30 Workers Who Have Had Enough Share How They Put Their Horrible Bosses In Their Rightful Place

Politics at work can rapidly become very unpleasant. Additionally, when negotiating for a living wage, improved working conditions, or even just the absolute minimum of fundamental respect from superiors, employees are typically at a disadvantage.

Everyone has a breaking point, even though many employees seem to quietly endure whatever their arrogant bosses dish out to them. Even the most timid workers can be inspired to speak up for themselves with just one more act of rudeness.

From the r/antiwork subreddit, we've pulled some exchanges that best illustrate how awful things can go at work, with people putting their bad bosses in their place. On the other hand, some individuals are prepared to battle for justice and their own dignity.

Nearly 2 million individuals are active on the r/antiwork subreddit, which offers support for those who are struggling with their jobs, as well as tips on how to live a life without them. The subreddit page has been around since 2013, but it really took off during the coronavirus pandemic, when lockdowns and economic upheaval led to many individuals losing their jobs and others quitting.

Enjoy the wonderful list that we've gathered for your entertainment as you keep scrolling down.

1. "That’s what I’m f**king talking about"

I work as a welder, and today my employer individually talked to all the welders and offered us a raise because they want to keep employees and attract new people. When he told me my hourly pay rate went up by $4 an hour, I almost couldn't believe it. I work a lot of overtime and I work the night shift.I was feeling burned out from the hours, but once I got the raise, I was so happy I went right back to work, and now I’m working all the overtime I can get. I’ve been with this company for three months; they have bought me a pair of boots, uniforms, prescription safety glasses, and given me a lot of free equipment for protection, and my morale just keeps getting higher while I work until 3 AM with a smile on my face.“Investing in employees is crucial; when they feel valued, productivity and morale soar,” says Dr. William Doherty, family therapist.Danial Abdullah

2. Just rotten to the core

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3. When you’re so antiwork you end up working

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4. Who’s the boss now?

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5. Quit my job last night; it was nice to be home to make the kids breakfast and take them to school today! Off to hunt for a new opportunity; wish me luck 😊

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6. Finally decided I’d had enough of my P.O.S. boss on Monday, and damn, did it feel good

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7. So this just happened, and I’m almost numb at the moment. I hope I don’t regret this tomorrow, as I do enjoy my job, but management is rough

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8. My boss said to me, “You’re so skinny!”

I replied, “Yeah, I don’t really eat a lot.”She asked, “Why??”So I looked her dead in the eye and said, “I can’t afford a lot of food.”The resulting five-minute awkward silence was the best five minutes of my life.Edit: Good lord, this blew up. First of all, I know this is clichéd, but seriously, PLEASE don’t award this post! Send the money to a charity that helps get food to people instead 😊As for the fraction of people yelling “fAkE!”, if you go to the comments, I already explained the basics. If you’re really that mad and that sure it’s fake, try reading those first. If you don’t want to and still don’t believe it happened—congratulations! You get the biggest skeptic award! And with that comes the wet towel sash 😊– Unusual-Riskjamie he

9. Work environment

For almost a year, my boss has been constantly letting me know how lucky I am to have a job at this company. He would have me do tasks way outside of my job description (and comfort zone), tell me to work overtime off the clock, ignore every suggestion I’ve made, micromanage everything I do, and undermine me at every step. I currently get anxiety attacks every time I see his name on my phone because there’s a good chance he’s about to yell at me about something that’s his fault.I asked him to change the work environment and treat me with respect. He told me, “No.” He reemphasized that I should be grateful for this role, that I need to try harder, and that I won’t find a job elsewhere.I just proved him wrong. I’ve been secretly applying and interviewing for the past five weeks and have received about ten offers at this time. I’m about to sign the paperwork to officially accept one for a much better job that pays $40,000 more. The interviewer will be my future boss, and he actually treated me with respect and as if I were a person *gasp*!Drafting up my resignation letter now, and I can’t stop smiling.– AnonEngineer2676Lukas

10. Between a friend and his manager at a small packing plant.

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11. This f*cking motivational quote when I walked in this morning

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12. Is it normal to not want to discuss the base pay?

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13. She said, “f*ck you, I quit!”

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14. This sub gave me the motivation to finally quit my abusive job. I may not have health insurance, but I feel so free!

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15. I QUIT MY JOB!! (Final part)

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16. So my best friend just got this email… what the actual f*ck!?

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17. I quit my job two weeks ago, and they reversed my final direct deposit without notifying me in retaliation

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18. Boss told me, after massively overworking me, that if I want to play in his sandpit, I need to toughen up. I told him I don’t want to play in the sandpit; I want time to lay on the lawn with my cats. He told me to take my cats and f*ck off. He was bluffing. I wasn’t. I quit! Coming at you from my lawn!

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19. Boss wouldn’t accept my resignation letter

After several months of having my vacation time off requests denied, my staff being fired and not replaced, and my work hours increased without my consent, I walked into my boss’s office and handed her my resignation letter. I was giving four weeks' notice, which I thought was nice. She looked at me and said, “No. I can’t deal with this today,” packed her stuff, and left for a day of shopping on company time. According to James Clear, author and productivity expert, "The ability to make a decision and stick to it is a key trait of successful individuals." I went to my office, cleaned it out, finished off a day’s work, and put my keys in her mailbox. The next day, I got a call from HR saying they were giving me the day off without pay to think about what I did and that I was expected to be at work the next day. No thanks. Two years later, I’m living my dream life.RODNAE Productions

20. Amazon tornado text exchange. Your life is just numbers in a machine; make the correct call

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21. Quitting

Hi everyone! Basically, what the title says. I’m 17 years old, still in high school, and working 40+ hours a week. I just put in my letter of resignation (NOT my two weeks), and my boss spam-called me, saying that I wasn’t allowed to quit and if I do, I’ll never be allowed to work at another fast food place again. I’m so pissed.Edit: This is in America, and my parents do know about my hours. They tell me I need fewer hours but don’t really push; I just need to keep my grades up. Another edit: I work 4-11 four days a week and 7-3 on the weekends. My grades are not up, so that’s why I am quitting.– daintynamuAndrea Piacquadio

22. Manager steals tips; one upvote and he gets my two weeks today.

Edit: I am going to quit tonight. Not even finish my shift. He’s getting my keys and uniform, and I’m gone. Thank you, guys, for the words and the help! I’ve been working since I was 14 under incredibly awful bosses, so I never realized how illegal his actions were. I’m going to call him out tonight and leave during my shift. I truly do appreciate you guys. I’ll update it when I do quit :)!Sorry for the format; I am on a phone. Your guys’ favorite thing to hear. I recently started work at a pizza place in Washington State. I should’ve known my interview was a red flag when the entire time my manager talked about his medical issues.A delivery driver ended up quitting a few weeks after I started because of the verbal degradation our manager was giving him. “This boy went to college but is too f*cking dumb to remember what garlic butter is,” type stuff. He verbally insults everyone that walks into the shop or behind their face. I should’ve left then, but I stayed.I made 30 cents more than minimum wage for being a team leader (which he took away January first), and I thought everything was okay until it was just me and him working one night and we made over $1,000 in food.I received $105 worth of tips that night, and my manager gave me $45, which really made me mad since he was told not to take tips by his boss. My final straw was last night. From 11 AM to 9 PM, we made $34 in tips total.At 7 PM, when my manager left, we had made $24 in tips, and he decided to take $30 out of the till, leaving me with a $2 tip at 9 PM. He stole money from the store. He continued to take tips when he didn’t do any work. The entire crew is quitting because of how poorly he treats us.

– [deleted]

Eneida Nieves

23. Please note the timestamps. Any suggestions on how to deal with this outrageous unfairness?

24. I put in my two weeks, and my manager said I have to tell her where I’m going

So I told her, “No, I don’t,” and she insisted by law that I do. I firmly responded, “No, I don’t,” and explained that her insistence wouldn’t change my decision. As Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, states, “The ability to stand firm in your beliefs is crucial for personal integrity.” I added that if it’s company policy, they would have to address it through proper channels. After that, she dropped the issue.

– Dr. Jonathan Haidt, Social Psychologist

Sora Shimazaki

25. Never told a boss off like this. And it felt amazing

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26. Boss ate half of my lunch while I was in the bathroom

I went to the bathroom and came back to find my lunch box open and half of my meal missing. Confused, I asked about what happened from an older lady who sits next to me. She responded that our boss came in, noticed the food on the table, took half of it on a plate, and left for a meeting.I got angry and complained about how unacceptable that was, but she told me to just shrug it off and that it’s “to be expected.” As Dr. Daniel Goleman, an emotional intelligence expert, states, “Understanding and managing emotions is crucial in the workplace, especially when faced with disrespect.” It’s disheartening when such behavior is normalized.Edit: My boss is a woman; please stop assuming it's a man, lmao

– Dr. Daniel Goleman

Keegan Evans

27. Found this posted at my job after a mandatory meeting

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28. Boss wanted me to come in on days that I requested off. Then threatened me when I said no.

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29. Putting your foot down

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30. I quit this morning. I sent this email to everyone in the company.

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These stories are both awful and motivational. Sometimes, you can't help but let these bosses know that you've had it with their nonchalant attitude.

Let us know in the comments which story impressed you the most and whether you've ever put your superiors in their place before.