he sharks. doof recently got his big break, now will the sharks invest? behold the shrinkinator! have you done any advertising yet? no, but i am negotiating with the management over at the slushy burger to put a flier in the window. what a crummy idea. doof, doof, you come into the shark tank and you're telling us "the doof is due," and that's your sales pitch? yes, exactly! to see the full pitch, log on to. abc.com, and to see more dr. doof, watch "phineas and ferb" on disney channel.

tonight on "20/20" -- work wars. >> tonight, this shark is working overtime. >> but he's not toning it down for anybody. >> you call people radioactive. you call people a loser. >> that would waste my time, otherwise you'll die a horrible death >> announcer: do you work for a bosshole? . if do you work for one, how good would this feel? >> i quit. >> announcer: going out with a bang, or at least a marching band. >> guys, out, right now. >> i'm quitting. >> one, two, three, four. ♪ >> announcer: we'll show you the right way. and the funny way. take this job and -- you know.

and, secret career killers. how many have you made this week without even knowing it? >> it's a mistake to be popular. how in the world could that be a bad thing? >> the eight secret booby traps of the office. >> inviting disaster. >> cubicle confidential. and -- stealing from the supply closet. >> everybody's doing it. >> paper, highlighters, even toilet paper. >> i want it, i should have. >> announcer: $1.5 million worth of toner? tonight, "work wars," how to wage them, how to win them. now, elizabeth vargas and david muir. >> good evening. tomorrow night, somebody may be striking it rich in that huge powerball lottery, now over $500,000. likely words with the winning numbers, "i won" and "i quit." >> whether they just hit the jackpot or hit their breaking point, it's every worker's fantasy to march in the boss' office and say those words or choice other ones.

dan harris has some pointers about doing it the right way, the wrong way, and certainly, the noisiest way. >> ready? >> reporter: this is an extraordinary workplace stunt. >> i've worked in this hotel for 3 1/2 years. they treated us like -- there. >> reporter: what you are about to see may be the most in-your-face, gleeful resignation ever captured on video. >> i really, really hated my job. >> reporter: joey defranscesco, who was 22 when this clip was shot, paid his way through college as a room service waiter, enduring, he says, backbreaking work, involuntary double shifts, low pay and little respect. >> we're making, really, very, very little money for extremely hard work. >> reporter: you make it sound like this was the job from hell. >> yeah. so, i knew i had to give them one big last send-off message. >> reporter: which is how, after one particularly frustrating day, joey found himself ushering the fellow members of his marching band, for which he normally plays tuba, through the

employee entrance, and then anxiously waiting for his boss to arrive. >> i was very nervous. i think you can see in the video, i'm pacing back and forth. >> reporter: and finally, here comes the boss, right there on the left of the screen. >> joey, video guys, what is this? guys, all of you, out right now. >> jay, i'm here to tell you that i'm quitting. >> one, two three, four. ♪ >> reporter: how good did it feel to finally pay this thing off? >> it felt ecstatic. like i said, it's really liberating to be able to finally take some power back, even just for a moment. >> a very creative way to quit your job. >> reporter: joey's resignation became an instant online sensation. >> quit his hotel job on a sour note, so to speak. >> out right now. >> reporter: with nearly 4 million views. >> i think what really resonates is that moment where i'm able to look into my boss's eyes, and tell him off and tell him that

i'm in control. >> reporter: joey -- joining the ranks of what are known as "extreme" quitters. >> i quit. ha, ha, ha. >> reporter: people who opt to go out with a bang, or a shout, like this fed-up warehouse worker. or this mcdonald's employee, who deep fried his future in fast food before skipping town. >> i'm lovin' it. >> reporter: these frustrated employees are often aided and abetted by youtube as they stick it to the boss with reckless abandon. doug walker worked as a night janitor at an automotive electronics factory when he decided he'd had enough. >> being a janitor is not the most glamorous job. you have to take your garbage out. you have to dig your hands into things you don't want to stick your hands into. >> reporter: so, he decided to clean up, one final time, to the soundtrack of "2001: a space odyssey." he took center stage in the company lunchroom and ripped off his shirt.

>> i knew after i showed my nipples to everybody i should probably leave. >> reporter: but not before one final victory lap. >> some people were laughing, as you can see, and they're having a great time. i think they saw, oh, somebody got out. >> reporter: but some people, however, including his bosses were not amused. and doug was literally chased out of the building. here's the question, though. is this type of quitting the wisest? >> i think everyone can relate to wanting to, just for a moment, take the power away from someone who's putting them down in their lives. >> reporter: devil's advocate. >> yes. >> reporter: it wasn't the most professional way to go out. >> it's true it was not the professional way to go out. and i don't think that everyone in the world is in a position to quit in the way that i did. >> reporter: the following is kind of surprising, given the state of the economy. but in fact, plenty of people are quitting their jobs these days.

mo2 million a month. the department of labor even has a special category for them. they're called "quits." why are so many people quitting? ♪ i hate my boss, i hate my co-workers, i hate my job ♪ ♪ i hate my boss, i hate my co-workers, i hate my job ♪ >> reporter: studies suggest, number one, workers feel increasingly overworked and underpaid. two, they hate their bosses. and three, they want to become their own boss. >> i think america has figured out that it's very simple. you have just as much risk working for a big company that you thought was stable than you do starting your own. >> reporter: kevin o'leary is one of the hosts of abc's "shark tank." he is all for ditching a bad work situation. but he's totally against these kind of stunts. >> it's a bad career move. i mean, walking up and throwing a cake in your boss' face and all that stuff, you're just an idiot doing that. plus, it costs you money. >> reporter: kevin is referring to this friendly's employee, adam porter, who decked his boss with an ice cream cake. while in-your-face quitting

might not only do you run the risk of alienating future employers who could see your clip on youtube, if you take it too far, there can be more serious consequences. after adam porter, formerly of friendly's, carried out his cake attack, he plead guilty to assault and paid hundreds of dollars in fines. >> walk out the door. don't look back. that's how you quit. >> reporter: o'leary says if you want to quit, follow the example of somebody like farnia fresnel. she's leaving her job at a new york financial services company with a gracious letter. >> it's been an honor working with you. >> reporter: a civil conversation with her boss. and no cameras around. >> i just came from resigning from my position. >> reporter: extreme, no. liberating? yes. >> i'm relieved that i'm actually taking a step and not just talking about taking a step. >> it's the start of something new. in some cases, the end of do op.

>> reporter: and here's a surprise, extreme quitting may not always be a career killer. >> sometimes the best way to quit a job is also the best way to find a job. >> reporter: doug walker turned his quitting stunt into a new career as an internet comedian. >> i was getting a lot of hits on youtube which started from the quitting video. and i've been working as an entertainer ever since. >> reporter: joey defrancesco landed on his feet as well. he's found a new job. and he's started a website called joey quits, where hotel workers can share their own workplace problems. >> other workers can see that they're not alone and that there are things they can do to fight back. >> one, two, three -- >> reporter: today, joey has become a kind of modern day norma rae. and his band? they are marching on, too. recently, playing a picket line outside of joey's former employer. if you had this to do over

again, would you do it again? >> absolutely, i have no regrets. maybe if everyone did quit like that, it would inspire them to treat people a little bit better. >> how you have quit a job in the past or your fantasy of how you would like to quit? we're on twitter, tweet us using #abc2020. we'll be right back. next, want to quit because you work for a bosshole? >> you think your boss is tough? i'll show you tough. >> do you speak to your employees the way you treat the contestants on "shark tank?" >> i'm boot camp for the war they're going into. >> announcer: but wait until you hear who was an even bigger bosshole to him. >> he was vicious. i'm the next american success story. working for a company where over seventy-five percent of store management started as hourly associates. there's opportunity here. i can use walmart's education benefits to get a degree, maybe work in it, or be an engineer, helping walmart conserve energy. even today, when our store does well, i earn quarterly bonuses. when

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how is this for a greeting. welcome to hell. you just met the devil. and that's the friendly version from "shark tank's" kevin o'leary, the one with the big mouth, big opinions and very big success. so, is the only way to get ahead by leaving a trail of blood in the water? i sat down with mr. wonderful to find out.

there's a reason people scream when they see a shark. it's the fear of the bite. >> you're pigs. pigs get slaughtered. the next guy is gonna walk in here and get my money and get rich, but not you. take the money you crazy chickens. >> reporter: on "shark tank," kevin o'leary is the bully in the proverbial black hat. it fits him to a "t." and he knows it. what you see is what you get. i forgot about this guy already. bring on the next deal. i'm here to make money! people say i'm mean, but i, i really believe this. i tell the truth. i really tell the truth. >> reporter: yeah, you tell it, but you tell it brutally. >> well, what do you think happens in the real world? if you think i'm tough, i'm boot camp for the war they're going to go into, when they try and run a business. >> reporter: but do you have to be so mean about it? >> you know, i've got a bad rep for that. i couldn't care less. >> reporter: o'leary has two things most people don't, a ton of money and a desire to bankroll the dreams of entrepreneurs.

people like jeff cohen, who dove into the "shark tank," peddling a guitar with a collapsible neck. >> kevin seems to be a guy who doesn't like to lose. if he decides he wants something -- >> bring that over here. >> -- he wants it. >> reporter: but he didn't get it. cohen felt kevin's proposal came with too many strings attached. >> i don't accept the deal that's on the table. >> you're dead to me when you say no to my deal. you're dead. >> reporter: typical o'leary fashion, there was no good-bye hug. >> that's a human tragedy. and he's teaching his son that. it's a crime he should be arrested. >> reporter: you can't help as you watch kevin o'leary on "shark tank," and wonder, is this all an act, this bullying? >> it's not an act. and i think of myself as the merchant of truth. i really do. >> reporter: outside the tank, the 58-year-old is the man behind o'leary funds, a billion dollar mutual fund company. >> good morning, guys. >> reporter: do you treat your

employees, and speak to your employees, the way you treat the contestants on "shark tank"? >> yes, sometimes. >> reporter: really? >> yeah. for me, business is war. i want to take prisoners. i want to destroy my enemies, my competitors. don't ever walk in front of me unprepared. don't ever get in front of me without your numbers. never bring a half-baked proposition, and waste my time. >> reporter: but that caesarian leadership style rubs some people the wrong way. there's even a word for it. stanford professor, bob sutton has spent years researching why bosses act the way they do. >> when i think of a bosshole, i think of somebody who has some power or authority over someone. and it's also someone who leaves that person feeling demeaned and de-energized. >> reporter: they are a staple in television and film. like those in "the devil wears prada." >> i feel -- >> tales of your incompetence don't interest me. >> reporter: "working girl" --

>> this woman is my secretary. >> rornd "glengarry glen ross" -- >> you can't close the leads you're given. you are [ bleep ]. hit the bricks pal, because you're going out. >> reporter: and sutton says life imitates art thanks to real life characters such as movie producer scott rudin, once labeled thee most feared boss in hollywood for his firing of more than 110 personal assistants. donald trump, who not only fires contestants on "the apprentice." >> you're fired. >> reporter: but once allegedly fired his own co-star for excessive self-promotion. and the very judgmental simon cowell. >> dreadful. hated it. >> reporter: who wiped out nearly all of the talent on the "x-factor" after just one season. if your boss possesses similar traits, sutton explains how to survive. >> if you're stuck with at bosshole, i advise learning the fine art of emotional detachment. acting like you're not there and pretending you're somewhere else.

>> reporter: sutton also says something for employers. o'leary says it's okay if you don't like a ceo or the decisions they make, because they're not here to please you. >> respect and trust are the backbone of a business. not likability. >> reporter: every bully has a bully. and o'leary met his years ago. >> i worked for steve jobs. and if you think i'm tough, you should've met him. >> reporter: really? >> oh, my goodness. he berated me in a boardroom once, in front of my own employees. he was vicious. >> reporter: like worse than you on "shark tank?" >> i am a nothing burger, compared to what he was. >> reporter: but the roots of o'leary's management style run deeper, back to childhood memories of his father, a failed salesman. >> he died when he was 37 years old. >> reporter: 37? of what? >> a broke alcoholic. alone in an apartment. that's what happened to him. >> reporter: before his father died o'leary says his parents were in a dysfunctional marriage. so much so, his mother took him and his brother and fled to europe.

only 7 years old at the time, o'leary remembers it like it was yesterday. >> and, i remember being in oslo one night. and she completely broke down. i mean, just, because she was running out of money. she was in total fear. and i could sense it. i said to myself, wow, this is bad. i can't let this happen to me. i just, intuitively, her dna passed to me, on that fear. and it's changed me forever. >> reporter: years later, her fortunes would change. and she would loan her son $10,000 for the software business he would later sell for billions. >> many people have tried to figure out what i'm worth. i have enough to get by. i'm okay. >> reporter: o'leary has all the toys that come with success. the cars, the private jets, even a secret location that stores a private wine collection as massive as his ego. this is what a million dollars in wine looks like. no surprise it includes his very own label. >> that is nectar from the nipple of aphrodite.

>> reporter: just another taste of the good life for the man they call "mr. wonderful." a life that includes linda, his wife of more than 20 years, and their two kids. bo will have to make it on their own, because dad is not sharing the wealth. like, nothing? >> nothing. i'll pay their entire way, right through the end of their education, as far as they want to take it. but when that's over, it's over. and good luck. >> reporter: so, if your daughter calls you up and says, "daddy, you know, i'm in terrible trouble, i really, you know, i desperately need some money." >> the answer is no. go fix it. go figure it out. >> reporter: figuring it out is what o'leary does best. remember the collapsible guitar deal that collapsed? well, negotiations continued behind the scenes. and the two sides are now in perfect harmony. >> i love guitars. i knew that was going to be a hit. i knew it, i knew it, i knew it. i just had to get a piece of it. you know, when you really want

it, when you really feel it, and you know viscerally, it connects, listen to your gut, buy. that's what i say. >> so, if you ever suffered at the hands of a horrible boss, tell us about it on twitter. using #abc2020. we'll be right back. coming up, need some free paper and highlighters? that's why they invented the supply closet, right? even borrowing from the office fridge or the bathroom. >> give me a break, it's just toilet paper. >> but $550,000 worth of toner? >> of course you should be fired. ♪ ♪

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"20/20" continues with "supply closet klepto." are you one? here's gio benitez. reporter: admit it. you've probably made off with some of those tempting goodies in the office supply closet. after all, an estimated 75% of us steal from the office. the most popular items include post-it notes, tape, scissors and those highlighters. no harm, no foul, right?

well, the boss might not agree. >> there's very little flexibility for theft. that's what it is. you're stealing. of course you should be fired. >> reporter: turns out, employee sticky fingers cost companies over $50 billion a year. >> every item in here has value and costs money. so, when you start to add it all up and people stealing it, you know, those numbers can really increase. >> reporter: firms are now cracking down big-time, hiring investigators like celeb p.i. bo dietl and installing surveillance cameras to sniff out workplace thieves. is like, putting cameras everywhere, is that the answer? >> it's not illegal to put that pin-eye lens camera into your storage room. it's your opportunity to determine if someone's stealing from you. >> reporter: in fact, we were hit by an office thief here in our "20/20" pantry. someone was taking cartons of milk and boxes of coffee. the solution -- we installed a phony security camera and the problem went away. but watch as this texas police

officer gets nailed by a real camera while raiding the break-room fridge. he takes a soda here, a sandwich there and then another soda. the price of getting caught red-handed? a 30-day, unpaid sus embarrassing. but probably not as embarrassing as the case of this colorado woman, who was fired from the hospital where she worked after she was caught helping herself to the office stash of toilet paper. >> it humiliates you. it makes you angry. i'm not a thief. >> reporter: she claims she was donating the toilet paper to iraq war veterans. her bosses didn't buy that. >> there's probably never a good reason to steal. >> reporter: psychotherapist robi ludwig has treated office thieves. she says people often look at office theft as a harmless way to get back at the boss. >> it's not uncommon to go to work and feel like you're not appreciated enough for who you are. you're not getting paid enough. >> reporter: of course, pocketing a few highlighters is

one thing. but this guy we tracked down took the concept to a whole new level. transforming himself from a mild-mannered supply clerk at a respected new york cancer hospital into the john dillinger of office supply theft. >> i was just hoping and hoping, praying to god that i don't get caught. >> reporter: gumbs says his life of crime began the day a stranger approached him with a curious proposition. order expensive printer toner cartridges on the hospital's dime and then sell them to him right out the back door. >> whoever was coming to get it would just meet me downstairs at the loading dock and take it from there. >> reporter: gumbs was diving head-first into what authorities say is a thriving black market in bootlegged printer toner. believe it or not, this stuff is so lucrative, it's been called "black gold." just one of these can cost hundreds of dollars. middlemen sell the stolen toner at cut-rate prices, often online on craigslist or ebay.

it all adds up to big-time profits. in gumbs' case, literally bags full of cash. >> they called me back with the money in a potato chip bag. >> reporter: in a potato chip bag. >> yes. like, $3,600 for that one day. >> reporter: over 2 1/2 years, gumbs sold $1.5 million worth of hot printer toner. those potato chip bags full of cash paid for fancy clothes, jewelry, even a ritzy apartment at trump plaza in new york. >> i bought a bmw, white x6. i had a range rover. i go to the dealer and just pick out any car i want. booking trips, cancun, mexico, the bahamas. you name it, i was there. >> reporter: every day you were living this unbelievable life, money flowing everywhere. what was that like? >> excitement. it was just come out of the house and just do whatever you

want. >> reporter: and it's not just gumbs. other toner thieves have made big bucks with this brazen scam. in washington state, office depot employee dion alexander made off with over $500,000 of printer toner. he was caught on camera, using a forklift to deliver a load to an accomplice, who later fenced it on ebay. alexander got a 16-month jail sentence. gumbs, too, was busted after making a fatal mistake. the hospital realized he was ordering toner cartridges for printer models that were no longer in use. so, that moment the hospital figured out what you were doing, what was going through your mind? >> it was surprising because i didn't know they was going to catch on that fast. and when they caught on it was just like from night and day. everything just happened. >> reporter: the moment they caught on, everything just ended for you? >> ended. i never saw daylight again. >> gumbs was convicted of grand larceny.

after 18 months behind bars, he's now out on parole. >> i felt bad, because i know i hurt a lot of people and i want to apologize to the hospital too. >> reporter: who was disappointed most in you? >> my mom. because she didn't bring me up like this. it was just something that i wanted to do to make everybody happy. >> reporter: so, workers of the world, think twice before you swipe that sandwich. you may just be heading down a slippery slope straight to the slammer. was it worth it? >> to be honest with you, no. it wasn't worth it. next -- how far would you go to please a demanding boss? >> i needed a job and had a family. so, i did what i was told. >> announcer: what about when the boss asks you to do this? >> go dig a hole in the desert somewhere. >> announcer: and later, the eight secret booby traps that could keep you from earning that corner office. a list you don't want to miss. n.

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how far would you go to please a demanding boss? pick up their lunch, their dry cleaning, do their kids' homework? even build a science project for the boss' kid? but what it required really getting your hands dirty? jim avila has the story. reporter: welcome to arizona shower door, a sprawling box of a company in phoenix, lined with palm trees, where 45-year-old patrick king had tried to earn a living and support his family. that is, until he got a call from his boss to meet him here in this bank parking lot for a special favor. that's patrick's truck. inside is patrick and his boss, fred knadler. and this is their day off conversation -- >> what i need you to do is super secrecy. >> okay. >> go dig a hole in the desert somewhere. >> reporter: dig a hole in the ious?t?ic

not to patrick. in fact, it was just the kind of thing he was expecting after five years of working for knadler, a self-made millionaire and owner of arizona shower door, whose corporate credo was as clear as the glass he peddled -- >> this is my company, you work for me, and if you don't like it, there's the door. >> reporter: was he serious? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: patrick started out as a crane driver but quickly became fred's right-hand man. what kind of boss was he? >> ruthless. >> reporter: so ruthless, patrick says he was working 85-90 hour weeks, but only being paid for 40. >> i missed my kids being born, i didn't take any time off. he made me come back to work four, five hours later. >> reporter: and if patrick had any objections, he said fred had a special way of reminding him who was boss. >> he made me carry a paycheck stub that said, "fred b. knadler" on it. two, three times a week, he would pull, i'd have to pull out a paycheck. and he goes, "who signs your paycheck?" and i said, "well, it says fred

b. knadler, sir." he goes, "are we clear?" and i said, "crystal clear." >> reporter: and he wanted you to do whatever he said? >> whatever. no matter what it was or what time of the day. >> reporter: personal, private, business, anything? >> everything. >> reporter: including, he says, spying on his boss' wife. >> he had me get a phone for his wife and put hidden gps in it and track her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. and i complained about a lot of the stuff there and not wanting to do it. but i needed a job, and i had a family, so i did what i was told. >> reporter: but patrick's connection with fred's wife would reach far beyond her cell phone signal. libby knadler, like patrick, was living in a prison of her own, under the thumb of a controlling husband, who she says ran the home just like his office. >> everything was fine as long as i went along with it, with whatever he did. he would just tell me, if i didn't like it, i could leave. >> reporter: not all of their 18 years of marriage had been like that, of course. >> when he told me that he wanted to marry me, he told me that we were going to have a wonderful life. >> reporter: and it was.

trips, a nice home. they even adopted and raised two children together. but fred, she says, was always clear about one thing. >> he didn't like to spend money. he only liked making it. in his mind, he thought that everything was his. he didn't want to share, not with me, not with anybody else, as long as he was alive. >> reporter: which meant divorce would be a little tricky. that's when, according to patrick, fred's behavior took a twisted turn. >> he started dropping these little, subtle hints, and say stuff like, "it's gonna mean a lot of money for you." >> reporter: coming from a boss who allegedly thought worker pay was optional, the promise of a big bonus seemed, to patrick, a major red flag. sure enough, three days later -- >> my phone rings, caller id, and it said spike on it. and he goes, "we need to meet." >> reporter: which brings us back to this parking lot. >> as soon as i stop here, he got out started walking over.

so, he comes over. and as soon as he gets in, i hit record on this recorder. and i have it sitting here. and i push record and set it here on the ledge. in the pocket. >> what i need is somebody i can trust. >> that's me. >> go dig a hole in the desert somewhere. >> that's easy to do, especially in arizona. >> that's right. but you got to do it at such a time and a place that's nobody can see you do it. >> he finally said, you know, "she filed for divorce. she's going to win the company. there's going to be 180 employees and families out of work. you're going to be the savior. you're going to save the company. i was like, i didn't want to believe it. >> i will go give you a bundle to put in that hole. >> okay. >> so i'm not gonna tell you what's gonna be the bundle. it will be wrapped in a blanket or a sheet or something. >> okay. >> and just be quiet. >> oh, that's easy.

>> for the rest of your life. >> and he pulls out a stack of money wrapped in a yellow band. $1,000. and he says, just for showing up, i'm going to take care of you. and he throws it at me. >> reporter: so this, this man who never gave you anything, maybe 20 bucks, gives you a thousand dollars all of a sudden. >> yes. >> reporter: and fred, he says, promised more -- 10k every year that patrick stayed with the company and kept his trap shut. that, patrick could not do. instead, this loyal worker had enough, immediately going to police and handing over that tape. fred was arrested that evening. libby watching as he was handcuffed and taken away from their house. >> the detective, he said, your husband was gonna kill you. i told the police, "that's not true." no, i didn't believe it. >> reporter: when did it sink in to you? >> that question is very hard because i still, i -- i still can't believe it. sometimes you don't realize that when you are with a controlling

person, what the outcome will be. >> reporter: patrick foiled all this. patrick saved your life, right? >> he did. he's my angel, and i keep telling him that. >> reporter: that angel dutifully returned to work the following monday to report to his new boss, actually two new bosses, fred's sons. >> reporter: you save a woman's life, bad guy's in jail, they gave you a raise and a hearty handshake when you got back to work, right? >> no. >> reporter: his reward for saving a woman's life? patrick was put on paid leave. then, he says, out of the blue, six months later, he was sacked. his parting bonus? a phone call from the prosecutor who was about to take fred knadler to trial. >> and he goes, we have him hiring somebody to come and kill you before the court date. >> reporter: fred, according to prosecutors, was up to no good, s fred a few months ago,

caught on tape again. and this santa claus look-alike had an early christmas gift for his ex-wife and former employee. >> apparently you got a job you'd like me to do? >> yes, sir, i've got two jobs. >> i'm gonna need names. i'm gonna need where they live. i'm gonna need to know what you want me to do. >> well, patrick king. >> what do you want me to do? >> whack this guy. >> okay. who else? >> my ex-wife. there is gonna be a lot of scrutiny with these two people passing. >> okay. >> significant people in my life that's caused me a great deal of problems. >> reporter: but, knadler had more. the hit on libby required some special handling. >> do you have dogs? >> yes. two little little dogs. they only stand about this high. >> reporter: meet fritzy and schatzy, who fred apparently wanted the hitman to take care of, as well. >> they're the love of my life.

if there is anything that i do love that's left is my two little puppies. i would just like to make sure that, that's it's a day or two before somebody finds someone. that they have plenty of water and there's a bag of dog food in the laundry room. make sure they got something to eat for a little while. >> reporter: knadler might not see fritzy and schatzy for a while. he's charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit abandonment of a body. his trial is pending and he has pled not guilty. even though the ordeal has turned his life upside down, patrick says he has no regrets. you're a working man, right? you're struggling to make life good for your family? here's a guy who's offering you at least ten grand. were you ever tempted in any way to go along with this? >> no. i don't care if he would have looked out a million dollars right there on the spot, it would have been the same

outcome. next -- the secret booby traps in every office. >> companies say multitasking is what they want. it's not really what they want. plus, why lamps are good. photos are bad. and what you don't want to say to h.r. >> it's inviting disaster. >> announcer: coming up, to keep you from going down. all business purchases. so you can capture your receipts, and manage them online with jot, the latest app from ink. so you can spend less time doing paperwork. and more time doing paperwork. ink from chase. so you can. with delicious pringles stix. ♪ ♪ everything pops with pringles stix. [ crunch ]

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>> announcer: "20/20" continues with office booby traps. here's paula faris. >> for the entire channel 4 news team, i'm veronica corningstone. >> i'm ron burgundy. go [ bleep ] yourself, san diego. >> reporter: to avoid the dreaded pink slip it's easy to avoid the obvious slip-ups.

obvious to most of us. >> nice work, everyone. sharp broadcast. >> reporter: just like ron burgundy. >> i got to fire you. >> reporter: this anchorman, now infamous for the f-bomb had a predictable outcome. >> tell us a little about yourself, a.j. >> reporter: oh, i know, he was fired. but while some career killers are crystal clear, the workplace is rife with hidden dos and don'ts. can a person be completely oblivious that their career is being jeopardized? >> oh, all the time. there are lots of different ways to get fired, and sometimes you'll never know what you did wrong. >> reporter: cynthia shapiro is a former human resources executive. in her tell-all book "corporate confidential," she reveals the secret office no-nos nobody tells you. often behavior people think is good. you talk about these hidden career landmines in your book. it sounds terrifying. >> it can be. you just need to know where they

are, so you could avoid them. >> reporter: let's call them the eight secret sins at the office. office sin number eight -- being popular. being part of the in crowd could put you on the outs. we all want to be popular. how in the world could that be a bad thing? >> it's a big one. being popular can erode your job security very quickly. it leads to sharing too much personal information at work. i have sat in meetings where the ceo said, i heard this person is going through a nasty divorce, let's not promote them. friendships, you know, need to be very strategically crafted. >> reporter: doesn't sound like much of a friendship. >> you know, it is more of an alliance. >> reporter: office sin number seven -- multi-tasking. if you pride yourself on typing, talking, calculating and chomping all at the same time, you're not alone. >> in this economy, you can't afford to take a break. >> reporter: this "saturday night live" skit suggests a bathroom office to allow multitasking everywhere. but shapiro says multi-tasking actually makes your performance.

tank. studies show that dividing your attention between tasks can decrease efficiency and accuracy. >> companies say multi-tasking is what they want. it's not really what they want. what they really want you to do is focus in with laser beam focus on one thing and then switch to another and switch to another and switch to another. >> reporter: office sin number six, talking to human resources. even though your company will always say it's best to take your troubles to h.r. that can be an r.x. for trouble. most people assume that what they tell hr is confidential. >> all that means is they are not going to blab it to the other employees. but they will absolutely tell your boss. >> reporter: so, if i am having a problem with my boss, which i am not, who do i go to? >> well, i would encourage you to figure it out yourself. >> reporter: another office error mistaking your cubicle for your living room. office sin number five, over-decorating. shaprio says you may think it's smart to make your space cozy and comfy but it could really be

a career killer. >> companies will say, here is your space, you know, this is yours. >> reporter: do with it what you want. >> yeah, do whatever you want with it. it's kind of an unconscious test of loyalty and values, because if you fill it with troll dolls and crystals or religious things, that it's gonna make them feel really, really uncomfortable. >> reporter: so you are saying, we shouldn't pimp out the cubicle. >> it can really work against you very quickly. >> reporter: we brought shapiro on a tour of the abc offices, to provide the boss' view of office décor. >> a really messy office, and a really chaotic office, they would translate that into a chaotic thinker. >> reporter: an illuminating tip, lamps are good. >> we have the lamps on either side, basically advertising i work late nights. >> reporter: shapiro says family photos can be risky. >> it's telling the employer that this person would rather be at home with their kids. >> reporter: and if you're thinking of bringing your actual children to the office to show them off or tout your family values, shapiro says time-out. office sin number four -- bringing your kids to work.

>> if your kid decides to have a temper tantrum it will reflect on you. if you can't control a child, how are you gonna manage the company, that kind of thing. so it's, you know, inviting disaster. >> reporter: another recipe for disaster -- bringing in yummy treats for your coworkers. office sin number three -- feeding others. wait, what could be wrong with that? >> this is particularly a mistake for women. >> reporter: dr. lois frankel, author of "nice girls don't get the corner office," says to be taken seriously, leave the baking to betty crocker. it's a nice thing to do. it's not gonna help your career. and if you do it too much, you'll just be seen as the mascot, or the, you know, the, the department mom, and you don't want that. >> reporter: office sin number two -- signing off with love. adding hugs, kisses, and smiley faces to your e-mails may seem fun and friendly.

but our expert says ix-nay on the xos. >> unless i am e-mailing somebody that i am very close with they have no place in business correspondence. i would just leave those emoticons completely out. i don't know where those e-mails are going to go. who are they going to be forwarded to? smiley faces at the end of e-mails i am gonna say, save for the people that i am closest to. >> reporter: if all these office no-nos make you want to flee the cube, perhaps you should in fact spend more time out of the office. and office sin number one -- working too hard. burning the midnight oil can actually backfire. research shows overworking can decrease your performance because it deprives of you sleep and it could impact your image. >> miracle workers and hard workers, working 24/7, where you're always accessible, where you just kind of seem harried because there's always so much to do. you're not seen as someone who manages their time well. >> reporter: so, with so many rules, how can work ever feel like anything but a job? how can you even be yourself at the office anymore? >> honestly it's easier to be yourself if you know where the land mines are. it's actually very empowering,

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that's our program for tonight. i'm elizabeth vargas. tomorrow at 9:00 a two-hour extravaganza "rock 'n royalty: billboard's all-stars," beyonce, taylor swift, cher, all getting revved up for the billboard music awards here on abc. >> and tomorrow night find out what madonna thinks of lady gaga that's tomorrow night. i'm david muir. for all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, good night. uir. take a good look at this man. up next, why police want to

get this guy off the streets and in handcuffs immediately. >> and 600 million and counting. are you and your co-workers going in on a lottery pool? the do's and don'ts of winning a fortune.