33 Workers Share Creepy Things About Their Jobs That Never Came Up In The Interview
I usually ask people what they do for work because it’s polite and I’ve already forgotten their name. I am rarely prepared for information that changes how I feel about an entire industry.
Apparently, there’s a point in certain careers where something deeply unsettling becomes just another thing you deal with on a Tuesday.
Meanwhile, I need a little walk after I hit publish on another post.
These workers shared the creepiest things about their professions, including experiences and behind-the-scenes details most outsiders would never think to ask about. Some are eerie. A few might make you appreciate having a boring answer when someone asks how work went.
1. Patients Who Know Before Anyone Else Does
Am a nurse. I’d say it’s probably the fact that people know when they’re going to die. They will straight up tell you “today is my last day, thank you for being kind” and you reassure them because their vitals are good, they are taking to treatment well, nothing happening that would indicate a drastic decline. Then, inevitably, you will hear a flatline on the machine and run in and sure enough that patient has passed away.
If it hadn’t happened SO many times, I would chalk it up to a few people who just didn’t have the will to live anymore, but I’ve seen it enough, I know that’s not it. Really creepy when you think about it too hard.
2. The Marketing Details They Keep To Themselves
I work in Marketing. We know so much about you that we purposely tone it down as not to freak you out.
3. Putting A Price On Every Body Part
In the work comp insurance industry, each body part has a predetermined monetary value. So if you lost, say, a thumb or a foot on the job, they just check their price list and cut a check. Sometimes there are different values for the same body part depending on if the part that was lost came from your dominant hand or side.
Another fun fact is that it can be cheaper to insure roofers who work on 5 or 10+ story jobs than those that work on lower structures because the insurance companies figure in the event of a fall they’ll only have to cut a simple check for a pre-set death benefit for the high rise workers – it’s when someone falls from just a couple stories that leads to years of expensive medical treatments and disability payments since they’re much more likely to survive.
I’ve always found it a little bit creepy how easily our lives and body parts can be reduced to just a few numbers and dollar signs.
4. The Searches That Never Get An Answer
Some of the people who go missing in the woods just aren’t found. We don’t know what happens to them. Forest rangers are always wary about missing persons in the woods.
5. What Hospice Nurses Learn To Recognize
Hospice nurse here. We can smell death coming. Also we can tell, with eerie accuracy, when. Every now and then we get surprised but ultimately, we’re able to tell what’s up and arrange things so the family (if any) can be close by them. If they have no family, we stick close to them. Nobody deserves to feel alone at the end, but also…. people tend to die when nobody’s looking. We can leave the room for 3 minutes and not be surprised a bit if we find out pt has passed in that short window of time. Happens with family too. My great uncle asked his wife to go get him a cup of coffee. In the 2 minutes it took for her to do so, he passed. Some folks just don’t want to be stared at as they die, and I don’t blame them.
6. An Unexpected Package On The Delivery Route
The fact that human organs are shipped like regular packages at FedEx. I see them almost everyday, its most a company called Cryolife I think. It’s for organ donation. But we are very professional and careful with these packages in particular for obvious reasons.
7. The Regulars On Their Way To Work
Worked 10pm to 8am shift at a gas station. The number of construction guys, factory workers, big truck drivers, basically “heavy machinery” guys who buy two pints of vodka (one for each pocket) every morning at 6am in their way to work is quite scary.
Anonymous
8. What Happens Behind The Login Screen
IT security at a lot of places is a joke. You’d be horrified how at some high profile/hold a lot of your personal data there isn’t really an emphasis on security. Sure they do just enough but it’s more aimed at protecting their image and whatnot than your data.
9. Working For Someone Who Is “Keeping It Real”
Probably too late for anyone to read this but I work for a social media “influencer” who everyone praises for “keeping it real” and being such a nice and lovely person.
Reddit, she’s a huge bully and a total psycho. What you see in her posts is so fake. It’s scary to me that so many people look up to her and even say she has cured their depression or made them feel happy again. I’m glad that those people feel better about themselves but this girl is not a good person and has contributed to the mental breakdown of more than one person IRl. I wish people wouldn’t believe everything they see on social media. It freaks me out how she’s able to make herself look like such a saint when she’s so nasty.
10. The Conversations That Made A Programmer Leave
The ethical implications of being a programmer.
I used to work in the financial sector, but I had to leave because I heard too many serious discussions about how much it cost to buy a governor without getting arrested.
Anonymous
11. What Gets Removed Before You Open The Box
I work in an ‘eco-friendly’ importer who imports, well, eco friendly products that replace disposable or single use products, especially plastics.
The amount of plastic involved in production, shipping, storing, and packing those items is insane. It’s just all stripped from the finished product before it lands in the customer’s hands. There’s also issues with ordering from abroad – everything from factory waste to the fuels to get it here. It’s really, really sad, and nobody addresses it. Ever. It’s not talked about – we just strip off the plastic and toss it before shipping to the customer.
Not really ‘creepy’ but sad, and so very obviously ignored.
12. The Calls That End Before Help Can Be Sent
How many 911 calls that come in with screaming or other horrid noises on the other line, where we can’t make voice contact to confirm the location before they disconnect.
There are a lot of things we can do to find where a call came from, but every now and then there’s a perfect mix.of variables where there’s nothing we can do. And it’s heartbreaking. 😞.
13. How Applicants Get Discussed Behind Closed Doors
I work in college admissions. We are forced to admit kids who pay full price over more qualified kids. Talking about kids as “full pay” or “need” as they’re trying to better their lives is horrible.
Anonymous
14. A Workshop Running On Experience And Luck
Not really creepy, but I work at a woodshop, and it is an absolute OSHA disaster. Safety guidelines are rarely (if ever) enforced, and corners are cut constantly to get stuff built on time. I’m talking fire extinguishers buried behind scrap wood and other things, almost zero use of safety equipment, and just a general disregard for what should be standard practice. Really the only reason injuries are rare is because the vast majority of people who work here are experienced and know their stuff.
15. The Exposure That Adds Up Over Time
Honestly, the fact that most stuff we deal with causes cancer. Generally, you can be quite safe as a chemist, but it’s the long term exposure that’s an issue. Being somewhat not safe over time causes lots of issues. Sure, you always hear of someone who got a litre of solvent to the face, or got a toxic powder on their arm and was fine, but it’s the sum of all your exposures, not the day to day stuff that k**ls you. Be smart and be safe: wear gloves, wear a lab coat, don’t breath anything in, and work in a fume hood with everything.
16. What Vacation Brochures Leave Out
This isn’t necessarily creepy, but unsettling. I used to work in the travel industry. You’d be surprised at how many people seriously injure themselves or even die while on vacation. People tend to think they’re invincible when they’re abroad. Spoiler alert: You are not. Buy travel insurance.
17. The Question Dog Groomers Are Tired Of Hearing
I’m a dog groomer and I can’t tell you how many men ask “how much to wash me?” that isn’t funny.
18. When Customers Mistake Courtesy For Interest
Starbucks, the amount of mainly men who decide that if a female barista does their job, she’s into him and he’s now going to make her really REALLY uncomfortable by either refusing to take a hint and leave them alone or really gross comments. Seriously guys, she’s paid to be nice. She doesn’t want your testiculars. Goes for anyone in the service industry. Good customer service doesn’t mean they want to see you romantically.
19. Even The Toughest Ranchers Have A Baby Voice
All of us including the biggest toughest ranchers all have a baby voice they use when talking to livestock Weird but totally adorable!
Dlgredael:
Thank you, this is like a checkpoint in a horror game.
20. The Risks That Become Familiar Faces
The number of deaths and injuries. Industrial Maintenance isn’t a really safe career path. I personally know 4 people that have been seriously injured and 2 that were k**led on the job.
21. A Hazard Welders Rarely Discuss Outside Work
The smell of burning Human flesh. I’m an industrial welder and occasionally have a molten blob of steel land on exposed skin. We don’t mention it outside of work because of obvious reasons.
22. Safety Measures That Only Last Until Inspection Ends
I worked as a Marine electrician for a while (fishing boats mostly) and no one said anything weird for 3 months. Then one day my coworker told me about how he had been on a job where a boat crew member fell into a machine that was on and it crushed the guys hand, the captain came around to see what the commotion was about and told the guy to get back to work.
The whole crew said they would walk off the boat if the captain didn’t get the man medical attention.
I heard stories of people flipping breakers while people were still working inside switch boards, which makes the switchboard effectively explode with lightning and fire k**ling people.
Stories about people throwing themselves down flights of stairs to collect unemployment or LNI.
Or people jumping into the ocean because of depression.
Those boats were nightmare inducing. Rusty and disgusting.
Theres no OSHA if OSHA isn’t physically there with their eyes on something. Captain would get tipped off OSHA was coming out or the fire chief and they would cease dangerous activities. Captain would order a welder to weld up a guard rail on a set of steep stairs for when OSHA would show up. As soon as OSHA would leave the captain would tell someone else to cut the guard rail off with a grinder. It was never there for safety, but for the illusion that safety protocols were being followed.
23. What Swimming Instructors Are Trained To Notice
I run pools. We make sure our swimming instructors have good training in spotting the signs of child a**se because we see so much more of your kid’s body than most other folks in their lives. Bathing suits don’t do much to cover up suspicious bruising.
24. Why Every Client Gets The Same Precautions
A small percentage of people getting tattooed have HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, etc. and they are not always honest on their release forms. I was taught to always treat every client as if they have Hepatitis C, so everyone gets the same precautions, safety measures, and equipment sterilization. It’s tough though, because we’ll have sketchy people that probably use d***s, or come in wanting their house party tattoo fixed and we have no idea if they were sharing needles. We either make a judgment and deny them service, or treat them like everyone else and use precaution. I’ve only had one person be honest and tell me they had HIV, while they filled out their paperwork.
25. What Customers Do Not See In Restaurants
I’ve been working as a waiter for years now. And whew boy lawdy are there a bunch of issues that are simply not addressed. Workplace sexual harrassment of women in the industry is rampant, both from coworkers and customers. Dg and alcohol consumption and ase amongst restaurant workers is insane. The huge racial and gender disparity that exists in earnings due to tips. It’s a pretty toxic business behind the scenes.
26. The Personal Connections Behind A Career Choice
I don’t know about “creepy” but A LOT of dietitians have/had eating disorders. It can attract people who are 1) obsessed with food and ‘health’ and 2) looking for better ways of staying as thin as possible.
Ekyou:
On a similar note, I studied psychology and every therapist I’ve met had some sort of mental illness. But really it makes sense that people would want go into a field that they are personally invested in.
27. The Gap Between The Company Pitch And The Product
The company likes to pretend we do an honorable job making strategically important things for the United States military to protect us all with.
We make weapons. It’s quite possibly the most lucrative industry in the world.
Anonymous
28. The Toll Of Working In Veterinary Medicine
The amount of se rates in the veterinary profession. Eight years after graduation and 2 of my classmates have committed se.
High stress, not fantastic pay, poor coping mechanism, bad clients, etc will wear anyone down after a time.
29. The Mental Health Struggles Doctors Keep Quiet
The amount of s*****e among doctors.
Physicians have among the highest rates of s*****e worldwide, but I didn’t understand how significant it was until I was in the field. I assumed it wasn’t a big issue – the career seemed great with prestige, high job security and income. And it is great, but I didn’t know about working 60 days in a row, operating after being awake for 72 hours on call, cutthroat competition in training bottlenecks, the constant expectation and pressure to be the best and know it all from seniors and patients alike, the harassment and bullying from colleges that eat their young.
Now that I’m working in hospital networks, I don’t go more than a couple of months without hearing about another doctor who attempted or committed s*****e. There is more open discussion about the crisis, but most remains unspoken. Many doctors in my country won’t disclose or seek help for their mental health problems out of fear they’ll be reported and have restrictions on their license.
And if you are taken to hospital for the se attempt, the field is small enough that your colleagues and friends will hear about it, no matter how much staff maintain confidentiality. I visited a friend in ICU who attempted se, and he was mortified that he had been transported to the hospital he was employed in. Everyone knew and he moved across the country. And you hear about funerals for an ‘untimely passing’ of a 30 something year old doctor, while nobody talks about how or why they died. We are very uncomfortable talking about s*****e.
30. The Part Of Property Management Nobody Mentioned
The amount of dead bodies you have to deal with/walk in on. Property management for 5 communities with 2400 people. 95% college students, 60% of those in high stress, high octane majors. I’ve walked into 4 s**cides in 5 months, and these have been people I’ve gotten to know, toured, worked with to cater to interests. I couldn’t imagine it was going to be like this, but I probably should’ve.
Idk how to fix any of it, but it makes for a hard time now and again.
31. The Despair On The Other End Of A Loan Call
I work for a student loan company. A lot of people’s ‘repayment plan’ is to pay the absolute minimum/defer their loans as long as possible and then die. It’s usually for older people but I see it with folks in their 20s/30s also. Their interest is sometimes more than they make in a month. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve had to reassure that their kids won’t have to pay the loan if the parent dies. It (usually) can’t be discharged with bankruptcy either. It really sucks that DEATH is the only way out for people, we literally have to have a protocol for how to handle someone threatening to commit s*****e so they don’t have to pay it.
32. What School Administrators Carry Home
In education as an administrator. The reality of the frequency of child sexual a*****t or child a**se and lasting trauma resulting from it is enough to make you drink.
It is so shocking the level of incompetence in parents. This is across both private schools, well off demographics and high needs, high poverty districts.
It is really hard to come to school each day and mask positivity some days.
Anonymous
33. What Train Drivers Carry With Them
I drive trains. Statistically speaking a driver in my country will drive over two humans during a career. What really haunts you is the sound. It’s a loud thud.
andyjim17:
In Britain I think the train company will retire you after you run over 3 ( could be 2. 3s the max) due to the emotional stress.