Let’s face it, we’ve all had a job including that bad boss at some point that insulted you and you co-workers. Maybe they put down your opinions, or they were straightforward, blurting out things they shouldn’t have. We know it was very unprofessional of them acting like that in front of you or the entire staff. And we also know that there are people out there that have the strangest stories about their disrespectful and downright crazy bosses. Reddit user BayAreaDreamer, created a thread named ‘What is the most insulting thing a boss has ever said to you?’ and it was flooded with the most insane stories we’ve heard so far.
Let’s check them out straight from the source! Remember those times when someone says something so appalling that you can’t even think of a good comeback? It’s what happened to two employees when their male GM approached them and revealed too much information:
“My female coworker and I were prepping before the lunch shift at a restaurant. Male GM walks over and says, "You know, I had a dream about you two last night," pauses, reconsidering something, "No, I probably shouldn't tell you about it," smiles to himself, and walks away. We were so appalled and disgusted we just stood there, too stunned to say anything.” - Reddit user happyhourfappyhour
This story is quite twisted, including some offensive language and then the employee getting fired: “My boss’ boss tried to muscle me into making a product that would replace adjunct professors with videos of unqualified random tutors. I’d worked for unions for years before this job […] so I tried to tell him it was a conflict of interest and I’d appreciate it if he’d find someone else for the project.
He kept pushing and I reminded him that his company had lost a lawsuit about this exact thing like a year ago—why’s he trying to do it again? He called me emotional and aggressive and then I got fired a couple months later. I hated that job.” - Reddit user clocksailor
Being an intern is not easy, plus you’re not even getting paid for what you’re doing. But when you’re also getting yelled at for absolutely no reason, that’s just too much: “Back when I was interning for a PR company, one of my male supervisors told me to forward some contracts to a magazine we were working with. I did as I was told, only to be yelled at by my boss for doing it.
He then calmed himself down and said ''women can't think rationally anyway, I overreacted''. My supervisor pretended like he had nothing to do with it.” - Reddit user theycallmelulus
If you don’t have anything good to say about people around you, then you better shut up. At least that’s what this Redditor hoped for when her boss passed her and other female coworkers while sitting at a table in the dining area: “It's the first time I'd ever had the opportunity to sit at a table full of women and I was very excited to not be a token for once. Boss walked by, shaking his head, "bunch of clucking hens." Every single day for years I'd said nothing about being the only woman or being in a very small minority. Eating all my meals every day with all men, the lounge was full of men, everywhere you went it was groups of men.
Then women had the audacity to sit in close proximity and without even knowing what we were discussing, we were immediately written off? - Reddit user guttertrash_fire
This Redditor had two miserable jobs where she had the luck of stumbling upon two crazy bosses. “Job 1: After asking for help for 3 months, working 60-80 hour weeks. ‘I don’t care if you have to stay up all night to do your job. Get it done’” The next one sounds like they were throwing a party like the ones in The Wolf of Wall Street remake… “Job 2: women aren’t allowed on the company trip because there’s alcohol involved and we want to keep them safe.
Also Job 2: A manager comes to my office yelling at me cause I looked at him wrong and questioned his response to something. I’m not letting someone talk to me that way, he wouldn’t leave when asked, so I raised my voice and responded to his comments. I’m the one who got in trouble for yelling at a man. They also made him my manager after that.” - Reddit user pingumom
No matter if they’re men or women, some bosses think they own you and this one was so rude, she even followed her employee around to tell her to stop ‘socializing’: “When a coworker asked me if I wanted to join him in the kitchen to make popcorn. Got up, walked with him, heard my boss following behind me and she waited till we were in the kitchen to say “haven’t you socialized enough for the day, AhgaSoL” with a condescending laugh.
In front of 10 other people in the kitchen. It was only the second time I have gotten up from my desk that day, the first was for lunch.” - - Reddit user AhgaSoL
Some people don’t understand there are boundaries and a boss doesn’t have the right to tell you how to dress at the office, especially in this case: “I had a boss who decided, in front of everyone in the office, to give me "fashion advice". She said that I had great legs and that if I wore shorter skirts with heels, I would get more people asking for my classes.
She also said that I should wear make-up daily, because although I looked good without it, it made me more desirable. Being desirable was more important to getting clients than teaching classes well,” - Reddit user lost-midwesterner
The floor manager at Clinique wasn’t smooth at telling the employee that she had to wear some makeup. Clinique actually advertised skincare products and not make-up products: “I don't wear a lot of makeup, I never have, I'm quite pale & have very dark eyes, full dark eyebrows & full lips, and I feel that too much makeup on my face looks quite clowny since my face is fairly dramatic on its own.
[…] When I was hired, my counter manager even said something about how I could be the "skincare ambassador," since I have naturally "good" skin. My floor manager once told me, in front of the entire floor of coworkers, that it's not her responsibility to come to my house & get me dressed in the morning just because I was too stupid to wear three shades of eyeshadow to work.” - Reddit user hauntsVII
This woman had a degree for the job she was hired, and asked during her interview for some training, since she was new in her field. Guess what happened after that? “I got the job and was totally let loose without much guidance and zero training. I did my best, but made two pretty big mistakes.
When I was getting fired, my boss told me I should give up in that field and consider a different career. […] I had been requesting training the entire time I was employed there and never received it. I moved on to a different workplace that was willing to train, and excelled. 7 years later and I'm now a respected professional in the field.” - Reddit user GradualDecomp
This Redditor didn’t have a rude boss, but the husband of the owner thought he had the right to say these things in front of kids: “I worked as a "lead teacher" for school age summer program at a daycare one summer during college. On a field trip in front of all the kids and other employees the owners husband asked me a question. I asked him to clarify because i didnt understand the question.
In front of all those school age kids he told me to "shut up and remember who signs my damn paycheck". I still didnt understand his question and jokes on him bc actually his wife was signing my paychecks.” - Reddit user ruserious65433
Remember that, no matter the job position we have, we’re all humans. This boss forgot about it completely and was more than rude: “My girlfriend had a miscarriage last year at 6 months, she stayed at home after that for two weeks because she wasn't feeling good.
When she came back her boss told her to man up a little, that it isn't a reason to stay at home...” - Reddit user pablo_284
Don’t you hate it when people tell you to smile, and you feel like putting a chair through their heads? This Redditor overheard her boss when he told her colleague to smile, but here’s why it was so rude: "My coworker's grandmother had just passed away after a long illness, but she still came back to work after the funeral to do the evening shift.
And her manager told her, 'This is customer service, darling. For god's sake, put a smile on, yeah?'" - Reddit user tamgui
This supervisor told the employee she was good at her job, and while she should’ve stopped there, she added a few more words that she probably regretted later: “‘Since you're good at your job you're just going to have to get used to people using you.
Stop being stressed out when people put too much on your plate.’ the supervisor that told me this then proceeded to have a break down the next week crying to her higher up saying she's tired of everyone using her and needing her so she needs time off.” - Reddit user zkittles21
Some people have zero boundaries. This boss deserved a mug into his face after saying this: “I used to work as a barista and my boss literally said to me, "no wonder you get more tips, you've got the body for it" and then looked at my boobs.
I felt really gross the rest of the day. It made me super self-conscious about the t-shirts I wear.” - Reddit user UniversalCrown
Working in a restaurant not only is stressful since you’re interacting with all kinds of people, but you must also make sure you’re doing your job properly. Add in the mix a drunk boss and you have the recipe for the worst job ever: “I’d been there for maybe a year so he should have known me well; i was married and probably my junior year of school.
Well he told me once when he was drunk on the job (again) he said something like “since you don’t have brains to be in school, you’d think you’d have more luck with guys.” That wasn’t even the worst stunt he ever pulled by a long shot.” - Reddit user madisonpreggers
There’s an unwritten rule around, which says you should never ask someone if they’re pregnant and even insist on it: “I was pulled in to his office and asked if I was pregnant. I told him, but I had in fact gained a bit of weight. Thanks for noticing, but I'm not pregnant.
He then insisted, telling me it would be hard to find a replacement so I should tell him now. It then got out and I had coworkers teasing me about my food baby. That part I could laugh off, but I'm still insulted even I think back to that exchange with my manager.” - Reddit user Broodwich78
With all the hormonal changes a pregnant woman goes through, it’s safe to say they don’t want to hear you complain or make fun of them: “He made fun of my morning sickness in staff meetings and told me, as he watched me learn a task for the first time that "if i were any slower i would be going back in time." Another evaluated my performance in front of a new coworker and told me that the new people thought i was weird and they felt uncomfortable working with me.” - Reddit user 69schrutebucks
When a 16-year old worked in a fast food restaurant, her manager walked in as she was on her knees and fixing something. He was with new staff members and his remark and behavior later got him suspended: "[…] My manager walked in to give the new staff members a tour and said, 'A typical woman — always on her knees.' I was a shy kid, and I never said anything to anyone about it as to not cause any trouble, but after I quit that job, I heard that he got suspended for inappropriate comments to other women.
I wish so much that I had the confidence back then to report him!" - Reddit user AmayaSmith96
As we mentioned before, no pregnant woman should go through these sorts of insults from their bosses or any other person: “I was 8 months pregnant and I walked into the office and my boss said, “wow! I can’t tell if you’re coming or going.” Meaning I was so round all the way around.
I just found it very offensive and insulting.” - Reddit user LJ1205E
How can you be so blind and insult someone who’s worked for a longer time because of a new guy’s complaint? This is not how we see “the real world”! “Man up and learn how to deal with the real world.
After [my boss] had hired a guy that was older than me that refused to accept that I was his supervisor. The guy was absolutely horrendous to me just because I was a younger female that had more power at the business than he did.” - Reddit user alaskan_squirrel
We don’t think this one needs to be explained, other than what the heck? Why would you still keep someone in HR that talks like this?
“During an interview with HR: “What do you intend to do to prove yourself? You know, since you are a woman” Same guy, when I was planning a presentation and asked him for about 30 minutes of his teams bi-weekly meeting time: “you’re are good as a man, you could do it in 15!” - Reddit user paaaw
You’re not paid to listen to your managers rant. you’re paid to do your job, and if they don’t understand it, then filing a complaint is the right thing to do! "I was working as a bakery manager for a gas station, and my shift started at 4:30 a.m.
with me getting the station's breakfast ready. Well, I clocked in one morning five minutes late, and my boss said, 'You know, there are plenty of jobs you can get lying on your back.' I clocked out, went home, and filed a complaint." - Reddit user chemchick27
Bosses tend to forget that their employees are humans and they have personal lives.
Business is business, but you cannot tell a person this: “You needing to take time off to help your dad after his heart attack is really messing with our schedule, are you sure you can’t work more?” - Reddit user gingerhm
Questions about personal life shouldn’t be asked in the office, but this boss went way out of that boundary, asking his employee about her sex life and a little more than that… “In 2004 or 5 a boss asked me if my partner and I had had sex the night before and what were are most frequently chosen sex positions.
It was out of nowhere and in front of three other employees.” - Reddit user middayfirework
So, if our husbands or boyfriends earn more money, we MUST agree with this boss that says we don’t need a raise since we are well provided: "I asked for a raise, and my boss told me I didn't need one because my boyfriend made enough for the two of us." - Reddit user indyaj What’s wrong with these people?