Tag: mental-health
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The Team-Building Exercise That Broke the Team
Few words strike fear into employees quite like “mandatory team-building.” On paper, it sounds positive. Who does not want stronger bonds with their coworkers? Who does not want to feel like part of something bigger? But in practice, corporate team-building exercises are less about building teams and more about wasting time, dodging real problems, and…
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Unlimited PTO (That You’ll Never Actually Take)
Unlimited PTO. The perk of perks. The promise of freedom. The dream benefit that recruiters love to flaunt like a shiny badge of modern culture. It sounds incredible on paper. Take as much time as you need, whenever you need it, no questions asked. Finally, no accrual spreadsheets, no awkward conversations about rollover, no more…
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The Meeting Magician: A Corporate Time Thief
Every toxic workplace has one: the Meeting Magician. They don’t write code. They don’t fix bugs. They don’t ship features. But when it comes to meetings? They’re Houdini with a calendar invite. You know the type. The calendar warrior who somehow manages to attend every single call without ever being useful on any of them.…
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Promotion Promises Are Lies (And They Know You’ll Fall for It)
Let’s talk about one of the most manipulative tools in the corporate toolbox — the fake promotion promise. You’ve heard it before:“We’re working on a growth plan for you.”“Just hang in there, it’s not the right quarter.”“You’re doing senior-level work already — the title is just a formality.” Spoiler alert: the title is not coming.…
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The Corporate Ghosting Epidemic: When Companies Go Silent After Squeezing You Dry
You know the feeling. You’ve just wrapped up a massive project, hit every ridiculous deadline they threw at you, worked late, sacrificed weekends, and maybe even bailed your manager out of yet another crisis. You sit back for a moment thinking, “Maybe now I’ll get some recognition.” But instead of a thank-you, you get… silence.…
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Performance Reviews Are a Corporate Scam (And You’re the Target)
Let’s stop pretending performance reviews are useful. They’re not about growth. They’re not about recognising your hard work. And they definitely aren’t about fairness. What they are — is a slow, calculated performance for the company’s benefit. A nice little HR ritual designed to keep control, justify pay freezes, and keep you just insecure enough…
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HR Is Not Your Friend (And They Never Were)
There’s a widely held myth in the corporate world that Human Resources is there to help employees. That HR exists to support you, guide you through challenges, and make sure you’re treated fairly. It’s a comforting idea — and a dangerous one. Because the truth is this: HR works for the company. Not you. Not…
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Why Your Boss Isn’t a Leader (and Probably Never Was)
We’ve all had one. That boss who calls themselves a “leader” because their title says so on Slack and they’ve added a fancy quote about innovation to their LinkedIn header. But once you actually work under them, you realise the truth: this person couldn’t lead a group of people out of a room with one…
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Why ‘Going Above and Beyond’ Is the Fastest Way to Burn Out and Get Nothing Back
We’ve all heard it. That smug corporate phrase that gets thrown around like confetti during performance reviews — “We really appreciate you going above and beyond.” It’s meant to sound like praise. Like you’re being recognised for doing something extraordinary. But let’s be honest. What it really means is “Thanks for doing more than we…
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Middle Management: The Career Path for People Who Failed Upwards
The Myth of the Busy Manager There’s a certain breed of person you meet in every company. They’re not technical. They’re not particularly organised. They don’t create anything. But somehow, they’ve ended up in a role where they sit directly between the people who do the actual work and the ones pretending to make important…
The Toxic Boss 