12 Workplace Behaviors That Should Send People Straight To ‘Corporate Jail,’ According To Employment Expert
How many of your co-workers deserve jail time?
wavebreakmedia | Shutterstock We've all dealt with colleagues and bosses who are so unbelievably annoying and difficult to work with that they truly deserve jail time — or at least corporate jail time.
Employment expert and content creator Laura Whaley certainly agrees. In a recent TikTok, she shared a PowerPoint presentation of workplace offenses that should send people straight to the slammer.
Here are 12 workplace behaviors that should send people to 'corporate jail':
1. Scheduling a non-urgent meeting on a Friday afternoon
Nobody wants to work after 4 p.m. on any day, let alone a Friday. “Additional time,” Whaley added, “if that Friday falls on a long weekend.”
Whatever is said, that meeting can surely wait until Monday morning. Nothing in the corporate world is that urgent.
2. Stealing a meeting room that someone has booked
If you work in a communal office space or on a workplace campus, you know the torture of trying to book a meeting room. So, when you show up at your rightful time only to discover Dave from accounting deep in conversation in a room that you properly signed up to use — it's truly infuriating.
3. Breaking the office printer and walking away
If you break something, call IT. It shouldn't be that difficult of a concept for adults to follow.
We all learned it in our D.A.R.E programs in middle school: if you see something, say something.
4. Showing up to the office with a contagious illness
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There’s a more comfortable cell in corporate jail for employees who show up to work sick because, let’s be honest, it’s probably not their fault.
“Coming to work sick is a reflection of the company not having an adequate sick policy,” one commenter argued. “They definitely don’t want to be there either.”
Workplace studies report that the average corporate employee has about a week of sick time available for annual use. However, medical experts like the CDC say that the average flu can take almost 2 weeks to fully recover from.
5. Declining a vacation request with no legitimate reason
Bad bosses everywhere deserve a place in corporate jail simply for their unreasonable time-off policies and the constant double standards.
In the end, rejecting work-life balance and prioritizing productivity over workers' mental health only leads to widespread burnout.
6. Eating someone’s food from the communal fridge
There’s nothing worse than getting up early to make lunch for work, only for an entitled co-worker to help themselves to your food. The only thing more disgraceful is when they steal your highly anticipated leftovers from Sunday dinner.
7. Joining a meeting late and then stopping everyone to catch up
Life is unpredictable, and sometimes, things outside your control make you late. However, it's corporate etiquette to ask for notes after the meeting — not during.
So, sit quietly, don’t interrupt, and send a follow-up email. Making everyone who made it to the meeting on time listen to the same thing they’ve already heard only earns you a spot on the corporate jail watchlist.
8. Taking a long phone call from an open desk
If you’re lucky enough to have your own office, with a door and even a lock, you’re probably not going to relate to this expert’s next crime. If you’re in an open office, though, there are certain things you should consider for the sanity of your colleagues.
Use a meeting room when you have a long phone call; if it’s something short, use your headphones, and, most importantly, do NOT ever put a phone call on speaker.
9. Consistently accepting meetings and not showing up
HR Review studies report that nearly 80% of corporate workers feel anxiety about attending and contributing to workplace meetings. They spend all day preparing, thinking about the meeting, and stressing over the conversation.
Don't be the person who ghosts, making all of that time and effort go to waste. Take accountability for your commitments in the office.
10. Refusing to acknowledge people of lower seniority
There’s a level of narcissism that’s tolerated, even celebrated, in many corporate environments. Unfortunately for the average worker, it’s not uncommon for these narcissists and egocentric employees to find themselves in high-paying leadership roles where they have the power to contribute and craft to a corporate environment.
Selfish and unconcerned with their team’s health and well-being, they often disregard employees of lower seniority.
These are the worst kind of people, according to this employment expert, to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Not only is it dehumanizing, but it only makes showing up to your workplace every day that much more dreadful.
11. Leaving trash around shared office spaces
We’re all adults at work, so why does it so often feel like we’re dealing with toddlers? If you can write an agenda for a leadership meeting, forward an email, and drive to work, you can pick up your trash when you’re done with it.
12. Clipping your toenails in the office.
This one should go without saying — straight to corporate jail! If someone has to tell you to keep your shoes on, let alone your socks, something is seriously wrong.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.