'She took it way past a 10': Co-worker shows her true colors during a work trip when she throws a tantrum at the hotel staff, is now known as the office 'Super Karen'

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Apr 14, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

Why can't "because they're a Karen" be enough to get someone fired?…

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • When you have the worst co-workers, it doesn't matter if you are working your dream job, it ruins the entire experience. Co-workers might not be your chosen family, but you're spending a lot of your life with them, so you need to at least be able to get along. Having to simply tolerate your co-workers already knocks your job down a peg on the happiness scale. But if you actively despise your co-workers, then you might as well put in your two weeks right now, because working with people you hate is not good for your mental health. 

    In this scenario, from Reddit user booksandleague, they tolerated a certain co-worker who didn't rub them the right way, but they dealt with it. Until they went on a work trip together and this co-worker turned into a despised ‘Super Karen' right in front of their eyes. Even the boss was there to witness her unhinged Karen tantrum. How did she not get fired? Blows my mind. Read the entire situation below. 

    Want more work stories? Read about how this construction worker knocked his micromanaging managers down a peg in the most epic burn.

  • 01
    'Super Karen'
    via Hashoo Foundation USA via Flickr
  • 02
    I've been watching a lot of Vincey reading entitled people and finally decided to type up the single worst Karen I've ever met. My Co Worker. (Also Hi Vincey if you read this one!) Now I've worked retail (Walmart) and I've had my fair share of Karens. But after over a combined 8 years in retail at various locations, and now working in hardware (barely customer facing), I now contend every day with the worst Karen I've ever met.
    via booksandleague
  • 03
    Now, some background. Most people see a Karen in their natural habitat - demanding to speak to the manager, they often range in disguise otherwise. Turns out, their habitat can be anywhere. This Karen just makes blatant demands. of people that she has no authority to, in and out of office. She micro manages everyone's workload (she's not the boss, she has no authority to do so) she talks down to co workers for not knowing things they wouldn't have any business knowing, comes up with fake rules s
    via booksandleague
  • 04
    I travel for work, we're heading to a customer site. It's a long install (3 weeks) and it's PEAK COVID. Summer of '20 in DC. They were in the "red" for counts & transmission, and Karen is a germaphobe before COVID happened, let alone after. So we get to our hotel, check in, and the hotel staff inform us "Due to COVID we're no longer doing daily cleanings, please feel free to schedule if and when you would like service." And Karen sets it up for Thursday. Thursday comes, Thursday goes, Karen drov
    via booksandleague
  • 05
    Week two: Thursday comes, we go out to dinner, including our boss to celebrate being way ahead of schedule and us going home a week early. And we go to a nice outdoor restaurant, almost exclusively outdoor seating, well spaced etc. (three tries later, the other's didn't meet Karen's standards of social distancing, despite actually meeting all the guidelines) We've just been sat down when out of no where Karen starts loudly berating some victim on the phone. Turns out when she asked for cleaning
    via booksandleague
  • 06
    Thursday and ONLY the first Thursday, not "Thursdays". So she is borderline SCREAMING at the front desk over the phone, at a public, CROWDED (for COVID) restaurant for five straight minutes IN PUBLIC "How dare you let someone into my room I don't know where they've been, who they've been in contact with, how am I going to know if they got COVID and I need to test" honestly I'm impressed she didn't need to come up for air. She certainly didn't let the staff say anything. Of course the boss and I
    via booksandleague
  • 07
    mistake was answering the phone. Probably wasn't even the person that checked her in two weeks ago. Now that certainly makes her a Karen. But it's what she did after that has me horrified on what might happen after every other Karen story. This... -Spawn has the AUDACITY to hang up her phone turn up her nose, give the most self satisfied sigh I've ever heard a human make and say "Sometimes you just need to put people in their place". Ever since, I've referred to her as "Super Karen" because she
    via booksandleague
  • 08
    Alive_Room6023 • 13h ago When I get a Karen on the phone, if/when. she comes up for air I put on my most concerned voice. "Oh my word! Are you having a panic attack? Should I call emergency services? Please, please tell me what your location is and symptoms are!" I then pretend to talk to a coworker and say "Please call 911, I have a previous customer on the phone and she sounds like she is in serious distress." Then I get back on the phone and slowly talk, "Ma'am... can I... please have your...
    via Alive_Room6023
  • 09
    number on file for her I try calling back a couple of times but after the first few words, we magically get disconnected each time. I have NEVER gotten any calls back from the Karen's. Plus it brightens my whole day. I'm not an actress by any means but my coworkers, who are just as jaded as I am, applaud my performance. I only had the boss there once when this happened, and they never knew that I was hanging up. To put cherries on the cake, the clueless boss told me that I really went above and
    via Alive_Room6023
  • 10
    zeus204013 3h ago • Sometimes, I believe that karens are in abundance in countries with certain work laws/culture and/or some type of societies... Because I almost never I've seen a karen like the related here. BUT, in my country retail people have some job security, a entitled karen can't call a manager to fire someone (manager can "simulate" firing someone). Actually if a karen around people call police or some security people. Manager generally want to keep things normal and not be pleasing a
    via zeus204013
  • 11
    night-otter • 6h ago If this is her behavior in public, I'm surprised she still works for your company. Reply ↑ Share ... MariettaDaws 2h ago If they're anything like my last job, they don't care unless a client witnesses it 13 Reply ↑ Share
    via night-otter
  • 12
    aquainst1 14h ago I can hardly wait until you can get her. (like Petty Revenge or Malicious Compliance) ↑ 3 ↓ Reply ↑ Share winterworld561 • 2h ago Why has no-one ever put HER in her place? It seems she gets away with her behaviour every time. + 3 ⇓ ☐ Reply ↑ Share
    via aquainst1

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

karens service industry story karen tantrum boss work travel hotel hospitality work coworkers karen co worker reddit karen super karen hotel staff karen coworker karens in the wild workplace karen karma work trip co worker karen story karen service industry
Scroll Down For The Next Article