Tag: mental-health
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Interviewing for the Job You’ve Already Been Doing
Few things scream corporate dysfunction louder than being asked to interview for a job you have already been doing for years. You have carried the workload, you have solved the problems, you have trained the juniors, and now leadership wants you to “prove” you are capable. Capable of what, exactly? Surviving their incompetence? The Setup…
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Free Pizza Is Not Culture (Stop Pretending It Is)
Every toxic company has its version of the “perk.” Free pizza on Fridays. A ping pong table in the corner. A fridge stocked with energy drinks. They parade these things like trophies, as if melted cheese or a beanbag chair can make up for low pay, endless crunch, and managers who could not lead their…
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The Meeting That Could Have Been the Solution (But Never Was)
Some workplaces run on caffeine. Others run on fear. But toxic workplaces? They run on meetings. Endless, soul sucking, calendar filling meetings. Every problem, no matter how urgent, somehow gets delayed until the next scheduled call. Systems are crashing? “Let’s put time in the diary.” Customers are leaving in droves? “We’ll review that in next…
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The KPI Clown: When Numbers Replace Common Sense
Every toxic company has one. The manager who cannot see past the numbers. The boss who thinks performance is not about actual results, but about how well you can contort your work into a dashboard. Meet the KPI Clown. On paper, key performance indicators sound useful. A way to measure progress. A way to track…
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The Growth Opportunity That Was Just More Work
Every toxic company has its favorite phrase. For some it is “we’re like a family.” For others it is “we’re still figuring out the process.” But my personal least favorite is the one that appears right before they dump a mountain of extra work on your desk. “This is a great growth opportunity.” It sounds…
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Culture Fit Means Obedience (Not Belonging)
If you have ever been rejected for being “not a culture fit,” you already know how hollow that phrase really is. It is the corporate equivalent of “it’s not you, it’s me.” A vague, noncommittal excuse that says nothing and means everything. Companies love to parade their culture like it is some priceless artifact. They…
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The Signs Were Everywhere (But Leadership Was Too Busy Laughing Up Top)
Every company loves to say “people are our greatest asset.” It is a neat little phrase for slideshows, hiring pitches, and feel good newsletters. But if people are truly the greatest asset, then why is leadership always the last to notice when their best ones are heading for the door? Because the signs are never…
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The Surprise Update: How Not Telling Anyone About Changes Broke Everything
There’s nothing quite like logging in on a Monday morning, coffee in hand, ready to start the week… only to discover that the entire environment is on fire. Builds fail. Deployments hang. Services that were working fine on Friday now throw errors no one’s ever seen before. At first, you think it’s a small glitch.…
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The Performance Review That Was Written Before You Walked In
Performance reviews are supposed to be about growth. That is the story, at least. An honest conversation about your contributions, your progress, and your future at the company. A chance to celebrate what you did well and to align on where you can improve. In reality, they are usually just a carefully scripted performance of…
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The Great Talent Purge: Firing the Most Useful People Without a Backup Plan
Every company says “people are our greatest asset”. They put it on posters, they write it in strategy documents, and they repeat it at town halls like a holy mantra. But when the time comes to make decisions, there’s always that one toxic boss who decides the best move is to fire the very people…
The Toxic Boss 