Brad Dickson

Managing Editor

Editor, Writer, Content Producer, and Biologist from the Pacific Northwest. Managing Editor of Cheezburger, Lead Editor of Fail Blog, and Memebase. Long-time Section Lead and Staff Writer, contributing since 2016 on Geek Universe, Memebase, and Fail Blog. I joined Cheezburger in 2016, first running Geek Universe and then Memebase before finally settling on Fail Blog. At that point, Fail Blog was all about classic “FAILs” and schadenfreude but has since become more about how the internet and its trends intersect with our lives and social experiences at home, out and about in the world, and in the workplace. In a sense: how society is failing us. As a writer, I explore where modern technology and culture intersect with our working, personal, and social lives. I share opinions and my experiences to help examine how changes in public values, technology, and social discourse reshape the way people work, live, and interact. Often examining through the lens of existing discussions and anonymous accounts to help shape the direction of the discourse. For the last 6 years, I have covered modern labor trends, social discourse, and the influence of cultural shifts on our working and personal lives. Without a doubt, we are facing unprecedented times at the crossroads of these topics. And while digital technology has existed for just a microsecond of relative human history, the last 30 to 40 years have reshaped not just the way we work but the way we think about our work. The technology has also shaped our social lives into something unrecognizable that previous generations of humanity would have found startling. Where is this all going? Who knows, but it is fascinating to explore how culture has evolved in the last 6 years alone and will continue to evolve in the coming decade in ways we can't possibly anticipate.

A teen in a white shirt rides the bus home

Stepfather, who controls 17-year-old worker's finances, lectures the teen after teen calls him to ask him to deposit his paycheck so that he can afford a bus ticket home: 'I called my stepfather, with the intent to ask him about my paycheck'

Kids playing baseball in the backyard

Florida homeowner asks neighborhood kids to stop playing in their backyard—the parents refuse to step in, then the kids set up a baseball diamond in their backyard completely uninvited: 'The neighbor’s response didn’t really sit right with me'

relaxing gardening Joy inspiration landscaping zen Gardening and Landscaping Growing vegetables flower bed - 47165701

8 Autumn Home Gardening and Landscaping Moments That Prove There Is Joy in the Hobby To Be Found in Any Season

employee distrust team building office party job satisfaction Workplace workplace fairness - 47152133

Company offers free "voluntary" employee appreciation lunch—then demands they pay $18 if they didn't stay for the "team-building" activity afterward: 'I just find it ridiculous that a company can turn a thank-you into something you owe them for'

employment issues employment-discussion organizational culture work life work-life balance Work-Life cost of living - 47141893

Employer surprises employee with a "new offer"—a pay cut —after he already agreed to a transfer to be with his family after 5 months of long-distance separation for the job: 'Why would they literally take money out of my pocket?'

An employer allegedly made ten weeks of severance pay conditional on signing a non-compete that would ban them from working in the industry for 2 years. They then threatened their unemployment benefits if they refused, claiming they would record their separation as "resignation without good cause."An employer allegedly made ten weeks of severance pay conditional on signing a non-compete that would ban them from working in the industry for 2 years. They then threatened their unemployment benefits

Logistics operations coordinator blindsided by layoff in 5-minute Zoom call along with 15% of the company—then the employer demanded they sign a non-compete to get severance pay, along with this veiled threat

return to office micromanagement employee goodwill manager malicious compliance goodwill overtime Reddit employment trends unpaid unpaid overtime Workplace remote work labor law shift work - 47120133

‘9-5, in Office, No Exceptions’: A New CTO Ended Remote Work and Imposed Strict Office Hours, Then He Discovered How Much Work Employees Were Doing on Their Own Time—and How Much the Company Relied on That Mutual Goodwill

A hotel manager tells staff to attribute delays to unexpected demand instead of deliberate understaffing

Hotel staff reports constant understaffing, which is causing high check-in wait times and issues with impatient guests—the manager has a solution: 'My manager pulled me aside and told me to change "understaffed" to "unexpected high guest volume"'

employment issues job candidate job interview Employment job offer salary lowball offer salary offer - 47110661

Job candidate receives a $30k lowball offer despite being the hiring panel's "unanimous first choice"—this after a 4-week-long intensive 5-round interview process: 'They sent an offer for $62k and claimed the higher band was for a "unicorn"'

neighbors gardening lawn landscaping lawn mower technology neighborhood-drama bad neighbors robots boundary dispute Neighbors - 47101701

Homeowner comes home to discover his native pollinator garden has been damaged, discovers neighbor's trespassing $3,800 robotic mower is the culprit, repeated attempts to stop it crossing their shared boundary fail—homeowner takes more drastic measures