‘Feeling happily petty’: Guy gets even with his messy coworker by ruining his rubber band collection

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jan 2, 2024 2:00 PM EST

It's one thing to be messy in your own space; it's quite another to allow your messiness to affect your coworkers. That's the kind of petty annoyance that can make someone's workplace environment all the more toxic. Not only is your coworker forced to come into the office and share a desk with you, but now they are subjected to your total and utter lack of organization skills? Grow up and learn to clean after yourself!

Of course, dear reader, I do not mean you. I'm talking about this Redditor's colleague, who would leave all sorts of snacks on the floor by his desk at the end of the work day. Another common item that could be found by his desk was a rubber band. And not just one rubber band! This dude left countless rubber bands on the floor and in his coworkers' spaces all day every day. It was only a matter of time before someone was going to call him out, and that someone was this Redditor, who shared their side of the story via this thread on Reddit's r/pettyrevenge subreddit. 

Keep scrolling below for the full play-by-play. For more, check out this collection of managers who fired their employees for silly reasons.

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  • 01
    "Won't throw your trash away? I'll take care of it for you!"
    via Michael Walter
  • 02
    r/pettyrevenge. Posted by u/Demand Immediate1288 18 hours ago Won't throw your trash away? I'll take care of it for you! There's a guy at work who is incredibly messy. Soda cans, chips wrappers, bags, paper etc all get dropped on the ground when he's done. Invariably someone comes around and picks up his behind him.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 03
    Among his many messes are rubber bands. He sets up and puts away hand scanners every night and uses the rubber bands to hold the batteries in place. At the end of the shift he tears the rubber bands off and leaves them on a desk and floor around the charging station. An hour after he leaves I take my lunch at that desk and have to pick them up, pull them out of the chair wheels, and throw them away.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 04
    Last week I discovered the big box of rubber bands he uses, stashed inside a filing cabinet. So after picking them up that night I decided to recycle them back into the box. All week I got a little smile picking them up and putting them away, watching the ratio of good:bad change.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 05
    Today I came in and heard him swearing in the scanner room. I popped my head in and asked what was up. "Someone's putting trash rubber bands into box" he mumbled, trying to sort through them. I acted surprised..."they pulled them out of the trash and put them back into the box?". He didn't say a word. I just turned and around smiling, feeling happily petty.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 06
    Chocophie 18 hr. ago I don't think he got the hint. That kind of person does not get subtitles. 471 Reply Share
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 07
    Poppa_Mo 18 hr. ago Is he unable to read? 103 Reply Share
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 08
    Enough-Fly-2765 - 17 hr. ago If he is not an important person for your projects, I sugest you slighty pull some of his computer cables. Choose one each time. And enjoy the show. "My internet is off!" "Mine is fine. Have you tried turning off and on again?" "It didn't work"
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 09
    "Well, wait a few minutes. Might be some router lag (just making words, I don't know)" "It's been 20min" "Can't you ask IT if they know something?" - he will loose at least an hour trying to fix this -- Next time: ink his mouse. Or disconect the reaction button on his keyboard (choose ctrl or tab).
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 10
    Money_Football_7068 11 hr. ago This. So much this. As someone who worked help desk for a mid size company, the amount of support tickets that were just loose wires was insane. The user would have at least a couple hours wasted before I'd be able to fix it. It'd be some sweet revenge for someone that is salary and has certain tasks to complete before they can leave.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 11
    purplegramjan. 17 hr. ago Sometimes with somebody that dumb it's so easy to turn it around. Btw is there some reason you can't reuse the rubber bands?
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 12
    DemandImmediate1288 OP 17 hr. ago The bands get stretched all the way out, wrapped several times around scanner and then pulled over a little notch to keep them in place. To remove he just pulls them to the breaking point. The company should get something a bit more reusable or just invest in working equipment! 100 Reply Share
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 13
    SubarcticFarmer 17 hr. ago Why don't you do more with the trash he leaves on the ground too
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 14
    DemandImmediate1288 OP 17 hr. ago Someone on a different shift picked it up for a few days into a bag, came back into work and put it on his car. Instead of taking the hint, you just pushed it off and left it in the parking lot. Do you have any good suggestions?...
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 15
    CoderJoel 17 hr. ago . Those bands bounced right back
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 16
    justaman_097 - 17 hr. ago Well played! I would try to find a way to make certain that he gets snapped by the rubber bands as well.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 17
    NeatNefariousness1. 17 hr. ago Does he not have a trash can beside the workstation? If so, put the mixed box of good and bad rubber bands in the bottom or the trash can or attach it to the side if it's easy to do. It MIGHT get him into the habit of putting the bad ones into the trash as he fishes for the good ones. I'm not optimistic that he will change his messy ways but at this point, shaping the behavior you want to see might be the last hope.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 18
    AcrobaticSource3 17 hr. ago Do you share a desk or work area? If not, why do people clean up after him?
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 19
    lobsterbuckets. 16 hr. ago Hopefully this doesn't get too downvoted but my money's on gender. Every office I've worked in has its share of women cleaning up after everyone. I love OP's approach, I wish more people would adopt it.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288
  • 20
    AHOY LadyAliceMagnus. 16 hr. ago Dumping wrappers and soda cans on the floor is disgusting. Management should make him clean up after himself.
    via u/DemandImmediate1288

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace petty-revenge-reddit job work petty revenge reddit thread Reddit toxic-work-environment
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