Held Hostage for 31 Months, Revenge on a Magician, Haunted Hospital

What happens when a magician’s assistant takes revenge in front of an audience that has no idea what is happening, a doctor hears voices coming from an empty hospital hallway, and a six-week IT assignment becomes 31 months in captivity?

On Episode 14 of I Used To Work There, seven true workplace stories take us from laughing behind the curtain to wondering how anyone could survive what comes next.

Day Shift opens with a magician’s assistant whose onstage smile hides a very personal act of revenge. In an Ohio dental office, an innocent instruction becomes something a dental assistant will never live down. At an Alberta campground, an abusive customer refuses to leave, only to discover that karma apparently works the night shift. And Dr. Shawna Pandya shares what happens when a spacesuit test aboard a zero-gravity flight takes an extremely uncomfortable turn.

When Day Shift ends, Night Shift introduces us to a newly qualified lawyer whose boss sends him into court without mentioning one important detail: he is about to be asked to handle an attempted-murder trial. Then, in Galveston, Texas, a doctor looking for a snack hears a conversation in a hospital unit that should be empty. What she later discovers above that floor makes the experience even harder to explain.

Finally, we meet Peter Moore, an IT worker who travelled to Iraq for a six-week assignment and was taken from his workplace at gunpoint. Held hostage for two years, seven months and one day, Peter shares an extraordinary account of captivity, uncertainty and survival, with moments of humour you would never expect. He also remembers the men who did not make it home, and the advice they gave him that helped him stay alive.

It is one of the most powerful stories we have shared on this show.

Every story you hear on I Used To Work There comes from real people and real workplaces because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Whether you have had a terrible boss, an unbelievable customer, a paranormal experience, or a day at work you will never forget, this show is built around stories just like yours.

If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favourite podcast app, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text this episode to someone who loves a great story. To the more than 9,000 people already following us on Apple Podcasts, thank you for helping this show grow.

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