Bad jobs are one thing, but jobs with extremely stupid or ridiculous rules are even worse!
“And yes, I quit”
“We’re not allowed to laugh out loud. My boss thinks we’re secretly laughing at her. And yes, I quit” (source).
Idiot Daughter….
“We are not allowed to refer to the Xerox Machine as “Bob Marley” any more even though it still jams way more than it Xeroxxes. This is because apparently the CEO had tween daughter come in day and she got very upset when she thought the staff were keeping her from seeing Bob Marley in real life. She did not know that Bob Marley is dead. This made the CEO got stressed out and yell at us about the nickname” (source).
Microwave and Printer Feud
“If the microwave and printer run at the same time, it trips a breaker that only property management can reset. So whenever anyone microwaves something they have to yell ‘MICROWAVE!’ so nobody prints” (source).
“Can I pretty please call the police…?”
“I’m not allowed to contact mall security or the police without District Manager approval. I could have been just robbed at gun point in my store. My first call is supposed to be my DM to tell them I got robbed and ‘Can I pretty please call the police?’ The store is a high end retailer, so apparently it’s because they don’t want the negativity that is the police or mall security showing up being associated with the brand” (source).
Stealing Company Property
“If two snacks fall from the vending machine, we have to turn in the extra one or its considered ‘stealing company property.’ Had a manager follow me to the front desk to turn in some cookies last week” (source).
Ghosts and the Supernatural World
“I work for a very superstitious Korean man. The rules are no red pens, no shaking your legs and no whistling after the sun goes down. These aren’t official ‘rules’, but he gets very serious about these things and doesn’t allow joking about ghosts/the supernatural”(source).
Cell Phone Bucket
“Because of some new sh–theads we got working who don’t understand the concept of not using a phone when there is work to be done, everyone has to put their cell phone in a bucket at 6 P.M. (or whenever the evening rush starts)” (source).
Pesky Librarians
“I’m a librarian. If somebody asks me where anything is, I have to redirect them to the front desk. No matter what. Example of how this is dumb: If someone asked me ‘Where’s the bathroom?’ I would have to answer ‘I’m pretty sure the front desk can help you with that'” (source).
Ridiculous Boundaries
“You cannot leave 250 miles of the area without getting your request to leave said area approved. And you have to take lots of online and in person classes on how to be safe, not to beat your wife, not to drink and drive, and how to not be stressed out. And wear a reflective belt everywhere” (source).
Lack of Valve Access
“In our small hospital department, there’s an oxygen line with a giant on/off valve that only affects our small department. If there’s a fire, I can’t turn the valve to close it. I have to call the nursing supervisor who is off-site, to come down to the fire and turn it off for me” (source).
Strange Levels of Trust
“I’m entrusted with the care of mentally handicapped clients, including being trained in first aid, CPR, and the Heimlich Maneuver…. but apparently changing a light bulb or adjusting the thermostat in the group home where I work is too big a responsibility for me to be allowed to do. Where I work is NOT unionized” (source).
Even Floors
“No mini-fridges on even floor numbers. That sounds absurd, but the kitchenettes are on floors 1 and 3” (source).
Questionable Safety Protocols
“Our safety protocol states that if there is a fire and there are wheelchair bound students or employees on the second floor, we are to leave them at the top of the stairs for the fire fighters and emergency personnel to help once they arrive. Sooo…. basically they get to burned to death” (source).
Empty Box Training
“You have to take empty box training to know how to handle boxes that are, you know, empty” (source).
Social Media Struggles
Gmail is blocked. Facebook & Twitter are not. (source)
No Sitting Allowed
“We weren’t allowed to sit at my old job. Even though our job didn’t require us to walk, or stand for any reason. We weren’t allowed to sit because a worker in the past once pushed two chairs together and slept” (source).
Lack of Trash Service
“Do not throw any personal items in company dumpsters or waste receptacles. All items to be discarded must be taken home” (source).
No, you may not have a cup…
“Not my current job but, at my old chain restaurant job we weren’t allowed to give cups with bottles of soda. They had to purchase soft drink cups to have cups for their 2 liter and it was ridiculous” (source)
Nail Clippers and Crash Axes
“I’m an airline pilot and I get my nail clippers confiscated by the TSA. 5 minutes later, I’m sitting in a cockpit with a literal crash axe behind my seat” (source).
“She didn’t last long..”
“My last manager (global company) tried to tell us that if she saw us at each other’s desks discussing non-work related things, we had to keep track of those minutes and take them as vacation. She didn’t last long” (source).