‘"You knew I could hear you, right?" and he said "Huh?"’: Coworker Darron accidentally answers call on Truck Bluetooth, trashes colleague without knowing she can hear him

Under a hot mic and a cold smile, a field supervisor complains to a new hire that the dispatcher "always" calls wrong, then picks up a second call with his polite voice like the previous sentence didn't happen; she keeps it professional, cites the policy that has her use her cell to keep the landline free, and loops management so the facts outrun the gossip. 

Workplaces, as we all unfortunately know,  run on quiet logistics and loud egos, and the loud part loves to coach loyalty in the passenger seat while relying on the very system it's undermining. And back-channel digs travel faster than memos and prime rookies to disrespect the person who keeps routes tight and customers calm. Informal tech habits, like using personal phones, blur favors into expectations, and expectations into resentments, which fragile people then frame as someone else's "tone." Titles without self-control become culture debt: tiny slights, shifting blame, and the soft exile of the person who documents things instead of venting about them.

Like what you see? Follow our WhatsApp channel for more.

Author image for Etai Eshet Etai Eshet
Advertisement

  • Supervisor didn't realize he'd answered my call, I overheard him dissing me to another employee

    Angry Car Driver with Phone in Hand looking out the window in a threatening manner
    via welcomia

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Advertisement
  • I (28F) have a coworker "Darron" (32M) who I thought I had a good working relationship with, but I guess not.
    via Velmabutgoth

  • The counter is boring and undefeated. Move as much as possible to written channels, recap calls in short emails that restate decisions, and attach every request to a policy, not a personality. Keep a dated log of incidents and route anything serious through the manager with concise summaries, not emotion. Reputation is infrastructure; it’s built with receipts, timestamps, and follow-through. If someone insists on being two different colleagues, nice on the call, nasty off it, the record should only recognize the version that withstands playback. Bluetooth didn’t sabotage him; his character did, and a paper trail is the fix that never drops.

  • He is the field supervisor (not my supervisor), and I work in the office of a small cleaning company.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • We must work closely together via call, text, and meeting because of him being the super, and me being the main dispatcher.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • woman sitting in an office setting, on the phone. looking offending or confused by what she's hearing
    via Wavebreakmedia

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I use my personal cell and always have (as do many people at this company, it is on the owners direction to) for work communications,
    via Velmabutgoth
  • and the other phone I have is the main office landline.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • I had asked him about something work-related around 11am, and when he had not said anything by 1pm I called him,
    via Velmabutgoth
  • and I heard him struggling to get his phone to connect to his trucks Bluetooth-he clearly did not hear me saying "Hello? Darron? Can you hear me?",
    via Velmabutgoth
  • man sitting in a car speaking on the phone. looks like he's shouting in anger
    via GoodLifeStudio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Advertisement
  • and then I clearly heard him say, to our young new hire he had in his truck,
    via Velmabutgoth
  • "She always does this! Just call me off the work phone! She is so bad at this- ' always calling me, for f sakes.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • So annoying!"
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • I was crestfallen, hung up, waited a few minutes, and then called him back.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • He picked up with his usual nicey- nice tone, and kept it fairly professional and got the information I originally needed.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • I then said "You knew I could hear you, right?" and he said "Huh?"
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • I explained to him, firmly but politely, that as per company rules, I called him off my cell phone so as to keep the customer line (landline) free,
    via Velmabutgoth
  • and that if he has an issue with that to please schedule an appropriate time for a meeting with me as per my office hours,
    via Velmabutgoth
  • and that I would love to loop in the general manager for that meeting, so I will be sure to get it on the books asap.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • He kind of stuttered out something about how he isnt sure what I was talking about, and how my phone is "hard to hear" (this has never been mentioned before).
    via Velmabutgoth
  • I brought this to the GM, and she was appalled by his lack of professionalism, too.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • I have to have a sit- down with her and HR next time HR has open office time.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • Advertisement
  • I don't want him to get in trouble, but if he has been talking smack about me to the other techs, it explains why everyone has seemingly been colder to me in the last 6 months, especially new hires.
    via Velmabutgoth
  • I really love my job, and I try my best to be sweet and helpful and on the ball, so it really feels like a gut punch to hear how the supervisor really feels.
    via Velmabutgoth

Stay up to date by following us on Facebook!

Tags

management boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From FAIL Blog

'Carol, I can't lose $20K': Entitled 53-year-old aunt throws a tantrum after discovering her 26-year-old niece is getting married where her ex-husband proposed to his mistress

'Carol, I can't lose $20K': Entitled 53-year-old aunt throws a tantrum after discovering her 26-year-old niece is getting married where her ex-husband proposed to his mistress

Trending Now

Employee forced to train his 2 entitled replacements during final weeks after being let go, gets payback on his last day: 'Yeah, I'm not doing that'

Employee forced to train his 2 entitled replacements during final weeks after being let go, gets payback on his last day: 'Yeah, I'm not doing that'

01
‘HR hung up on me’: After being fired, HR director contacts ex-employee asking to hire them as a contractor, only to be appalled when they ask for a pay rate 5x their former salary

‘HR hung up on me’: After being fired, HR director contacts ex-employee asking to hire them as a contractor, only to be appalled when they ask for a pay rate 5x their former salary

02
Nanny asks for a $5 raise after working with a family for 2 years, then she burns a bridge when the parents counteroffer with a pay cut: 'Mom thinks she's being savvy'

Nanny asks for a $5 raise after working with a family for 2 years, then she burns a bridge when the parents counteroffer with a pay cut: 'Mom thinks she's being savvy'

03
‘And the [girl] had her first car’: Elderly couple that neighboring teenager helped out pass and include her in the inheritance but the family “Karen” tries to cut her out, so other members secretly give her their car

‘And the [girl] had her first car’: Elderly couple that neighboring teenager helped out pass and include her in the inheritance but the family “Karen” tries to cut her out, so other members secretly give her their car

04
20+ Entitled job candidates who did not impress the hiring managers: 'The world does not revolve around your ideal schedule'

20+ Entitled job candidates who did not impress the hiring managers: 'The world does not revolve around your ideal schedule'

05
Boss refuses to acknowledge employee's two-week notice, refusing to discuss it further and acting like they aren't leaving: 'She's still assigning me projects for next month. Still scheduling me for meetings three weeks out'

Boss refuses to acknowledge employee's two-week notice, refusing to discuss it further and acting like they aren't leaving: 'She's still assigning me projects for next month. Still scheduling me for meetings three weeks out'

06
Advertisement