Employee attempts to sabotage coworker's promotion by taking important files from their desk, coworker finds out, secretly records him in the act to show HR: 'I got proof'

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    Cheezburger Image 10466170624
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    "AITAH secretly recording my coworker sabotaging me and now everyone is mad at me for exposing them"

    Alright, I need some perspective because this whole situation has spiraled out of control, and somehow I am the bad guy.
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    I work in a small office where most people are fine except for this one guy, Brad. Brad is that coworker. He is always loud, always knows better, and loves throwing others
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    under the bus to make himself look good. We are both up for the same promotion, which would be fine, except he has been getting shady about it.
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    For weeks, I have been noticing that things on my desk go missing. Important files, client notes, even random office supplies. At first, I thought I was just being forgetful, but then
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    another coworker casually mentioned that Brad has been hanging around my desk when I am not there. Then, last week, I overheard him joking in the break room
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    about "creating opportunities" for himself. That was the final straw. I decided I needed to know for sure. I set up my phone to record while I went to lunch.
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    When I reviewed the footage, there was Brad, digging through my desk, taking one of my files, and snapping pictures of it with his phone. I did confront him directly. Showing him the video, and
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    then tried to see what he had to say. He basically incriminated himself, and talked about how he did not like me. I gladly recorded all of this, and, I sent the footage to HR, thinking they
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    would deal with it quietly. HR did handle it, but now everyone in the office knows, and somehow I am the one people are mad at. Some of my coworkers are saying I invaded Brad's privacy and
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    should have talked to him instead of going to HR. Brad got written up, lost any chance of the promotion, and had to apologize to me. But now he is playing the victim,
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    telling everyone I "set him up" and saying that recording him was underhanded. Some people are even siding with him, claiming I made the office environment toxic by exposing him.
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    Invoice wane
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    I just do not get it. Brad was sabotaging me and risking my career, and I gave HR the proof they needed to stop him. I did not set him up. I caught him doing something
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    he should not have been doing in the first place. Am I seriously in the wrong here? All I wanted was to stop someone from swing me over. It feels like people
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    are mad at me just because I handled the situation instead of letting him get away with it. What else was I supposed to do?
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    MossMyHeart NTA and you need to go back to HR and let them know that Brad is creating a toxic work environment by spreading a false narrative in retaliation.
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    SkinnyPig45 Nta. You did the absolute right thing
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    HiddenAr nist NTA. Strange that people are charmed by him, but it wouldn't be the first time that happens. Probably they are like him, creating "opportunities" out of mischief, and didn't like that their equal was caught red handed.... Watch out for them!
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    Artistic-Giraffe-866 This is a case of group think - it is totally weird but everyone is dominated by his personality - get that promotion and move on - hopefully you will be able to manage Brad out at some
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    - stage and anyone else who was on his side !! Know you are absolutely right and I would be going back to HR with some instances of harassment because Brad should have been sacked
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    stroppo NTA at all. Sounds like you have some lousy coworkers. It was one of them who let slip about Brad's activities, so it sounds like the office atmosphere is already
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    toxic. You were hardly "invading Brad's privacy"; he was the one going thru your desk! Maybe talk to your supervisor about it. HR doesn't act unless it's a legitimate problem.
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    Hitthereset Go back to HR and let them know what's going on and start looking for new jobs just in case.

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