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Entertainment

Jonas Žvilius

50 Times Companies Made Social Media Fails That Left Everyone Facepalming Online (New Pics)

Verizon YAHOO

If you're on LinkedIn, you must've noticed that companies and CEOs love to present themselves as sleek and efficient, but anyone who has ever worked in or around a big business knows the truth is usually a lot messier. Bloated hierarchies, endless meetings, and social media interns left unsupervised — you name it. The well-oiled capitalist machine sure has at least some cogs that are grinding and slipping.

The subreddit r/CorporateFacepalm is dedicated to collecting the silly, awkward, and downright baffling failures of white-collar workers — mostly online, but occasionally in real life, too — so we've rounded up the most memorable recent examples, perfect reminders that even billion-dollar brands can make total fools of themselves.

#1 How Did They Not See That Coming

Image credits: PotUhShow

#2 Pot, Meet Kettle

Image credits: Jorymo

According to the iHire's 2025 Toxic Workplace Trends Report, which surveyed 2,285 U.S. employees and employers, three in four (75%) workers have been a part of a toxic workplace at some point in their careers, and more than half (54%) have quit a job because of a negative work environment.

Of the 75% of employees who had experienced a toxic workplace, 79% said poor leadership or management was to blame.

When asked why they believed their company’s leadership contributed to workplace toxicity, 72% of respondents said management showed a lack of accountability, 66% noted favoritism or biased treatment of employees, and 52% witnessed unethical behaviors or practices.

#3 Sears Gets Into The Holiday Spirit

Image credits: doriangreat

#4 Embrace Diversity

Image credits: xkelsx1

#5 Glad To Hear That

Image credits: grubernack276

Interestingly, employees and employers view things differently, with the latter having a much brighter outlook.

83% of employers rated their organization's work environment as "very positive" or "somewhat positive," while just 45.0% of employees said the same about their current or most recent job's atmosphere (although respondents did not necessarily work for the same companies).

Despite employees’ grievances with leadership, 76% of employers rated relationships between employees and managers at their company as "excellent" or "good." Additionally, 57% of employers rated employee morale as "very high" or "high."

#6 Ridiculous

Image credits: allergic-toeveryting

#7 Commas Matter

Image credits: molotovs

#8 A Very Heartfelt Personalized Thanks

Image credits: ZeroWithEverything

#9 Purell Making Fun Of Sick Kids

Image credits: jakeatom

81% of employees believe clear communication from the higher-ups helps ensure a positive workplace—more than staff recognition and appreciation (70%) and strong work/life balance (69%).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 70% of workers who had experienced a toxic environment reported poor communication across the entire organization. Of that group, 89% encountered mixed or inconsistent messages from leadership, and 65% observed a lack of transparency.

#10 Congratulations! Also, Remember You Have A Brain Tumour! :)

Image credits: counterc

#11 Um. Retinal?

Image credits: brittnotbot

#12 F

Image credits: Captain_8lanet

#13 And This Is Why You Don’t Have Idiots Write Articles

Image credits: MetalPup91

iHire's report also showed that 60% of employees had experienced stress-related health issues, and high stress levels/burnout was the fourth most cited characteristic of a toxic environment.

Of the 65% of employees whose toxic workplace comprised high stress levels/burnout, 72% said stress was due to unmanageable workloads, and 68% reported a lack of support for a healthy work/life balance.

#14 Til Alaska Apparently Is Not Part Of North America

Image credits: ELohVEee

#15 Wells Fargo Wants You To Get A Real Job

Image credits: invisiblezipper

#16 Snapchat Decided To Add Trees To Their Location Map

Image credits: FinnHeywood

#17 My God What Bulls**t

Image credits: 320th-Century

Employers are aware of most of these problems. 79% of them claim they are regularly gathering worker feedback on how to improve their companies, relying mostly on 1:1 meetings (74%), informal conversations (65%), and anonymous surveys (57%).

However, just 53% of them admit to using employee feedback to foster a positive work environment.