Lazy, unreliable employee is chosen for better-paying role over punctual, star employee: ‘I think nature will take its course’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Apr 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

You can put your neck on the line for upper management and still end up with the short end of the stick—that's just the way life rolls. If you don't have the proper networking connections, a role that you're a shoo-in for ends up going to the lazy coworker who's never on time, never completes projects in a timely manner, and couldn't care less about the work they're doing. It's easy to write yourself off after you've been scorned one too many times by higher-ups who are supposed to have a radar for lazy employees who fib about their abilities, but as the employee in this next story says, "I think nature will take its course."

Both the lazy and punctual employees are looking for the same role, but have no clue about it. After the punctual employee, the one who wrote this story, is told they are no longer being considered for the position, they soon learn that their problematic employee somehow landed the job, with a glowing reference from their current employer. Justice will be served eventually, especially for a dude who can't manage to show up to his last two weeks of work. Scroll below to read the full story.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

  • Karma has a funny way of finding people, but the patience that karma requires of some people is astounding. It's always the good guys who finish last, especially in the workplace, where you only need to know how to talk the talk…

  • Cheezburger Image 10498538240
    via Tahir osman For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "I was turned down for a job opportunity in my field - the guy they hired is my lazy coworker"

    I am a horticulture major; unfortunately there are a lot of very rocky jobs in my field. I currently work at a medical с bis facility and it is an unstable job. Seven months in,
    via mantinfoilhat
  • over 14 employees have quit or gotten terminated. There are some environmental factors that make the workplace too harsh for the pay.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Three months ago, we hired a new guy named Bob. He had a background in forestry work, landscaping and worked a maintence job at a local Horticultural facility. The first 90 days of being brought on is a probationary period and it is essential to be on time.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Bob was consistantly late during this period and when he was working, he would frequently half-a everything and would sit on buckets and browse his
    via mantinfoilhat
  • phone. He could definitely keep up with labor at times, but he would get winded easily and would take frequent breaks to go stretch or sit down for a while.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • During his 90 days, he was called out for his tardiness and phone usage. He started to work harder but would take multiple bathroom breaks and would take an extra half hour on his lunch.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Whilst working this job, I have been job hunting and looking for a better opportunity. It is hard to find a good position and decent wage in this field. I am also looking for positions outside of horticulture.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • I ended up applying to an organic lawn care company. The interview was very thorough. I'd say it went very well and the manager and I talked on a personal level. They
    via mantinfoilhat
  • invited me to complete a form to do a background check, DMV record check and checked on my references. It seemed like I was a strong candidate and it was likely I'd be brought on.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Three weeks later, they politely turned me down and said they were "very impressed" with me and this was a tough decision. They could only bring on a single new hire and they went with another candidate. I didn't take it personal, said thank you and I continued to search for a new job.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Things stayed the same at my current job. Bob eventually put in his resignation. I asked him about his new job and we discovered we both applied for the same company and they chose Bob
    via mantinfoilhat
  • over me. He was totally shocked as I have been training him for months. It was a bit of a jab to my ego, jut more than anything it is really a surprise. They hired the worst guy on our team of four.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Cheezburger Image 10498538496
    via Marten Bjork for Unsplash

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Today is the last day of Bob's two weeks and he chose not to show up or notify anyone. Nobody is that surprised, and even the managers are joking that they made a mistake and that he won't last at his new job. Nobody knows the full story.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • I simply wanted to let my story be heard. I am resisting the urge of sending a snippet of this story to the recruiter and manager of the lawn care place, but that may be extremely petty and look bad on my part. I think nature will take its course and they will realize they hired a lazy guy.
    via mantinfoilhat
  • Summers_Alt Give em a few weeks with Bob then call the manager just to "follow up"
    via Summers_Alt
  • Illustrious-Army-339 Maybe you can capitalize on their inevitable buyers remorse in a couple weeks
    via Illustrious-Army-339
  • theoldman-1313 Bob's new employers will probably have a new opening soon.
    via theoldman-1313
  • CanAhJustSay You may find that they were able to offer Bob less than they would have paid you. It can go like that. Sounds like your current company lied on his reference, though. Unfortunately too many companies do that to get rid of bad workers and shirkers who never learn a consequence for poor work.
    via CanAhJustSay

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

Tags

workplace-stories jobs work stories job work coworkers new job interviews reddit story entitled people karma workplace reddit thread Reddit job interview interview job application
Scroll Down For The Next Article