Human Resources plays an important role in performance management, recruitment, pay, and reinforcement of the rules and values of the business, which is why virtually every company has an HR department. They're also responsible for putting their foot down whenever an employee misbehaves and if necessary, they'll fire them.

But as scary as HR sounds, the staff in charge of maintaining order also handle a ton of chaos, some of which is laugh-out-loud funny. So here are some hilarious stories from HR representatives that are just too good to be true.

Pokémon Related Injury

Reddit / Shutterstock

Pokémon Go is a reality mobile game that uses the phone's GPS and clock to detect when and where the players are in the game. Then it makes Pokémon characters appear in areas near them.

And the players have to hunt down the Pokémon which may be lurking in a bathroom, work desk, or other area. Well, one temp employee suffered an injury while trying to catch 'em all and HR had to screenshot the proof that it was because of a Pokémon.

Allergic to Perfume

Reddit / [deleted]

Some people are extremely allergic to things like peanuts, which makes it impossible for anyone to bring a peanut butter sandwich to work. Other employees are allergic to perfume, which is exactly what one employee in this story had.

But the person wearing the perfume refused to stop wearing it. Then HR got involved and forced the employee to stop wearing the specific fragrance.

But reports came in that someone was continuously spraying the allergic employee's desk with the fragrance. And it was later discovered that another employee had brought in the same perfume... on purpose.

They Hired a Hitman

Reddit / IO Interactive

The thing about HR that some employees have a hard time understanding is that they're there to protect the company's interest and that includes safety.

So, discovering that one of their employees had once hired a hitman to take out a guy who got the promotion over them must have really freaked everyone out. And although there's no way of knowing what happened, the employee was hopefully fired.

The Stinky Employee

Reddit / iStock

Hygiene in the workplace is important because it contributes to a healthy, happy, and productive workforce. This also means that other employees are less likely to fall ill from the foul smell of the employee that hasn't showered in days.

But this HR representative claims there was one employee who seemingly never bathed and alienated anyone around him. Luckily, his co-workers had a chat with him and set him on the path to cleanliness.

Should Have Been Confidential

Reddit / Dreamstime

Confidentiality is a priority in business, which is why it's important to type the word confidential when sending work e-mails you don't want sent to everyone in the company.

This simple disclaimer protects the sender rather than the recipient for situations where the e-mail is accidentally sent to the wrong recipient, like it was in this case. But it certainly didn't protect this employee. Unfortunately, she's still stuck in the same dead-end job.

She Refused to Leave

Reddit / iStock

Getting fired is obviously a humiliating experience. It doesn't even matter if the employee was wrong and knew about it. It's embarrassing and painful because they probably thought they were going to retire from that job when they were old and gray.

That's exactly what happened to the person in this HR story. She had refused to leave after getting fired, so the boss had to call her husband to carry her out.

Dealing at Work

Reddit / iStock

Even non-HR employees have some interesting stories of their own like this fast food worker who had a manager with a shady work morale. It turns out that they were serving some controlled substances as a side gig but no one knew about it at the time.

But he was luckier than another employee who got arrested for doing something similar. And yet that wasn't as disturbing as the former employee who popped up on the news for doing something disgusting.

Pay Increase Not Recommended

Reddit / brianoregansbm

The staff was looking through old files from the mid-1980s and discovered that the employees at the time had requested a 3% pay rate increase, which had been denied because the number of absences from their work station and extended breaks were too high. 

Ironically, the employee that posted about this discovery claims that if the current employees were to make a similar pay rate increase request, they would likely be denied for the same reasons.

The Persistent Flat-Earther

Reddit / Unsplash

A workplace is full of different personality types, which is good because these people all have something interesting to contribute to the group. But there are some people who have strong opinions of how the universe works and flat-earthers are among them.

These folks believe that the Earth is flat, not round. This had really gotten on this manager's nerves because the topic had led to an ongoing argument between two of his employees.

The Security Guy From Hell

Reddit / PhotoStockEditor

This HR representative brought to her boss's attention a series of complaints filed against a security guy by several female employees. But the boss wasn't very receptive and refused to do anything about it, probably because she was friends with him.

Oddly enough, the HR rep was also a victim of the security guy's inappropriate advances and her boss still didn't care. Sounds like the boss should have gotten sued.

Drunk at Work

Reddit / Pexels

Unemployment hearings are conducted when an employer contests a former employee's right to unemployment benefits. The hearing is the final chance for employers and the employee to state their case, which is exactly what one formerly drunk employee did.

But her excuse was pretty weak when the judge asked her why she had refused to take a test at work to see why she was under the influence.

Too Many Items Voided

Reddit / Ariadne_Kenmore

This hiring manager had to fire a cashier who voided up to 30 items per shift but placed them into their customer's bags and allowed them to leave. Essentially, they were stealing from the company, but claimed the item voids were the result of lack of experience at the register.

Well, they also got sued but managed to avoid jail time by telling the judge that he had a sick brother when he actually didn't.

The NSFW E-Mail Name

Reddit / Twitter / HelmSecure

HR representatives advise anyone looking to apply for a job to use their personal e-mail address and not their current workplace e-mail when applying for work. But that e-mail needs to have a legitimate name and last name and not some odd handle like brownglitter69.

Obviously, the person that applied for a job using this e-mail had an interesting story behind their decision to come up with this e-mail name, but it's certainly not appropriate for business use.

Armed and Disgruntled

Reddit / Shutterstock

Everyone's had those moments were they've felt like they hated their job so much, they wanted to pop everyone then and there. But there's a difference between thinking about it and actually saying it out loud or writing about it on social media.

Luckily, this employee had an understanding HR representative and manager who gave him the chance to explain himself and apologize instead of firing him on the spot. But that's probably because they were secretly afraid that he would carry his threat out.

Terrified of Bobcats

Reddit

Parking spots close to one's workplace is a convenience that's reserved for an elite few such as supervisors and upper level administrators. But according to this HR representative, one employee wanted an exception that allowed them to park in a spot closer to the building.

Their reason for this request was that they were terrified of bobcats, which seemed highly unlikely to exist in the area. But HR later learned that the employee's concern was valid, but not worth approving.

Was Into Feet

Reddit / Unsplash

The perks of working the nightshift is that there aren't a lot of people around watching over your shoulder. But the problem with technology is that it keeps a record of everything people do when they go on the internet.

And unfortunately for one IT guy, it had saved all of his online image searches, which is how HR discovered he had a serious interest in feet. At least now he'll have plenty of time to search for images from the comfort of his own home.

Not Showcasing His Talent

Reddit / With_Trees

A resume or CV is a potential candidate's calling card, especially when you're trying to get a position as a designer or visual artist. It's why this candidate, dubbed Kevin, was so foolish.

Instead of really showing off his requirements for a senior motion artist position, he tried to pass off that he was knowledgeable in PowerPoint and Word. Neither of these programs proved he was qualified, and he was probably hiding the fact that he had no experience in the field he was applying for.

Used His Dad's Social Security Number

Reddit

In today's high-tech world, it's virtually impossible to pull the wool over a potential employer's eyes. HR representatives are trained to run extensive background checks and spot discrepancies right away, like the one this guy had with his date of birth.

It turns out that he used his dad's social security number because he had a spotless record and knew a background check would come back clean. But HR saw through his ruse and he lost out on the job.

Pinned a Wasp to the Resume

Reddit / Instagram

When someone describes themselves as being metal, it often refers to something about themselves being so hardcore that it can only be compared to metal. It's why he reportedly attached an insect to his resume.

The ironic part was that the person had some serious qualifications for a job in the music industry, but not so much when it came to software development.

Violence is Never the Answer

Reddit / iStock

They say workplace conflict is bad for business because it not only compromises productivity but also the overall morale. Unfortunately, jealousy, pride, ego, power struggles, and opposing positions are all too common at work, so there's bound to be some conflict every now and then.

But there are lots of different ways to handle this and violence is not one of them. Unfortunately, this candidate seemed like he was going to be extremely difficult to work with, which is why he wasn't hired.

The Racist Candidate

Reddit / iStock

If there's one thing Human Resources has a zero tolerance policy for its racism. It doesn't matter if someone made an off-hand remark and claimed it was a joke or if they meant to say what they said.

Racism is a firable offense. But one candidate discovered that it was also a non-hirable offense as well. And when they told the HR Department that they were duped into making a racist comment, things didn't go so well.

Accused of Witchcraft

Reddit; Wikimedia Commons / Glen Bowman / CC

The last witchcraft trial in America was in 1878, and no one has been legally executed for being a witch in centuries. But it turns out that someone in the 21st century never got the memo that witchcraft was no longer a crime.

That's what one temp discovered while she was scanning old HR personnel files. The thought that anyone in this day and age would frown upon another employee's religious practices is not only unthinkable but also unheard of.

A Dog to Improve Work Performance

Reddit / iStock

The thing this HR representative learned was that seemingly normal new hires can become totally abnormal a week after they've started the job. Case in point is this story about an employee who walked into the CEO's office and demanded a dog because she thought it would improve her performance at work.

Unfortunately, the rep wasn't in the room when it happened, but the employee didn't get the dog. She also lost her job, but it was for totally unrelated reasons.

Needed to Lay Low

Reddit / Wehrsportyoga

This next story is about a candidate who was so paranoid that he actually thought he was involved in some sort of international conspiracy. And in the cover letter he sent to the company, he claimed that the reason he wanted the job was so he could lay low for a while,

probably to avoid the dark unseen forces that may or may not have existed only in his head. But while he sounded like a total nut job, this HR representative decided to send the application to corporate HR for safe keeping.

Sleeping on the Job

Reddit / Youtube/Waymo

We've all had those mornings where we wish we could call in sick or come in late to work because we're just so tired and need to sleep. But this guy was slick. He actually clocked in and then walked back to his car to catch up on his sleep for an hour or two.

Unfortunately, his co-workers told the company's HR representative where he was when she came looking for him and let's just say, he was given plenty of time off to sleep after that.

Evading the IRS

Reddit / Sony Pictures Releasing

Some people get side jobs that pay under the table, meaning the earnings aren't reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Since they don't declare their earnings, they don't pay taxes, even though they should.

But this person realized they were earning way too much, so they went casually dressed to an interview and explained to the interviewer why they really wanted the job. But as far as the HR representative was concerned, the person overshared and it cost him the interview.

Boxers and an Adult Site

Reddit / iStock

Most people who have Zoom and Skype interviews and meetings are under the unfortunate impression that they only have to dress nicely from the waist up.

But this HR representative wished that the person he was interviewing had put some pants on because when the guy stood up, he saw more than he wanted to see. To make things worse, the candidate accidentally opened up a NSFW site during the interview that made him lose out on the job.

Laid Off On the First Day

Reddit; Wikimedia Commons / Trollbackco / CC 4.0

Applying for a new job can be a long and grueling process. There are several interviews and call backs and a whole lot of waiting. So, it can feel like winning the lottery when someone finally gets the good news that they've been hired.

But the joy the guy in this HR story felt turned into despair after learning he had gotten laid off on his first day. But it's not all bad because at least he can apply for unemployment.

Reported for Being Too Tall

Reddit / Facebook

This woman was taller than all the other women at her job, and this didn't sit well with one of her own. So her co-worker decided that this was a fireable offense and reported her to Human Resources.

Unfortunately, HR has to take every complaint into consideration, even the silly ones. They spoke to her, but it's not like she had the power to shrink. So, in retaliation, she did do the something about her height. She got taller.

The Temp from Down Below

Reddit / Shutterstock

Temps can be a blessing in disguise because they can takeover for permanent employees who have had to take a leave of absence due to vacation, disability or maternity. Also, the cost of hiring temp workers is more affordable than hiring permanent employees with benefits.

But some temps can be total nightmares when they fail to show up on time or at all. Well, in this case, the temp did show up but was improperly dressed. So, he was given a uniform, which he took with him when he walked away from the job.

The Literal Home Office

Reddit / Shutterstock

Most employees don't like dealing with the morning commute because rush hour traffic often leads to delays, frustration and accidents. But there are a few people who are fortunate enough to work close to home.

Then there are those who never leave their job, like the maintenance guy in this story. He literally built a livable space complete with all the necessities of home and the reason no one caught on right away was because he was on the building's rooftop.

Security Guard Loved to Skip

Reddit / iStock

Being a security guard isn't exactly the most exciting job, but there are a couple of reasons to become one. For starters, it's a great part-time job with a variety of scheduling possibilities and it beats working a typical office job.

But there are some downers like the fact that security guards don't earn a lot of money and many need a second job to make ends meet. But the security guard in this story loved his job so much that he was caught on the CCTV footage skipping up and down the corridors.

Covered in Dog Poop

Reddit / [deleted]

In an ideal world, everyone would get along, but this isn't an ideal world and people will clash, especially at work. And that's okay as long as employees steer clear of each other or manage to remain professional.

Well, one employee did stay cordial until he was ready to quit. At that point, he figured he had nothing to lose and decided to cover his workplace enemy's car full of dog poop so he would have something to remember him by.

Identity Crisis

Reddit

The problem with having two employees with the same name is that phone calls from clients end up being routed to the wrong person or the boss might call out the person's name and the employees will have to scream "which one?"

But in this hilarious HR story, one employee got fired for refusing to work after discovering he wasn't getting paid. The payroll issue was the result of the other employee with the same name, which HR kept misidentifying. And it took months to get things sorted out.

The Inconclusive Drug Test

Reddit / Shutterstock

Staffing agencies don't generally require drug testing, but some of the clients they work with do require it before allowing a temp to come work for them. Unfortunately, this presented a serious problem for one potential employee whose test came back inconclusive.

But after taking a second test at the lab and failing it, he came up with an insane story about how he was accidentally exposed to drugs, which is why the test came back positive.

The Meowing Employee

Reddit / Instagram

Everyone has their own little quirks that don't generally offend anyone. But there was one employee who couldn't stop meowing and it was really annoying some of her co-workers so they reported her.

But when HR spoke to her, she claimed she had freedom of speech and tried using logic to justify her meowing. But this was a piece of cake compared to another employee in the same company who thought that she was being monitored by Russian spies.

The Paranoid Employee

Reddit

The man in this story was convinced that his boss didn't like him. This wasn't really a surprise since there are some bosses who come off as tough and mean.

But this guy had made some serious accusations that suggested that his boss was intentionally trying to sabotage him by spying on him and messing with his timecard. But it was reportedly all in his head and his co-workers realized that he was suffering from mental problems.

A Lack of Hygiene

Reddit

Large companies hire people that come from different cultures, and it's important that everyone respects each other's differences. Not doing so can lead to legal consequences and termination.

However, there was one employee whose hygienic custom or lack there off was making his co-workers sick. But when his supervisor sent them home, he filed a complaint with his union rep. Oddly enough, the union representative took one whiff of the guy and told him he had to take a shower.

Mental Breakdown at Work

Reddit / DepositPhotos

Unlike some of the other stories shared by HR employees, this one is actually no laughing matter. It turns out that someone at the call center was having some kind of mental breakdown, which led them to contact HR and accuse their boss of trapping them at their desk.

But the boss was also explaining to HR that the very same employee was not a prisoner and was pooping in the trash. Obviously, the employee in question was having a mental breakdown.

Painful Birthday Reminder

Reddit / Shutterstock

They say that having a twin is a blessing because those that have one will never feel closer to any other human being on the planet.

But the trucking company employee in this story probably wishes he had absorbed his twin in the womb because his brother allegedly did something awful to his parents and a company birthday reminder on the board only served as a reminder of the horrible day he lost his mom and dad.

The Poking Manager

Reddit

This person had just gotten out of the military and was still pretty sensitive to surprises like being touched unexpectedly. This presented a problem given that their boss at the telemarketing company they worked in had a thing for poking people.

But the manager was gasping for air when this ex-military soldier's training kicked in and tried to choke the life out of him. Ironically, no one got fired, but the manager learned never to poke anyone ever again.

Suing Over a False Rumor

Reddit / u/createdbynature

How low would you go if you heard a rumor that your company was about to lay everyone off? Most people would be crushed by the news, but they would also have enough dignity not to do what this guy did, which was attempt to sue the company over a work injury he caused himself.

But if you have to take such extreme measures, don't do it in front of a camera like he did. He probably felt pretty foolish too when he learned that the layoffs were nothing more than a false rumor.

Too Exhausted to Care

Instagram / Reddit via ninjajournalist

Unfortunately, not every personnel issue gets to HR. Just ask this employee who had an exchange with her boss because she had been stressed and wanted some time off. But her boss didn't care and refused to approve her vacation.

So, she threatened to quit in the hopes that it would change his mind. It didn't, but she took a stand and decided that she was tired of being treated like a second class citizen. So, she quit.

The Hidden Camera

ProfessorPancakes / imgur

They say that it's important to look for things that seem out of place when looking for a hidden camera in the bathroom, especially at work. Cameras are getting smaller and smaller which makes them easier to place in common objects that make them difficult to find.

But the entire staff at this company discovered the hidden camera in the bathroom and took it down. And they left their boss an embarrassing note calling him out.

$50 Gift Card Deducted

Reddit / [deleted]

Bosses aren't required to give their employees a Christmas bonus or even gift a present to their employees, but it is a nice incentive and puts a couple of smiles on people's faces.

So, naturally when one employee received a $50 gift card as a Christmas present from the boss, he was very happy. But his smile turned into a frown when he looked at his pay stub and realized that the gift card had been deducted from his paycheck.

The Pecan Pie Thief

Reddit / [deleted]

One day, an employee decided to bring a Pecan pie to work to share with his co-workers at the office. And at first, he assumed that everyone had enjoyed the pie because it had mysteriously vanished.

But a few hours later, the fate of his pie became clear when he noticed the pie crumbs on the dish in his boss's office. The man obviously never heard of sharing, but hopefully he enjoyed it enough that he gave the employee a raise.

Pizza in the Trash

Reddit / igor9212

Imagine working for a company that's so cool that it orders a bunch of pizzas for their employees. But this perk didn't come without a hitch. It turns out that the boss refused to let anyone take any leftover pizza home. So, he just dumped any uneaten slices in the trash.

This may be one of the meanest bosses on the planet, but he probably wasn't reported to HR because he was in charge. Still, someone should have pointed out to him that there are children starving in the world.

Unfair Tipping Rule

Reddit / [deleted]

Generally speaking, when customers leave a tip on the table, it goes straight to the server that waited on them. But some employers take advantage of their employees and find ways to exploit them with unfair rules.

Take this notice to the public, for example. It claims that all tips provided don't belong to the employees but to the employer. So, while the boss gets rich, the servers continue to struggle financially.

Thanks for the Refill

Reddit

A water cooler at the office is great because it gives employees a reason to get up and stretch their legs. Also, a cup of water relieves dehydration related headaches and allows people to socialize for a moment.

But the water at this office isn't free and it certainly wasn't paid for by the employer. And just to make it clear, the employees placed a note asking everyone to contribute $5 a month to help pay for the water refills.