Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Creepiest Things They Don't Talk About In Their Profession

People Share The Creepiest Things They Don't Talk About In Their Profession
StartupStockPhotos/Pixabay

WARNING: the following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

Professional secrets come with most jobs, whether it's a secret recipe or confidential client information. Some secrets are just downright creepy though.

A coworker who randomly disappeared in the past, uncomfortable realities of the job, or a particular subject that everyone always avoids can definitely up the creep factor in any workplace.


Reddit user Raiseyourspoonofwar asked:

"What is the creepiest thing you don't talk about in your profession?"

20.

That we've been hacked. Repeatedly. Any data you trusted us with is out there now. Either for sale or just to freely download if you find the right site. The only reason your identity has not been stolen is that the thieves chose to steal someone else's today, and there are orders of magnitude more honest people than there are professional identity thieves. Pure random luck is the only reason your credit rating is not in tatters right now.

None of this is publicized, because the laws were deliberately written in such a way that we decide what constitutes a breech and that decision is never meaningfully accountable to anyone. So ... surprise! We have never declared that any of the times that we were hacked constituted a "formal breech".

-xmagusx

19.

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.

-loopsdefruit

18.

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 f**king 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 suicide so they don't have to pay it.

-skellyclique

17.

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 suicides 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 shouldve.

Idk how to fix any of it, but it makes for a hard time now and again.

-Defiantly_Unsure

16.

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.

-showmeyournachos

15.

I work in tv news and some viewers can be veryyy creepy. People subconsciously feel like they know us, because they see us everyday, in their homes. Some of the mail my coworkers receive is so questionable. Like one guy (a well known and beloved weatherman) regularly gets postcards from the same dude that hates him and berates him. Another guy acts as if he actually knows one of our weekend anchors, in his letters talking about how they used to go to various concerts together (nope).

Once I opened a package with all these random objects (bandaids, leis, a pair of socks, conversation hearts) and five valentines each detailing how the person would storm the building.

Once I did a story vaguely related to vaping and within minutes a guy tracked down my personal facebook and sent me three videos cussing me out and a long rant about how I was a "piss ant wh*re" and a "f**king moron".

-jadecourt

14.

The smell of burning Human flesh. Im an industrial welder and occasionally have a molten blob of steel land on exposed skin. We dont mention it outside of work becuase of obvious reasons.

-BushPig00

13.

The amount of suicide among doctors.

Physicians have among the highest rates of suicide 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 suicide. 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 suicide 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 suicide, 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 suicide.

-manlikerealities

12 

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.

-GrumpyDietician

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.

-Ekyou

11.

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.

-Silverkedja

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.

-andyjim17

10.

I'm a mailman, and sometimes peoples houses just creep me out. Sometimes you walk up to a really run down place with their mailbox hanging sideways and you just get a bad feeling like "bad things happen here."

It's also creepy how bad some people's houses smell, and I can smell that from outside. If you're a hoarder with 20 cats I can smell all the cat pee and sweet rotting smell as soon as I go up your walkway.

Also delivering mail to sketchy businesses that are clearly fronts for something else is never really fun, can make you pretty uneasy.

-albertagenuinedraft

9.

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 kills 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.

-ChrmistOnMath

8.

I run pools. We make sure our swimming instructors have good training in spotting the signs of child abuse 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.

-go_Raptors

7.

There are a lot of nasty nasty bugs in shipping.

-aliveinjoburg2

Oh yes. Silverfish! Centipedes! Cockroaches! Scorpions! My personal favorite was when we'd get product in from China and some bugs just come hauling @ss out of the boxes to go start a new life or what the f**k ever they do.

-f*nFRANCHtoast

6.

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. Its for organ donation. But we are very professional and careful with these packages in particular for obvious reasons

-tkool73

5.

I work for a company that (amongst other services) provides carpet cleaning. Vacuuming is one of the easiest corners for janitorial providers to cut so it rarely ever gets done to adequate levels. This means that office carpeting is absolutely FILLED with dirt, skin flakes, and literally any other nasty tiny thing you can picture. Carpeting is like a sponge/filter and if you don't clean it out regularly it gets f**king nasty and can majorly impact indoor air quality. Sick Building Syndrome can be caused by carpeting alone.

Also, people in general are nasty too. In one night, in one facility, my team cleaned up pee, vomit, and blood stains on the carpet (wearing PPE of course.). The amount of skid marks we clean off office chairs is bonkers too.

-Gjiofnwek

4.

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.

-leeloo627

3.

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.

-sable-king

2.

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.

-Revolutionary_Dingo

1.

The number of deaths and injuries in my field. Industrial Maintenance isn't a really safe career path. I personally know 4 people that have been seriously injured and 2 that were killed on the job.

-Buwaro

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

A wide shot of a group of younger people having a work meeting in a conference room.
Photo by Redd F on Unsplash

People Reveal Secrets About Their Job No One Is Supposed To Know

Every workplace has its issues and secrets.

And the sooner they're exposed, the better.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kash Patel
Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

Fox Mocked For Sad Graphic Listing Kash Patel's 'Qualifications' To Be FBI Director

As President-elect Donald Trump announces his choices for Trump administration 2.0, some are proving harder for his allies to justify than others.

On Saturday, Trump announced via Truth Social that he planned to appoint MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to head up the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eddie Murphy; Eric Murphy & Jasmin Lawrence; Martin Lawrence
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; @jasmin_lawrence/Instagram; Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Eddie Murphy's Son Just Got Engaged To Martin Lawrence's Daughter—And Fans Are Overjoyed

Martin Lawrence’s daughter, Jasmin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy’s son, Eric Murphy, are officially engaged!

The couple, together for over three years, announced the happy news on Instagram with a romantic video featuring Eric’s candlelit proposal, set to Eric Benét’s Spend My Life with You.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from TikTok videos by @jngarz, @cass.on.tour, and @flowerpower12790
@jngarz/TikTok; @cass.on.tour/TikTok; @flowerpower12790/TikTok

Kacey Musgraves Puts Florida Fan On Blast For Grabbing Her During Tampa Concert

Country singer Kacey Musgraves is currently touring the southern U.S., and while she was in Florida, one fan nearly ruined the tour for everyone when they inappropriately grabbed the artist.

While in Tampa, Florida, Musgraves was performing down on the floor with the audience, walking toward the camera for dramatic effect when an audience member grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the crowd.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Pete Hegseth's Mom Called Him 'Despicable' And An 'Abuser Of Women' In Brutal 2018 Email

The New York Times shared a 2018 email concerning former Fox News host Pete Hegseth's mother in which she calls him "despicable" and accuses him of repeatedly mistreating women.

Days after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the Pentagon was dumbfounded when Trump selected Hegseth, the Fox and Friends weekend co-host and former Army National Guard officer, as his nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense for the incoming administration.

Keep ReadingShow less