As separations become more and more common, it’s also common to find single people with children from previous relationships. Lots of people like to call them “bonus children.” Some people don’t see them that way, though.

In fact, some people dislike them so much that they actually have the nerve to ask someone they don’t even know to get rid of them. Who knew children were as easily disposed of as that pack of moldy cheese in the back of the fridge?

At some point in our lives, most of us have had a friend or partner who made us feel like a bag of number two. They constantly show off how smart and important they are, and how much they think you aren’t.

We’ve got to agree with Ella here. This kind of dynamic is not healthy and no one needs that type of energy in their lives. If you’ve got a partner like them, show them the door.

The term “friend-zoned” is pretty problematic. It’s often used by people who are determined to pursue a romantic relationship with a partner who just doesn’t feel that way, and used as if the partner is the one in the wrong.

If someone doesn’t like you like that, then they don’t like you like that. It’s that simple. If this guy needed therapy over one person rejecting him, one has to wonder if he strayed into straight-up stalker territory.

Have you ever had one too many adult beverages on a night out and sent some texts you later regretted, or called up an ex? Have you ever done it multiple times in a row? We bet Ashley here can top you.

Sorry, but there are seriously people out there who want someone to call them over 300 times in the wee hours of the morning? “Ashley energy” is more like obsessive energy, and that ain’t healthy.

Some couples really take the cheesy side of rom-com movies to heart. They call each other nicknames like ‘cupcake’ and ‘sweetie pie,’ they send long love letters about the other person’s adorable ears, and they do stuff like this.

The intention behind this is sweet, but the execution is so cringy that we actually physically cringed. Let’s hope this is a conversation between 13-year-old partners and not actual adults. Maintaining this level of cheesiness must be exhausting.

It’s perfectly natural to have preferences when it comes to a romantic partner. We want someone we find physically attractive, and also someone who we can connect with. But, there’s a difference between preferences and being picky.

So, what this ‘About’ section tells us is that this man just hates everyone and everything. What makes it hilarious is that he doesn’t even know the difference between woman and women. Good luck finding your extra-special partner, dude.

No one enjoys fighting with their partner. It’s exhausting, and things are often said that shouldn’t have been. It’s usually a good idea to take some space to cool off after a fight, like this girl going to the store.

This sounds like a moment straight up out of a horror film. Who in their right mind hides under the bed to try and catch their partner? We’ll tell you who — no one. This guy was clearly not in his right mind.

Some people are so worried about their partner cheating on them that they seem to look for or create situations where it could happen. Many use the internet to their advantage to do exactly that — like this girl did.

Well, that’s not the ending that we expected. He’s in the wrong for talking to other women, but she’s also in the wrong for going out of her way to try and “catch” him. Talk about a weird relationship dynamic!

Dating as a parent can be hard, especially if you’re a single parent. You have to pay to hire a babysitter each time you go out, which adds up, but you have to decide if you’re willing to make that sacrifice.

It doesn’t seem like she’s looking for a partner. Instead, it sounds like she’s looking for free food and free childcare. Why should someone who has never even met her children pay for someone to take care of them?

If there’s one thing that 99% of the population knows you should never, ever do, it’s get someone’s name tattooed on you. As much as we like to think relationships are permanent, they often aren’t, yet tattoos definitely are.

Even worse is getting someone’s name tattooed on your face! What in the world was this person thinking? Nicole must be pretty dang amazing for him to want the whole world to see her name.

In relationships, we all have to accept that there will be things our partners like that we don’t. That doesn’t mean we’re entitled to control what they can and can’t do just because we don’t like it.

This partner straight-up stole his property, and not only did she do that, but she intentionally destroyed something that made her partner happy. You have to be an extremely selfish person to do something like that.

When partners break up, there’s often this awkward phase of returning each other’s belongings and eventually apologizing or refusing to admit to mistakes. This ex-boyfriend chose an apology, but not to the right person.

This is so confusing. Why would he apologize to an animal? And why did he feel the need to do 30 push-ups? We have a feeling this is a guy who would identify himself as an “alpha male.”

When you’ve been in a relationship for awhile, running potential plans by your partner is the respectful thing to do. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons together and keep each other in the loop.

It’s not healthy for your partner to straight-up tell you that you can’t do something, though. Unless they were super broke and that’s why, she way overstepped. He needs to grow a pair and stand up to her!

There’s never an excuse for cheating — and it’s never, ever the fault of the person who was cheated on. Unfortunately, though, there are some people out there who attempt to convince women that everything is their fault for not being good enough.

Our response to this is a big fat bolded, italicized, underlined “NO!” This could not be farther from the truth. Weak partners need to stop blaming women for them not staying monogamous. That girl needs to run away from him as fast as she can.

Separation anxiety is defined as “recurrent or excessive distress about anticipating or being away from home or from loved ones.” You mostly hear about it in pets, but it happens to some humans as well.

This isn’t separation anxiety, this is straight-up stalking. This is so not okay, and she really needs to get some help, because she can’t be doing things like this with her partners. It’s genuinely concerning.

A lot of people have a list. You know, that list — the one of celebrities you would have a very fun-filled night with if you could. At least, that’s how most people make those lists.

We sure hope that this is a joke, because anyone who makes lists like that knows darn well it’s supposed to be people that you would never actually meet — not people in your day-to-day life, especially if one of them is your boyfriend’s sibling!

Everyone wants to have that meet-cute story about finding their spouse in a coffee shop, or a bookstore, or bumping into them while walking down a busy street. But, what if it were all a lie?

This poor woman was going through some scary stuff. It must be devastating to find out that someone you love and care about could do something like this and manipulate your feelings. We hope she got the help she needed.

Some people get irrationally angry over weird things. It may be smacking food, or the way someone arranges the dishwasher. In this case, it was a partner’s style of humor on Twitter. He had a meltdown over a tweet?

How old was this boyfriend, two years old? Toddlers have meltdowns, not grown men. Thank goodness she said “used to date,” because this guy’s off his rocker. He’s probably just jealous that his tweets never get that many likes.

Despite what many seem to think, bullying isn’t limited to schools. Parents can be bullies, as can bosses, teachers, and even our own partners. It’s a serious issue no matter your age.

This doesn’t sound like love. This sounds like a bully who found a doormat. Sure, he seems happy now, but bullying is never okay — especially not in a marriage. He’ll get sick of it eventually and they’ll head straight to a divorce.

In the olden days, partners would make their SO a mixed tape. Then, it shifted to burning CDs for them. Now, it’s making them their own playlist on Spotify. No matter the decade, love has been expressed through music.

It’s cute that she still thinks that he actually made the playlist for her in the first place. She probably wasn’t the first girl he convinced and she definitely won’t be the last. But hey, if it works…

Being emotionally unavailable refers to a person’s inability or unwillingness to share their emotions with others. This can manifest as a lack of empathy, difficulty forming close relationships, and a tendency to withdraw from emotional situations.

It’s hard enough to deal with it, but to be a parent with these issues leaves an everlasting impact on your kids, as this person shows. Hopefully, they’ve since grown to accept receiving love from others.

Picture this — you’re on a girls trip far, far away from home — when suddenly your partner calls you because they can’t handle their own children. It sounds ridiculous, right? Well, apparently it’s not.

Isn’t marriage a partnership? Odds are she’s spent plenty of time alone taking care of all three children, yet he’s making her take a 12-hour flight home because he can’t manage it? Sounds like a pretty weak partnership.

When you’re dating someone for a long time, you often become like another member of their family. So when you break up with that person, you’re breaking up with their family as well.

Like the bitter ex, there are also bitter ex-families, and that’s what this poor person experienced. Imagine someone’s mom being so obsessed with you that they feel the need to send them this message insulting them with the sarcastic “hope your life goes well” at the end.

Some people really struggle with flirting. Maybe they don’t know the right thing to say, or maybe they’re really shy or very socially awkward. Whatever it is, don’t ever show up in someone’s DMs with a message like this.

Has this line ever actually worked out for him, or is everyone’s response similar to this person’s? This is like people who threaten to do bad things if their partner leaves them, but he exposed that side of him early on enough for this gal to see flaming red flags.

You know that expression “dodged a bullet?” There are a lot of former relationships that it applies to — relationships where one partner had some serious issues and the other is lucky to have gotten away before it was too late.

Imagine feeling like it’s perfectly acceptable to go to these lengths to manipulate an ex into contacting you. What did she expect to happen, that he’d find out it wasn’t real but want to get back together with her anyway?

There are way too many people in the world who hold onto people that they don’t really like because they want to have a backup plan. This involves stringing said person along even though they don’t really want to be with them.

It’s so messed up to just casually rub into someone’s face that you aren’t that interested in them and are actively going on other dates. Thank goodness the other person stood up for themselves and put their foot down.

Pregnancy is hard on a woman’s body, and the process of giving birth isn’t a pretty one. The body is under a lot of stress, and women can’t really control what happens.

This woman carried two babies inside of her for nine months, gave birth to them, and has now been completely abandoned by her partner over something so ridiculous that it would make anyone’s chin drop with shock. She deserves someone who doesn’t act like a baby themselves.

If you’re a smart, educated person, you don’t need to pretend to be so and make others feel bad about themselves. Only insecure people trying to give off a certain image do that, like this person.

What does “speak Tide Pod” even mean? And does this person think that ‘lol’ is an actual word and not an abbreviation in and of itself? Get out of here with that nonsense, man. Being rude doesn’t mean you’re well-educated.

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than the people we care about telling us how wonderful we are. We all need that support to get through tough days, but some people become too dependent on it.

It’s natural for children to need lots of reassurance from the adults in their lives. It’s not natural for a man to be so obsessed with reassurance that he faults his girlfriend for supporting people who aren’t him.

Proper communication is often one of the biggest hurdles in a relationship. Partners have different communication styles, and some people — for some reason or another — don’t know how to or refuse to communicate at all.

If you don’t mean anything you say, then what’s the point of saying it? Unless your boyfriend has the superpower of reading minds, it’s irrational to expect him to know how you’re feeling if you won’t communicate properly.

When one partner in a relationship is making significantly more money than the other, it’s normal for them to take on a bigger share of the expenses. But, it’s not okay for the other partner to mooch off of them.

This guy is such a jerk! He had absolutely no sympathy for her situation, but rather hinted about her buying him an expensive car he definitely doesn’t need, unlike her life-saving insulin.

Social media apps are clever. They add more and more features to make you feel the need to use them more often. One of those is Snapchat streaks, where you get a special streak the more often you snap with someone.

Honestly, this is pretty pathetic. Sure, it’s natural to feel disappointed when you’ve worked at something like this, but crying over it for days points to some deeper issues going on. Social media isn’t the whole world.

Dating apps are frustrating. There are many people saying they’re looking for a serious partner, but really they just want a one-night stand. Others say creepy things and make people uncomfortable.

Then, there are those with lazy answers like Mike here. If only he had known that he had to write a novel about a specific meal for her to be happy with him, he would have probably tried a bit harder. It probably wasn’t worth it, though.

Sometimes, we reach a point where we just can’t continue a relationship. It’s best to let the partner know and move on, knowing you did the best that you could.

Well, so much for all of those empty threats before! This person seems to be willing to drop everything to cook chicken for the person they supposedly don’t want to hear from. Must be some good fried chicken.

Look, we’re not going to get into this guy agreeing to raise another man’s baby (because, honestly, that happens all the time, and it’s fine). But what really bothers us is that he set up some pretty clear boundaries, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them.

His girlfriend, however, clearly didn’t respect that and continued to nag him about it… This guy later on shared that the baby daddy accused them of ruining his life. Basically, since this guy asked this on “Am I the Jerk,” the only answer we have is that everyone (except the baby) seriously sucks here.

There are a lot of different reasons that women wear makeup, but it’s not often that one of them is to impress potential romantic partners. More likely, it’s simply because they like how they look with it on.

It’s sad that this woman’s friend seems to think she would only wear makeup to look good for the friend’s boyfriend, or she’s just so insecure about her own looks that she’s projecting her issues onto other women.

There’s nothing worse than seeing someone who’s already in a relationship pining over another person. It makes you wonder why they don’t just break up with their current partner as it’s so disrespectful.

This person responded as politely as they possibly could, and he really had the nerve to not only say “don’t bring her up” but to say he’d treat them better? That’s not exactly a great way to convince someone you like that you’re trustworthy.

Some men just can’t handle the idea that there are women out there who aren’t interested in them and don’t want to pursue something with them. They get weirdly passive-aggressive, like Mason here did.

This guy is making a lot of assumptions, one of them being that the person liked him. But, to then send the exact same message is just weird and pushy. It sounds like his person made the right choice in not dancing with him!

A common behavior on social media that’s really toxic is creeping through someone’s friends’ list, or worse, stalking who is liking their photos. It’s an invasion of their privacy and an easy way to brew mistrust in a relationship.

Why wouldn’t this person be on her husband’s friends list, and why is she going through her husband’s friends list messaging random people? All signs point to a nosy, controlling partner.

Anyone who has watched Friends or Firefly Lane knows what codependent friendships look like. The characters in both shows rely on each other way too much and have little to no boundaries — not even healthy ones.

This sounds like a genuine concern from her husband, not insecurity, and she left out a lot of information — like how she reacted to Anna’s confession and whether their dates are actual real dates. Everything about this is fishy.

Life gets busy and people take a while to text back or don’t text back at all. It’s a natural occurrence, and it’s also natural for those we are talking to to check in to see if we’re okay.

If he had been blowing up her phone, then sure, he was being pushy — but he sent one message trying to be polite. It sure seems like she overreacted to someone simply trying to check in with a person they were interested in.

Our birth certificates are one of those documents that we all know is important, but none of us can remember exactly which random paperwork box it’s filed away in since we hardly ever actually need it.

This girl did her boyfriend a favor, really. Now, he’ll never have to wonder where his birth certificate is hidden away. Not only that, he doesn’t even have to think about anything, since, well, he doesn’t exist.

Something that has become somewhat trendy lately (but with very good reason) is learning how to set boundaries. Whether it’s with a romantic partner, a friend, or a family member, we all need to learn how to say no.

We doubt he’s the only one wondering why they’re like this. There’s a difference between knowing how to forgive others and letting others walk all over you. It’s tough to know which way you’re leaning.

When we’re in the early stages of falling for someone, many of us not only fail to recognize red flags that come up, but we also create “signs” where there aren’t actually any.

It’s so important to know how to read other people, their body language, and their emotions. So many people could avoid heartbreak if they could just break out of the fantasy bubble in their heads and actually pay attention to how the other person is behaving.

We’ve all heard of people who “love the chase” when it comes to finding a romantic partner. They’re the ones who want mind games and who thrive on trying to gain someone’s attention, just to shrug it off once they have it.

It’s pretty scary that this has over 970,000 likes. We have so many questions. Where did she get so many dead birds? Why did he not wonder why birds kept slamming into his window? How do people get like this?

Somehow, we as a society have managed to convince ourselves that women don’t do perfectly natural things — like grow armpit and leg hair, fart, or do number twos. It feeds this weird obsession over what is and isn’t “ladylike.”

Someone let this woman know that she isn’t married to a man, but rather a manchild. They look like normal men, but they have the maturity level of a five-year-old boy and can’t understand that women are human.

The corporate world isn’t the easiest place to navigate. It becomes 100 times harder, however, when you also have to deal with coworkers and managers who act in certain ways. These people decided to share online exactly what their colleagues do that they absolutely can’t stand, and we can’t help but agree with them — these coworkers are the worst!

Unless you’re incredibly lucky in life, at one point or another, you’ve encountered a manager who wholeheartedly believed that it was their way or the highway. Eventually, it just seems as if that manager just really enjoys hearing their own voice.

Unfortunately, it gets a lot worse when that same manager has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. There really is no other choice but to nod and “aha” when they talk, then go and do your actual job.

Have you ever heard the beautiful phrase “manners maketh the man” (amazingly, it also applies to women)? Is it really too much to ask that the people we work with show even just a hint of good manners?

We’re all for honesty, but when it comes to someone like this woman, we feel the need to remind her that sharing your bad mood with everyone in the office is seriously uncalled for. It just makes everybody’s morning suck.

Look, we get it, our parents’ generation was all about the company loyalty thing. That’s great and all, but unfortunately, that’s just not the case anymore. We’re all about respecting our elders, but there’s got to be a line.

If any worker is hurting the company instead of improving it and pushing it forward, then it might be time to say goodbye, no matter their age. We do want to add, though, that in many cases, the wisdom of the old codgers at the office is priceless.

According to a survey that was done, from age 20 to our 60s, some of the people that we spend the most time with are our coworkers. So, it’s no surprise that we want our working environment to be pleasant.

That being said, nobody at work owes you signs of friendship, especially when it comes to neurodivergent people. Just because they don’t act the way you’re used to doesn’t mean they’re not friendly. So, don’t go running to the boss every time someone doesn’t smile at you.

We want to set the record straight real quick — there’s a seriously big difference between venting and complaining when at work. Venting is actually a pretty healthy way to share your frustration with a friend at work to let off some steam.

Complaining about work to any random coworker, on the other hand, is a quick way to make yourself into persona non grata in the office. So, keep those snide comments and Karen-esque thoughts to yourself.

For many of us control freaks in the office, one of the hardest things to do is delegate to others. Mostly, though, it’s due to feeling like you just can’t trust the person you’re giving the assignment to do it right.

If your employees and coworkers are as hardworking as you, that’s not a problem. But, once you get burned by someone who really couldn’t hack it, it’s a whole lot harder to trust anyone else again.

So, obviously, you can’t really run a successful company by committee. That means that the vast majority of businesses have an internal hierarchy that needs to be followed and respected for things to run smoothly.

That being said, it doesn’t give anyone the right to be rude or dismissive to anyone, whether they’re above or below you in the company structure. Like the OP said, “Just be nice to people,” it’s really not that hard.

Okay, we want to make it very clear to everyone — there’s a huge difference between complaining about an issue and bringing attention to a problem. The first, as the OP explains, isn’t actually about fixing anything – it’s all about the nagging.

The second, however, is an important part of being an effective team member. Being aware of a problem, attempting to fix it, and if that doesn’t work, bringing it up and offering possible solutions is the way to go if you’re looking for a promotion!

For the most part, we all want to be liked. Unfortunately, unless you’re practically a sunshiny saint, that’s just not going to happen. News flash — not everyone’s going to mesh well with your personality, and not everyone’s going to want to.

And, you know what? That’s okay! Yes, your job is the primary place for you to look for friends as an adult, and we’re sure you’re going to find many. But, you’re really not there to win Miss Congeniality, are you?

When it comes to our job opportunities, beyond our skill set, our personality plays a huge role in whether or not we’re fit for a job or not. Salespeople need to be outgoing and patient, and coders and editors need to be fastidious and exact.

So, unfortunately, yes, sometimes, being an introvert means that you’re not a good fit for certain roles. But, if it’s about being excessively friendly in the office when it has zero to do with the actual job you’d be doing? Yeah, the OP is absolutely right.

Healthcare is certainly a difficult field to work in. You’re expected to give every ounce of yourself over to your patients which, unfortunately, is impossible and completely unsustainable. But, caring too little, as the OP describes, is even worse.

So, how about we find a nice balance between those two? Patients, remember that your doctors are human too, and sometimes they mess up. Doctors, be kind and patient with your patients, and don’t forget that you usually see them at their worst moments.

Anyone over the age of 15 should never (ever) be running up to “mommy” to tell on someone. Seriously, people, grow up — your coworkers don’t owe you anything beyond basic decency and politeness!

Now, obviously, if you see someone do something that has the potential to actively harm anyone or anything, report them ASAP to the right people. But, come on! Telling the boss someone ignored your riveting tale about your pet iguana? That’s just childish.

Oh, the dreaded group project — this post is for anyone who found themselves working day and night by themselves on something that was meant for an entire group of people to do. There’s nothing more frustrating at school than the person who’d mooch off your hard work.

It looks like the awful guy the OP is describing is exactly that person who’s all talk around the bigwigs, and no action when it’s actually time to put in any effort. We don’t even know him and we hate this guy!

Remember your coworker Becky going on and on about LuLaRoe, or that Rob guy from the office who wouldn’t shut up about that new cryptocurrency that’s going to make him rich? Don’t you wish they would just keep all that to themselves?

Now, there’s nothing wrong with sharing with your coworkers and friends at the office that new thing you’re excited about, all we ask is that you please not start recruiting for whatever cause you’re obsessed with this week.

Obviously, stall hoarders are not ideal in any situation but especially not in an office. That being said, this would’ve been a much bigger problem if this was an all-women place.

The real people at fault here are whoever designed this office space to only have a single toilet! So, in this case, we suggest not getting mad at your coworker with the irritable bowels. Instead, take it out on the person who’s really responsible for this mess!

With us spending so much time at work, it’s no wonder that we’ve begun assigning familial roles to our coworkers — like your work husband or wife or the office mom. But, it looks like this woman might be hiding behind that title.

Even in an intense work environment, people have a right to privacy, especially from nosy mother types. Look, a bit of gossip is only natural and is fine. But, don’t treat your work friends like your favorite soap opera, or you won’t be left with any friends.

We don’t know what type of place the OP is working in, but in our place of work, our assigned tasks take up plenty of our time (no matter how productively we work). We think the OP might have just wanted to humble brag.

Seriously — the OP could’ve just said that they’re a quick worker. There’s really no need to make anyone else feel bad for their speed (or lack thereof). A good manager knows how to assign tasks in accordance with your abilities.

We cannot stress this enough — in every situation (and definitely not just in the office), a person that compliments you to your face then turns right around, and talks smack about you behind your back is a terrible human being.

Here’s a little tip for any wannabe two-faced office gossip – unless someone is doing something that must be reported to management, keep your mean opinions to yourself. And if you don’t love a coworker, instead of trashing their reputation, just keep your interactions to a minimum. There’s no need to put on a fake smile.

When we talk about toxic work environments, we’re not exactly thinking of Britney Spears’s hit song. Instead, we’re imagining a workplace that’s become a den of snakes, where valid criticism is taken as a personal affront and nothing ever gets done.

Our advice is, if you ever find yourself with coworkers like the ones the OP describes, don’t walk, run to the internet and apply for any other job you can find! Trust us, a toxic workplace is never worth it, no matter how good the pay is.

So, we’re not even going to get into the fact that teachers deserve a whole lot more than they’re getting right now (and not just in their salary), because, of course, they do. But, here’s something that’s definitely not helping.

People who decided to work tons of extra unpaid hours just make it seem as though the issue doesn’t exist (after all, the work is getting done, who cares that they spent hours on it with no compensation). Here’s a little rule to follow for these folks — don’t work if you’re not getting paid.

We like people who come into work with a can-do attitude and a willingness to be a leader — those are great traits to have in a coworker if you want to get projects done. Unfortunately, some of those people find it difficult to keep to their own duties.

Repeat after us — if they’re not your manager, you don’t owe them explanations for anything! Sometimes, they just need to be put back in their place, so feel free to talk to their manager about how they’ve extended beyond their work parameters.

There’s a fine line between overseeing your workers’ output to ensure that it’s up to certain exacting standards and getting all up in their business to the point of micromanaging. In case you weren’t sure, the first is fine, the second is beyond annoying.

Look, we get wanting people to work hard at the office, but at some point, a manager has to understand that even just a bit of flexibility when it comes to your workers’ personal lives will end up paying dividends when they’re not completely burned out.

Here’s an example of how technology can actually fix certain toxic work traits. In the olden days, if a manager was a publicity hound and was constantly stealing your hard-earned credit, there really was nothing you could do about it.

It was their powerful word against yours. So, guess who won nine times out of ten? Thankfully, nowadays, technology acts as the ultimate arbiter of truth. No more being thrust away from the limelight when you’re the one who put in all the work.

Let’s be honest, being told you’re wrong about or made a mistake in something you’ve worked hard on is never fun. But, one of the most important things you can learn as you grow up is how to accept that criticism and become better because of it.

Colleagues who never learn how to accept that criticism graciously, though, really suck. There’s just no way to communicate effectively with someone like this. You just end up feeling like you’re unsuccessfully attempting to speak to a petulant child.

Whenever you have at least two people who come from different places, with different backgrounds, and different ways of communicating, there are going to be at least a few moments of misunderstanding — and imagine how much worse it can get, the more people you add to that.

It’s a good manager’s job to be able to bridge those miscommunication divides and be able to talk to each of their employees in a way that’s clear and understandable to them. So, a boss that acts like the one described by the OP should really be demoted.

Yes, of course, your manager’s job is to make you a better, more effective employee, and that often includes giving you constructive criticism that you can learn and grow from. However, that’s not really enough.

Some managers seem to forget that we’re only human and we need positive feedback just as much so that we don’t burn out during our time with the company. A worker who doesn’t feel appreciated is going to quit, and soon.

Obviously, we don’t go into a job expecting to be the most popular person in the office by being everybody’s bestie. We do, however, expect a certain amount of equal treatment, especially when it comes to our manager.

Basically, we want to be judged by the merit of our abilities, not by how much we can suck up to the manager. Nobody should have to act like a teacher’s pet in order to advance at work if they don’t have the actual qualifications for the job.

There’s nothing more awkward than meeting someone new in an office environment that seems to be completely clueless about personal boundaries. Just to be clear, asking someone you just met highly personal and invasive questions is not okay!

In fact, asking anyone you’re not incredibly close to questions like the one the OP shared she was asked is absolutely wrong! If you’ve ever had a coworker like this, politely remind them to mind their own business and get back to work!

It’s really not a cliche that some people never grew out of their high school days. Annoyingly, it’s usually the bullies who used to enjoy having power over weaker teenagers and now that they’re adults, they desperately try to recreate that feeling.

Can we all just agree that being a bully is extremely childish, and stems from tons of insecurity when it’s coming from an adult? Let’s just reserve that mean-girl attitude for the next time we watch Mean Girls, and keep it out of the office!

So, we both agree and disagree with this one. On the one hand, putting pressure on anyone and making them believe that they won’t be able to advance at work because they’re not a super social creature isn’t right. On the other hand, we end up spending at least eight hours a day with our coworkers…

If you’re not at least a bit friendly with them, you’re going to find yourself extremely lonely and isolated. Just keep the external social gatherings to a minimum and without the pressure of participation.

Some jobs get all the prestige, while other positions are regarded as lesser. This, of course, is an incredibly childish and silly view. For a company to operate well, every person involved, from the cleaner to the CEO, has an important task.

Thinking you’re above another person at work just because you work in a higher position or department is beyond conceited. Never forget that you probably won’t be able to do your job well without the support of everyone “beneath” you!

Back in the old days, before our phones were attached to us at the hip, when you left work at the end of the day, it meant that your work day was over and you could fully disconnect and enjoy your time at home properly.

We have no idea why jobs now think that since they pay us for our work hours, it also means that they’ve bought every other personal second of our time! Do you want us on call 24/7? Then pay us accordingly. If not, whatever it is can wait until we’re on the clock.

Does anyone nowadays remember what it was like to work before we had Slack? Did people actually have to get out of their office and walk all the way to the cubicle where the person you were trying to communicate with sat?!

In that scenario, we totally understand engaging in a bit of small talk with the person you’re talking to. After all, that’s just common courtesy. When it comes to Slack, though, please keep the chit-chat to a minimum and just tell us what your question is already.

Do we really have to explain this one? Can anyone honestly say that they enjoy working with the sort of person who hoards all your mistakes so they can use them against you to make themselves look better?

Because we sure don’t! Look, everybody messes up. If you notice someone made a mistake, let them know, privately — don’t air it out in front of the higher-ups just to claw your way ahead a few inches. Nobody likes a tattle-tale.

Often, when we imagine an average workplace, we think of endless rooms filled with cubicles. But, restaurants certainly make for uniquely high-stress work environments. That’s why it’s doubly important to be able to own up to your mistakes in such a space.

Having to work with someone who continuously refuses to take responsibility for their actions and mistakes adds so much unnecessary stress to this already tense situation. We’d quit, too, if we were the OP.

Sure, with age comes experience and tons of wisdom. However, that doesn’t mean that just because someone at work is older that automatically makes them superior in every way to their younger employees.

Trust us, young people have plenty of abilities and talents that can come in handy at work if given the chance to shine without condescension. In fact, some of those workplace elders could possibly learn a thing or two from the youngsters.

For everyone who has yet to get this piece of valuable information through their skulls, we’ll repeat it — believe it or not, you’re allowed to have a life outside of work! Your time is valuable, and your personal time doubly so!

Feeling unwell? Take a sick day. Need a long weekend to recharge your batteries or enjoy some time with good friends? Use your PTO! Don’t forget, you’re just punishing yourself and your coworkers if you burn out from never resting.

Over the years, we’ve known enough people who actually can’t function without their morning caffeine fix to completely agree with the OP. But, that doesn’t give anyone the right to adopt “Grumpy” as their only personality trait.

If they’re just bleary and slow before their cup ‘o joe, that’s fine. But just because these people must have their morning coffee doesn’t mean they can heap abuse on the rest of us. You don’t ever see tea drinkers use that excuse, do you?

This OP seems to have an entire list of things that their coworkers do that annoys them, and we have to say, we agree with the majority of them. Yes, people shouldn’t be playing dumb just to heap their work on someone else.

Although office gossip is inevitable, we do agree that it should be kept to a minimum and away from the boss. As for calling off… Sure, a worker who’s constantly gone is terribly annoying. But, nobody gets to decide that your colleague’s PTO is insignificant.

Nobody likes to feel like someone has wasted their time with something that ended up being completely useless, irrelevant, and insignificant, so we absolutely understand the OP’s frustrations over this happening to them.

Unfortunately, when it comes to certain positions, that just might be the reality of the job. Some people’s job is to try all sorts of things that are brought to them, with the knowledge that 90% of those projects aren’t going to be viable. If that doesn’t work for you, find a different job.

The term weaponized incompetence has cropped up in the last few years, mostly in the context of relationships. Basically, it’s when a person (usually, unfortunately, the man in a relationship) feigns incompetence to get out of a task they don’t want to do.

Somehow, though, it’s even more infuriating when you get this kind of behavior in a corporate setting. After all, you’re all getting paid to know how to do your job. So, someone playing dumb to get out of a task they don’t like is beyond frustrating.

We’ll go nice and slow for anyone who didn’t get the memo — all your personal grooming needs should be done OUTSIDE of work hours and locations. Do not — we repeat — do not clip your nails in the office!

Look, we get that people have gotten used to working from home the last few years, and so a few office etiquette rules have gone by the wayside. But now that people are back in their offices, we beg you — keep your nail clipping to a minimum at work.

We’re told that if we work hard enough, eventually, all that effort will pay off and we’ll be promoted (or at least get a raise). Sadly, no matter how much sweat and tears you put in, sometimes, someone else gets moved ahead of you.

So, we actually completely understand being slightly upset and jealous of whoever did get promoted. However, if you let that jealousy turn you into a hateful and vindictive coworker, then we absolutely agree with the OP that it makes you a terrible colleague.

You know those absolutely wild people who, as soon as they get a task, start working on it and complete it weeks before the deadline? Well, we’re not like that. So, for all our procrastinator brethren out there, this one’s for you.

Let’s face it, no matter how much we try to fake our productivity with artificial deadlines, we all know they just don’t work and should be thrown in the corporate garbage. A good manager will give you real and reasonable deadlines.

One of the worst kinds of places you can work is a company where no one has a say about anything, except for the management who refuse to listen to anyone else. Having to nod and agree with everything is not our idea of a good place of employment.

We can’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for the OP to feel like their legitimate attempt at a solution was met with these pompous and uncompromising managers. These are definitely people we wouldn’t want to be working with.