Notes From Terrible Bosses That Were Exposed By Annoyed Employees
Regardless of what your job is now, you likely remember the worst boss you ever had because they treated people so poorly.
Every one of these signs was written by a manager in a bad mood and they’re not all intelligent or even legal.
No is always an option
To be clear, saying “no” is always an option whenever anybody asks you to do something, especially a manager!
It’s obvious why people don’t respond eagerly when whoever wrote this note asks them to do something.
Actual person or robot?
The person who posted this online said that they spotted it in upper management’s office.
Talk about insanely high expectations! It’s hard to say if these bosses are looking for a “talented” employee or a programmable robot.
How do you abuse water?
The management that wrote this note is apparently cutting back costs by no longer providing water.
The note confusingly says that “We have abused our privilege” by providing water to teams. Make it make sense!
You break it, you buy it and that goes for staff too
This boss is taking “if you break it, you buy it” to a whole new level by making the staff agree to the policy.
It certainly puts extra pressure on the staff to take their sweet time with moving stock.
The least welcoming HR office
The caption on this picture says, “Great sign to see outside your HR department.”
Hopefully, this person didn’t have anything they wanted to have a professional discussion about because, according to this tacky decorative sign, that’s not an option.
An important slideshow from corporate
These “Tips For Not Getting Fired” are so obvious that they almost seem satirical, but they’re real.
All it takes to keep a job at this place is “unbelievably amazing work all the time, every day.”
No fainting on company time
A delivery driver for USPS shared a Corporate Communication that they received during their shift.
Like any giant corporation, USPS kindly asks its staff not to behave like real people, which includes not having a health emergency during a heatwave.
Don’t quit or get fired (you have to stay forever)
Starting a new job is exciting unless, of course, you find a clause like this one in your hiring contract.
If you happen to quit from this establishment, “you will automatically forfeit any tip money that you may have earned.” This sounds like a legal issue.
Orange is the new black
Someone snapped a picture of this concerning sign posted at a local department store.
The intention of the note seems to be a fundraiser campaign, but the customer who encountered this couldn’t help but feel it was “degrading.”
Just a casual invasion of privacy
Any time that someone tells you, “do not do any research on this,” it is a good indicator that you should definitely do some research.
This is because there is usually a good chance that they are trying to get away with something they shouldn’t be.
Breakfast is forbidden
This hotel is committed to making sure that their guests have a great experience, but apparently, they don’t really care about the staff’s experience.
Not only did they misspell “allowed,” but they’re also not technically allowed to forbid their staff from eating.
New office rule
Good news rarely follows a posted note titled “NEW OFFICE RULE.”
In this case, the employer had decided they were able to penalize staff by cutting into their personal time without pay. Ah, the beauty of corporate!
Due to lazy workers…
If you read between the lines, this posted letter actually says, “Due to overbearing, unstable, and demeaning bosses, our staff has rightfully quit. In response, we are raising all of our prices because we are cheap, and this is an easy excuse.”
“Also, we are hiring and not willing to pay you adequately!”
“Must be ’bout that life”
Ah, this place looks like a totally enjoyable and non-stressful place to work! Not.
If the boss is looking for someone who can “take a joke” and “won’t cry every day on the floor,” they should start by changing their management strategy.
Pay attention to everything
If you highlight everything as though it’s important, is anything really important? This boss clearly seems to think the extra highlighter will help get the message across.
Adding “We cannot let the state of the world bring us down!” to the end of the letter doesn’t make it any better.
Drinks and snacks are no longer free
One major red flag is when your boss can’t separate politics from the workplace.
Nobody wants to go to work in a toxic environment where they might be shamed for their views and made to pay an insane rate for snacks and drinks.
Pay to stay cool
Leave it to a corporation to turn an Arizona heat wave into a fundraising opportunity.
Instead of just letting staff wear summer clothing, employees are required to pay a donation to wear “dress code approved shorts.”
Don’t forget you’re poor!
This sign starts out almost inspirational and turns heartless really quickly.
There’s nothing like a dark reminder that you are living paycheck-to-paycheck to keep you motivated in the workplace. Your boss might as well say, “Happy Monday, your life kinda sucks!”
Super generous
This is one of those times that the boss’s “generosity” is not as generous as they think it is.
While a free snack is a nice gesture, the actual value of a single banana doesn’t scream, “we appreciate you!”
Mop and sweep for free!
The caption on this picture explains that the manager who left the note “has been making all his employees clock out early.”
It’s one thing to ask your staff to mop, but expecting them to do it on their own dime is crazy.
Charity is a confusing concept
This boss definitely needs a refresher on what the word “charity” means, considering they are pressuring their employees to pressure the customers.
Not everyone has the ability to donate, so this plan will certainly backfire on the poor staff.
Thanks for nothing
You can tell this is one of those cards that was bought in bulk by a secretary, signed rushedly on the envelope by the CEO, and distributed to staff before someone took the time to check whether anything had been written inside.
The card may say thank you, but the gesture says “you’re not important.”
Just start looking for another job (it’s in the rules)
This extremely blunt list of requirements isn’t selling this place as a good work environment.
At the very least, the staff is entitled to have water available, and this boss thinks they can police that— as if all the other rules weren’t bad enough!
No phones ever!
A customer saw this sign at a local restaurant and asked, “Is this even legal? Servers make $3 an hour in this area, and you can take their tips.”
Banning cell phones is a losing battle at this point.
No friends, no fun, no freedom
This confusing sign says, “Work is not meant to be fun,” and forbids workplace friendships.
The morale in that place must be absolutely terrible. If work isn’t supposed to be fun, who the heck included the minion meme?
Don’t be late or you’ll pay
Someone spotted this sign at a local Hawaiian BBW spot.
The boss clearly wants everyone to know that they have no patience for tardiness, so much so that they will take an employee’s tips away. Ouch.
Do our job for us – Management
The caption on this post reads, “This sign is posted right above the scheduling board at my new job. I won’t be staying here long.”
It’s no wonder that employees are on their way out the door before they’re even in it!
Attention! The boss is scamming you
It looks like a staff member at this establishment had enough of their boss skimming all of their tips.
In a true rebellious fashion, they made this sign to display to customers.
Do better Ronald McDonald
A hungry guest saw this sign at a local McDonald’s location and snapped a picture.
This note, riddled with typos, blames employees for customer behavior and puts them in the line of fire of both angry customers and angry management. They’re probably hiring too!
Procrastination is for the weak
How insensitive can one note be? This boss decided to try and find out.
The second “afterthought” memo that says “PROCRASTINATION IS FOR THE WEAK” is equally un-motivating. Read the room, people.
Just turn it off
This business owner decided to send a tweet targeting employees who menstruate as if having a period is a behavior that can be controlled.
Unfortunately, he needs to go all the way back to grade school to work his way through this one.
Motivational Mondays
There is nothing better than a motivational message to start your Monday morning.
It’s too bad this is absolutely not one of those messages— this is closer to the opposite of motivational.
Don’t discuss with coworkers
This boss proved that the only things they care about are profit and work even when there has been a death within the company.
Staff members received this discouraging email following the loss of a co-worker.
We Cerealsly Appreciate You!
The caption on this photo explains: “A competing company is offering us 20% more to work for them.”
The management team’s response was to put out this sparse mini-cereal spread.
Of course, Karen sent this
This boss might as well have sent an email that said “I don’t care about you or your well-being.”
Hopefully, the employees at this company got wise and left this toxic workplace behind.
Nothing to lose at this point
This man took it upon himself to stand on the street and expose a serious injustice that happened at his former workplace.
He’s proving that firing someone isn’t silencing them.
Can’t debate the time stamp
This exchange between a boss and their employee is clearly time stamped but the boss is not seeming to understand how that works.
The employee has screenshots to back them up but it doesn’t seem to matter.
Step it up McDona’ds
Someone spotted this concerning note in a binder at a local McDonald’s restaurant.
The note from management threatens employees who discuss their salary with other employees— a classic tactic to keep wages low.
He was definitely bluffing
This person sat through their job interview just to find out that the pay was not realistic or high enough.
Instead of settling they decided to let the hiring manager know what they really thought.
This water ain’t free yo
Apparently, even the water cooler water at this workplace is not free.
People can’t ask for too much these days! It looks like that sign has been there for a hot minute also.
As much as I hate to say it…
Someone explained, “I’m 41 and job hunting.” They also included a screenshot of the message they received from a hiring manager.
The person had applied at a local fast-food restaurant and was met with this ignorant reply.
Lowe’s cares… Just not about your health
The user who posted this photo said “Lowe’s says it can’t afford to pay us more. They also know some of us can’t make rent and feed ourselves so they ask for donations. Here are ours.”
Lowe’s can definitely afford to pay them more or at the very least provide a bit more than 99-cent noodles and Poptarts.
Update on rules
This workplace appears to have more rules than the average prison sentence.
One employee finally got sick of the passive-aggressive notes and snapped this photo before sharing it online.
“This business is not here to pay your bills”
This boss wanted to make it clear that his business exists to feed his family and pay his bills.
It seems like this it the type of person who should definitely not be in a position of authority.
Revenge is best printed on 8X10″
A clever ex-employee decided to get back at their boss by updating a sign about staff not wanting to work anymore.
They made the management issues clear and posted the revised sign at the front of the restaurant.
A slight typo and a correction
Another staff member at this workplace took it upon themselves to edit their bosses’ sign to accurately reflect the real situation.
Nobody’s walking away confused about what really went down here.
What a spread! A dentist’s dream
The caption on this photo explains “To combat staff mass leaving, management put out this potluck!!”
If management wants to call this dollar store jumble of candy a “potluck” they should have to explain exactly why to someone’s Auntie.
Notice this notice!
In case you didn’t notice this notice, they wrote that it’s a notice five times. So take notice!
The OP asked if this was even a legal practice and in most places, it is absolutely not.
What the heck is a vacation blackout period?
What a nice post-work e-mail to receive from your boss forbidding you from planning a social life over the holidays this year!
Surely a vacation blackout has a great impact on company morale.
“We can’t turn off harsh lights anymore”
The caption on this picture explains that the office has a built-in lighting system over the desks. Employees were finding it harsh and turned it off now and then.
But it appears their manager had a problem with them controlling the lighting and went to extreme measures to stop it.
