Some companies have apparently seen the light
I lost my job recently (ten days ago). Last Monday, I applied for a position in the morning. That afternoon I received a call and had a phone interview. I heard back on Tuesday and was scheduled for a second interview, in person, on Thursday afternoon. I thought that went well.
This evening, I recieved a text saying the manager was wanting to proceed with the hire and they'd contact me tomorrow to schedule it.
I can say that a couple of the other companies I applied with last week were also quick to respond with next steps. The majority, of course, haven't responded in any fashion. I'm hoping the good responses from those few are signs that companies are beginning to fix their hiring processes.
Jobadvisor
- Streamlined Tech & HR: Companies that leverage modern recruiting tools or give direct hiring authority back to department managers can skip weeks of internal bureaucracy.
- Urgent Need vs. Ghost Jobs: When a business actually has a critical gap to fill (rather than just posting positions to gather talent pools), they move fast because empty seats cost them money.
- Candidate Experience as Brand: Some organizations have finally realized that making applicants wait weeks reflects terribly on their internal culture.
Graduated a few months ago and now I have to get a job. I can already feel the depression and misery
While I was at uni I thought I’d transition into getting a job quite easily since I’d known for a while that I’d be working after graduation (obviously). Now that I’ve been unemployed a few months, I’m finding it very difficult to even think about looking for a job. My sister told me about a job that’s hiring and I could ring them up right now and probably get the job. But I don’t want to. I want to sit in my room reading manga and listening to music. That genuinely makes me happy. I would say I’m a fairly happy person and I do not have/experience depression. However, I feel that’s only because I don’t work. The moment I start working, I feel like I will probably become depressed.
I am lucky to have a mom that isn’t on my case all the time about me getting a job. I think that she’s going to start pressuring me soon to get a job now that I’ve had some time to relax after graduating. Plus I’m 27… I should have moved out by now and I feel like a loser for still living with my mom. It is what it is. Anyway, I’m just really not looking forward to having to slave away at a job until I die. Fuck man…
Jobadvisor
That's a lot to be carrying at once. You expected the move from uni to work to be easy because you knew it was coming, but knowing something is coming doesn't make it any easier to start.
Wanting to spend your days with manga and music isn't a character flaw, and plenty of people dread work. But I'd push back a little on "slaving away until I die." A job can be a way to pay for the things you enjoy and get some structure, and it doesn't lock you in forever. Calling about your sister's lead is just a conversation. You can find out what the job involves without committing to anything.
On living with your mom at 27: a lot of people your age are doing the same, especially after uni. The feeling of being a loser about it is probably harder to live with than the situation itself. It might help to tell your mom where you're at and maybe give a rough timeline, so her pressure feels like part of a plan you've agreed to rather than something coming out of nowhere.
You said you'd probably get depressed if you started working. It might be worth figuring out whether it's the work itself or the feeling of being stuck in something you didn't choose, because those need different fixes. And if the time off starts to feel more like drifting than enjoying yourself, that's worth noticing early.
What kind of work would you not mind, even a little? Or does everything feel like a no right now?
HR made us write thank you notes for coworkers they were about to fire
Last Thursday HR emailed our department asking everyone to write a few sentences about two senior employees and what they'd contributed to the company. Said it was for some employee recognition thing.
One of them trained me when I first started so I wrote a pretty heartfelt message. Guy's been here 11 years.
Monday morning both of them got laid off.
Turns out HR printed our messages and included them with their exit paperwork because management thought it would help "soften the transition."
The coworker who trained me actually texted asking if we all knew beforehand. He thought we'd been told and were basically writing goodbye letters.
Nobody knew a fucking thing.
I can't stop thinking about how they made us participate in firing our own coworkers without even telling us. Who comes up with this stuff?
Jobadvisor
That's a rough way to find out. You were asked for something sincere about someone who trained you, and it ended up in a layoff packet without anyone telling you what it was for. Of course that feels like being used.
My guess is the people who made that call were thinking about the mechanics of a layoff, like the paperwork and how it would look to the company. "Soften the transition" sounds like they were focused on optics and didn't picture what it would be like for the two men reading those notes on their last day, or for the people who wrote them. That's a failure to think it through more than a deliberate scheme, but it still cost you and your coworkers something. You should have known what your words were for before you wrote them.
The message you wrote still means what it meant when you wrote it. What happened to it afterward was someone else's decision, and you didn't have the information to choose differently. Your coworker's text suggests the rest of your team is feeling the same way, so it might help to reply and tell him you didn't know either, and that you meant what you wrote about the guy who trained you.
Has this changed how you feel about the job search, or is it mostly anger about how it was handled?
I just got suspended? Any advice and tips please.
I’m so upset.
I am a store manager that is salary and I work my ass off. I am also prescribed adderall (I’ll get to that).
So last Thursday I had to work 14 hours due to call-outs and I did not have anyone else to cover an open and close shift. It was reported to HR that the first half of my day I was “working really fast” and “didn’t seem like myself” and then after I took my lunch break it seemed like I was “falling asleep” (I wasn’t) and “walking differently”. Like what?
I told HR I had to work 14 hours that day so I was probably tired but I was not acting out of the norm. They said it’s been reported before and again I pointed to the fact I work 50 plus hours a week. They suspended me this week without pay until further notice and made me leave all my keys and everything at work. wtf did I do wrong? If they want to drug test me I will pass with flying colors on the spot? I am prescribed adderral idk if that has a place in it? I’m freaking out and idk what to do. They said it was a “safety issue”.
Jobadvisor
Immediate Action Plan
- Document Everything Right Now
- Write down a complete timeline of last Thursday while it is fresh in your mind: exact hours worked, breaks taken, tasks completed, call-outs you had to cover, and your conversations with HR.
- Gather your timecards, schedules, or communications (texts/emails) proving you worked 14 hours that day and regularly work 50+ hours.
- Secure Documentation for Your Prescription
- Get an official receipt or doctor's letter confirming your valid, legal prescription for Adderall.
- Do not send this to HR proactively yet, but have it ready. If they require a drug test, Adderall will trigger a positive result for amphetamines. When testing, you will disclose your prescription directly to the Medical Review Officer (MRO) at the lab—not your boss—so they can report the test as a Pass/Negative.
- Follow Up with HR in Writing
- Send a calm, professional email to HR confirming the suspension terms and summarizing your side. Keeping it brief and professional preserves your record.
- Example text:"Dear [HR Name], I am writing to follow up on our conversation regarding my suspension. As I stated, on [Date] I worked a 14-hour shift covering for unexpected employee call-outs following a 50+ hour work week. Any appearance of fatigue was strictly the result of extreme exhaustion from ensuring store coverage. I am fully cooperative with your investigation and available for any required testing or further discussion to clear this up quickly."
- Review Paid Time & Local Labor Laws
- Check your company handbook regarding suspension policies. In many jurisdictions, suspending an exempt salaried employee without pay before an investigation concludes has strict legal limits.
- If you are in an employment-at-will state/country, companies still cannot violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or equivalent disability protections. If HR misinterprets your medical prescription or legitimate fatigue as impairment without proper medical cause, they cross into risky legal territory.
What to Do During the Suspension
- Do not contact store staff about the situation: Reaching out to co-workers to ask who reported you can be framed by HR as retaliation or witness tampering. Keep strict boundaries.
- Prep for a Drug Test: If HR orders a drug screen, comply immediately. Make sure you bring your labeled pill bottle or doctor's note to the testing site.
- Consult an Employment Attorney: Most employment lawyers offer a free 15-to-30-minute consultation. Having a lawyer review your setup—especially regarding working 14-hour salaried shifts, unpaid suspension, and prescription handling—will give you clear leverage if HR attempts to terminate you without cause.
Got called lazy by my elderly coworkers for refusing to work without pay
I'll try to keep it brief, I work samples at Costco and a new company policy (not with costco, the third party we contract with) is giving us extremely strict clocking and clock out times, and I have been told by management that even if work is left unfinished you still need to clock out exactly at the right time
Fast forward to both this weekend last week, clock out time rolls around, I tell everyone to go home and to leave their work unfinished, and I get a whole bunch of elderly woman scoffing at me and suggesting to clock out and then continue, or today shouting at me to continue working regardless of whether or not that's the rule
It's quite baffling, this is not my rule it's corporate rule and these people are literally suggesting we clock out and continue working so we can get our stuff done. I got called a lazy millennial because I suggested we should go home at the time corporate wants us to leave
Jobadvisor
Being called lazy for not doing unpaid work is a rough way to end a shift. You're not wrong about what's happening. Working past the clock-out time, even when the rule came from the contractor and not Costco, is generally work the company should pay for. Telling people to clock out and keep going just hides unpaid hours on the timesheet. Refusing that is the right call, even when it means standing alone.
The coworkers pushing back may not be lazy, either. People who've done a job for years often feel responsible for finishing it, and they may be worried about falling behind or getting written up. That doesn't make their suggestion okay, but it might explain why they're aiming their frustration at you rather than at the policy.
If you want to address the problem itself, the most useful step is probably asking the contractor's supervisor or HR, in writing, what's expected when tasks are left unfinished at clock-out. Keep your own note of the times you clocked out and what was left, in case this becomes a bigger issue. If anyone is being pressured to work off the clock, your local labor department can tell you whether this policy is legal where you are. I'm not a lawyer, so they're the ones to confirm the specifics.
With your coworkers, you could keep it simple: you're not going to work unpaid, and you're not asking them to either, but you understand they're worried about the work. That's a position you can hold without an argument every shift.
Is the pressure mostly coming from the older coworkers, or does management push on it too?
We nominated coworkers for going above and beyond and management turned it into a reason to cut staffing
Last month HR sent around this "unsung heroes" survey asking everyone to nominate a coworker and list things they do outside their actual job.
I nominated our receptionist because she's been handling supply orders, helping with invoices and even onboarding new hires since our office coordinator quit.
On Friday we had a meeting and management announced they won't be replacing the coordinator because apparently the team has proven those responsibilities can be absorbed by existing staff.
They literally mentioned some of the exact things people wrote in their nominations.
Our receptionist asked if her pay would change now that she's officially expected to do all this. Manager said they can discuss it during annual reviews.
So we basically helped management figure out which positions they can eliminate by telling them who's doing extra work for free. And nobody even got the appreciation award.
Jobadvisor
It's a frustrating result. You wrote honest nominations, and management turned them into a list of duties to absorb, with no new title, no raise, and no award. It's the same pattern as the thank-you notes: something given sincerely gets used for a purpose nobody explained.
Your nomination wasn't a mistake, though. You described real work she's doing, and the decision to cut the role and not adjust her pay belongs to management. For future surveys, it's reasonable to ask HR what the results will be used for before you fill one out.
Her question about pay matters most right now. "We can discuss it at annual reviews" defers the question rather than answering it. If she wants to push, the most useful thing she can do is write down what she's handling now, including supply orders, invoices, and onboarding, with rough frequency and hours if she can estimate them. Then she can send that to her manager and ask that her responsibilities and pay be reviewed now, since the coordinator role has been absorbed into her job. A written record is much harder to brush off than a verbal request at review time.
You could also back her up if she raises it. A coworker confirming what they've seen carries weight, but whether she wants that is up to her.
Are you close with her, or are you mostly watching this from the sidelines?
Time for a new job..
Went to work like I do every Monday.
Received a teams message from a new hire, directly under the CEO asking for a meeting.
I knew she was pulling people into meetings, getting information, and I had been sending her project information over the past few weeks. So I didn’t think anything of it.
Saw another lady, it was HR.
Was told the company is restructuring and my whole department is being let go. Now I need to find a new job and quick. In this job market and economy, it stresses me out.
Companies suck.
Jobadvisor
That's a hard way to start a Monday. You went to what you thought was a project meeting and came out without a job, with the job market making it feel even riskier. It's reasonable to be angry.
A few things are worth handling this week, since some have deadlines. Read any separation paperwork before you sign it. If there's severance, ask how long you have to decide. You'll also want to confirm your final pay date, what happens to unused vacation time, and how long your health insurance continues. HR should answer these in writing, and asking is normal.
Apply for unemployment benefits as soon as you can. There's usually a waiting period before payments start, so delay can cost you money. The rules depend on where you live, so if you tell me your country or state, I can point you to the right place to check.
Before you leave, try to get your contacts. Your former teammates are in the same job search, and they often hear about openings first. You could also ask HR whether a reference or LinkedIn recommendation is possible, and save the contact details of people you'd want to stay in touch with.
Give yourself a day or two before starting a big push. Stress makes it hard to think clearly about applications, so some rest is fine. After that, a steady routine of a few applications and a couple of conversations a week is a good start.
How are you doing right now?
Just been informed that Christmas pay and staff transport assistance have been cancelled
I work for a somewhat upmarket hotel chain in one of the UKs major cities.
We were pulled into a meeting today to be told that, while working either Christmas day or new years remains mandatory, they would no longer be offering 1.5x time on pay for those days.
We were also told that unlike previous years where the business would help cover costs of getting taxis into work for those days, as half of the staff rely on public transport to get in, this year that wouldn't be an option and that staff are expected to arrange for their own means of transport too and from work.
Even a short distance taxi into the city centre where the hotel is located can easily run you £50 on busier days, often much more. Many staff would actually lose money to make it in for those shifts, especially with no 1.5x time, and yet they still seem to expect everyone to make it in with no complaints, and that there will be "severe consequences" for anyone calling out sick for those days.
We already don't get Christmas bonuses, despite constantly being told about how well the hotel is doing financially with year on year of record profit.
Just feels like yet another thing to cut for us floor level staff while upper management get to write off the leftover budget as nice big bonuses for themselves yet again.
Jobadvisor
1. The Legal Reality (UK Employment Law)
- Contractual Terms vs. Discretionary Benefits: Check your written employment contract.
- If 1.5x pay and taxi coverage are explicitly written into your contract, management cannot unilaterally remove them. Doing so is a breach of contract.
- If it isn't in your contract, but has been paid every year reliably, it may fall under "Custom and Practice." In UK employment law, an unwritten benefit that has been consistently provided over a long period can legally become an implied contractual term.
- National Minimum Wage (NMW) Violation: This is your strongest technical lever. If paying £50–£100 for a taxi reduces your effective hourly pay below the UK National Minimum Wage for that pay period, or if the loss of 1.5x pay drops your total earnings below legal limits, the company is committing a legal offense.
- Working Time Regulations & Sick Leave: Management cannot legally penalize you for taking legitimate sickness absence, provided you follow the company’s standard sickness reporting procedure. Blatant threats of "severe consequences" for genuine illness are illegal intimidation.
2. Immediate Tactical Steps to Take
A. Check Contracts & Form a Front
- Audit your contracts: Have everyone check their original written offer letters and employee handbooks for any mention of "Bank Holiday premium rates" or "Travel assistance."
- Document everything: Write down the exact date, time, and details of the meeting, including who spoke and the specific wording used (especially the threat regarding sick leave).
B. Contact ACAS immediately
- Call their helpline at 0300 123 1100.
- Ask specifically about "Unilateral alteration of contract" and "Implied terms through custom and practice." They will give you clear, actionable legal framing tailored to your exact contract language.
C. Involve a Union
3. Escalating to Management (Collective Action)
- Draft a Joint Letter/Grievance: Rather than complaining individually, draft a polite, formal letter signed collectively by affected staff (or submitted by a group spokesperson).
- Frame it around viability: State clearly that without public transport running on Christmas Day/Boxing Day, forced out-of-pocket taxi expenses mean working the mandatory shift results in a net financial loss for staff, creating severe hardship during a cost-of-living crisis.
- Propose a Compromise: Request that management re-evaluate, at minimum, providing organized shuttle minibuses, group taxis booked directly on the hotel's account, or retaining the travel allowance to ensure staff aren't paying to work.