
A Gun in the Front Row, 300 Fake Employees, Power Plant Explosion
What happens when a company hires 300 actors to pretend they work there, a comedian finds himself staring down a gun from the front row, and an ordinary morning at a power plant becomes a fight to get home alive? On Episode 15 of I Used to Work There, Kelly Kennedy brings you eight true workplace stories featuring terrible bosses, a haunted heritage house, a comedy competition gone wrong and extraordinary accounts of survival. We start with Day Shift laughs before heading into a Night Shift where everything can change in seconds. Day Shift opens with comedian Keith Ross Nelson, whose wife joins the audience for a comedy competition and discovers her favourite performer. There is just one problem: it might not be him. Then Andrew takes us inside a consulting company with an unusual plan to impress a potential client: hire more than 300 actors to fill the office and pretend to be employees. Barbara follows with two stories about terrible bosses. A door-slamming outburst pushes her to confront the man everyone else is afraid of. Then, at another workplace, landing the company’s biggest contract in 25 years still isn’t enough to earn her boss’s respect. This time, she decides one of them has to go. When Night Shift begins, Alex takes us into an old heritage house where footsteps travel across the floor above him and voices carry through rooms that should be empty. He goes looking for visitors. What he eventually finds suggests he is far from the first employee to experience something strange. Master electrician Jason shares how a routine job at a hotel swimming pool becomes a life-threatening emergency. An arc flash leaves him severely burned, facing a long recovery and wondering whether his hands will ever work again. Keith returns with a very different comedy story. During a show in Mississippi, a man sitting just feet from the stage pulls a gun and tells him to change the subject. The bouncers do nothing. Keith still has a show to finish. Finally, Joe takes us inside a coal-fired power plant on a beautiful October morning. He has coffee, talks with a coworker and exchanges messages with his wife. Then a coal bunker explodes. What follows is an extraordinary account of escape, coworkers coming to his aid, and a family facing the possibility that he might never come home. Through humour, faith and the difficult reality of life after the accident, Joe shares what it took to survive and what it meant to finally return to the people he loves. Episode Chapters 00:00:00 Cold Open and Introduction 00:02:09 Keith: His Wife’s Favourite Comedian 00:05:48 Andrew: 300 Fake Employees 00:10:43 Barbara: The Door-Slamming Boss 00:14:49 Barbara: The Boss Ultimatum 00:20:14 Alex: Haunted Heritage House 00:28:07 Jason: Surviving an Arc Flash 00:35:38 Keith: Gun in the Front Row 00:38:32 Joe: Power Plant Explosion Follow and Share the Show Listen and follow on your favourite podcast app. We are a new show, and your support helps us reach more listeners and find more incredible stories. Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text this episode to a friend or colleague who appreciates a great story. Which story would have made you quit on the spot? Tell us in the episode comments or email HR@IUsedToWorkThere.com. We would love to hear your answer. Listen Next Enjoyed Keith’s story about Tommy Savitt? Hear Tommy tell his own unforgettable workplace story in Episode 14: Held Hostage for 31 Months, Revenge on a Magician, Haunted Hospital. For more strange workplaces, paranormal encounters and unbelievable situations, listen to Trapped in a Car Vending Machine, Haunted Hotel, Runaway CEO. 🎙️ Have a Story? You Can Submit It Two Ways. I Used to Work There is about the true workplace stories that happen to people just like you. Wild, funny, terrifying or unexplainable, if it happened at work and it’s true, we want to hear it. Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to HR@IUsedToWorkThere.com. Prefer to be interviewed? Complete our guest intake form. You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous. 🏆 Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work? Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions from September 1 through October 31, 2026. Submit and record your true scary workplace story by October 31 for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. The winner will be announced during the first episode of November. Haunted buildings, unexplained encounters, terrifying customers, dangerous situations, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Your story does not have to involve a ghost or happen at night. It just needs to be a frightening experience connected to work. Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above. 🏨 Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Plan a fall getaway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From golden leaves in the river valley to live music, theatre, restaurants and Halloween attractions, there is plenty to build a weekend around. Discover things to do and book your stay through Edmonton’s Best Hotels. Support Foxx’s Fight If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, sharing their GoFundMe is a meaningful way to help. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express. Support Foxx’s Fight and share their story. 🚗 Title Sponsor I Used to Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts. Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America. Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job. Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com. Connect With Our Storytellers Keith Ross Nelson: Learn more about Keith and his comedy at www.keithrossnelson.org.
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