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.

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

I suggest that working from home with a flexible working arrangement is definitely the ideal arrangement for both employee and employer, despite the fact that companies pushing Return-to-office mandates seem to think otherwise.

5 of the Top Perks of Working From Home—as Ranked by Someone Who Frequently Enjoys Them

discussion askreddit Discussion Topic people and culture pop culture internet culture - 47085317

People Who Remember Life Before Smartphones and Social Media... What Was It Like? — Social Media Is Older Than Some New College Graduates, and That Explains a Strange and Growing Generational Divide

employment issues workplace-stories toxic-workplace organizational culture work reddit story office culture workplace entitled coworker Reddit Workplace - 47076357

Office draws scrutiny over controversial decision to charge employees $8 if they forget their badge at home: 'The fee is meant to “encourage personal responsibility."'

work life balance work life friends toxic workplace office culture family culture internet culture Employment - 47072261

Company demands employees come into work on the weekend to help move the entire office, offer pizza as a reward in place of overtime: 'Manager said that nobody is being “forced” but they’ll remember who helped when performance reviews come around'

work life balance work life organizational culture office culture workplace Work-Life - 47044357

'I'm telling you to manage your time better': Managers ask employees to either clock out or not report time spent completing closing tasks after business hours are over and the front doors are locked, as told by employees in several social media posts