12 Nightmare Bosses Who Could Easily Star in the Next Office Drama

Many of us have dealt with difficult bosses, and the stories about their outrageous behavior are endless. From absurd demands to unbelievable attitude, these workplace stories are so wild, they could easily be the plot lines of a hit TV series.

• That morning I spilled coffee on my shirt, the kids were slow getting ready, and traffic was a nightmare. I arrived at work just five minutes late, only to be immediately called into my boss’s office. “Why were you late today?” he asked. I explained about dropping off my kids and traffic, but he cut me off, pointing to a photo of his family on his desk.
  “I also have kids, but I’m never late,” he said. I apologized and went back to my desk, but here’s the kicker: the next morning, he didn’t show up until nearly 10 a.m. I overheard him joking to a coworker about how he “had to swing by the gym and grab a smoothie.” It took all my willpower not to laugh out loud.

• I accidentally scraped a car in the parking lot. My boss came sprinting out of the building, screaming, “Who hit my car?!” Embarrassed, I admitted it was me and said I’d cover the repairs. Instead of calming down, he launched into a full-blown lecture about responsibility.
  That’s when my coworker walked by and said, “Boss, isn’t this the company car you scratched last week?” My boss turned beet red, muttered something under his nose and stormed back inside.

• I'm a personal assistant and I have worked for some very wealthy and insane people. One of my bosses would tell me every day about the new jewelry and sports cars he was buying his wife. Every day she'd get a gift that cost over $50k!
  He spent more on her daily than I would make working for him in one year. She wouldn't even look at me or even speak to me unless she had no choice. She would just make hand gestures, or the maid would "translate" her glares to me. © TheLifeofDime / Reddit

• My boss routinely called me in the middle of the night (11pm–3am) to complain about things that could wait until work hours. She would also call in the middle of my evening workouts in order to tell me to get to my computer and do some more work instead. She would do this on weekends in the middle of dates with my fiancé too. © allonsy90 / Reddit

• I worked for a small independent company, running the little office doing admin, accounting, etc. I hated the boss. He decided to plant a hidden camera disguised as a movement sensor, perfectly placed to watch me. He told me off for doing a crossword while he was out of the office; I had to snoop around, found it and quit. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I had a boss who refused to let me take an "unplanned vacation" to see my grandma on her deathbed. I quit on the spot. It was strange because up until that incident, she was really cool and laid back. But when I asked for the weekend off to go visit my dying grandmother, she snapped and lectured me about how I needed to "plan" my "vacation" better. © ostentia / Reddit

• I once worked for a small nonprofit with a terrible executive director. She enjoyed pitting all the senior staff against one another by making up stories about things people had said, promising three people the same promotion, and generally orchestrating power plays.
  Staff turnover, as you might imagine, was super rapid (and not just among the senior staff), but the board of directors never caught on that anything was amiss because the rotation policy was built in such a way that board members rotated off every two years. The whole experience was hideous and nearly drove me out of the nonprofit field. © justaskosh / Reddit

• I said "yep" instead of "yes". She then told me that was inappropriate and that she hated it when her daughter would do the same thing.
  I have 13 years of experience in my field, and degree in computer science, and have never been anything but polite to you. I hate that woman. I obviously don't work for her anymore. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I worked for this guy at an ice cream store. He kept cutting my hours for arbitrary reasons, so I got another job and put in my two weeks notice. Halfway through my two weeks notice, I got the flu, and tried to call in. He told me if I didn't show up, I would be fired.
  So I showed up, and he told me I wasn't being "cheerful enough" for the customers. So I looked at him, said nothing, grabbed my bag, and walked out the door.
  At which point, he followed me and threatened to call my new job and tell them I was a terrible employee. I called his bluff, and then called my new job to give them a heads-up. They said, "We don't care, you're already hired. Feel better, we'll see you Monday." © invisible_23 / Reddit

• My supervisor was maybe a couple years older than me, and for the six months I worked there, never bothered to set me up with my own computer. I'd work in the mornings, and she tended to show up around lunchtime, so she told me I could use hers, which was pretty annoying in and of itself.
  But more often than not she'd come in about an hour before I was scheduled to leave, and stand over me, eating her lunch, as I worked at her desk. I'd say things like, "Oh, I'll go find somewhere else to work," and she'd say, "No, no, you're fine." And continue to stand over me as I sat at her desk. © retrouvailles26 / Reddit

• My mom got yelled at by the president of the company for coming back 2 minutes late from lunch. She was pregnant with me at the time. © darth_stroyer / Reddit

• The vice president told me I was being disrespectful during a conversation. I asked how, and she told me that I "knew what I was doing." I asked again, stating that I had asked because I didn't actually know, and she replied, "I know what you're doing, and I don't have time for this."
  You're the vice president, not a 15-year-old angry at her boyfriend. © thatskyguy / Reddit

Many jobs come with surprising layers that aren’t obvious at first glance, and every industry holds its fair share of intriguing secrets. In this article, women open up about the hidden sides of their professions, sharing fascinating insights that might just change how you see their work.