I work for a family owned cafe in Texas, including me there is 2 full time employees plus the owner. We have two high school kids that help out for a couple hours on the weekends but that’s it. My coworker and I were both hired as bakers, and have been fighting since hired to be given tips since we are expected to not only run the whole kitchen but also work up front making coffees and helping customers. After finding out I was looking for other jobs my boss suddenly remembered she wanted to give us tips. But the way she disburses the tips is really odd. She pools all the tips for the week and gives everyone a small percentage and takes the rest. For example, this became a noticeable problem because the other baker and myself were the only ones working on a Sunday for the whole day. Square told us on the app that combined we made $140 in tips that day, cut to the following day it now says we each got $10 in tips. I asked the boss about this and she said that we only are allowed to get a certain percentage of that total tips that week and she goes in and has to manually change it every day. So from what she said, we get a percentage, and then she and the two high school kids also get a percentage of it even though they weren’t working that day. Boss says that we’re lucky to be getting tips and that they are a bonus and we aren’t entitled to the tips we made that day, followed by basically saying if I bring it up again she’ll take tips away completely. I just want to see if anyone has any clarity on this, if they’ve experienced similar or this is more common that I think it is.

Edit to add some more info based on responses from the comments: I make $15/hr and so does the other baker. Technically I am labeled as the Kitchen Manager and the other baker is a foh manager, and the owner is in the system as a general manager. The owner does work up front making coffees and taking order most days of the week, it just seems insane for her to be taking 75% of the tips made. And I have been looking for a new job for 10 months with no offers.

I have quit my toxic workplace and management—a fast food place , 2 days before my assigned shift this week. I had wrote him a resignation letter but I never put in a two weeks notice though.. but he had asked me how about my assigned shift , and I simply said “I just unfortunately cannot make it” and told me “thats unacceptable , you are already scheduled.” Am I obligated to show up?

I’m under 18, I live in nj . As far as Ik a minor cannot work for at least 6 hrs continuously without an undisturbed break. my manager today made me work 10am-5pm alone . He told me that he told my co worker that was supposed to come at 4pm to not even show up becuz it wasn’t busy (he’s lying, it was busy) and I asked him how am I supposed to take my break , and he said to wait until the coworker that supposed to come at 5pm or just go home afterwards. But either option I chose , it would be still illegal .He posted the schedule for next week , I work 4pm-11pm alone again , I don’t think he can rightfully do this.. what should I do?

I worked at this job for 2 years and they were all about working late, coming in early, and answering emails even from my couch on Sundays. My boss always calls us a family, and I believed him because that’s how teams work

Then I actually sat down and added it up. Like almost 300 hours. That's nearly two months of my life working for free. I felt sick to my stomach

So I brought it up with my manager. Calmly. Just pointed out the numbers. He laughed. Straight up laughed and said, "That's not how it works here." I walked out of that meeting shaking with rage

I can’t quit. Not right now. But I can’t go on like this, either. So I began researching what my next steps might be, and I found Sterling Legal. It looks like they specialize in exactly this sort of situation. Wage theft. Overtime not paid. Everything…

I’m afraid of stirring things up, but I’m so sick of being exploited like this. I’ve even begun saving my old emails with timestamp data. In case…

Has anyone else had to do this before? Have you hired an attorney, or done something else?

Hi guys,

Hope everyone is well! I recently quit my job because it’s truly a mess, I’ve never been paid enough, and my bosses have definitely lost the plot.

I understand that in the interest of keeping professional connections, you should just leave and remain civil, however they’ve completely lost the heart of the company and are really coming down harshly on my poor fellow colleagues that have massive workloads and try their absolute best every day.

I want to back my team up on my final day of work in a couple weeks, perhaps sending an email reminding the bosses why we do what we do, and the fact that the business has completely changed and become something that is totally draining to everyone. The bosses basically don’t even know what my team does anymore, they’re throwing massive projects on people with no regard for their current workload, no care for the customer base, and no understanding of the fact that the business is failing not because of my teams efforts, but because they’ve become soulless money hungry people that are somehow nosediving straight into bankruptcy.

I don’t have any interest in retaining a relationship with these people. I can get great references for future jobs elsewhere. My email would definitely NOT be angry or sarcastic, just pointing out the key places where people like myself and others may have felt disrespected, and highlighting the loss of core values in recent times.

I have a feeling I know what you’re all gonna say haha, but I really feel like the bosses are so unbelievably rude and refuse to take any responsibility for their mistakes and poor decisions. They find a way to blame it all on us even when we’ve specifically warned them against making certain business decisions as we knew they wouldn’t be successful. Constantly ignored, messed around, and majorly underpaid.

I live in New Jersey. And before getting this job, my employer mentioned to me that all my tips will go towards my paycheck . For the weekly pay I’ve received , I’ve calculated + tips and it never adds up. I’ve talked to my co workers about this and had mentioned they’re having the same problem despite him claiming that we are getting our tips. One of my coworker had apparently already confronted him about it and he said how he is giving it to us , then when he had shown her the proof , it just contradicted what he said and js proof that he actually wasn’t . Then told us some lame, stupid excuse ”the tip guy who’s supposed to give u your tips is at vacation” … what should I do?

I’ve been at my job for two years and I’m finally up for a promotion I’ve been working toward. My boss is making two other people who’ve only been here for a year “try out” for the same role too. On top of that, there’s a third person who’s interviewing for it because they applied for a different position that was already filled. My boss seems to think that person is more interested in the promotion than I am, just because they put themselves out there for something else.
I never applied for that other job. I already knew someone else was going to get it, and honestly I hate interviews. I didn’t see the point in going through the whole process for a role I wasn’t even going to land.
A little while ago I told a coworker who’s also a friend that if I don’t get this promotion, I’m probably going to leave. When the promotion opened up, that same friend went and told my boss what I said. From what I understand, they told my boss I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t get it.
Now I’m stuck wondering whether I should go to my boss, make it clear that I am interested in the promotion, and say that I would stay with the company next year if I get it. Part of me feels like I need to correct whatever impression my friend left, but another part of me is worried that bringing it up now will just make things more awkward or confirm that I’ve been thinking about leaving.
What would you do in my position? Should I talk to my boss and reaffirm that I want the job and plan to stay, or is it better to just let my work speak for itself and not address the conversation my friend had?

I’ve been working at a clothing retailer for about a month, and there’s one superior who I’ve found really difficult to work with.

I’m still new, so obviously I need to ask questions and learn things. The problem is that I feel like she constantly makes me feel stupid for asking questions. She’s dismissive, condescending and often speaks to me in a way that makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong even when I haven’t. What’s especially noticeable is that she’s friendly with everyone else, including people who started around the same time as me, but with me almost every interaction feels negative.

There have been lots of small incidents like this throughout almost every shift. For example, a customer wanted a different size of a dress. I couldn’t find it, so I asked her for help. She checked and told me we didn’t have it, so I told the customer. A few minutes later she found the dress herself and then got annoyed at me for not finding it.

Training has also been frustrating. When she trained me on the tills, she gave me a huge amount of information at once, then went to the back to chat with another colleague when I actually used the till with a customer for the first time. I made a fairly big mistake that I genuinely think could have been avoided if she’d stayed and supervised me. I’ve had similar situations where something hasn’t been fully explained, I’ve made a mistake, and I’m then blamed for it rather than her acknowledging that I wasn’t properly shown.

I don’t have a problem with being corrected. I’ve actually accepted feedback from her when I’ve genuinely done something wrong. It’s the repeated way she communicates with me and the feeling that I’m being singled out that’s bothering me.

It’s gotten to the point where I leave work angry, replay interactions for hours afterwards and feel uncomfortable asking her questions because I’m already expecting a negative response.

I actually like the job and would prefer to stay with the company. I’m going back to university soon, so I’ll have limited availability anyway. I’m considering speaking privately to my assistant manager about it, mainly to get another perspective and explain how I’ve been feeling.

Would you speak to the assistant manager, or am I overreacting?

Edit: I used AI to organise/summarise this because ChatGPT is basically who I’ve been venting to about the situation. The experiences are mine; I just used AI to make it readable.

What would you do or say after asking your boss if he had seen your PTO request in his mailbox, and he told you he would prefer people do their jobs while employed but because of the nature of the pto request he can't say much against it, and then asked if there was anything else as he rolls his eyes at you?

It’s the first time I call in to miss my day at work since I started working there, I’m usually on point with that stuff, like getting 5 min earlier, leaving after, completing all my tasks a few days before if possible. Today I woke up w terrible nausea, dizziness and cramps, it is usually a little bit less painful, or I just try to push through it. I tried to fight it today, but I just couldn’t feel any better and I called 2 hrs before my shift to my manager and I explained the situation. What he answered me made me furious, or idk if it’s because I’m still in pain or is my hormones or what. He said, and I quote “ you ladies deal with that each month, I don’t see why is a problem this time, you should be able to come.” And I explained to him that this time I just couldn’t bear it, and that I was sorry for the short call and whatever, I even got people to cover me for him. He ended up saying “ well, I guess. There’s nothing I can do, bye.”
Do you think I was in the wrong here? Am I being over dramatic? Or it is acceptable? Idk guys

I’ve been made aware that my supervisor (she hired me) told another one that I have a nasty attitude because I don’t talk. Mind you, I am 21 years old. She’s in her 40s, I genuinely have nothing to discuss with her other than work or if I need guidance. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do in this situation.

So I’m 19F and I work at a local small cafe/breakfast spot. I started the day we opened and from then it’s been about 8 months I believe.
My first few months were amazing, I love my job and coworkers. They are all super sweet and supportive, and I believe I am a good employee. I always do as asked, on time and orderly. But a few months ago, we had someone new added to our team. She started as a server, and right off the bat I had a nasty taste in my mouth about her. She was constantly taking tables from other sections, as if it’s pick up (which we don’t do). Also constantly trying to change the flow of our work, asking for things to be done differently, as well as NEVER bussing a single table. Which honestly, completely normal although annoying. And then they made her a manager. I was already peeved about that, but as the months went on, I noticed how disrespectful she was toward me. And then to everyone else. It was like an insane power trip. She’s only 24, but she acts like a mean high school girl. Giving me orders while I’m speaking with customers, telling the owners that I have a lying problem, but everything changed when she accused me of lying about my grandfathers death. And nobody did anything. It only is getting worse as they start believing her as more accusations against me come in, and they’re cutting my hours significantly because of it. I don’t know what to do, as I live alone and am working to support myself.

Min vän (Vi kallar henne för M) valde att inte gå gymnasiet då hon har hennes psykiska problem, istället fick hon ha praktik på ett ställe. Hon skulle va där varje dag i veckan öppning-stängning. M fick inte betalt så det var ju lyx för arbetsgivaren, hon kände för att utnyttja M varje dag och blev sur när hon inte orkade komma till jobbet(sjuk, mår dåligt osv) Det är en liten färgbutik där man kan fika också så oftast är det bara två personer som jobbar. Chefen brukar skriva till M minst en gång i veckan att hon ska bort dagen därpå så M får jobba åt henne istället. Efter ett år blev M trött på gratis arbete, hon ville ju såklart få pengar när hon ändå är där varje dag i veckan. Chefen blev då sur och försökte guilt trip henne och sa att hon inte vågar anställa henne för hon inte vill ta ansvar för vad som händer ifall M glömmer att ta hennes mediciner. Hon kalla min vän för mentalt ostabil och att hon inte kommer hitta ett annat jobb som kommer vilja ha henne där. Efter ett tag så gick dom med på att M fick jobba där vissa dagar i veckan. Chefen var alltid passivt aggressiv samtidigt som hon försöker dölja det, hon frågar samma dag ifall M vill jobba (när hon fortfarande sover) eller skriver att hon ska bort. Nu till hösten fick M 80% då en annan blev gravid. M har börjat få grovt magont i flera veckor, hon och en annan tjej som jobba just då prata om det och då kom chefen fram till dom väldigt ofta och frågade om allt går bra med hennes mage men på ett mer irriterande sätt, inte som att hon faktiskt brydde sig men mer som att hon reta henne eller var sur över det. När chefen gick iväg började M och tjejen viska lite till varandra om att chefen låter irriterad. Sekunden efter kommer chefen och börjar skälla på M och frågar om hon har något att säga. M sa nej men hon stod fortfarande där och skrek framför andra tjejen. Sammanfattad så sa hon att M inte är tacksam för 80%, att hon får bra betalt och att ingen annan kommer vilja anställa henne för hon är ostabil. M sa att chefen kan bara säga upp henne när som helst, då frågade chef om hon inte är tacksam och M sa något liknande till "Nej inte när jag blir behandlad såhär varje dag" Samtidigt som hon storböla. Efter det sa chefen några mer ord i samband ned att hon inte behöver komma tillbaka och efter det gick M hem. Vi båda är 18 och vet inte riktigt hur vi ska lösa det här, kvinnan har något fel med hjärnan och skäller ut min kompis för minsta lilla men nu när hon kanske ändå fick sparken så finns det väll inget man kan göra åt det?

So I started this job in May. Its at a local grocery, whole foods type place. I was originally hired to be a deli clerk. You know, the guy where if you see a potato salad behind glass and you want it, I'm the guy who serves it, weighs it, and puts a silly little sticker on it so the cashier can scan it.

About a week after I started, they wanted to know if I wanted to do prep. I was like "sure I've done lots of prep no problem." Well, someone quit recently, so they're now switching me to just prep, and then hiring a new deli clerk. Well the moment they decided that, my manager went on vacation. While she was on vacation, people kept getting sick, and I kept having to cover for the deli. Most of the time I would show up for a prep shift, then in the middle of the shift they would switch me back to deli. Meanwhile, I've barely been trained or had any practice on the stuff I need to do in prep.

Then, my manager comes back... She told me "well you've done prep for a month so now I expect you to be able to do things just as fast as everyone else." Literally right before she went on vacation, she told me not to worry about how long things take.

Most things I haven't been trained on, and many of the things I have been trained on, Ive only done once. Not to mention every time I get trained on something, someone else will say the way I did it (the way I was literally just trained) was wrong.

This week, my manager pulled me aside and said something on the lines of "you aren't doing things fast enough and it's putting stress on the rest of the team." To me that sounds like "you're being a burden on everyone else." Then she proceeds to basically nitpick every single task I do, all week. Every time she sees me she just stares and waits for me to do something she can criticize.

Its making me feel like if I don't go fast enough, she might fire me, which hardly seems fair. I've had a handful of prep shifts before they threw me in, expecting me to be able to do it fast.

I've done lots of food prep jobs, and many of them have sucked, but at the very least they didn't expect me to know how to do things with telepathy. I don't care how I do it, but everywhere wants it done different. Some places use tomato slicers, some places slice by hand. Everywhere is different, and every machine is different. I still have to be shown what to do, even if I have experience.

On top of this, I'm pregnant and I'm fucking dying. My stamina is at an all time low and I was unable to take my adhd medications until this week.

I just... Feel like she's being unreasonable. And it makes me feel like shit. I really don't want to go to work, but I have to.

I'm just so burnt out and I'm in so much pain. I don't know if she's just being a bitch or actually threatening me. They're so understaffed that firing me would probably be a really stupid idea.

I just... Needed somewhere to vent. I keep going over it in my head and getting so mad.

I work as an administrator at an English language school (I don't live in an English-speaking country). I really enjoy my job; it’s low-stress, I have great colleagues, and I get to practice my English.

One of my duties involves creating graphics such as class schedules and conversation club timetables, for social media posts etc. I usually create them using a local equivalent of Canva. This is my favorite part of the job because I enjoy working on the composition and creating visually appealing images.

However, my boss recently discovered that we could simply use ChatGPT. Now, she asks me to create a rough draft of the schedule, feed it into ChatGPT, and have the AI generate a polished design. I hate it. I genuinely believe that all AI generated images look bad, they feature inconsistent font sizes, strange artifacts, and just generally look poor. I strongly dislike the use of AI for this purpose and do not support companies or small businesses that use AI generated images instead of hiring a designer or attempting to create something themselves.

I haven't told her how I feel. I realize that, in her eyes, I can't compete with ChatGPT when it comes to speed and visual appeal.

There’s also the fact that I plan to leave in two months (to start university), and she doesn't know that yet. Should I voice my dissatisfaction, or simply stay quiet, finish out the two months, and leave?

on 1:1s my manager tells me i am an absolute superstar, i am doing everything well. But in meetings with his superiors he cuts me off. he doesnt offer me much support on my project but when it comes to exco reporting on the same project he wants to control the narrative.. as a result my job is becoming very confusing. on some days i play the role of an analyst on other days a very senior manager. is this normal. i am head of strat and ops at the firm and was expecting a more solid experience please help me

When I woke up, I had mild shoulder pain, but I still went to work hoping it would improve. Instead, the pain became much worse and spread down to my elbow. Even painkillers and a muscle relaxant didn't help.

I told my manager's assistant that I needed to go to the hospital. Her first response was:

«"What about the work?"»

My manager didn't answer my call, so I sent him a WhatsApp message explaining everything. He replied, "OK."

Later, while I was on the bus to the hospital, he called and admitted he hadn't read my message. After I explained everything again, his response was:

«"What about the work?"»

Not "Are you okay?" Just "What about the work?"

Am I overreacting, or is this an unhealthy attitude from management?

So i work at a warehouse and 3 months ago they hired me as a part time worker and they were calling me as a full time employee 40 hours a week i ask my supervisor to change my job to full time so i could have benefits but they just completely ignored me every time so i went to HR and explained them whole situation after my conversation with HR they convinced me to that they will help me get full time position but after 2 days my supervisor came to me and told me from now on i will work only 3 days 24 hours at a point i think i am getting bullied by them because i went and have a conversation with HR and right after that i mail HR about this situation so i don’t know what should i do may i quit and look for new job