company that absolutely forbade people talking about how much they were paid; it was considered a fireable offense, and you had to sign paperwork when you were hired stating you agreed that you could be fired for disclosing your salary. About six months after I started working there, the HR manager printed out an Excel spreadsheet listing everyone's salary, and forgot it was on a community printer. Someone found it, made about 20 copies, and just left copies lying around the place. Jesus, the drama..."
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53points
#12
Zaorish9 said:
"Refusing to pay overtime for overtime. I saw it happen all the time. I didn't complain. I got promoted a bunch."
"Refusing to pay overtime for overtime. I saw it happen all the time. I didn't complain. I got promoted a bunch."
theclassyclavicle replied:
"Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m almost 100% certain that is illegal under federal labor laws."
"Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m almost 100% certain that is illegal under federal labor laws."
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52points
#13
MyNameIsRay said:
"Careful (deceptive) wording. "Up to 100mbps internet speeds!" means you get 5-6mbps, and "up to" 100 for a moment here and there. "Made with 100% Chicken" simply means that real chicken was utilized as an ingredient at some point. It's like saying a bottle of wine is "made with" 100% organic cork. "Sugar free!" means "Less sugar per serving than the minimum we have to report". "The top rated____" usually followed by the specific study that ranked it best. Did you know you can pay a company to perform a study for you that's guaranteed to determine you're the best?"
"Careful (deceptive) wording. "Up to 100mbps internet speeds!" means you get 5-6mbps, and "up to" 100 for a moment here and there. "Made with 100% Chicken" simply means that real chicken was utilized as an ingredient at some point. It's like saying a bottle of wine is "made with" 100% organic cork. "Sugar free!" means "Less sugar per serving than the minimum we have to report". "The top rated____" usually followed by the specific study that ranked it best. Did you know you can pay a company to perform a study for you that's guaranteed to determine you're the best?"
Lagaluvin replied:
"Add to that labelling things like "0% cholesterol!" or "Free from saturated fats!" on foods that would never normally contain or be expected to contain those things. Bonus points if it's something really unhealthy like boiled sweets."
"Add to that labelling things like "0% cholesterol!" or "Free from saturated fats!" on foods that would never normally contain or be expected to contain those things. Bonus points if it's something really unhealthy like boiled sweets."
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42points
#14
mrthewhite said:
"Signing people up for stuff as add-ons to an existing bill and hoping they don't notice the extra charges."
"Signing people up for stuff as add-ons to an existing bill and hoping they don't notice the extra charges."
antlerhoof replied:
"Oh god, I used to work in retail and this was something my boss and managers always insisted that we do. I was a cashier and I was explicitly instructed to have a sticker or a keychain or some other low-cost item on hand so I could 'add on' that item to the customer's items without the customer noticing. The intent was to artificially increase the average IPS (items per sale) which boosted our store's sales stats relative to the other branches in the area. A lot of customers didn't notice, and if they did, we were instructed to be all "Oops, sorry, I thought that item was yours, let me remove it from your bill." I hated it. That was just the tip of the iceberg with them. They also made us sign up customers for a bulls**t rewards program without their knowledge or consent by getting their phone numbers or email addresses. If anyone ordered online from our store, we automatically grabbed their information and added them to our rewards program database to (again) artificially increase our stats. It was slimy as hell and after a while I refused to do it. Best job I ever quit."
"Oh god, I used to work in retail and this was something my boss and managers always insisted that we do. I was a cashier and I was explicitly instructed to have a sticker or a keychain or some other low-cost item on hand so I could 'add on' that item to the customer's items without the customer noticing. The intent was to artificially increase the average IPS (items per sale) which boosted our store's sales stats relative to the other branches in the area. A lot of customers didn't notice, and if they did, we were instructed to be all "Oops, sorry, I thought that item was yours, let me remove it from your bill." I hated it. That was just the tip of the iceberg with them. They also made us sign up customers for a bulls**t rewards program without their knowledge or consent by getting their phone numbers or email addresses. If anyone ordered online from our store, we automatically grabbed their information and added them to our rewards program database to (again) artificially increase our stats. It was slimy as hell and after a while I refused to do it. Best job I ever quit."
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42points
#15
gnosis_carmot said:
"Consistently making salaried exempt employees work 10+ hours overtime a week in order to avoid hiring more staff."
"Consistently making salaried exempt employees work 10+ hours overtime a week in order to avoid hiring more staff."
MyWorkAccountThisIs replied:
"But at the same time using a 40 hour work week to calculate things like PTO."
"But at the same time using a 40 hour work week to calculate things like PTO."
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39points
#16
Miley_I-da-Ho said:
"Posting a job announcement and conducting interviews for a job you already know who you're going to hire."
"Posting a job announcement and conducting interviews for a job you already know who you're going to hire."
donotclickjim replied:
"Most HR departments have requirements that jobs are posted internally first and then posted externally for some number of days before the intended person can be offered the job."
"Most HR departments have requirements that jobs are posted internally first and then posted externally for some number of days before the intended person can be offered the job."
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39points
#17
Negative_Goodwill said:
"Comcast's pricing strategy where they raise the price an absurd amount from one month to the next and just hope customers aren't paying attention or too passive to complain."
"Comcast's pricing strategy where they raise the price an absurd amount from one month to the next and just hope customers aren't paying attention or too passive to complain."
tacsatduck replied:
"Called Comcast Friday to try and lower my bill. I tell them I don't want the phone, any of the premium channels other than HBO, give me regular internet instead of "Blast", and the I don't need the DVR. They come back with packages that are $20 to $50 more than what I am currently paying. Let me get this straight, I drop STARZ, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, phone line, go to a slower internet package, and give up the DVR box and I pay more? How does this make sense?"
"Called Comcast Friday to try and lower my bill. I tell them I don't want the phone, any of the premium channels other than HBO, give me regular internet instead of "Blast", and the I don't need the DVR. They come back with packages that are $20 to $50 more than what I am currently paying. Let me get this straight, I drop STARZ, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, phone line, go to a slower internet package, and give up the DVR box and I pay more? How does this make sense?"
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37points
#18
"Using unpaid intern as worker. They have the exact same tasks has everyone else, they work the same hours, even more because they think that if they work more they will be noticed and hired (they won't), and it's rare that their supervisor take the time to teach them anything. They have to figure out things by themselves. Of course most struggle, and it's used as an excuse to not hire them."
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36points
#20
LostNTheNoise said:
"Companies that stifle competition/innovation by buying smaller companies just to stop what the smaller company is doing."
"Companies that stifle competition/innovation by buying smaller companies just to stop what the smaller company is doing."
JulianBailey replied:
"This happens on a big scale and small scale. My dad had a friend that started a drywall company in a small town in Colorado. He'd buy out any other company that started up (usually for hundreds of thousands of dollars) just so he wouldn't have to bother with competing with them."
"This happens on a big scale and small scale. My dad had a friend that started a drywall company in a small town in Colorado. He'd buy out any other company that started up (usually for hundreds of thousands of dollars) just so he wouldn't have to bother with competing with them."
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34points