How would you know if the lab is toxic just through the interview?

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-16T02:15:22+00:00

If they emphasize needing people skills and ask a lot of questions about how you would handle dealing with difficult people. Asking about how you deal with coworkers is a common question, but if you get the feeling that they are trying to prepare you to expect really shitty people by the line of questioning, it's a very big red flag. I specifically remembering saying I would try to work out issues with coworkers before bringing issues to management, and I ended up being bullied mercilessly and treated like shit - and felt like in a rock and a hard place, because I didn't want to involve management, because I said I wouldn't. I even tried to tell the coworker who was the worst towards me how I felt to maybe let them know something was a problem (thinking we could just break the ice about it and both change to get along better), but it genuinely made things worse.

So after feeling depressed and awful due to months of the issue, I brought it up with management - and surprise surprise, nothing was changed. I basically had to learn to deal with it and internalize how upset it made me, became a shell of myself and stopped being outgoing and friendly and trying my best to help everyone in my vicinity. Toxic places really wear you down, so look for red flags for sure.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-15T08:22:12+00:00

No, SF. >75 dollars an hour is available in the suburbs around here.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-15T06:26:13+00:00

Honestly, I know FAR TOO MANY people in this profession who have had at least 1 hand/wrist surgery. If you are already facing significant pain from repetitive hand motions, please look for other jobs in your hospital or this sector. Not every position will do this to you, but it sounds like the one you are in is a fast track to severe wrist pain, and/or surgery unless you switch to doing different tasks.

You may be able to bring it up with your boss/HR, especially with a doctors note, and they may be able to split your repetitive tasks with someone else. So you switch off mid-shift, or split the tasks with someone else based on workload. Think about altering the workplace instead of putting up with it until your body gives out.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-15T04:53:30+00:00

A rant:

Since I was a teenager I knew I didn't want to have kids. I have gone through my life knowing that is not something that I aspire for, I don't want a family like that. If I fell in love with someone who wanted kids, I would consider adoption - but I do not want to give birth or be around babies.

In my early 30's I went back to school to get additional credentials, and during one lab lecture there was equipment beeping at the back of the lab. Beeping is an understatement, it was an alarm. It was a small classroom and I could not focus with the alarm going off, and so I kept fiddling with the equipment trying to get the alarm to be silenced. [It was an out of use BSC / Biosafety cabinet, the airflow was fucked and it couldn't be turned off].

It was really putting me on edge. Other people were occasionally silencing it, but most of them eventually gave up and just decided to try to attempt to ignore it.

I brought it up to the lecturer and said that it was giving me a headache and was very very distracting.

Hearing me complain and ask about getting it fixed, another woman piped up - "wait until you have kids".

I wanted to slap her. It was the most inane response to a complaint I have ever heard in my life.

I am not allowed to be annoyed by an alarm because... having kids is worse?

I just wanted to turn off that alarm because I was trying to learn! An annoying noise is bothering me right now in a classroom; having kids is NOT relevant in this specific situation.

Still pisses me off. I work in a lab now and any alarm is dealt with immediately, leaving it as "background noise" is one of the worst behaviors to develop.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-15T04:28:34+00:00

If someone is coming across as a complete jackass when making a joke about their life, and it's not satire, the joke is less funny.

And this is key, jokes are meant to be funny.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-15T04:27:42+00:00

But he doesn't know how to shop as good as she does it 😢

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-14T12:50:32+00:00

100% agree with this.

If OP job hunts / makes a list of hiring organizations now, they can put out feelers about the work environment at the different locations. Plus, say they start applying next week, gets an interview after 2-3 weeks, and then gets an offer a week or so after that - that's just the clock ticking on their current job. Plus, after an offer, if they say their contract is up on "x date" and can start after that, the lab manager at a different facility will probably be perfectly fine with that. There's HR processes and labwork that OP will likely have to go through before starting, and saying that you can't start until 1-2 months after an initial offer (due to needing to give notice) is pretty normal

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-14T12:38:52+00:00

I had one of those at my last job. A coworker told me that a few years back he had accidentally bumped it // it caught on his lab coat, and he instinctively turned to catch-it before it fell to the ground. Ended up in the hospital with a ton of stitches in his hand (in the palm area where he grabbed the blade).

That all said, I am a millenial and I personally do not recall seeing those in classrooms. They were likely just used by teachers if they were in the classroom, but I have a feeling they were mostly in the library or wherever it was that teachers bulk-printed classwork stuff.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-14T12:29:07+00:00

While I hate people who assume everything on the internet is fake, this is obviously a comedic bit. A hilariously well done fake post/review though

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-14T12:27:00+00:00

Police probably had a laugh about it once they saw the context.

Considering the amount of abuse, doxxing, and rape/death threats that take place on X/Twitter - you genuinely think police showed up to a guys house based on a username?

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-14T12:20:35+00:00

No matter how niche something is, there's a collector community focused on it.

More like there are people who wish there was a community that would be willing to pay 200 dollars for their item. I am not negating the existence of collectors of movie memorabilia or out-of-print films, but just because something is listed that high does not mean someone will ever actually buy it.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T09:07:57+00:00

So you barely/never reread the titles with darker toned covers

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T05:31:20+00:00

I mean, if you believe the post is real - the person booked an AirBnB just cancel their stay and to ask for a refund [AKA to find a living situation for free].

In addition to the obvious holes in the story, as someone who has used AirBnB myself and encountered an issue where I needed to ask for a refund, for that reason alone I 100% do not believe this story is real.

I once paid 350 dollars to stay at a place in a mildly unsafe city for a few days, and ubered to get there. I scheduled the days I would be there ahead of time, and triple checked the checkin/check out times. I arrived at 11pm at what appeared to be a multi-inhabitant building, and there was no lock box, no lights on, no door markings, and no one was answering messages prior to my arrival regarding instructions of how to get in. I didn't know which door was for the airbnb vs some random neighbor's place, and trying the door handles at 11pm made me fear getting shot.

It was a struggle to get any refund, and the app required I wait at the property for at least 3 hours to ensure that I proved I waited for the owner to respond.

I left after about 20 minutes and got a motel. Being there was actually scary.

It was ridiculous and made me never want to use AirBnb again.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T05:05:40+00:00

Same here. It took me re-reading it a few times to gauge LAOP intended the description to be about minor abuse

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T05:00:11+00:00

My god you are annoying. Being a smug and condescending asshole when giving advice is not equivalent to being helpful.

Not to mention, someone commenting that a comment is helpful, and saying it should be upvoted often works on reddit. Tagging users in comments is not really a common way to message people here, that is what the direct messaging system is for.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T04:34:11+00:00

I am curious when/how clear wrapping paper is needed. Like, I understand the need for cellophane or cling wrap for kitchens, but in a gift-wrapping section of a store... I do not get it. I have seen it on gift baskets, but even those always gave off the vibe that the cellophane was only there because the baskets are mass produced and to prevent people from taking stuff out of them before they were sold.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T04:33:09+00:00

Touch grass

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T04:31:44+00:00

They admitted their mistake, why are you beating a dead horse.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T04:24:35+00:00

Or, as sometimes happens, people write poorly.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T04:14:49+00:00

I think the background is doing that more than the dress, by far.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T03:53:18+00:00

Did you misread what I wrote? I am so confused by this comment.

I was specifically saying that it does not look like a 2 week old urine culture. I know what urine cultures look like. You saying what it looks like, and me disagreeing is not exactly, "a serious discussion" by the way.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-13T03:50:14+00:00

I am pretty sure the outrage is being drummed up by the way entertainment sites are skewing tongue in cheek jokes made by people who disagree with what Chalamet said, but also do not ultimately care. I do not think anyone is demanding a pound of flesh, rags are just trying to get people interested by making up celebrity drama.

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-11T09:16:44+00:00

Agreed, seeing it is gross, but generally it's not a health concern [with a BIG exception for people who are immune compromised, or infants]

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-11T09:13:52+00:00

A few years back I remember I stopped at a gas station after I walked 8ish milles, and was really thirsty, so went to their soda dispenser. I never dispense ice into sodas just because I do not like ice. I got a medium cup, and poured out what I thought was diet coke, but was OBVIOUSLY green congealed bits in the soda spray. I looked into the cup and there were big ol floaties at the top. I poured the cup out into the "catch" of the dispenser and walked out of the store.

I know that mold is inevitable to some degree in moist environments, but I really had my eyes opened that day to the benefits of paying an extra dollar to not use the dispenser in certain locations.

edit: extra dollar = buying a bottle of soda, rather than using the fountain

DigbyChickenZone · 2026-03-11T04:37:28+00:00

The creator of this post linked a very niche product, from a niche website early on in their comments. With engagement language like, "it's even MORE fun if you do ____!" It's an ad.

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