'Don't play with me': Employee almost gets fired because of coworker's sabotage, gets even by getting him fired instead

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Have you ever had a coworker who seemingly will stop at nothing to get you fired?

Before we get into this story of how an employee managed to save themselves from getting unfairly dismissed by instead getting their work nemesis fired first, let's unpack how these kinds of work rivalries happen. Most of the time, like most elements of a work environment, it all comes from the top down. If the system is built upon a foundation of unhealthy competition, that will almost never fare well for employees at the same level who are ultimately seeking promotions. That seems to have been a large part of why this Redditor's coworker was conspiring to get them in trouble from the start. 

Luckily, the Redditor was savvy and knew exactly what to do when they discovered what their coworker was up to behind closed doors. Talk about a toxic work environment! For more, check out this post about an employee who was "quiet fired" just before her wedding.

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  • 01
    "How I Took Down a Career Saboteur"
    via Charles Deluvio
  • 02
    It all started when a new colleague joined our ragtag bunch of systems engineers deploying ground based radars
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 03
    around the world. From day one, I could tell there was something off about him. He had these weird mannerisms of always trying to one up someone
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 04
    else's story and be the center of attention. He struck me as one of those guys who would look you in the eye and smile as he sinks the kΠinto your back and kiss the wound after getting what he wants. He was also one of those guys who tried to steal everyone else's thunder.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 05
    Needless to say, he was overly ambitious, constantly trying to undermine me and take credit for my work. I tried to brush it off, hoping it was just a phase, but things only escalated.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 06
    One day, I discovered he was spreading false rumors about me to senior management,
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 07
    trying to sabotage my career. Basically this snivelling bipunk tried telling management I was drg on the job, appeared combative and was very threatening, and an insider threat as he saw me always carrying around external hard drives and must be stealing corporate data.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 08
    My manager confronted me about the rumors and told me I was on restricted duty for two weeks while they investigated.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 09
    I was furious but decided to play it smart. I took PTO (vacation) for two weeks and came back to an unfounded report. Instead of confronting him directly, I started documenting everything.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 10
    Every lie, every deceitful act, every instance of him trying to play games with my career. I also did something in the gray area by setting up surveillance cameras with sound around my area (think nanny cams).
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 11
    One day I catch him on video speaking to a competitor and divulging proprietary information without an C ]. I then heard him talking to a vendor about an all expense paid trip to Hawaii during his vacation
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 12
    time for helping them make a sale with our company. Oh...that is an organizational conflict of interest burn. I knew I needed to act carefully.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 13
    Using the company's ethics hotline, I anonymously reported his behavior, providing all the evidence I had gathered.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 14
    The investigation took a few weeks, and during that time, he continued his underhanded tactics, completely unaware of the storm heading his way.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 15
    Finally, the day of reckoning arrived. I was at my desk when I saw two HR representatives and a security guard walking. toward him. They escorted him out of the building,
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 16
    and as he passed by my desk, he gave me a cold, knowing stare. He knew it was me who had reported him.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 17
    I stood up, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, "Next time, find a toy and don't play with me."
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 18
    Yeah...HR did write me up for that line after taking out the trash...at the time I thought it was well worth it.
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 19
    Piddy3825 14 hr. ago Petty revenge - best served well documented!
    via u/Solutions1978
  • 20
    LiveandLoveLlamas 15 hr. ago Next time find a toy and don't play with me. Adding that to my arsenal, thank you!
    via u/Solutions1978

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