Employee blocked by boss for promotion, blocks their boss from getting a job: '

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 16, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Be careful how you treat people on your way up to the top because you never know who you'll run into on your way back down. You might be burning a bridge that you'll need to cross later on—or may find yourself getting burned and going up in flames along with it. 

This is sage advice that's passed around quite frequently when it comes to the discourse surrounding careers and employment. But, what this advice is missing is the root of the issue: You should treat people well because it's the right thing to do. Rather than being opportunistic and consumed by your own ambition, go out of your way to do the right thing and seek to understand the people around you. Even if your motivation is inherently self-serving, in the long term, treating other people with respect is always going to be the best move over the long course of your career. 

This boss didn't have this in mind when they decided to block their subordinate's chance at promotion. The boss was overcome with their desire to seize control in the midst of a power vacuum left by a vacant director's position, which saw them tyrannically taking over projects and throwing their weight around as if they already had the job, and when this employee had a chance to escape from under their thumb, the boss made sure to block their chances at getting that role. A move that would come back to bite them later on in their career..

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    "[My] boss blocks my promotion... I block his job."
    via René Ranisch
  • 02
    Boss blocks my promotion, I block his job. TLDR my boss blocked me from being promoted for selfish reasons, I blocked him from getting a position at another company he applied to where I was the boss. For background, I work in a very competitive part of the service industry. It's a large enough community, but at the same time it's small enough where someone somewhere in the industry knows you, so it's important to not burn Bridges as one day you might find yourself In a disadvantageous position.
    via u/casinodom
  • 03
    I was in my position for a good 3 years as middle management, no call outs, never late, always stayed after to help my team out, worked on projects that belonged to my bosses, etc. Except for ONE DAY which I had gotten in a car accident (I was working the night shift and it was raining, this is important later in the story) and was unable to go into work as my car was undrivable and I had to wait for tow truck, insurance, and trying to find a ride late night/early morning was very difficult.
    via u/casinodom
  • 04
    At the time, my director had been let go and there was a blood bath, ☐ contest to see who would get his promotion. For heiriarchy purposes it's my director, my direct bosses all on same level of authority (3 of them) then me. One of the direct bosses (let's call him ) decided he was getting the promotion and started shaking our department. Restructuring projects, changing people's shifts, taking credit for other people's work, he was a real pain.
    via u/casinodom
  • 05
    About a few weeks of this, he had decided to switch me from morning shifts (which I had gotten due to my seniority in the team) into night shifts. I didn't make a stink because we were very short handed (also important) and the team needed help as we had newer members who had children, and I understood how this could affect their life. Fast forward a few more weeks and I get into the car accident which made me call out. This didn't sit well with him as I had made the team suffer because of my ir
    via u/casinodom
  • 06
    Soon after that I met some higher ups from another department, they offered me a job in a new venture the business was exploring. I was a good candidate because of my experience and work traits. Of course I agreed as this would be a promotion in position and salary, plus my network of contacts would put me in a position to grow even further. I went through a series of interviews (3 in total) and I was given the opportunity to take the position, I signed my paperwork and shook the hand.
    via u/casinodom
  • 07
    A couple of days later HR called me saying the position was rescinded, and that it shouldn't come as a surprise. I was shocked and asked for a meeting to understand the decision. Queue the day of the meeting, I walked in and HR is sitting in the meeting room with . After the cordialities, explains that he blocked my promotion because I had attendance issues (which I had one call out due to my accident) and HR chimed in saying this shouldn't deter me from applying again in 6 months (lol ok). I ac
    via u/casinodom
  • 08
    A couple of days later a friend of mine that worked close to had told me had made the comment that he didn't want to let me go because I would leave the night shift uncovered, and no one would easily accept that shift. I was furious, but decided to not act on it, as I explained earlier it's a small enough business.
    via u/casinodom
  • 09
    A few months later the competition opened up close enough that a few people left to go there. I was one of them, I was hired by an amazing boss who I am still friends with years after. He offered me a great position and a huge raise in salary. For heiriarchy purposes it was my boss then me and my counterpart then our assistants. had I had heard through the grapevine that gotten rejected from the director position and was leaving the company. About a week or so later I was looking at new hires wi
    via u/casinodom
  • 10
    I told my boss the story about and how he blocked my promotion. All my boss said was TBNT (thank you but no thank you). We didn't even give him an interview. Looking back at it, we should have given him the interview and just said no, it would have made it sweeter. Like I said before don't burn Bridges if your industry is small.
    via u/casinodom
  • 11
    PyroDesu Should have had your boss interview him, then give him an offer, wait for him to accept, and rescind it. When he asks why, your boss offers to meet with him to discuss it. And then you sit in on that meeting as your boss explains that their... prior history makes them unsuitable.
    via u/casinodom
  • 12
    CharlieDmouse This is classy revenge. :) Didn't even waste your time on him. Nice.
    via u/casinodom
  • 13
    [deleted] The god ole switcheroo, I love it casinodom I should've sent him an UNO reverse card that said "no u"
    via u/casinodom
  • 14
    Decie What I don't understand is why would you sit back and not even try to argue about your attendance if it was legitimately the only time you missed work with it even being an accident?
    via u/casinodom

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

Tags

workplace discussion pro revenge boss workplace-stories jobs job revenge work workplace Horrible Bosses employment in the workplace
Scroll Down For The Next Article