This is what happens when your boss has a questionable 'talent'

In everyday life, people constantly influence each other: Your friend says something to purposely persuade you to do x, you dress a certain way to appear "smarter" or "richer" in front of somebody else. Something that can be perceived as slightly manipulative is, indeed, normal. The problem starts when the persuasion tactics get a little extreme, and you notice the person using them is trying to use you as a volunteer for their cause without giving you anything in return.

Very rarely do we consider that some things can be a gift to someone (the ability to persuade) while at the same time being a curse to somebody else. Regarding the difference between influence and manipulation, this boss exceeded all my expectations.

What a meowing celebration, it's Friday!

We can't believe it, Friday is finally here! Let the celebrations begin - let's all finish the week and leave all our worries behind, go back home, find the most comfortable corner in the house, call the cat over, and enjoy a really long cat cuddle. We love that they do that. When your cat sits on you, it shows two things: First, that they trust you. A cat would never initiate physical contact with someone whom they don't completely and utterly trust. And second, that they think you're comfortable. Yeah, that's a compliment.

So we got that pre-weekend relaxation down, but we want to stop for a second and appreciate it's even an option. Think of all the people who don't have cats at home - they don't have the best cuddle buddies to wind down with after a long workweek. Not to mention dog owners, who need to go with their dogs on a walk, despite the fact that the workweek has ended. With a cat you can calm down, and fully embrace that weekend relaxation - even before the weekend has started.

You know what the best part of cuddling with a purring cat on your lap, chest, or any other body part they deem pillowy enough is? The fact that you can have even more cats in that meowing moment, by scrolling through the cutest cat memes you can find. But here's the icing on this cake - you don't have to go and find them. We got you here, with some extra purrrrrrecious cat content. Enjoy, and tell your cat we love them.

Do you deserve a raise, promotion, or a… gift card?

Don't be ridiculous, of course, you deserve something better than a gift card, you are a hardworking employee! It's too often that I scroll around Reddit and find a story about an overworked and under-appreciated employee finally reaching their wits' end. Why don't employers just compensate their employees correctly? Like, is it really that hard? How about instead of you making over a million dollars a year, you still make a ton of money, but your top-notch employees who helped you get there also make good money? Times are tough out there, and we all need a good, steady paycheck. 

That's why I'd like to applaud Redditor u/Alternative_rocker for his story in r/talesfromthejob.This employee could have taken the dramatic way out and dropped the mic when he was given a $30 cinema gift card over a raise or promotion or he could have just stayed and taken the L. But no, he, very professionally, found a new job, trained a new person, and left with his dignity. Even when his old employers kept trying to scare him into staying, he held his head up high and his new employers had his back. Yes, love to read that! 

Would you rather get a bouquet of flowers or a kitten?

How about a bouquet of flowers with a kitten inside it? Yep, apparently that is an option! Somebody, please, go tell my boyfriend that… TikToker @athenasav recently posted a video her boyfriend took that had her in tears. He surprised her one day, coming home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but that's not all… Inside the bouquet sat a sweet little kitten, anxious to meet his new hooman. Of course, she immediately spotted the kitten and started crying from shock and cuteness. Heck, she doesn't even acknowledge the flowers, but can you blame her? Now, that kitten is living his best life, and the bar for boyfriends has gone so much higher. It's not just me and this girlfriend on TikTok who agree; it's over 8k commenters on TikTok, too! 

From rags to riches, from hisses to meows.

Technically speaking, every stray cat who was adopted has a rags-to-riches tale of triumph. It doesn't matter if they were a small kitten in need, an adult cat who sort of let themselves in and adopted the entire household, or a dumped cat at the side of the road. Every cat that was once roaming the streets and was adopted into a loving home is a fairytale complete in our opinion. It makes us just as happy as watching Mia Thermopolis turn from a nerdy outcast into the princess and heir to the throne of Genovia. Not just because cats are basically royalty, but because this was a good movie that actually made us happy as kids, and now cats make us happy as adults.

And just as any cat pawrent who adopted a sweet stray into their home and heart, u/Tinytiger00004 who shared the adoption story of her cat seems just as proud and happy as any cat pawrent would. Her cat is a classic Cat Distribution System case - a dumped kitten in need finds herself in a random garage, that jusso happen to belong to the one person who will care for her, nurse her back to health, and adopt her for good. A purrfect match.

Reflecting on the long way our cats made with us is great, and reminiscing about it with the right company of fellow feline fans is even greater. That's why we're grateful to this cat mom for sharing her and her cat's two-year journey together. The only thing left for us to do is wish her many more years of good times with her cat, Fiona. May they be filled with purrs, belly rubs, and yummy snacks.

Why do women in the workplace get so weird about the food they're eating? 

Regardless of societal norms and strange undercurrents of unspoken "rules" in the workplace, this young lady was not going to miss out on the epicness of a 10 lbs burrito. After getting unwarranted comments from the Karen in her neighboring cubicle, this employee was starting to feel scrutinized for her eating habits. Finally, she decided to take her diet by the horns and eat whatever the heck she felt like, because at the end of the workday, it doesn't really matter what this judgmental coworker has to say. 

She's probably just jealous that her coworker is confident enough to mow down a delicious burrito on her break. Sharing her triumphantly yummy story on Reddit's r/GirlDinnerDiaries subreddit, this female employee took a stand for all working women out there who have ever felt shamed or scrutinized when they bring anything other than a quinoa salad to the break room table. Power to ya, sis! Now we're all craving a tasty California burrito from the taqueria down the street. Perhaps Rigoberto's is opening early today for my own lunchtime special…

A Friday without heartwarming kitties is like a Monday without coffee. And we all know how bad Mondays without coffee are.

There are several things we can't survive without in this world. The first, obviously, is our cats. They are the reason we wake up in the meowrning, the reason we keep coming back to the office every day, and the reason we come home every night. The second, is coffee. We know it sounds stereotypical, but you don't want to talk to us before we've had our coffee. The third, but only by a little bit, are all the cute kitties we're "friends" with on the internet. Well, we don't know them, per se, but we love them as if they were our own cat children. It may be a one-way relationship, but that's fine, we're not the jealous type.

But one day of the week absolutely must include some wholesome feline photos, and that day is today, Friday. Fridays are the days when we have the least meowtivation to do anything, and we also need the most emeowtional support to get through the workday. And since we can't bring our cats with us to work, and there's only so much coffee we can drink before becoming an anxious mess, we're left with a need for heartwarming Friday felines to give us a dreamy meowment of cuddly cat chaos. 

These seriously silly kitties have it all - the floof, the comforting vibes, the mischievousness we know and love, and the cuteness that we need to get us through today without telling Brenda from Analytics how we really feel about her homemade bran muffins. 

If any of those things above resonate with you and your current emeowtional state, or purrhaps, you just want some more cute kitten energy in your life, then this post is tailored purrfectly for you. The  cat lover in us sees and recognizes the cat lover in you, or whatever they say. Nameowste!

Is it a risk to leave your current job for something new and better?

Well, it is always a risk to make a big change in your life, and changing your job might be one of the biggest changes of all, yet almost everyone does it. Unless you're my mom, who has been working for the same company for the last 35 years, it is okay to want to switch things up from time to time. That being said, it's also important to know the risks.

The longer you are at a job, the more security you have, usually. Proving your worth in a workplace takes time, and most employers would want to keep those who have done so successfully, rather than those who are still too new to be sure about. Also, if you ask me, those first few months at a new job when you constantly have to take action and show initiative are quite exhausting, so you should only do it if you are absolutely sure that is what you want.

Thousands of employees every day reach their breaking point at their current job and move on to the next, but they can never know what is waiting for them on the other side. The employee who shared the story below, for example, was approached by a non-profit for a job opportunity they weren't even looking for, but was simply too good to refuse. Before they knew it, they were handing in their resignation letter in their current workplace and getting ready for a new adventure.

The new adventure, as it turns out, was very short-lived, since the employee was already fired on their second day of the job. Without any explanation as to why, the (ex) employee was told it wasn't going to work out and was removed from the building.

As I said, you have to know the risks…

When someone begs to join your already-running business, shows up for two hours a day, contributes nothing to overhead, and then demands ownership of assets that existed before they ever walked through the door, that is not a partnership dispute. That is a squatter with an invoice.

A mechatronics engineer running a fully operational custom woodworking shop with 200 clients, established branding, and a complete workshop somehow ended up in a business dispute with a guy who invested $1,700, worked two hours a day, lectured him about values while freeloading, and is now demanding $3,000 plus monthly installments and partial ownership of a brand that was thriving before he ever showed up, which is an impressive set of demands from someone whose most recent financial disclosure was that he only had $25 on him.

The timeline is important. The brand existed. The 200 clients existed. The workshop, the tools, the portfolio, all of it was already there and generating real business before a single peso changed hands. What EP bought into was not a business he helped build. It was a seat at a table someone else built, furnished, and was already eating at. The $1,700 entry fee did not purchase equity in a brand. It purchased the privilege of showing up late to a functioning operation and leaving early.

We've always said that our goal, when we'll be old, will be to adopt as many old cats as we can to give them pawsome retirements. This man is living our dreams. 

Senior cats make amazing pets. We have said it before, and we will say it again. We know that people always rush to adopt kittens, and we understand why, we really do. But older cats deserve a chance too. They have so much love to give. The should not be spending their golden years stuck in a little cage in a shelter, waiting for someone to finally choose them. Senior cats are affectionate, often even more than younger cats. Senior cats know how to appreciate the things that you give them because they know what it is like to live without. 

Our goal in life, truly, is to end up like the man in this story shared on r/aww. He has spent so much of his life coming back to the same shelter, looking to adopt cats who truly need to be adopted. And this time, in his 70s, he's come back for his newest companion, and he did the most wonderful thing. He chose the cat who has been in the shelter the longest - 450 days. Finally, she's going home. 

Managing finances can be difficult, but it's almost impossible to avoid disagreements if you have to do it with your ex-wife. 

In this day and age, a lot of divorced parents believe they can simply agree on splitting their children's bills 50/50 and that way they will avoid any kind of disagreement. Well, that is a lie. There is no way you won't discuss money, especially with them.

In the case of this Reddit story, the dad is reluctant about paying for his daughter's dance trip to Ireland, not because it is expensive or because he does not support her. It's not a money issue, in this case, it seems to be more about not being a part of it, being replaced. According to this man, even though he will only be paying for half the trip for his daughter, he doesn't believe that it is fair, as his ex-wife and new husband are going to go as well.

He then explains that even if he doesn't provide the money, his daughter is not going to be missing out on the experience, but if they divide her costs 50/50, is it fair to not participate monetarily for the trip at all? On the other hand, they do have an agreement where mom is the one in charge of paying for all the extra activities. 

The dad does pay $600 a month for child support, as well as $7K extra annually, and her education. But he is also earning $160K a year. This may seem like he has the full means to pay his part, but he is just deciding not to because of some jealousy. He is not paying for his ex-wife or for the stepdad of the child, so is this actually a valid argument to not pay for it?

Some advice he received recommended that the dad check with the dance studio how much exactly the trip costs, so he is sure that he is only paying for his daughter. That way, he can fully support her without paying for something he does not want to. But would this be enough to convince him to pay for it?
 

Can being too much of an over-performer actually hurt your career progression?

We think that if we work hard enough for long enough, one day a cosmic beam of light will shine down on us from the heavens and grant us everything that we have been so desperately wanting. The reality is that's not necessarily how things work, as was exemplified in this Reddit post that a frustrated employee shared, arousing dialogue on the subject.

As much as we'd like to think otherwise, progression in your career is a very binary thing. You either get the job, or you don't—you get the promotion, or you don't. It happens in quantum steps and complete units, not in gradients. It's not as if simply grinding for "experience" like it's World of Warcraft or any other RPG actually contributes to 

Further, when you're spending all of your time and energy every single day excelling at a single repetitive task, you're not really learning other skills or growing towards a possible career move; you're simply getting better at doing that one single task. And there is value to this—it's not entirely a waste—but it's not contributing to your career like you think it is.

Sure, you might get increased compensation in the form of bonuses in the short term for your production, but there's no guarantee that that will keep up. Money comes and goes: it's there one minute and the next you're out of work and probably wishing you had worked on other skills rather than trying so hard to get that bonus. And... there's nothing to keep your employer from just changing the rules of the game when they grow tired of always paying you more money at the end of every quarter.

Do cats love us? 

Of course they do! Any cat lover can see when a feline is feeling safe around them. They purr, they curl up, and they bring us "gifts" from the outside world. Although we don't always want to have a stinky worm or a lifeless bird dropped on our doorstep, the sentiment still rings true to a cat's instincts: they're helping us because we help them. 

Cats are mysterious creatures, for sure, but there's no mystery that the cat in this next story loves her human. A cat lover went to Reddit's r/cats subreddit to share some wholesome and heartwarming details about a recent stray cat encounter that has the entire cat community buzzing with love. This story about a stray feline mama and her last surviving newborn kitten stirs something in our souls and proves that cats do, in fact, love us back. So saddle up for a real feline tear-jerker, because this kitty mama went from a life on the streets without anyone to care for her and love her, to having a loving home where she felt comfortable and safe enough to share kitten-sitting duties with the humans. 

If that's not the most wholesome thing you read on the internet today, I don't know what could pawsibly top it. 

Some people get fired for good reasons, others… not so much.

You would think that if you're a good employee who does a good job on a daily basis, you wouldn't have to worry about losing your job on a random Wednesday, but the truth is that you can never know when your last day on the job will be.

An employer can wake up one day and decide that you don't smile enough for them, or that it's your fault that a customer didn't tip, and that would be the reason they call you to their office and tell you that you're fired. There's not much you can do to avoid it, so keep up the good work and hope for the best.

On the other hand, some employees get fired, and everyone else knows exactly the reason why. For every manager who fires someone for no reason, there is an employee who should have been fired a long time ago. It's the workplace Ying-Yang, if you will. So while you can never know when your manager might decide that they don't want you around anymore, you should also try to avoid being the employee who does something crazy that gets them fired in an instant. Like stealing the CEO's lunch or taking 7 rolls of toilet paper from the office bathroom. 

It's all about moderation.

Below, you will find some crazy stories shared on r/AskReddit, after people were asked to tell others about the most ridiculous reasons someone got fired at their workplace. Some, as mentioned above, were fired because of an unreasonable manager or demand, while others were justifiably fired due to their own mistakes. But all stories, we can assure you, are crazy and quite hilarious. Scroll down to read them all.

Do you want double the cuteness on your screen? Easy. Here are the two cutest things on the internet: cats and babies. 

In case you didn't know, cats and babies have a really special relationship. And we mean cats with all kinds of babies. The beautiful thing about cats is that despite the fact that they hunt itty-bitty things all the time, they have the ability to recognize babies. And all babies are off limits for hunting, not just their own litters. It's why cats become such great foster parents to other animals. It's why cats adopt kittens from other litters and raise them as their own. It's why cats adopt otter babies or puppies and raise them alongside their kittens. Because they are babies, and cats love them. 

The same is true for human babies. Cats simply recognize that these tiny humans are different than the other large humans. These are babies. And babies are to be loved. Which leads us to one of the cutest genres of pictures on the internet - one that combines two of the cutest things in the world. Cats babysitting human babies. Double the cuteness in one picture. If you needed to aww today, you are very much in the right place. 

It's time to study the art of quiet negotiation

Somebody should teach us how to get better deals at work interviews, so we don't exclusively look for them while buying unnecessary things on the internet. The resources are there somewhere, but we're so bombarded with advertising  and means of instant gratification that we tend to lose the plot.

The employee in this story proves the point of this particular advice, and while I'm sure there are plenty of other possible outcomes using the same technique,  to me, it's still definitely worth a try.

Do cats know when they're being bad? Or can you train them to be purrfect law-abiding citizens?

The short answer is that cats absolutely know what they're up to. They know that when they bite our ankles in our sleep, when they stomp on our soft bits on the couch, and when they dash between our feet in the pitch dark of night, they are causing their hooman companions a fair bit of stress. Funnily enough, I think that cats thrive on this hooplah; they wouldn't continue their sneak attacks and general mischief. 

Once, I attempted to scold my best friend's cat, and she looked at me with the most knowledgeable, feisty grin imaginable. Like the Cheshire Cat, the edges of her whiskers curled up, and the light in her eyes twinkled from imminent tomfoolery. Not only did this sassy cat know she was being bad, she was also relishing in it. 

Meowschief is strong in the feline race, and they grow stronger with each prank, each toe bite, and every undeserved second dinner. Cats are clever little beings, manipulating our emotions with their cuteness and their cuddles, just long enough to get our guard down for a sneak attack. These silly kitty cat games are part of the reason cat lovers fawn over their felines, though. Enthralled by their surprises and tickling whiskers, humanity was born to serve the felines. We love that they surprise attack us before bed and we love that they grapevine through our feet as we walk to the restroom in the dark. Just like the cats, this chaotic energy is as thrilling as it is charming. 

So the next time you try to scold a rebellious cat, just know that they know exactly what they did wrong, and they certainly will not be changing their behavior to accommodate your disapproval. This understanding between hoomans and felines has been strong for a millennium, and there's no amount of drizzled kibble gravy or kitty gogurts that will change that fact. Might as well get used to having a little criminal in the house, because that's what that orange, tabby, or Scottish fold feline is going to guarantee. 

When firefighters have to get involved, you know something's up. 

Orange cats are known for their mischievous behavior. Sometimes they knock things off tables more than other cats, or they might have midnight zoomies a little more than you're used to dealing with. Regardless of their knack for danger, it's important to remember that at the end of the day they're just like other cats. They enjoy the snuggles, a warm home, and feeling loved just the same. Take it from Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem, where this little orange kitty was found stuck inside a car one day just trying to get warm. A woman brought him home from work one day because firefighters had to pull him out of a car repeatedly. He was cold and alone all night and wanted somewhere warm. She brought him home to her son, who posted that the cat is now healthy and happy. They named him Findus, and you can find him below by reading the full story. 

Saving for years to buy your first home and then finding out your family already assigned the bedrooms is one of those experiences that really tests your ability to stay calm on a phone call

After years of skipped vacations, overtime shifts, and the kind of disciplined saving that requires actively avoiding fun, a woman finally bought her first home, told her dad about it because she was excited, and within days discovered that her sister had already decided which bedrooms her four kids would be sleeping in, which is a remarkable amount of interior planning to do for a house you have never been invited to and do not own.

Nobody asked. That's the whole thing. There was no conversation, no request, no moment where anyone said hey we are struggling, would you consider helping us out. They just did the math on square footage, decided it worked for them, and moved on to logistics. The offer to help with renovations was a nice gesture. In hindsight it was also an insepction. A survey of sorts. An appraisal if you will.

And for a reason i can't really put my finger on, "family should help family" speech seems like it always given by the family members who skip the part where they actually talk to other family members they needed help from. Asking for help is uncomfortable and humbling and requires admitting you are in a bad spot. Assuming help is a completely different skill set that requires nothing except confidence and a phone.

With the Cat Distribution System being so enigmatic, you can never quite tell where and when it might give you a cat. Meaning that you should always be at the ready whether you are at the office, at home or on holiday.

At least that seems to be the case for this story we came upon on Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem subreddit. For when this story's cat mom went to work there was a fluffy feline surprise waiting for her upon arrival. Which let's be honest is roughly the last thing you would expect to be waiting for you when you get to work. Your mind is much more likely to be occupied with unread emails, unfinished tasks and motivational meetings you must attend.

But when confronted with a kitten in need this cat lover leapt into action putting her work aside for a moment and used her managerial skills to instruct someone else to go and buy treats and a carrier. You could very well say that this is one cat lady who can finally add a feline related event to her CV. So the moral of the story is to work to your strengths and always be at the ready to save a cat child in need.