When horrible bosses cross the line, they leave their victimized employees no other choice but to get even. These folks tell their stories of times when work became so frustrating, they couldn’t help but enact vengeance on the other people in the company. In some cases, the revenge was tame; in others, things got messy.
1. It’s Just Not Working Out
I once had a notorious supervisor—let's call him "David"—when I was working in a logistics company. David was the worst. This company's policy was to hire dock workers through a temp-to-hire agency which was overseen by David. David had the authority to call a temp worker's agency within 90 days and dully cancel their employment.
This took place at the wharf, where David, with an insincere grin, would utter his signature phrase, "IT'S JUST NOT WORKING OUT". David had an awful habit of belittling new temporary workers in front of their colleagues during team briefings. He'd demean them about how they dressed, talked, or behaved.
Whenever a new batch of temps arrived, David would single one out and harass them until they gave up or made a simple mistake. Then, he had an excuse to inform the agency that they just weren't cutting it for the company. Interestingly, David's wife was an influential figure in a local hospital and she was the primary breadwinner.
Therefore, David was satisfied with his menial role. He was the only supervisor from a minority background in the company, making them hesitant about firing him. Essentially, apart from delivering a daily report, David had zero responsibility. This report however was written by one of the receivers, a role I was in charge of for two years.
I used to write his useless reports, completely aware that David hardly witnessed any of the proceedings. He generally spent time in his office eating, or in motion, scouting on a golf cart for excuses to fire rookies. I knew this couldn't carry on forever.
So after surviving as a temp worker under David and coping with his shenanigans, I got myself transferred to a department far away from him. Three years on, the company felt David's division was in dire need of leadership and decided to hire a head for that department. I got the job, meaning I was now David’s boss.
His face was a sight to behold when the news was announced at work the next day. It was as if he was going to collapse right there and then. David clearly remembered all the dreadful things I'd witnessed him say and do to the temps over the years.
I showed up on his shifts every night for three months, observing and noting down careless mistakes he made. I could've fired him any given day for those mess-ups, but I patiently documented everything.
When the right time arrived, armed with an arsenal of undeniable reasons to let him go, I called him into my office. I remember the satisfaction of looking at him and simply saying, “David, it’s just not working out”.
2. Overseas Exit Plan
I found myself working for a group of unpleasant bosses who tried to find reasons to dismiss me throughout the entire school year.
They put me under such pressure that I was crafting triple the number of lesson plans, all the while having less control in my role than any other teacher in the school. And this pressure was entirely personal, with unprofessional comments like, "my child learns in a certain way in this guy's class, so you should teach like him".
Ironically, that same teacher would often play the Peanuts Christmas Special during class. The criticism they had was my lesson plans lacked detail. In response, I requested one of their top-rated lesson plans for comparison. Amazingly, mine were significantly more comprehensive, a fact that surprised even me.
Being constantly labelled a poor teacher nearly convinced me I was indeed one. Because the school had a free annual Rosetta Stone subscription, I decided to learn Korean. Almost every week, a comment surfaced: "Korean!? Who knows Korean!? What practical use could that possibly have?"
At the closure of the academic year, they fired me. But the only thing I could do was beam with joy. I had the perfect comeback, declaring, "Thank you, but I just secured a job in Korea". The dean, who was present to prevent any unruly behaviour, seemed astounded by my cheerful demeanor as I exited the office, shaking hands, and grinning mischievously.
Today, I am relishing my role as the sole English first-language teacher at my Korean school, and the staff adores me. To be frank, I may have lingered in my previous job for another half a decade or maybe even a decade. But being asked not to return turned out to be my greatest blessing.
3. An Eye For An Eye
At work, there's this dude, Pat, who would keep complimenting my mom's looks (he's about her age) after he saw a picture of her on my desk. When he did this for about a month, I got my mom to playfully call him out on his inappropriate comments and how he was setting a bad example.
Unexpectedly, they ended up chatting for half an hour, and after this, Pat started spreading rumors in the office that my mom was flirting with him. For the next year, every single time he saw me, he inquired about my mom. He even brought the story up in front of some unfamiliar faces and my superiors during my five-year service celebration.
Fast forward a year after that, I had just ended a painful relationship with my long-term girlfriend when Pat started invading my space, advising me that it's time to move on and explore other options. This persisted for a month until I finally decided to ask a colleague for his daughter's name (she's about my age).
I located her on Facebook and convinced her to pull a prank on her dad, and my mischievous plan commenced. I staged a "date" with his daughter, capturing the moment of us sharing a drink with two straws, and displayed the photo in a heart-shaped frame on my desk.
I had another manager hint to Pat that I was dating a new girl, who I was madly in love with. He came directly to my room, and I stayed silent as he reacted saying, "What are you doing with my daughter?" Ever since that moment, he stopped asking when my mom would call him next!
4. Who Called The Fire Brigade?
In the past, I worked as a software developer at a company that offered EDI solutions. My boss, a severe micromanager and stingy to boot, was a piece of work. H
e would often suggest things like, "Despite your contract stating you have an hour for lunch, many choose to only take 15 minutes and so should you," or "I see no reason why you shouldn't start arriving 30 minutes before and leaving 30 minutes after your shift".
The main issue I had with him was his refusal to allow me to take time off when my wife's mother was in the hospital, nearing the ned. Luckily, I got the best kind of revenge possible.
Our office was situated in a renovated factory that was divided into several sections, owned by my boss's brother. This accommodated our company, a karate studio, and a daycare within its walls. I noticed that the building's fire alarm panel by the main entrance seemed completely inactive, as if it weren't receiving any power.
I decided to contact the fire department. A surprise inspection was arranged a mere 30 minutes later, courtesy of the daycare situated in the building. The building owner ended up with a conviction and a fine of $10,000—although I had wished it to be more substantial. This led him to bear the expense of installing a new fire alarm system.
A couple of months down the line, finding myself unreasonably let go, I confessed to my boss that it was I who had alerted the fire department. His face fell immediately. But I wasn't done yet. Subsequently, I sued him on charges of unjust dismissal.
Just for the records, it was a joy to watch that surprise inspection unfold. The fire department sent over two women who looked more like corporate executives than fire safety inspectors. Upon entering our office, they asked to have a word with the building manager.
My boss strutted out of his room, flashing an eager grin, and said, "Hi there, I manage the building on behalf of my brother". Then came the punchline, "Splendid, we represent the fire department and we're here to inspect your fire safety protocols". His jaw hit the floor. Delicious.
5. NYC Comes First
Back in the day, I had a job at a sandwich shop and bakery in Nashville. I had to be at work by 6 am, and believe me, my uncompromising manager didn't waste a minute; the phone would start ringing at 6:01 if I wasn't there.
One time, I planned a weekend trip to New York to perform at a concert. My boss, scouring the scheduling chart, realized she had forgotten to mark me off. Her solution was to try and persuade me to forgo my trip. When I mentioned that we'd already booked the show, she landed a low blow.
She said my music was rubbish and our band's female singer was "not pretty enough for country". Just for the record, this woman's attractive. And country music? That's not even our genre. Inside, I was seething, but I played it cool externally. Finally, I decided I'd had enough.
I sent her a message, saying I'd cancel my New York trip and work that Saturday instead. What she wasn't aware of was that I was already en route to New York while texting her. I then casually switched my phone to silent and hit the hay. I woke up to six fresh messages.
The first three: my boss in full panic. The fourth: radio silence. The fifth: my shift leader hinting to her that she was being unreasonable. And finally, the sixth: a dismissal from my boss. I merely shrugged it off and moved on with life.
6. Failed Sabotage
I used to have a really unpleasant boss who seemed to have it in for me right from the start. The moment he stepped foot into the organization, he was already thinking about giving me the boot despite not fully understanding my role. As the sole representative for IT, I was making significant contributions to the company.
He warned me that I had a week to "improve," but gave me no real sense of what he thought was wrong. I had a hunch he wanted to position his own recruit in my place. Essentially, I told him that if he wasn't happy with my work, I was ready to leave immediately.
He seemed surprised by my response, but nonetheless persisted in making my job difficult for the next nine months. Fast forward three months, the company decided to let him go due to information I'd supplied about his unsatisfactory performance and misuse of company resources.
Despite my advice, the company heads issued his dismissal in advance and allowed him an unsupervised last day in the office. Because I didn't trust him, I monitored his activities closely. This is when I uncovered the dark truth—he was transferring a vast amount of data from our servers onto a USB drive and then deleting it.
As if that wasn't bad enough, he was also erasing all of his contacts and client-related information. However, on his last day—just as the bosses took him out for a "farewell" lunch—I took the opportunity to recover all the stolen data. I had all the backups ready for restoration, but I wasn't about to let him leave with anything that wasn't rightfully his.
In a final twist, a pair of incredibly revealing emails were “mysteriously” forwarded to his wife. Apparently, he had been unfaithful for a while—he'd been planning with his mistress to leave his wife and kids high and dry. As to how that all unfolded, I can't say for sure but I hope the wife taught him a lesson.
7. Lazy Boss At The Bookstore
The best way I've ever stood up to a boss? Pure honesty. I was working at a bookstore once, assigned to the night shft to organize the books. However, they decided to save some money, cancelling the night shift and moving us all to day duty. I was assigned to the cash register for eight straight hours, mostly alone.
Back then, our store manager wasn't the best. He spent his time in his office adorned with his ballet dancer boyfriend's pictures and hardly did any work. On one specific morning, things got intense. I was at the cash register, facing a queue of customers. When I called for backup over the intercom, nobody responded.
Everyone else was seemingly tied up, so I tried my best to manage. While I was at it, our store's phone kept ringing. No one was available to pick it because everyone was assisting the customers, or at least, that's what I thought. After the third ring, our manager used the paging system which required lifting the phone, and nonchalantly said, "Backup to phones".
In the midst of all these, a sweet elderly lady came up to the counter to pick an order she'd received a call about. I checked our order shelves, but her book was missing. After double-checking her details and failing to locate the book, I called for a higher authority. That's when our manager summoned me to his office.
Over the call, I explained the situation, but the manager abruptly hung up after dismissing me by telling me to check again. The lady was becoming visibly distressed, and so was I. I requested the manager's presence at the front register, only to be asked by him what I wanted.
Upon explaining the situation again, I was dismissed midway, with the manager saying he'd check in the office for overlooked orders. All this while, I remember the constant apologies I was making to the lady and asked if she could move until her book was found.
Service was almost done; only a couple of people were left in the queue. In spite of receiving three more dismissals from the negligent manager, who was unable to find the book, I had to break the news to the lady. She seemed frustrated but understood that I'd done my best.
She expressed her disappointment with the manager and his failure to help before leaving the store. A few minutes after this encounter, I found myself alone at the register. Then, three of my colleagues turned up, claiming that the manager had sent them to assist and requested me to meet him when I was free.
When I met him, he was acting all friendly, asking if everything was alright. Suddenly, I remembered the old lady, and I told him everything was not alright. When he asked for clarification, I told him in no uncertain terms how unhelpful he had been. For the first time, I felt like a manager hadn't been supportive.
I called him out on his unprofessionalism and even repeated the old lady's words. He was speechless, and I asked if I could return to my work since it was busy. He simply nodded, and I left. He stayed in his office for the rest of the day, shedding actual tears over the confrontation.
8. Lecturing About Light Switches
I spent some time working at a small, local coffee shop that also served wine. The majority of the staff were young women, because our boss was the type to take pleasure in belittling them. Every so often, he'd lose his cool over a tiny detail, such as grinding flavored beans in the wrong grinder.
He'd then berate the staff member in question, oftentimes in view of customers, resorting to name-calling. When it was my shift, I'd try to comfort the unfortunate girl on the receiving end. One evening, I was paired with a colleague who'd received a real earful from the boss just the day before.
She was going to great lengths to avoid making any mistakes, so I ended up carrying most of the workload. This shift transitions into a wine bar setting, so there were additional preparations to complete. My coworker, Heidi, had dimmed the lights while we busied ourselves with other tasks when we got a call from the boss.
He was watching us through the surveillance cameras, and insisted we needed to further dim the lights. Despite having already taken care of it, I assured him I'd further lower the lighting. An hour later, he made an unexpected visit to the store—an unusual occurrence past 2 in the afternoon.
When he questioned who'd adjusted the lights, I took full responsibility. He then gave me an unsolicited lecture on how to properly set the ambiance. His unwarranted rant made me suggest that we perhaps make a mark on the light switch to avoid any confusion going forward.
That simple proposal set him off again, attracting the attention of our patrons. Heidi was trying her best to stay out of his sight. I, however, stood firm. Each time he seemed to have run out of steam, I suggested that some guidelines could perhaps improve the situation, reigniting his fury.
His argument was that we should be competent enough to figure things out ourselves. At some point, I simply walked away from him. His reaction was explosive—but I knew just what to say.
Calmly, I told him, "You've made your point clear, I understand my mistake and how to rectify it. But it feels like you're merely trying to intimidate me into crying to make yourself feel superior. That won't happen, so instead of standing here taking unnecessary criticism, I'd rather be productive".
Surprisingly, he left the store, and he never again gave me a hard time over trivial matters.
9. Heart-Shaped Box Of Chocolates
I once had a supervisor at a retail clothing shop who would become rather assertive whenever our big boss was in the vicinity. When Valentine's Day rolled around, I decided to play a little prank.
I purchased an enormous heart-shaped box of chocolates and left it in the backroom, supposedly from our boss (a married man), expressing his feelings for her and desire to spend more time together. I even concluded the note with his contact number, inviting her to give him a ring if she held the same sentiments.
Believe it or not, she called him. Eventually, they ended up having a secret affair which was eventually discovered by his wife. As a result, she left him and he retaliated by sacking the supervisor. I'm not certain about the aftermath since I chose to leave not long after Valentine's Day, but it sure was a day I'll never forget.
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10. Desktop Shortcut For Solitaire
A woman from our team had a habit of evading her responsibilities. Rather than contributing, she'd find clever ways to excuse herself from tasks or disappear for lengthy lunch breaks dedicated to playing solitaire. It reached such an extent that we began deleting games from her computer using the administrator accounts.
On one occasion, I realised her computer still hosted a game despite our efforts to remove the defaults. On that very day, she departed from the office, inadvertently leaving her computer signed in—an oversight that I decided to take advantage of. I proceeded to her computer and located the game's shortcut on her desktop.
I adjusted the shortcut settings so that instead of opening the game, it would direct her to the Wikipedia entry on work ethic. From that day onwards, she has stopped playing games in the workplace.
11. You’re Not The Boss Of Me Anymore
I was engaged as a contract worker for a tiny start-up run by three guys, hired for a specific work duty. A year later, the company hired extra hands, including a product manager who was technically my superior. I found myself out of task and considering new opportunities. Once, this manager, who I didn't like, assigned me a new task.
This assignment wasn't exciting; it was dull, uninteresting and diverged from the job I was initially brought onboard to accomplish (which I had completed). As I showed him my disinterest and explained that the job wasn't really my area of expertise, his reply baffled me. He insisted I "simply had no choice but to do what I'm told".
He was more or less asserting his dominance and treating me like an owned item, which differed from a "comply to keep your job" scenario—which wouldn't have caused any problems for me. Taken aback, I nearly laughed in his face and gave him a flat-out refusal. I could sense his temper rising and his plans for retaliation brewing.
But before he could act upon his vengeance, I happily told the CEO, given I was essentially not working on anything, I was calling it a day. He was understanding about it. That feeling of satisfaction was through the roof when I informed my supervisor about wrapping up my work.
His stunned face was something to behold. I managed to hold back from adding that I "didn't need to follow his orders after all"…
12. No Drama, No Fuss
I walked away, no drama, no chaos. The first time, it was my very first job after graduating college. The position was really good for gaining experience, and the environment was wonderful. However, that changed when the company was taken over by a new boss who decided to cut out all the extra benefits.
What's more, he insisted that everyone increase their work hours to more than 60 hours a week. I stuck around for about nine weeks till I found another job, then I left. My unfinished projects were passed on to the next person. Then, I quit my subsequent job.
I'd been there for a few years when a new CEO showed up and announced that he'd be moving the company closer to his family's home. Accordingly, we all lost our jobs, but he still expected us to stick around to wrap up his company's operations. This time, I didn't wait around; I left right away.
Some colleagues called me out, saying I was acting irresponsibly and was "not a team player". So, I explained the reality of the situation to them: "We're working for someone who just terminated our employment, and expects us to lay the groundwork for our own downfall. Then, when it's all said and done, he'll leave us to fend for ourselves in a difficult job market".
13. Boss Caught In A Lie
I once held an IT job in a sizeable company. My acquaintance, who sat a few desks away, didn't have the sunniest of dispositions and ended up fighting with the technically challenged tech support manager for an extended period of time. This grudge match got him fired, as he informed me one late night while I was working on a project.
The next day, a meeting called by my boss unveiled a fictional tale of my pal voluntarily resigning due to the fact he held the "keys to the kingdom," or company passwords, and therefore couldn't serve a standard two weeks’ notice. That was just 100% ridiculous. The team knew he got the boot and our manager was just spinning a tale.
Fast forward approximately six months—I'd been unfairly blamed for a series of mishaps that weren't my doing and could sense the team setting up to give me the axe. Little did they know, I had a back-up plan prepared. As luck would have it, a friend referred me to another job opportunity which ended up offering me a position with a $6k pay bump.
Naturally, I was ecstatic but kept my celebrations on the down-low. During this time, my girlfriend was a flight attendant. We decided to take a spontaneous trip to Europe right before I jumped ship. On the eve of our journey, I finished up the most pressing projects at work (to help out the team) and then gave my immediate resignation to my boss.
He took a moment to absorb the shock and then asked my desired termination date. With a grin, I reminded him of the "password security protocol" that prevented a two-week notice. His dropped jaw clearly indicated he was caught in his own web of lies.
The cherry on top arrived a few weeks later while we enjoyed the Italian lifestyle. I discovered my bank account was quite a bit healthier. The firm had wired a fortnight's pay. That unexpected paycheck funded an extra week of la dolce vita in Europe, which became the highlight of our trip.
14. I’ll Do More Than You Asked
A long time ago, my first job was working as a server. I had a typical terrible boss, but I'll jump straight to the final straw. We were short-staffed one day, and I ended up pulling double duty to close the shift. Upon completing my chores, I ordered lunch—which I would generally do as the half-price offer was reasonable.
Out of the blue, my atrocious boss stormed into the staff room where we would chill before and after work. To my shock, he furiously blamed me for another employee's negligence, insisting I should have done their work too before clocking out. He essentially threatened me with termination if I didn't complete the additional task and restock before leaving.
Eager to keep my job, I finished the additional task. However, afterwards, I decided to go an extra mile. I pulled out the ice bin and filled another bucket with ice. Then another. And another. I filled the ice bin right up to the top and then finally headed home. I arrived home to a funny message from him. I just chuckled and got on with my day.
The next day at work, I was initially fired, only to be rehired following an investigation. The terrible boss lost his hiring and firing power and eventually submitted his resignation.
15. Follow The Clues
Back in 2005, I was about to leave my job as a night auditor at a hotel and head off to school in Arizona. Most of my coworkers, except for the manager and assistant manager, were quite upset. I had made it my point over my 18 months there to treat everyone with respect, not as if they were just wage-workers like many guests and management used to do.
On my last day, I embarked on a fun little project. I picked up a giant bag of Tootsie Pops from Walmart and swung by the hotel around 6pm. My buddy, who was at the front desk, handed me a master key set. My plan was to create a scavenger hunt, starting with riddles inserted into a guest reservation slated for the following day.
I scattered these clues all around the hotel—in the back office, guest rooms, a poolside closet, even a bush. The entire staff would have to pool their efforts to finish the game before clocking out at 5pm. The final clue led them to a maintenance tunnel that ran almost the length of the entire building.
There, at the end, was my grand finale—a heartfelt farewell letter and the bag of Tootsie Pops taped to the wall. The note concluded with, "In this bag, there's a Tootsie Pop for everyone at the hotel... except the manager and assistant manager, because forget them".
A week post-departure, I rang up the hotel knowing that my friend, who had loaned me the keys to orchestrate the game, would be back at work. She filled me in on how well my scavenger hunt was received. T
he walkie-talkies, our daily communication tool, had been buzzing nonstop as everyone (the front desk team, maintenance, housekeeping, and the breakfast hostess) participated in the hunt for the prize. My mom, an employee at the adjacent hotel where the assistant manager got his start as a desk clerk, also had a good laugh when I told her what I had done.
Once she caught her breath, she mentioned that the assistant manager had been trying to get my new number for a week since they "wanted to speak with me about something".
16. Small Changes Lead To Big Problems
My dad's job is handling project management for financial applications for banks and similar corporations. His day-to-day work involves creating applications that handle the bookkeeping and monetary management for big businesses. Picture applications that oversee and track hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now, as expected in the finance field, my dad's higher-ups weren't the brightest when it came to understanding the intricacies of coding and just how much work goes into it. As he was wrapping up a massive project—one that had over $100K+ lines of code—he discovered his job was being shipped overseas.
Sensing an opportunity for a bit of payback, my dad slipped in three lines of code that threw the entire program into disarray and left them to solve the mystery. I can only dream to reach that level of cool one day.
17. I Don’t Know
For five years, I was employed by a family-run business that specialized in selling computers. But then, a more enticing corporate opportunity came knocking. Accordingly, I handed in my two weeks' notice, a standard procedure before leaving a job.
Upon learning of my intended move, the owner of the computer shop contacted the CEO of the company I was planning to join and managed to postpone my transfer by an additional two weeks.
Over that period, they instigated every employee to take turns trying to convince me about the significant error of my decision, constantly putting me in an uncomfortable position and creating a miserable environment. Once my departure became official, I couldn't resist serving them a piece of their own cake.
So, I changed all the passwords of the company's internal networks to "I don't know". When they later called to inquire about the passwords, I, quite truthfully, told them the answer.
18. Nothing Fancy
In my early 20s, I had to work with an irritating person for several months. He was the kind that liked to tell tales just to try and show off, but all his actions painted him as a baddie—he cheated on his girlfriend, fought with others just for fun, and sold illicit items.
I trudged through this dull and thoughtless job, letting most of what he said simply pass through me. However, that changed the day I uncovered his secret side business. He was out in the open, selling tablets right in the heart of our store, amongst no-less than eight to 12 surveillance cameras.
Rather than taking matters into my own hands, I just reported him to the boss—whose son happens to be an officer—and they viewed the video footage. Before long, this annoying guy was out on his ear, and I felt alright about it.
19. No Key
You must be wondering why I did not take action sooner. Well, truth be told, there was a dark cloud of depression and a severe lack of self-confidence holding me back. I was once an employee at a coffee and sandwich shop in sunny Florida, with a branch in a library.
Often we'd run out of supplies or coins, but given this was the only job I could get, I stuck with it considering things could be worse. Imagine my disbelief when I was transferred to another branch, a good thirty minutes from my house, smack in the middle of a hospital.
I had initially thought it wouldn't be drastically different—but I was so wrong. This was the sole spot where hospital workers could eat—the patients' kitchens didn't cater to them. Running errands to ensure we had enough supplies to feed the hospital staff became a routine.
While I was reimbursed for these expenses, my fuel costs were disregarded, on top of being scolded for purchasing "wrong items". The business was initially skirting a few labor regulations, but out there, it was a complete circus. I routinely found myself alone, managing everything for eight hours or more, without a break.
The restroom visits too were swift, as they left the cash register unattended. The owner wouldn't repair the open cash register or provide a key to lock it. At some point, security had to help me get in until they gave up the task, forcing the owner to step in. Eventually, he caved in and gave me a key.
Despite working well over 40 hours a week, my paycheck never reflected overtime hours. But, without any other job prospects, I continued on. Then out of the blue, my hours were significantly reduced. It was quite a relief initially, working around 20 hours a week. However, the hours kept getting lesser until I was working around 5 hours biweekly.
Finally, I decided to quit, informing my coworker and not showing up as planned. I later found out this was a common strategy, used by the owner to avoid paying unemployment benefits when people left.
20. Centralized IT Department
Once upon a time, I was an IT troubleshooter for a major university. A couple of years ago, they decided to shake things up by pooling all the IT staff in one place, instead of having them assigned to specific departments. Now the theory was that the centralized IT staff would provide service to the departments as needed. As for me?
I always believed in being accountable to the people I was directly helping, but the administrators had other plans—ones I didn't think were going to be successful at our institution, but that's another story. Given this change, and the new policy that required having a ticket submitted for any assistance, I chose to bow out, having secured another job prospect.
It was my last day in office, clearing out my stuff when suddenly a professor who had been a constant thorn in my side, stormed down the hallway. My heart rate kicked up a few notches at the sight of him. This man had always been difficult to handle—rude, belittling, and a know-it-all, especially when it came to tech.
Annoyingly, he even pushed for the new IT system. On more than one occasion, he campaigned to have my job made redundant, believing that would save the department money. Despite knowing about his backdoor campaigning, I always kept my dealings with him professional. But boy, was there no love lost between us.
Anyway, back to the situation at hand: He lumbered towards me, out of breath, saying, "Oh, Derp, I'm so relieved you're still here. I have an important presentation for the administration in half an hour and my computer won't start! My presentation is trapped inside!" I smiled and told him, "Don't worry, fill out a ticket for the central IT desk. They'll be right with you".
That's when he froze, as the realization dawned on him that I was onto him all along, all those things he'd been chattering behind my back. He turned bright red and stormed off back to his lab, slamming the door shut. Unfortunately for him, his computer wasn't fixed in time for his presentation.
21. Firing The Hardest Worker
I used to work at our local neighborhood grocery store as a right-hand helper. My boss let me go under the vague explanation of "not meeting expectations," expectations that, by the way, were never clearly explained to me. I suspect it had more to do with his reluctance towards an imminent pay raise.
Instead of fighting, I chose to step aside and allowed him to discover how his other staff member spent most of their time chatting with clients rather than working. But that wasn't the end of it. I was the only one capable of handling the frequent interactions with substance users.
Plus, I was the one who cleaned the fridges and freezers. Now he expects his wife, a slender woman more inclined to talk than work, to fill my shoes. Well, best of luck to them. No hard feelings. Good riddance.
22. Taxes Not Reported
I used to be the boss of a nightclub. One morning, I got a surprise call from my deputy, telling me they no longer needed me. He was stepping into my shoes, as per the owner's wishes. I tried my best to reach out, repeatedly calling to find out why I was being let go, but my attempts were in vain.
The owner was never available. I called every hour for two days straight. Finally, accepting I’d been taken advantage of, I decided to contact the tax authority to see if I was eligible for a tax refund. To my surprise, they had no record of me working at the nightclub, a stark contrast to the narrative the owners had painted.
According to them, they were deducting tax and national insurance from my weekly paycheck, even providing me with a weekly pay slip. That's when I decided to report the owner—and justice was served. I informed the tax authority about him, sharing his name, the car he zipped around in, his staff count, and also his physical description.
Two months down the line, he had to pack his bags and leave. A few of his other bars followed in the closure not long after.
23. A Series Of Small Pranks
I had a job at a coffee house and my boss was pretty awful. He was in hot water for making life hard on my fellow employees, with a habit of scheduling us for relentless 10- to 12-hour shifts. He'd run me ragged closing up at 11 pm, then expect me back on duty at 3:30 am, when I'd had barely any sleep.
We'd work nonstop, no breaks, and he'd even serve customers expired food. He'd tinker with our temperature records to bypass inspections, and reheat burned, stale coffee for customers, among other things. To keep my sanity, I resorted to light-hearted mischief. They were just tiny victories against injustice, but oh did they feel great.
When he'd lock himself away in the office, I'd sneak salt into his coffee or playfully smear jelly around. Sometimes, I'd tuck a jelly donut under his car's door handle for a surprise. I roped friends who dropped by into parking super close to his car, forcing him to take the scenic route via the backdoor.
I even tweaked the office computer password to stop him ignoring us to play solitaire during the busiest parts of our day. Mandatory receipt surveys turned into an opportunity for me to vent my frustration, and I'd hammer out harsh reviews about him. Interestingly, in my final month, I worked up the nerve to confront him directly whenever he'd mess up.
He didn't quite know how to react to a confident, 19-year-old woman unafraid to challenge his behavior.
24. Pizza Delivery Boy
In the not so distant past, I worked as a delivery guy for an Italian eatery. My employer compensated us under the radar with measly pay—a mere $6 per hour. It was our responsibility to use our own vehicles, with no compensation for mileage, and he'd dictate when he felt like paying us.
My co-workers weren't the nicest, often insulting me and yet also expecting me to do extra jobs while out delivering. The boss was particularly challenging. His English skills were scant, resulting in frequent frustration—and he'd explode over minor issues.
He had the annoying habit of randomly "bag-tagging" the staff and talked down to us like we were children. He was unpredictable and showed zero guilt. Eventually, after accepting a new job as a Tech Support Analyst where I'm currently employed, they had the nerve to call me out for my supposed lack of focus.
Considering all I'd done for them and this being a one-off instance of inattention, I'd had enough. I boldly turned to the cook and asked him if he realized how little I cared about keeping this job.
I stressed to him that it was a favour to them that I hung around, given I didn't need this job or the constant harassment, let alone being belittled by a group of ill-informed bullies who wrongly think they're highly successful despite spending two decades in a pizza place. His jaw nearly hit the floor from shock. And the boss? H
e was conveniently on a vacation in Italy, leaving him to discover upon return that he'd lost his most efficient and reliable driver.
25. A Grand Exit Speech
I had a job as a cart collector at Walmart. Remember that guy in Office Space who deals with eight mean bosses? That was me, but I was always blamed for others' mistakes, which, ironically, were mostly maintenance issues. The bright side, though, was the customers.
Working as a cart collector mostly introduced me to lovely elderly individuals who needed electric carts. Courtesy and a good smile have always been a part of me when interacting with customers. There were a few frequent customers who took the effort to know my name, and because of them, the workplace was enjoyable. However, my boss wasn't one to let this joy last.
As the weeks passed, things changed dramatically. I was only there for the summer since I was headed for college. My immediate superiors, I could tell, weren't fond of me because, in contrast, they'd spent their whole lives working full time at Walmart. Soon, they shifted gears and reduced my hours drastically.
They stopped treating me as an individual and more like just a tool. That's when I said to myself, enough is enough. I valued my self-respect more than their minimum wage. I decided to quit on the 1st of the month, right before a holiday, when I was the only one working.
My farewell speech may have echoed some lines from The Cask of Amontillado, but leaving was liberating.
26. The Worst Option
For a period of time, I held a position as a web designer at a small advertising agency that catered to a very specific market. Before I joined, the design team did not have a central creative voice, and everyone was kind of doing their own thing for different clients.
The decision was made to bring on a creative director to help coordinate efforts, and I was enlisted to help with initial screening interviews as we hunted for my future boss. Two applicants really stuck out from the pack, albeit for distinct reasons.
One had obvious talent, a friendly demeanor, and seemed overall perfect for the job. The other, let's call him John, had middling skills and a pompous, unbearable attitude. Despite these downsides, John had earlier experience in our peculiar industry, plus valuable contacts that could bring in new business.
I strongly suggested we avoid hiring John, but the top dogs at our agency were too tempted by his industry links, so John bagged the job. It wasn't long before they realized the colossal mistake we'd made. Despite his lengthy resume, John was hopelessly out of his depth in anything related to digital design, be it for websites, apps, mobile platforms, and so on.
Yet, he'd use his influence to override our better judgment on these projects, decisions that came back around to hurt the company later on. The design team quickly grew to detest John—having to clean up his messes became the new normal for us.
The sales staff couldn't stand him either; his constant exaggeration about the time he spent on even the simplest tasks (like taking four days to design a standard business card) left them exasperated to the point of no longer assigning him work. Tasks clearly meant for John started swiftly creeping onto our plates.
Late-night work became a common occurrence as we'd scramble to meet deadlines for projects he'd abandoned. All this time, like clockwork, John was the first out of the office by 5 pm every single day.
On top of being lazy and unproductive, he was arguably the most arrogant person I've ever met, with an unwavering commitment to his foolish beliefs and a complete lack of awareness of how much everyone in the office wished him ill.
For nearly a year, I put in an honest effort to make things work with John. But eventually, I accepted that he was making the job unbearable and that wasn't likely to change. I handed in my two weeks' notice, and about a month after I left, I was informed he had been fired.
Not long after, I saw on LinkedIn that he was now employed at a new agency servicing our old niche industry—an agency I hadn't heard of. Some diggings showed that he had founded his own digital space agency, despite having zero experience in the field. On John's website, I spotted project after project with familiar work—my work—being used as fragments of his new agency's portfolio.
I pondered asking him to remove my work from his portfolio, but I imagined his response would be familiar: "As the creative lead, your work was under my direction". I'd heard that line before, used to take credit for successful projects he had no part of.
So instead, I emailed one of our previous agency's partners, with a heads-up about John using their intellectual properties to compete against them, and possibly poaching their client list next. Their response: "Thanks for alerting us. He'll be getting a call from our lawyer first thing tomorrow". Less than a day later, John's site was taken down.
27. Not Lying In Court
I spent half a year working as an intern at a cell phone store for school. The supervisor was not the best—he treated us interns as if we were full-time employees, even entrusting me with some rather worrying financial duties. A bit after my internship had ended, he rang me up, saying he needed me to testify in court.
Apparently, he had run into issues with a shipment for a customer and intended to tell the court he'd thoroughly briefed me on shipping procedures. But here's the thing—he hadn't. And the other thing—I didn't fib to the judge. His lawyer shot me a look I'll always remember once he realized his crafty scheme had fallen apart.
Several weeks after this incident, my former boss attempted to get in touch with me—I didn't bother to respond.
28. Crushed Lunches
There was a person at my workplace who continually squashed everybody's meals with his humongous lunch box. I wasn't sure if he was packing bricks or lead for lunch, but all I knew was every time I opened the office fridge, my lunch was smashed to bits.
After experiencing this three times, and despite us—me and my other coworkers—leaving several notes, I finally decided I'd had enough. So, one day, I discreetly took his lunch box, emptied it out completely (which included a colossal sandwich, a Twinkie, chips, some bits of vegetables, and a few other odds and ends), and proceeded to drive over them with my car.
After which, I gingerly repacked everything back into his lunch box and returned it to its original spot. From that day forward, he preferred to keep his lunch in a cooler next to his desk.
29. Can’t Take Credit For That Work
My colleague had a habit of slacking off on the job but still hogged all the limelight for even the bare minimum tasks he managed to complete. To add to the frustration, he'd often piggyback on my dedication, stealing credit for my full day's labor, while I was always left in the shadows.
Fed up, I decided to play my own subtle trick on him: I sneakily unplugged his ethernet cable just enough so it appeared to be connected. This simple act left him internet-less for a good four hours, hilariously stalling his so-called productivity. Meanwhile, I continued with my tasks, getting everything done without interruption.
With his internet down, he had no way to bask in the glory of my accomplishments while sitting idle. During his mid-day break, he stepped out, and I quietly plugged his ethernet cable back in, restoring internet access. And just like that, he was back online—but my completed work was already in the spotlight. And guess what?
This unassuming act began to shift the attention towards my efforts.
30. Rigging The Toilet
A few years back, I was employed as a car mechanic at Pep Boys. My boss, the service manager, was honestly a total headache and ended up causing me to lose money. Why? He played favorites, and regularly gave the best assignments to his preferred workers.
While I was there, some of my coworkers and I figured out that if we altered the pressure in the shop's drainage pipes, it would cause the toiIet to forcefully eject water from the bowl. This sparked a brilliant idea in my mind. On my last day at work, I bided my time until the manager went to the restrooms.
I then strategically filled a tool known as a Cheetah (used for setting a tire onto a wheel) and promptly opened the pressure valve to release a hefty 200psi straight into the drainage pipe. The result? The toilet aggressively spurted water and waste everywhere. My manager, predictably, screamed and emerged from the restroom absolutely drenched in waste.
31. The One-Upper
There's a colleague of mine who quite literally copied an exciting anecdote that I usually share about being present in the hospital when my niece was born. She narrates it as if she and her husband were the ones in the hospital at the time of childbirth.
She's notorious for trying to outdo everyone; if you've done something, she's done it more effectively, faster, and in a more difficult manner—so it didn't take me by surprise when another colleague informed me that she often shares this tale with clients. She loves engaging in these little mind games, but so do I.
As part of my daily routine, I spill a tiny fraction of my water bottle on her desk, chair, or somewhere on her office carpet. In my imagination, slowly but surely, mold is beginning to form in her office, her skirt gets damp when she settles down, and any fresh paperwork she sets on her desk lands directly in a tiny pool of water.
32. Truth Prevails
During my time at Chipotle last year, I found an assistant manager particularly bothersome. Getting through the workday was a chore with him around. He'd laze about in the office, either chatting away on his phone or shouting in Spanish. Even if there seemed to be an endless queue of customers, he'd delegate tasks to us.
His 30-minute lunch breaks would mysteriously extend beyond an hour, and when things went south, he'd pin the blame on anyone within his line of sight. One evening, after I'd clocked out, chaos unfolded and a flurry of negative reviews came crashing down on us.
As I reported for work the following day, my manager painted a grim picture, pointing out all my alleged mistakes. With a feigned look of concern, the assistant manager declared, "I don’t want you to lose your job, but you need improvement". That was the end of it.
I discovered later that he had cunningly blamed me for all of his mistakes. I decided I'd had enough and wasn’t about to tolerate his shenanigans any longer. Rather than stirring up a public scene, I quietly tapped on my assistant manager's shoulder and told him how everything had truly unfolded.
With backup from coworkers who shared my disdain for the guilty party, my side of the story gained traction. Upon reviewing the security footage, they saw the reality and fired the assistant manager the very next day. I bumped into him one week later at our local grocery store.
He seemed oblivious that it was me—the quiet one—who was responsible for his firing. Awkward doesn't even begin to describe the encounter.
33. The Power Of Caterers
Once upon a time, I was serving at a small gathering in the convention center as a banquet waiter. After setting up for the event, I found myself as one of three waitstaff members tending to roughly 100 guests. We had a laid-out buffet. The local weatherman was among the attendees, although, he insisted I bring him a plate from the buffet.
It was a bit impolite but I obliged and fetched a plate for him. Then came his next demand that included refilling his coffee. Even though it was a "help yourself" kind of gathering and the coffee was already on the table, I handled his request without a fuss. But his rude behavior continued.
The next curious request came when he insisted I cut his chicken for him. This was the moment I reached my tipping point. I questioned his age, his demeanor, and his notion of my role at this gathering. Following this, I picked up his plate and made an announcement to all the assembled guests.
If I found this so-called mature man eating or drinking ANYTHING, I threatened to retract all the coffee, food, and bring the gathering to a premature end. This event ended up with him leaving with an empty stomach. So here's a valuable lesson, never mess with those who handle your food events.
34. Stacy, not STACEY
I go by "Stacy" and there's no "E" in it. One of my pet peeves is when people misspell my name. For instance, I used to work with a lady named Lesa—not the common spelling "Lisa," but Lesa. We collaborated on a project which required constant emailing back and forth. Annoyingly, she consistently misspelled my name as "STACEY".
It was baffling because my email signature clearly spelled it "Stacy," and even the email system didn't include the "E". Yet, she kept adding that extra "E" to my name which really got to me. Eventually, I gathered up some courage and told her it bugged me.
She apologized but didn't really change. Interestingly, her name was also unconventional, so you'd think she'd be more cautious. But no, she spelled it wrong again in her next email, barely an hour after apologizing. So, to give her a taste of her own medicine, I started typing "Lisa" every time I addressed her in an email or group chat.
Trust me, it was a move I savored every time I did it.
35. Mysterious Moving Filing Cabinet
For a span of four years, which included summer breaks, I held a work-study post in my university's IT department. I was involved in every aspect of the job, and I got along superbly with my colleagues. However, a shift occurred in my final year when they brought onboard a new full-time technical support staff member.
He immediately adopted an air of superiority—especially when it came to me. This behavior was despite the fact that I spent most of my time correcting his mistakes and guiding him. We co-occupied a desk—an arrangement that drove me crazy. Even outside of our professional environment, I had immense distaste for this individual.
His prejudiced behavior, sheer incompetence, and embodiment of negative IT cliches made him a pain to be around. With every frustrating interaction, the more I hated him. This led me to utilize our shared under-desk filing cabinet to exact some petty revenge.
On days where his behavior was especially irksome—which was more often than not—I'd subtly shift the cabinet just enough that he'd knock his knee against its sharp corner whenever he tried to roll forward in his chair. Despite the continual mishaps, he never managed to deduce the reason behind his recurring knee injuries.
He'd merely grumble, adjust the cabinet slightly, and carry on, oblivious to my minor acts of retribution. Truly, he was not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Pxfuel
36. He Needed His Caffeine
Back when I was a barista, there was this regular customer who dropped by a few times every week. This guy felt quite special and would be pretty rude to all of us. He took the cake for being entitled—he'd typically order a double espresso along with his meal, and justified it by saying he was "in a hurry and needed his caffeine fix". But he insisted the espresso be served after his meal.
Now, that wasn't a problem on its own, but he wouldn't bother telling us when he was done with his meal. Instead, he'd expect us to just know and fetch his espresso as soon as he finished eating. Mind you, our café didn't have table service. He'd draw attention to himself by loudly clearing his throat and making sarcastic remarks until we noticed and served him his espresso.
Then he'd gripe about the poor service and not leave a tip. But here's a secret—I always served him decaf.
37. The Deli Worker’s Trick
I'm employed in a deli where we measure food using a scale. Normally, the weight of a container is subtracted from the total weight. But if you put the lid on, it doesn't account for that additional weight, and it adds a little bit of weight. Now, when customers take a rude tone with me, I take a small measure of revenge.
I place the lid before weighing, then print the price tag. This means they pay a tiny bit more. It's my little way of saying "take that!"
38. Accidental Victory
I walked away from a job I once loved because I couldn't stomach the new management. They weren't truthful and valued flattery over real abilities. To give you an idea of how badly I wanted out, I handed in my resignation just a week after the birth of my first child.
As fate would have it, my new workplace was just one floor up in the same building. Over a span of four years, eight of my old workmates also shifted to this new company. This effectively created a talent drain at our old place.
The clueless boss there gets edgy whenever he spots us chatting with any of his remaining workers during elevator rides. But the sweetest part, and not that I planned it or harbored any resentment, was the karma. It's as if nature just ran its course.
39. A Different Kind Of Windows Start-Up Noise
Once, feeling like a mischievous pre-teen, I played a prank on a close colleague of mine. I creatively changed his Windows start-up sound to the most amusingly loud fart noise I could find, and then sneakily turned his speaker volume to full blast before he arrived. It was incredibly gratifying to see the outcome.
As he settled into our quiet office, the peace was hilariously shattered by a booming PFFFFFFFTTTT, swiftly followed by our other coworkers accusing him of causing the noise in disgust. I was left in tears, unable to hold it in.
40. Mr. Sci-Fi
Back in the 80s, I worked in a video shop with a colleague who was the biggest slacker. He was too lazy to do anything, even serve customers. His obsession was sci-fi. When his shift started, he'd just play Star Trek or Star Wars, then spend all day lounging against the counter while engrossed in the TV screen, doing absolutely no work.
Finally, the deputy manager and I cooked up a clever plan. Whenever we spotted his name on the shift roster alongside ours, we'd pick either The Sound of Music (length: 2 hours, 54 minutes) or Gone With The Wind (length: 3 hours, 58 minutes), based on the duration of his shift.
We'd start one of these films five minutes before his arrival and clock-in time. And just like that—a solid three to four hours of non-stop work from the sci-fi fan. Boredom would drive him to finally contribute some work.
41. Restricted Cheez-Its
I was the coworker on the receiving end of some friendly retaliation.
Over the past few weeks, I'd been having a bit of fun with a few colleagues, pulling harmless pranks on them. Then, they got even with me in a creative way—I came to the office one day and found out they'd enlisted the help of the vending machine guy to place my beloved coffee cup atop my go-to snack, the Cheez-Its.
Consequently, I was unable to get my hands on my favorite munchies for two weeks. I had to keep a close eye on the vending machine to make sure no one else snagged my snack, risking the potential destruction of my preferred mug. I must admit, it was pretty genius.
42. Computer Crashing
I was employed at a firm where our job was to conduct phone surveys. The place had about 250 staff members on the floor at any given moment. One day during our shift, my annoying boss played a rough prank on me which involved a push and a trip. Though I was irritated, I managed to keep my cool and thought of the perfect way to get back at him.
I'd been with the company for a considerable period and was in charge of managing system backups over the weekend. My role was quite straightforward; I just had to keep an eye on the computers after entering a few Unix commands.
This role, however, gave me just enough control over the system to bring the whole calling floor to a standstill for three hours. Imagine 250 employees idly sitting around, clocking in their time and getting paid on a peak business day. The best part? I managed to escape any repercussions. It was such an empowering feeling.
43. Using Their Words Against Them
Our company was throwing us employees a thank-you lunch, and they asked a select few of us to organize and run the event. Yet, on the day of the lunch, top management suddenly decided we were allocating too much company time to this task.
They insisted anyone involved in the event (like serving or tidying up) would have to do so during their own lunch break or stay after hours to compensate. Needless to say, we didn't think this was fair. Before the lunch event, we had a big meeting.
All the senior leaders and execs were applauding everyone for their great work and so forth—and at the end they asked if anyone had any questions or input. Seizing the moment, I spoke up. I jovially suggested that our managers should volunteer to serve at the lunch.
For a solid ten seconds, you could have heard a pin drop—followed by urgent whispering and flurried activity as higher management nudged their juniors into volunteering. It was honestly an excellent sight, watching them all give up their lunch breaks to wait on us.
44. Only A Small Adjustment
In the past, I was responsible for tracking website traffic, return on investment, and various other metrics for multiple sites. I created a complex, yet resourceful spreadsheet where one only needed to input a few figures, and it would compute virtually everything necessary for the company.
Despite its intricate nature, which my boss found too challenging to grasp, he would still boast to clients that he was its creator, which would irk me to no end. After some time, he realized this spreadsheet was all he required and viewed my salary as an opportunity to fund his new property. Consequently, he let me go.
I warned him he might struggle with managing the spreadsheet, but he believed he could handle it. Before departing, I couldn't resist making a small change to a single formula in the spreadsheet to ensure his life without me wouldn't be easy.
Let's just say the altered reports were a source of much amusement for me, as they no longer made any sense.
45. 60 Days
I was suddenly let go from my longtime job. My boss, a peculiar man, often dismissed employees unexpectedly. His usual tactic was to offer people 60 days to find a new job, but there was a catch—they had to sign a document claiming they were "willingly" quitting, giving up any rights to unemployment benefits.
When he sacked me, he made the same proposition. I declined because having unemployment benefits seemed safer in case I couldn't secure a new job within those 60 days. Even though my former company contested my unemployment claim, my case was solid.
My record was good, marred by nothing more than a handful of times when I was less than 15 minutes late. During the unemployment hearing, I informed the judge about my boss's proposal to stay on conditionally if I renounced my claim to unemployment. She confirmed that this wasn't allowed and decided in my favor.
Each weekly unemployment payout felt like a small triumph until I landed another job.
46. Computer Company In The '60s
This isn't my personal tale, but rather, it belongs to my dad. Back in the late-1960s, he was putting in a lot of sweat at an emerging IT firm, during the era when IBM was still referred to as International Business Machines. Dad was the only one equipped to handle and supervise some hefty microcomputers that certain clients possessed.
Despite my dad needing time off—my mom was on the verge of having their first-born (my older brother), his superior was being difficult about granting him the leave. When my mom went into labor, the boss was still unwilling to let dad go. As you would expect, dad blew his top.
He gave the boss a piece of his mind about his incompetence and his habit of riding the coattails of talented employees. Finally, dad, right on the spot, quit his job and rushed to the hospital. I still can recall my mom narrating the incident—dad walked in, praised her on the delivery, and then casually mentioned that he had just resigned.
She chuckles about it these days, but just imagine her expression at that moment. Within a day, the company's owner contacted my dad, and instead of offering him his old position, he was promoted to his ex-boss's role. The ironic twist? His ex-boss ended up reporting to my dad—now that must have been a bitter pill to swallow.
47. A Sandwich You’ll Regret Eating
At work, my lunch kept disappearing. Being a peace-lover, I made this a light conversation topic with my wife. I didn't see it as a big issue, but these were the sandwiches that she lovingly prepared for me each day. Her response was to craft an unusual sandwich made of bread and toothpaste.
Into the fridge it went, and by lunch time, as usual, it had vanished. Whether someone really ate it is a mystery, but when I shared the story with Human Resources, they found it so hilarious, they rewarded me with a $20 gift card for Outback Steakhouse.
Shutterstock
48. You Were Warned
There was this guy at work who always had something in his mouth—from pen caps, pencils, to safety glasses, he chewed on anything he could get his hands on. I advised him to break this habit, instead of heeding my warning, he turned it into a punchline and chewed even more. Unbeknownst to him, I was planning a bit of cheeky retaliation.
This prank had an audience—everyone there at the shop, except him. I meticulously rubbed a pen all around a certain part of my backside and then boldly handed it to him, exclaiming, "Try not to chew this one, alright?" Without missing a beat, he popped it right into his mouth.
Laughter echoed throughout the shop while he made a show of theatrically spitting it out. With that eventful display, his compulsive chewing habits were instantly remedied. Just goes to show, if you decide to provoke the proverbial bull, expect retaliation...
49. Getting Off The Roof
When I was around 18 years old, I took a summer job as a residential roofer. I'd never had the experience of installing clay or tile shingles before, so my boss suggested that I learn by observing one of my colleagues. However, barely two minutes in, he lost his temper (his temper was a real issue) and began to angrily shout at me for not working.
Feeling pressured, I grabbed some tiles and tried to fit them, despite not knowing what I was doing. Predictably, the first couple of tiles I attempted to install ended up broken. My boss came over, screaming at the top of his lungs at me for messing up. But his worst reaction was what happened next.
He actually pushed me off the roof! Thankfully, it was just a 10-foot drop but still a potentially dangerous fall. After this, I was livid and decided I’d had enough of his abhorrent behavior. While I was packing up my stuff, I could overhear him badmouthing me to the other workers on the roof.
As I began to leave the work site, I spotted this so-called leader standing on an air hose that connected his nail machine to an air compressor on the ground. In a swift response, I tugged the air hose firmly towards the ground. The inadvertent result was him losing balance, tumbling off the roof and onto a pile below.
As I was climbing into my Jeep, he was hurling threats of involving the authorities. Luckily, the foreman intervened, reminding him of the multiple witnesses who saw him fall off the roof, sans any external influence. Listening to the boss man's defeated ranting while I drove away was a moment of sweet justice.
I'm aware my actions could be seen as wrong, but I viewed it as a necessary revenge under these circumstances.
50. Oh Snap
I began my new job in IT and immediately found myself working with a guy who was determined to put me down. Even though we were both in our mid-20s, I had a higher rank in our profession and enjoyed a happy marriage while he was single and still living under his parent's roof.
He often tried sparking debates to flex his well-practiced right-wing rhetoric, and brag about how I wasn't a "real man" because I didn't spend $80 on Scotch or have a blade collection. However, I brushed it off as I was satisfied with my life.
One day, he mass emailed the team with a message saying "If you can't drink this, might as well say goodbye to our manhood," attached to a picture of some high-end scotch. It was clear to me what had to be done. My response to the email was: "Do you know what else says goodbye to my manhood? Your mom".
This sparked lots of playful "Oh snap" responses. Fast forward six months, I was promoted to team lead and he got the boot.
Sources: Reddit, , ,
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