Going to work can be a joyride for some: full of purpose, passion, and coffee breaks with colleagues. For others, it’s more about survival because bills won’t pay themselves (unless you’ve won the lottery or were born into a billionaire clan). But regardless of why you clock in every day, we all agree there are limits.

Sure, we can all put up with a little chaos, a noisy coworker, an occasional bad coffee machine day, or even the Monday blues. But then there are the hard no’s: things that make you question why you’re still sticking around. In today’s roundup, people open up about those very moments when they realized their job simply wasn’t worth it anymore.

These aren’t just dramatic walkouts or headline-worthy incidents. They’re real, relatable stories about what happens when a job slowly chips away at your well-being. From overbearing managers and shady company practices to constant exhaustion and feeling completely overlooked, these red flags were the final straw. If you’ve ever felt that uneasy twinge that something isn’t quite right at work, these stories might just help you connect the dots.

#1

Micromanagement

Immature management

Promises.

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#2

When the thought of going into work on Monday spoils your mood on a Sunday.

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#3

We are family here!

Yes, toxic, crazy family that normal people would go NC with.

Image credits: inarealdaz

People often choose to leave their jobs when the environment turns toxic. Some of the most common reasons include poor leadership, micromanagement, disrespectful managers, and an overall unhealthy workplace culture.

Add in a lack of boundaries, constant favoritism, and unclear expectations and it’s no surprise employees start looking for the exit. When people feel undervalued or unheard, even a decent salary can’t keep them around. Eventually, the emotional toll outweighs the paycheck, and walking away becomes the healthiest option.

#4

Two that come to mind from previous work environments that I ignored for way too long:

—People gossiping about others coworkers or former coworkers behind their backs excessively. I worked one place where some of my colleagues would not stop harping about a dude who’d worked there years ago (like he left 2 years before I even started.) Move on, for Christ sake.

—Favoritism from the boss. When he/she is chummy and friendly with his/her favorites/friends on the team, but kinda chilly with you. Nope.

Image credits: paperbasket18

#5

There are a lot of signs, but some general ones: more of the work goes out to vendors rather than staying in-house, your company doesn’t backfill managerial positions, they start to change the review process, the company “culture” shifts i.e you could have sworn it felt a lot friendlier, but a lot of the people that made it that way are gone.

Image credits: quantumronin2

#6

Zero training materials with nitwits as trainers.

Image credits: ParticularMeringue74

While employers can often contribute to a toxic environment that pushes people to leave, there are also times when they must make the difficult decision to let someone go. It’s not always about better opportunities or personal growth, sometimes, it’s about maintaining standards.

To understand the deeper reasons behind employee terminations, we spoke with Naresh Sharma, founder of OnePoint, a logistics company connecting cities across India. Backed by over 30 years of experience, Sharma runs a massive fleet with a mission to deliver reliability and cost-efficiency. “People leave when they believe their career or future will flourish elsewhere,” he says.

#7

Monitoring/micromanaging bathroom breaks. I was written up once for a 6 minute bathroom break and I was incredibly sick that whole week. And the restrooms were located in another department.

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#8

Paychecks delayed.

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#9

No one is smiling.

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“When it’s mutual, it’s the best-case scenario,” Sharma shares. “We want people to grow. If we feel there’s not much room left for them here, and they can flourish somewhere else, we encourage that. But we also ensure that if someone shows potential, we promote them internally.”

His company strives to keep the door open to ambition and progress, but also keeps an eye on alignment. “Not everyone fits in the long run, and that’s okay. But when it comes to letting someone go, it’s never a hasty decision, it’s always evaluated carefully,” he adds.

#10

Poor guidance followed by punishing you for not meeting goals that were never made clear in the first place.

No support. Treated with impunity if you need support.

Image credits: anon

#11

I didn’t work at this company but during an interview with the CFO, he told me that I was too good to work there. I took that as a red flag.

Image credits: Austriak5

#12

Multiple rounds of layoffs. I should be taking my own advice.

Image credits: HipHopHistoryGuy

Sometimes, though, an employer is left with no other choice. According to Sharma, the top reason for termination is consistently poor performance. “We give chances, we give feedback, and we invest time in training. But if someone continues to underperform, we have to consider what’s best for the team and the company,” he explains.

In an industry like logistics, every role counts. Delays, mismanagement, or repeated mistakes can disrupt the entire chain. “We can’t carry dead weight, not when timing and reliability are everything,” he says.

#13

I just started a new job a month ago, so I can def chime in….My new boss works 7 days a week and expects her direct reports to do the same. Holding 4 hour long meetings on Sunday. Randomly calling you via google chat.

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#14

Coworkers trying to take credit for your accomplishments. Had one of those that always tried to pass off my work as their own (luckily boss knew she was pathological liar).

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#15

When you take a look around your workplace, and realize that you have worked there longer than 50% of your co-workers, it’s time to go…*something* is going on.

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Policy violations also land high on the list of reasons for dismissal. Sharma is clear: “We have strict rules, especially because of the nature of our business. If someone compromises safety, compliance, or ethics, we can’t ignore it.” From mishandling goods to risky shortcuts, he says even a small error can snowball into major consequences. “It’s not about being rigid, it’s about being responsible. There’s too much at stake to let things slide,” he states firmly.

#16

Nobody in the company has gotten a raise in 10 years because the owner says “we are doing bad” yet somehow can still hire more people.

Image credits: anon

#17

“We are family”

I find this generally means they think they are more important than your family.

Image credits: anon

#18

My dad once told me, “Never work for someone who cheats on his wife. If he’s willing to do that to the one relationship that should be the most important and sacred in his life, what is he going to do to you?”

Thirty years in business. I found out, Dad was right.

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Insubordination is another area Sharma doesn’t take lightly. “Harmony matters here. With so many moving parts, we need everyone on the same page,” he explains. Drivers, managers, and logistics staff all rely on one another. “But when someone flat-out refuses to follow instructions or cooperate, it creates unnecessary disruption. And that puts pressure on everyone else.” It’s not just about hierarchy, he adds, it’s about mutual respect and function.

#19

If they are using your coworkers as spies to report on you, it’s time to leave.

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#20

I don’t even know what you’d call this other than outright toxic. I had a boss who just NEEDED a man. Like incredibly smart woman, but all she could think about was landing a husband. She was seeing a guy, he broke up with her via text during working hours, she left work, drove an hour plus to his house and broke into his apartment to confront him. All while facetiming us. That was just one instance of her going crazy. If a single woman applied to our department forget it, that’s competition for the men and she’s not getting hired. She was a terrifying woman.

The job I had after that: I got food poisoning. Never had food poisoning in my life. I thought I was dying and was on the verge of going to the ER. When I went back to work after calling out SHE CALLED ME OUT IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE TEAM for calling off sick. I had never called out before and it turned out it wasn’t food poisoning; my direct supervisor had the stomach flu and gotten me sick. I was already thinking of looking for a new job at that point, but getting yelled at for using my own sick time had me sending the resumes like my life depended on it.

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#21

Honestly everyone having too much fun. Fun turns unprofessional quickly and unprofessional turns toxic even faster.

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Other serious issues include damaging company property, misusing resources, or misconduct with colleagues. “One driver once used our truck to move his personal belongings,” Sharma recounts. “That might sound harmless to some, but it’s a serious breach of trust.” He emphasizes that such actions can have ripple effects: on the team, on clients, and on the company’s reputation. “We’re entrusted with people’s goods and deadlines. Any misuse reflects poorly on all of us.”

#22

Screaming at each other, sarcasm. Raising voice and then smirking. Gaslighting.

Image credits: anon

#23

You start calling out (or wanting to) for no good reason. This isn’t really something that management or coworker are doing but this is treatment of a larger issue.

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#24

Not giving important information or being vague in a job interview.

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Misbehavior within the team, whether verbal or physical, is also not tolerated. “We’re a unit. People need to feel safe and respected at work,” Sharma insists. “We’ve had to step in and take action when tempers flared or someone crossed a line.” His company has clear conduct guidelines and encourages reporting, but says the real key is building a culture of accountability. “We treat everyone with dignity—but we expect the same in return.”

Falsifying documents or lying during official processes is perhaps the quickest way to lose trust. “Integrity is non-negotiable,” Sharma says. “Our clients trust us with sensitive timelines and valuable goods. If someone fakes a record or manipulates data, it’s a direct hit to our credibility.” While mistakes are human, intentional deceit isn’t. “It’s hard to rebuild trust once it’s broken. So we take it very seriously,” he adds.

#25

When the entire company strategy is focused on securing the next round of funding and not on long term growth/profitability. Any company that recently did mass layoffs.

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#26

Someone eats your lunch.

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#27

When everyone is beyond just the natural annoyance of being at work, like you can tell how mentally broken down everyone is acting.

If you work in a small company and the head of it doesn’t know your name or what you do. I’m not saying they need to repeat your full bio every time they see you, but darn, remember a name, there’s barely 30 people in the office. Also, when management won’t even give you that free company t-shirt or pizza party – all of which are stupid toxic behavior to make it seem like they care, when they don’t, but still, when that fake stuff stops, you know they don’t give a rat’s butt about you even the smallest bit. You’re a body of cells that make up the form of a human that fills a job position, you mean nothing.

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“I try to give everyone a fair chance,” Sharma concludes. “I want my team to succeed. But we all have to play by the same rules.” Whether the choice to leave is made by the employee or the employer, it’s never ideal to remain in a toxic space. These posts reflect just how varied the red flags can be at work. Have you encountered any of these signs? What made you realize it was time to walk away or stay and speak up?

#28

I hate when personal boundaries are violated and personal moments of employees are discussed.

Image credits: ReichMirDieHand

#29

Lack of good management period: both too much and too little.

Turnover. Especially turnover of support staff and the money makers (sales). If admin is spinning through like there’s a revolving door, and sales staff have unattainable goals set by management then it clearly has issues.

Sales has to be able to meet goals without a miraculous “big sale” and admin has to be paid and treated well enough that the otherwise thankless job isn’t an absolute misery. Ask me how I know (and what a jerk GM can do to demoralize a staff).

HR CEO explained: He makes them money.

Short sighted morons will continue to train and lose people as if they had the shelf life of milk. New people have to be trained by other people who are then not able to do their regular duties…

And with admins – it can be one or more persons IN the department that make it unbearable for the rest – if they are allowed to run roughshod over everyone else.

Image credits: sybann

#30

If they are not understanding about things that happen in your personal life, like a sick child or parent, school closures, your own illness, etc, and you don’t just miss a ton of work without good reason, then it’s time to move on.

I’m not having a workplace make me feel guilty for being a decent father or son.

I understand that there are people who miss a lot of work and then have something major happen. That’s a different situation, you shouldn’t just miss days constantly because you may HAVE to miss work for something. I have worked jobs where I’ve never missed a day, though, and then been made to feel like i shouldn’t have taken time off to be with my sick family. You can kiss my a*s at that point. That time I earned exists for this reason. You’re letting me use it.

Image credits: Corninator

#31

Consistently promising you a promotion or a raise if you do xyz/extra work and always delaying the said promotion.

#32

My last job, a co-worker (web developer) lied to our boss about my work (SQL DBA). Nothing said at the time to me. 6 months later, it showed up in my review. Not only that, but the same co-worker wrote sloppy code that allowed a hacker to get in and flood us with email spam and delete some data. She got praised for blocking the spam, but nobody thanked me for identifying the actual data hack, finding her bad code, or checking the logs of what they did.

I got a pay cut. I think they were looking for excuses to save $. Started job hunt immediately. I have a much better job now.

The company owner didn’t know about the hack until I told him during the exit interview.

#33

High turnover. When the majority of employees quit in a year or less, there’s a reason why. Usually it is terrible management.

#34

“We’re like a family here.” Yeah nah. In my experience, that usually means problems get swept under the rug, drama, excuses for unprofessional behaviour, etc.

#35

Turnover and undervaluing their employees’ happiness. Also – if they make excuses for the turnover without being accountable. They kept telling us that turnover was natural during growth. I recently left a job that I was at for six years and it was only until I found happiness at my new company that I realize I was gaslighted and manipulated for six years.

#36

Lots of fluffy “perks” like team-building exercises, wellness initiatives, and playing games with your Myers Briggs results instead of good pay, career progression, solid benefits, and job security. Feeling good about yourself has a long pathway to follow before it even starts to pay the bills.

#37

How people respond when someone can’t work due to an emergency.

Heard my *new coworkers get off the phone and nobody not one had a normal, decent thing to say.

“so and so called and said they got in a car accident” “Uuggh!” “Like.. that’s wierd” “So ur in a car accident and you call here?” She can’t get a ride?”

…. I am staring at these girls like huh? Anybody even ask if she’s okay??? wtf is wrong with ppl smh.

I don’t like or trust all my coworkers in life, sure, but… I’m gonna ask if they are okay, Im gonna be concerned a little.

#38

Coworkers tend to be too friendly with each other outside of work. Promotes cliques and toxicity like middle school.

#39

The managers hate each other.

#40

Paying min wage even though they want a college diploma.

#41

Too many temps means the company doesn’t value it’s workers enough to create full time positions.

#42

If you feel uneasy, unnecessarily stressed, or angry/upset during the interview process.

If you feel negative feelings during the interview process, it’s an indicator of how you’ll feel while working for the company.

#43

When the assistant manager tells you that a dude touches all the female employees so don’t feel special when it happens to you.

#44

Convoluted, inefficient chains of communication, corporate overreach.

#45

My first job, my boss (man in his 50s, in charge of the multiple establishments) came into work drunk every day. Punched the 19-year-old kid in the management position. Good times.

#46

Hiring you without interviewing you professionally.

#47

For entry-level jobs: “We have a very hands-off supervising style, and you’ll have tons of independence and opportunity to build experience.”

Code for: “We’re going to throw you off the deep end. Good luck figuring everything out yourself.”.

#48

High rate of turnover

huge discrepancy in what the owner/CEO makes versus the lowest paid employee makes

doesn’t list salary in job ads, recruiters won’t share it right off the bat and require an interview before discussing it

any reference to “nobody wants to work anymore”

“optional” (but really mandatory) drinks after work hours

literally asking you to do anything unpaid after work hours

“work hard play hard”.

#49

When they reward your good work with more work and constantly multiply your responsibilities, but don’t raise the pay. And when you complain, they say “you’re supposed to do everything that’s has to be done”.

Nope. Want me to do more work, pay me more.

#50

I have noticed ones who say “good stress management skills” and “self-motivated” usually translates to this is a horrid job and we will do nothing to help you with your concerns but expect you to still do a great job.

#51

“We don’t do sick days here. I come in sick and so can everyone else”. That’s not a FLEX. It can be quite dangerous. Thanks though.

#52

Being excluded from important projects.

Others being promoted over you.

Supervisor is rude to you or ignores you.

#53

Poor onboarding and training, dealing with that now.

#54

Telling you how great it is to work there.

#55

I have had more than one job where I found myself thinking, after a near-miss in morning traffic, “If I were in a car accident, I bet I wouldn’t have to go in today.” When a car accident looks like a better option than the workplace, it’s time. (For the record, I would STILL rather be in a car accident than ever work at any of those places again!).

#56

If a previously happy, high-performing area has gotten new management within the last 6-12 months & is now haemorrhaging long-term staff never move to work in that team. Sure sign of a toxic boss.

When you spend your entire Sunday feeling physically ill because tomorrow is Monday.

When people cry at their desks & management doesn’t care.

Ugh. Just thinking about it is taking me back to the worst boss I ever had the misfortune to work for!!

#57

Your boss sends out urgent emails on Sunday night at midnight and when she’s supposed to be on vacation. She then asks you to account for every minute of your day to help you “identify inefficiencies” while also asking you to work weekends (unpaid because you are salary) when you are a single parent of a young child.

#58

HR gaslighting you.

#59

Being expected to work beyond what your actual role requires, especially for free.

#60

A huge green flag is being trained by the one you replace. They know what’s up so if they are the one training you you’ll know it’s not a bad place.

#61

Cliques. Everyone looking stressed out.

#62

Not acknowledging someone’s hard work or taking credit for someone’s work.

High turnover.

#63

If youre doing a tour and an employee tells you to run or asks if youre the next sacrifice and the manager acts like theyre joking, theyre not joking.

And i also cant believe how many times i did that and my managers never said a word to me about it.

#64

When they immediately hire you without even getting to know you.

#65

On the flip side of “high turnover”… I worked at a place where everyone except me and a few others had been working together in some form or fashion for 15+ years. Soooo much office politics and it was impossible to fit into the culture or gain respect.

#66

When upper management is all contractors. A sign that something went horribly wrong, and no the people running the place have little or no invested interest in the long term health of the business. And no qualms about burning out the tank and file as long as they hit their project goals.

#67

They still ask you to do some work stuff when it’s obviously out of work hours.

#68

Lack of procedures, little to no explanations of your training plan, unable to answer what success looks like at 30/60/90/180 days.

On the flip side, too much procedure. If you can’t complete routine tasks without 3 signatures, one of which from a different time zone, something is wrong.

Basically a good work place has enough structure for the workers to understand what they’re doing and enough checks and balances that no one person can screw up a project royally, but not so much that it’s inefficient or frustrating.

#69

These red flags all showed when I was committed:

– My predecessor cried a little during an outside meal he treated me to at the end of training.
– A colleague was a walking radio show of grudges, gossip, and opinions, with no visible mouth filter, yet had been there over a decade.
– Workloads were undefined, seemingly expanding after any demonstration of competence, and senior people minimized concerns I brought directly.
– Talking > doing? I had 3 unnecessary meetings on my plate the moment I started, polling 6 rambling opinions for tasks that only 2 of us had to execute on. Meetings always went long.

I should have left before the pandemic hit, but am I a smart woman? Apparently, no.

Interview red flags:

– Interview runs over time. If they can’t manage their time, they’ll flambé yours.
– An interviewer has not prepped by familiarizing with submitted material the org asked for— from work samples to resumé and cover letter. My direct report knew my material during the interviews, but my predecessor indicated in his interview having not read a submitted sample. I should have known his plate was full and cracking from this alone.
– Excellent pay for the role, but limited/missing benefits. Any place that does this is not on the level.

#70

Not being able to just call off, instead you have to call your coworkers and ask if they will cover your shift or trade shifts if you’re sick. I worked in inhome Healthcare for a while and I legit couldn’t call off or leave early. My car got a flat one morning and I called my boss and instead of me being able to go get my car fixed he drove his a*s over to me and picked me up then took me to work and told me I wasn’t allowed to call off. I got stuck working for 72 hours straight because there was a small snowstorm and the other lady that worked there refused to come to work so I legally had to stay there the entire time. If I left i would have been charged with neglect. I made minimum wage and I felt like I was being held hostage the entire time I worked for that company.

#71

“We’re all like family here.” But do not communicate with any previous ‘family members.’.

#72

I once heard a good question to ask during a job interview is “Tell me about some of your best employees and what traits made them succeed?” I use this every time now. Really gets to the root of what your future manager expects from his employees.

#73

Low starting pay, but “with an opportunity for fast advancement”. BS. Any money not secured in salary up front might as well not exist.

#74

Won’t get down and do the dirty work. Like restaurant managers who refuse to do dishes or wait tables or serve drinks. The owner of my work will get down and grab a serving tray if we’re too busy. At my last job, one manager would constantly hide in the office when we got busy.

#75

I think if they can’t tell you the basic work responsibilities of the job, it’s a huge red flag. It means they are a dumpster fire with no direction, and depending on your prior experience, they may be expecting you and only you to figure it all out.

#76

When some people get away with flouting rules, and everyone knows it.

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