Tell me about a time you had a humiliating job

[Anonymous]

I've had lots of jobs that were demeaning in one way or another - retail, restaurants, telemarketing, data entry, etc.

But the most humiliating job I've ever had was right after college, at a boutique PR/public affairs firm run by a former cabinet member type. He liked to employ women for specific roles and very much enjoyed abusing the young, support staff, like he did his wife.

We were constantly coached and criticized on our appearance, clothing and personal lives, as well as our "performance." Heels were always required so that he could hear us running on the wood floors when called, and then judge our response time and speed, accordingly.

My daily goals involved perfecting the perfect pour of coffee to an arbitrary and non-existent line on whatever cup was used. After a promotion, it became my job to construct his lunch from a nearby deli - 5 cups of romaine in the salad, no more no less, similar specifications for each topping or side. I had to serve it to him on a platter arranged just so, and then wait patiently while he critiqued the meal in front of me, often discarding unwanted bits or perceived overages on the desk or floor. I was to monitor his office door at all times, as his preference was to toss things into the hallway when he was done, yet never wanted anyone to see the mess.

I left shortly after he bought a scale and body fat percentage calculator that everyone was strongly encouraged to use "privately" in his office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my job is like this. It's actually in theory quite senior but i have no 'real' power or remit and most days feels like standing awkwardly in the corner of a party you aren't invited to.
I used to be good at my job. Now I feel like swift's monster on a hill 'too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city'.
is a real bummer.

Are you me?

omg i wish i could find you and we could have drinks bc i need to talk to another me about this!
maybe we work at the same company? It is renowned for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had lots of jobs that were demeaning in one way or another - retail, restaurants, telemarketing, data entry, etc.

But the most humiliating job I've ever had was right after college, at a boutique PR/public affairs firm run by a former cabinet member type. He liked to employ women for specific roles and very much enjoyed abusing the young, support staff, like he did his wife.

We were constantly coached and criticized on our appearance, clothing and personal lives, as well as our "performance." Heels were always required so that he could hear us running on the wood floors when called, and then judge our response time and speed, accordingly.

My daily goals involved perfecting the perfect pour of coffee to an arbitrary and non-existent line on whatever cup was used. After a promotion, it became my job to construct his lunch from a nearby deli - 5 cups of romaine in the salad, no more no less, similar specifications for each topping or side. I had to serve it to him on a platter arranged just so, and then wait patiently while he critiqued the meal in front of me, often discarding unwanted bits or perceived overages on the desk or floor. I was to monitor his office door at all times, as his preference was to toss things into the hallway when he was done, yet never wanted anyone to see the mess.

I left shortly after he bought a scale and body fat percentage calculator that everyone was strongly encouraged to use "privately" in his office.

HOOOOOOOOLY cow this is a good one.
this person was actually part of government? how both horrifying and unsurprising.

[Anonymous]

Harassed by a bartender on the daily until my friend went in there one night on my day off and roughed him up in front of the staff and customers. I was fired the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had lots of jobs that were demeaning in one way or another - retail, restaurants, telemarketing, data entry, etc.

But the most humiliating job I've ever had was right after college, at a boutique PR/public affairs firm run by a former cabinet member type. He liked to employ women for specific roles and very much enjoyed abusing the young, support staff, like he did his wife.

We were constantly coached and criticized on our appearance, clothing and personal lives, as well as our "performance." Heels were always required so that he could hear us running on the wood floors when called, and then judge our response time and speed, accordingly.

My daily goals involved perfecting the perfect pour of coffee to an arbitrary and non-existent line on whatever cup was used. After a promotion, it became my job to construct his lunch from a nearby deli - 5 cups of romaine in the salad, no more no less, similar specifications for each topping or side. I had to serve it to him on a platter arranged just so, and then wait patiently while he critiqued the meal in front of me, often discarding unwanted bits or perceived overages on the desk or floor. I was to monitor his office door at all times, as his preference was to toss things into the hallway when he was done, yet never wanted anyone to see the mess.

I left shortly after he bought a scale and body fat percentage calculator that everyone was strongly encouraged to use "privately" in his office.

Wow, this is some sick stuff. Is this firm still around?

[Anonymous]

These are great stories. More, please!

[Anonymous]

Middle school teacher - the kids were brutal.

[Anonymous]

I worked at a post-it-note factory for a month during college. I put magnets on the back of post-it-notes. The line manager was a dictator. The fellow workers were very nice but some of them you could tell lived a very hard life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my job is like this. It's actually in theory quite senior but i have no 'real' power or remit and most days feels like standing awkwardly in the corner of a party you aren't invited to.
I used to be good at my job. Now I feel like swift's monster on a hill 'too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city'.
is a real bummer.

Are you me?

omg i wish i could find you and we could have drinks bc i need to talk to another me about this!
maybe we work at the same company? It is renowned for this.

+1. We could have a party

[Anonymous]

I work for a narcissist. I'm sure everyone says that but, this guy literally told me out loud about how much better he is than all those average shmucks who ride the metro. He went on and on about his disdain for the unwashed masses as he stood there in his suit and tie. Why on earth he felt it necessary to give a lecture about his superiority to the common metro rider baffles me. But it gives you and indication of his general world view.

I've worked for him for over a dozen years. So over it. Can't leave because golden handcuffs and my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people probably thought it was humiliating but I loved it. I worked at a fast food place when I was in high school. I lived in a college town and everyone else who worked there except the manager was a college boy. I was a girl in HS and thought it was the best thing ever. I even put on the restaurant’s mascot outfit and waved a sign at the corner. I never felt embarrassed by those guys. They were all so nice and cute.

That's the opposite of a humiliating job. I hope every teenager gets to have a job at a restaurant where they meet boys and do goofy things, and have a great time. I feel like the humiliating job isn't the job itself, but how you are treated by your boss, coworkers, and the other people you interact with.

[Anonymous]

Most weird job we did “quick” moving. We charge a lot to get stuff moved quick.

We had this one gig lady had us rent two huge uhaul trucks under fake name. We later paid cash. We showed up exactly at 9am. She had us clean out contents 4,000 sf house the six of us by 4 pm. We jammed truck to max. So much jamming stuff breaking things and we went to some scary neighborhood and hid the stuff and dumped trucks back and paid cash. We got paid cash. Lady never gave us name.

We were doing it for women about to leave their spouse. This lady good every stick from house. I love to have been there when husband opened door to empty house.

Was dangerous and a bit shady and I felt like a criminal

[Anonymous]

Bagging groceries- was so excited for extra tips-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I served breakfast in the university cafeteria from 5am-10am 3 weekday mornings plus 2 weekends per month. I'd often stay out at parties until it was time to go home and change for my shift. Nothing like meeting a cute guy at a party then serving him breakfast in the cafeteria line 2 hours later with my hairnet on.

Another U food service here. I didn't think it would be humiliating going in since I'm a hard worker and it was a journey to get to college, but serving spoiled college kids and seeing your professors come through... it was more humiliating because of how they probably perceived me.

Also did food service at college as my work study job. Made 3.35 / hour, and signed over my entire paycheck back to the school. That was maybe the hard part.

It turned out I was kinda good at it - fast, efficient, hard worker. Became a student manager. Not ever really humiliating - I have the kind of personality that just rises above. It is what you make it. There were some hard things. Many of my friends starting working in the cafeteria for extra money. It was hard that for them it was a side job that earned them spending money and for me it was tuition money. Part of the job was working the tray line as the trays came in, scraping off the half eaten food, loading the perpetually running dishwasher (it was an enormous beast, like a cash wash, you loaded the plates and they ran through like a car wash with someone on the other end to constantly unload what you were constantly loading. I didn't mind it. But then every once in a while there'd be another student who was there for community service - generally a fairly cool, popular person who was probably cited for partying or whatever, and they would never put that person up front, they'd always put them on the tray cleaning line. The kid was always nice/fine in my memory, and I think they mostly felt embarrassed to be there, but for some reason I found it embarrassing to be working with them. I mean they probably found it humiliating to be cleaning gross half eaten plates for community service and for us to know they had done something wrong. But it was also, I don't know. They got to do their service and then escape, and this was my regular job. That paid for me to be in school with them. The person never made me feel like I was beneath them, but for some reason, more than my friends working there for fun and quitting when it was hard or they decided they'd had enough, or serving professors, or burning my fingertips, or whatever, working with them was the only time i felt weird about it.

I do think teenagers should all do hard jobs at some point. I learned a lot - mostly that 1) I was a good worker, and my attitude could carry me through a lot, and I'd never be unemployed if times ever really got tough and 2) I wanted more and never wanted to work that kind of job again. Good lessons.

[Anonymous]

My mother was a surgeon in her home country and when she first immigrated to America took a job as a lab assistant. Her English wasn’t great and her lab mates took advantage of her by constantly assigning her to do the stuff no one else wanted to do (clean mice cages, wash used flasks, etc).