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Some jobs wear you down slowly. Others double your workload while your coworkers quietly build side businesses on company time, and somehow expect you to stick around for it.

One employee spent a year and a half at exactly that kind of job, watching the environment grow more toxic by the month while managers stayed difficult and the whole department operated on mutual dislike.

About five months ago, her workload doubled overnight, and instead of getting support, she discovered that several coworkers had so little to do they were working other jobs or building income streams during work hours.

So as the toxicity began creeping into her personal life, she decided it was time to finally start putting her mental health first.

Keep reading for the full story.

I just resigned

I just resigned from my job effective immediately. I had been at my job for 1.5 years.

This employee describes somewhat of a traumatic experience.

It has been the worst job I have ever had in my life. The environment was toxic, the managers were horrible, the work wasn’t challenging, and everyone in the department hated one another.

Then things went from bad to worse.

It got even worse about 5 months ago when my work volume doubled while everyone else had so little work to do that some people worked another job and others devoted their time to other streams of income during work hours.

The stress began to follow him into other areas of his life.

This job was 100% remote, and after a while the toxicity of the job began to spread like a cancer into my personal life and home.

Also, my stress and anxiety reached a new level where I felt the job was on the verge of affecting my mental health.

Now he feels a mix of dread and relief.

I want to kick myself for not leaving in the first year, but there’s nothing I can do to get that time back. I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders.

I know the job market is crappy right now, but I know what I’m up against.

Thank goodness she finally got out of there.

What did Reddit have to say?

Your mental health is more important than a paycheck.

A toxic boss can really turn your entire life upside down.

This user felt a similar relief when they left their job.

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This reader is looking for any excuse to quit their toxic remote role.

The real story here isn’t just a toxic workplace, it’s a workplace that quietly rewarded disengagement while punishing anyone still actually doing their job.

Watching coworkers build entire side incomes during company hours while her own workload doubled reveals a management structure that either didn’t notice or didn’t care about the imbalance, and neither option reflects well on the people running that department.

Feeling an immediate weight lift the second she resigned is a pretty clear signal that the job had been quietly damaging her wellbeing for longer than she probably wanted to admit.

Now she has her entire life (and career) ahead of her.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.