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One of the Worst Ten Bosses:
The Burnout Boss
Story submitted by Peter
I worked for an IT company from 2004 through to 2013.
During that time we would need to do overnight installs at client sites, but we were expected to be at work either side of the install.
Most of these installations meant the store would not be open the following day unless we completed the installation, so there were numerous times when I would work 24 hours straight, and one time when I worked over 36 hours straight.
I would sometimes be sick after these mammoth working shifts and would have a day or two off.
This is where I think my previous boss would be one of the worst.
The boss would make me take sick leave, even though I had worked the equivalent of 3 - 4 days straight.
Another story was when I was promoted to workshop manager, and my direct report was also promoted, lets call him Jonsey.
Jonsey came to my 30th and managed to get caught drink driving. This meant he couldnt perform his new job, so I was demoted back to my previous position and loss the pay rise too.
👀 Our Take
Demanding 24–36 hour shifts and then punishing exhaustion shows complete disregard for human limits. It’s unsafe and unethical.
🧠 Could this have been avoided?
Yes. Proper workforce planning, rest breaks, and acknowledgement of effort safeguard both performance and wellbeing.
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