pono, please. pono. pono. oh, god. hawaiians. 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. >> never waste my tame or your agoing to die a horrible death. >> do you work for a bosshole? if do you, how good would this feel? >> i quit! >> going out with a bang! or at least a marching band. >> i told you, out, right now. >> this will tell you that i'm quitting. >> one, two, three, four -- >> we'll show you the right way and the fun way and how someone

did it live during the super bowl. take this job and -- you know. secret career killers. how many have you made this week without even knowing it? >> it's a mistake how to be popular. how could that be a bad thing. >>ed atd secret booby traps of the officer. >> it's disaster. >> cubicle confidential. and stealing from the supply closet. >> everybody is doing it. >> paper, highlighters, even toilet paper. >> i want it, i should have it. >> $1.5 million worth of toner? tonight, work wars, how to wage them, how to win them. here's barbara walters. >> good evening. it's everybody's fantasy. to strike it rich by winning the lottery, to say those two words, "i won!" followed by two other words, "i quit." or dan harris has some pointers about quitting the right way, the wrong way and certainly, the noisiest way.

all right, ready? >> reporter: this is an extraordinary workplace stunt. >> i've worked in this hotel for three and a half years. they treat us like [ bleep ] here. >> 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. >> reporter: 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 your screen. >> guys, what is this? guys, all of you out right now! >> jay, i'm here to tell you that i'm quitting. ♪ >> 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, with nearly 4 million views. >> quit his hotel job on a sour note, so to speak. >> with over 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.

>> and i quit! >> 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. 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 out the garbage. 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: 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 -- more than 2 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 coworkers, 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 is totally against these kinds of stunts. >> it's a bad career move. i mean, walking up and throwing a cake in your boss's 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 feel good in the moment there are huge potential downsides. 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: kevin 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. 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 something bad and a brand new door opens up. >> reporter: in fresnel's case it lead to the founding of her own consulting firm.

but 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's 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. >> ohio r -- how have you quit a job in the past? or what is your fantasy of how you would like to quit? we're on twitter throughout tonight's program. we want to know but keep it civil. tweet us using #abc2020. 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 speak to the people on shark tank? >> i'm boot camp for the war they'll go into. >> who was the bigger bosshole to him? >> he was vicious. >> next. t rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, this can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain

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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 very own kevin o'lea o'leary, the one with the being mouth, big opinions and very, very big success. is the only way to get ahead in business by leaving a trail of blood in the water? our elizabeth vargas sat down

with the self-proclaimed mr. wonderful to find out. >> reporter: 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's gonna walk in here and get my money, and he'll 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've forgotten about this guy already. bring on the next deal. i'm here to make money. >> wow. >> 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. >> they fold in half. kevin seems to be a guy that doesn't like to lose. when 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: in typical o'leary fashion, there was no good-bye hug. >> that was 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's got some power or authority over someone, and it's also somebody 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'm so sorry, miranda. i actually did confirm last night. >> details of your incompetence do not interest me. >> sit down. >> reporter: "working girl" -- >> this woman is my secretary. >> reporter: and "glengarry glen ross." >> you can't close the lead you're given, you can't close -- you are -- hit the bricks, pal, and beat it 'cause you are going out. >> reporter: and sutton says life imitates art, thanks to real-life characters such as movie producer scott rudin, once labeled the 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, pathetic, 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 a bosshole, then i advise learning the fine art of emotional detachment, acting like you're

not there and pretending you're somewhere else. >> reporter: sutton also has some advice for employers. >> if you're gonna be a bosshole, you darn well better keep winning. >> reporter: o'leary says it's okay if you don't like a ceo or the decisions he or she makes because they are 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? >> broke, 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. >> i remember being in oslo one night, and she completely broke down. i mean, just, 'cause 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, both of whom will have to make it on their own because dad isn't sharing the wealth. like, nothing? >> nothing. i'll pay their entire way right through the end of their education, as far as they wanna 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. 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 gonna 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. >> have you ever suffered at the hands of a horrible boss? who hasn'tn't? 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 t supply closet, right? even borrowing from the office fridge or the bathroom. >> give me a break, it's just toilet paper. >> but 1.5 million worth of toner? >> of course you should be fired. >> next. instead of mailing everyone my vacation photos, i'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. oh, i like that one. it's so quick! it's just like my car insurance. i saved 15% in just 15 minutes. i saved more than that in half the time.

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>> "20/20" continues with supply closet klepto.

are you win? 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 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. putting cameras everywhere, is that legal? >> it's not illegal to put that pineye lens camera into your

storage room. it's your opportunity and your reasonable fact 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 suspension. 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 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, dealing 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 call 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 two and a half 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: 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 gonna 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? >> just ended. i never saw daylight again.

>> reporter: 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 it please a demanding boss? >> i had a job, i ad hey family, i did what i was told. >> what about when the boss asks you to do this? >> go dig a hole in the desert somewhere. and later, the eight secret booby traps that could keep you

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>> announcer: "20/20" continues. once again, barbara walters. how far would you go to please a demanding boss? pick up their lunch, their dry cleaning, even do their kids' homework? but what it required really getting your hands dirty by digging a grave? jim avila has the story. >> reporter: welcome to arizona shower door, a sprawling box of a company in phoenix, lined with palm trees, where 46-year-old patrick king had tried to earn a living and support his fily. 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

in super secrecy. >> okay. >> go dig a hole in the desert somewhere. >> reporter: dig a hole in the desert? sound odd, even suspicious? 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. and 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, i would have to pull out a paycheck. and he goes, "who signs yo 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. 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, seven 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 gonna 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 wanna 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, uh, "we need to meet." >> reporter: which brings us

back to this parking lot. >> as soon as i stopped here, he started walking over. i hit record on this recorder, i have it sitting here. i set it here on the ledge. >> 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 gotta 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 ruin the company. there's gonna be a 180 employees and families out of work. you're gonna be the savior. you're gonna save the company." i was just like, you know, i didn't wanna believe it. >> i will go give you a bundle to put in that hole. >> okay. i'm not telling you what is in

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 goes, you know, "just for showing up, i'm taking care of you," and he throws it at me. >> reporter: so, this man who never gave you anything, maybe $20, gives you $1,000 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. he -- 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. so 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, even from behind bars. this is 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. they're 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 he 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 it's 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. >> okay. >> just make sure they got a little something to eat for a while. >> reporter: knadler might not see fritzy and schatzy for a while. he was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit abandonment of a body. he agrees to a plea deal that lands him in prison for eight years. 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 whipped 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. >> why lamps are good, photos are bad and what you don't want to say to hr. >> it's insiting disaster. >> coming up, to keep you from going down. af ♪ aflac, aflac, aflac! ♪ [ both sigh ] ♪ ugh! ♪ you told me he was good, dude. yeah he stinks at golf. but he was great at getting my claim paid fast. how fast? mine got paid in 4 days. wow. that's awesome. is that legal? big fat no. [ male announcer ] find out how fast aflac can pay you at aflac.com. your eyeglasses are ready. you should notice a real difference with these. they are nikon eyes prescription eyeglass lenses.

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love this kitchen! what's next? great! do you have measurements? yeah, i paced it off. it's about twenty by twelve of these. so, we can measure, plan and install it for you. yea, let's do that! ikea. professional kitchen services at a low price. >> announcer: "20/20" continues with "office booby traps." here is paula faris. >> from the entire channel 4 news team, i'm veronica corningstone. >> and i'm ron burgundy. go [ bleep ] yourself, san diego. >> ah! >> reporter: to avoid the dreaded pink slip, it's easy to avoid the obvious slip-ups. well, obvious to most of us. >> nice work, everyone. sharp broadcast. >> reporter: just like ron burgundy --

>> i gotta fire you. >> reporter: this anchorman's now infamous first day f-bomb had a predictable outcome. oh, i know, he was fired. but while some career killers are crystal clear, the workplace is rife with hidden do's 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. >> reporter: you talk about these hidden career land mines 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. >> it, 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 multi-tasking 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 hr, that can be an rx for trouble. most people assume that what they tell hr is confidential. >> all that means is they are not gonna 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 and work it out yourself. >> reporter: another office error, mistaking your cubicle for your living room. office sin number five, overdecorating. 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's view of office decor. >> a really messy office, and a really chaotic office, they would translate that into a chaotic thinker. >> reporter: an illuminating tip, lamps are good. >> you've got a lamp on there, which is 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 he can't control a child how's he gonna manage the company, that kind of thing.

so it's 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, very close with, they have no place in business correspondence. i don't know where those e-mails

are gonna go. who are they gonna be forwarded to? i am not gonna send them to my clients, i am not gonna send them to colleagues that i am not that close to, i am certainly not gonna put it at the end of an e-mail to my boss. >> 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. researchers say it could despriev ydeprive you of sleep and hurt your image. >> miracle workers and hard workers, they usually get canonized, they don't get recognized. you're 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 and you can make really good choices. huh, fifteen minutes

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that's our program for tonight. we thank you so much for watching. i'm barbara walters. for all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, have a good night. "nightline prime" is getting an up close look at brazil's model mania. next.

it's saturday night in america. lights on. this is "nightline prime." tonight, it's all about chasing fame. first, celebrity catfishing. it was a mystery. someone was spinning a web of lies that snared celebrities from kate gosselin to dallas cowboy cheer leaders and country music superstar brad paisley and now more famous faces, including "little house on the prairie's" melissa gilbert and grammy nominated star natalie grant. they were taken in by a cruel hoax we tracked down. how was this american family story used to deceive some of