horrible bosses

So your boss decided to build a robot version of you—an AI clone who answers calls, charms clients, and works overtime without ever needing lunch breaks or bathroom runs. Then, as if starring in a workplace horror-comedy, they turn around and slash your hours.

Finding out your boss is “in disguise” at lunch and critiquing what you say isn’t quirky leadership—it’s creepy. It can also raise legal flags about surveillance, retaliation, and interference with rights to discuss work conditions. Let’s break down what’s likely going on, what’s unlawful, and how to protect yourself (and your coworkers) pragmatically.

Having a boss who depends on drinking is an incredibly stressful situation, especially when their behavior directly impacts your professional image. Luckily, with the right steps you can protect yourself, and even come out stronger on the other side.

It never occurred to me that one day I’d be forced to pay my boss out of pocket just for showing up late to a Zoom call. But recently, I discovered that my manager had invented his own strange rule: if you’re late, even by a minute, you owe him five dollars on Venmo. At first, I thought it was some kind of odd joke, but I quickly realized he was serious.

Sometimes, a toxic workplace doesn’t announce itself with shouting matches or public humiliation—it sneaks in through smaller, subtler demands. A reader recently shared that their boss told them: Bring me coffee every day, or I’ll mark you as “non-collaborative” on your performance review. It’s the kind of situation that sounds almost laughable until you realize it’s a genuine abuse of workplace power