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Untold work stories from our community

A ceramic mug filled with a dark beverage sits on a wooden table next to a silver laptop displaying a grid of video call participants.

Anonymous submission

Years ago I was in a very long meeting and messaged a colleague saying, “I don’t think he has any idea what he’s talking about.”

Except I didn’t message my colleague.

I sent it to the group chat for the meeting.

He was in it. Obviously.

I deleted it almost immediately but this was before you could pretend nobody had seen things 😂

I’m quite senior now and have handled much bigger problems since. But I still occasionally remember this while trying to sleep.

- Still cringing years later · 20+ years at work

Two people sitting at a table, using laptops, with one person gesturing as they talk, in a bright room.

Anonymous submission

For probably the first year at my job whenever people asked what I did over the weekend I would say “we went out” or “I went to a movie” instead of saying “my boyfriend and I”.

Nobody had ever said anything homophobic. I actually really liked the people I worked with.

I just wasn't sure if I wanted that part of my life at work.

Then one day I said “my boyfriend” without thinking about it. Nobody reacted. The conversation just carried on.

I remember feeling strangely relieved.

- 30s · Corporate professional

A green ceramic mug on a wooden table, a laptop displaying a video conference with multiple participants, and a blurred background.

Anonymous submission

In my first month at work I didn't understand half the words people were using in meetings 😂

But everyone else seemed to, so I would write them down and google them afterwards.

One day I finally asked someone what something meant and she just said “oh nobody really knows, we just keep saying it.”

Would have saved me a LOT of googling if I'd known that earlier.

- First job · Professional Googler

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