20+ Employees who worked with unprofessional coworkers: 'Project manager... [paid] $19,000 worth of overnight shipping charges'

There's a fine line between being the office jokester and being the coworker everyone dreads to see coming. Just ask these employees — they dealt with some truly unprofessional behavior at their jobs! 

Every workplace has a different tolerance for how they expect employees to behave, ranging from buttoned-up and proper, to a very casual, chill environment. If you work at a law firm, the environment will be far different than say, a cafe, or a construction site, or a doctor's office. The levels of decorum are reflected not only in how workers are expected to dress, but also in the ways they talk to each other. 

These workers weren't impressed by the unprofessional ways their own coworkers were acting. For many of them, recording the bad behavior as it was in progress was key to helping them keep their jobs and highlight their own innocence when HR was finally brought in. One person was flabbergasted when a boss chided them for refusing to answer their personal phone… knowing all the while that they had a work phone they were supposed to use to communicate with this individual. Another person shared that their boss held a big meeting, and decided to reveal that he and his wife were divorcing. That kind of awkward, Michael Scott type of behavior had the entire workplace cringing hard. Sometimes you don't know you've crossed the line at work until it's too late, as you can read all about down below. 

Next up, read about this contractor who got wind that the boss liked to fire contractors, so he pulled an Uno reverse and quit mid-project: "My contractor coworker quit with 10 seconds' notice." 

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Author image for Remy Millisky Remy Millisky
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  • 01
    4 coworkers sit on green couch while one sits on floor, 2 women sharing a plastic container, one woman is writing while sitting on beanbag chair, one man is holding a coffee cup, and one man sits on floor
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

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

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    big_d_usernameta... I had a plant super who I really couldnt stand and he didnt like me. Smarmy ass he was. Think "Yeahhhh, that'd be great." He kept pulling me in the office telling me I "wasn't pulling my weight."
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    I asked who was complaining and he wouldnt say, just kept saying the same things, and eventually I realized he was trying to make an example of me to prove he was "tough." So, I called HQ and told the head of HR for the company, who was a frequent presence at our facility that if he did not get down here and get this solved that I was going to file a lawsuit
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    for hostile work environment. He was immediately adamant that I not do that, and he was there the next day sitting down with me and the accuser. I had copies of all my work proving that I had met all my metrics, and that it was harassment, plain and simple.
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  • 05
    Got an acknowledgement from the idiot that I had in fact been doing everything correctly. With an apology from the corporate head of HR. The best part? The idiot was let go 6 months later. Me?
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    I worked there another 30 years until I retired.
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    Sc... Had a coworker spread rumors they slept with another coworker. Which was humorous for her and I because we were hanging out during the timeframe he claimed he was happening.
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  • 08
    eaglescout1984 Not a coworker, but a sales representative that came to our office. He took my "department" (a grand total of 2, including me) out to lunch. And then out of nowhere began talking about how he and his wife had separated and maybe
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    heading for divorce and just all the details about that had culminated in that. The most awkward business lunch I've ever had by a long shot.
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    almighty_smiley I was cornered at my desk by a coworker asking if I had a problem with her. Asked what was wrong, she said "Don't play that game, you know." and that we'd be meeting HR at 3. It was
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  • 11
    quashed by management pretty quickly, but to this day I have no earthly idea what set her off. But I do have a problem with her now.
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    RottingGudetama I had a supervisor give made up bad references so she wouldn't have to fill my position when I left. In 4 years I couldn't figure out why my performance evals were exemplary but no one would hire me. When I found out what she was doing I started using her boss as my reference and was offered the first job I applied for.
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    Psyco_diver I was a District Loss Prevention Manager for a large retailer, the DLPM for the next District left and the Region LPM was covering, I had my own RLPM but he was still above me. He had a court case for a major theft and he told me to attend.
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  • 14
    Not unusual for us to act as a representative for the company. The kicker is, the old DLPM was directly involved in stopping the theft and getting him arrested. This guy wanted me to lie in court and say I was there and involved. Fuck that, he kept trying to push me so I reported him to my RLPM. He didn't get in trouble but my promotion I was training for stopped and sunk my future there
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    DrProctor1692 The one people always get a kick out of is my old coworker who would show up to his shift 1 - 2 hours early and still manage to clock in an hour late. Every. Day.
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    He'd recline back in the seat of his car and go back to sleep and never set an alarm. My boss got sick of waking him up every day and eventually fired him.
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  • 17
    safewarmblanket I'm an RN and I got to work before my LPN one morning but...I was a little later than usual. This would mean the LPN had to help set up for the day. Spoiler: LPN is supposed to get there early too, but NEVER did. So this morning, when I am there before her but later than usual, she tells me "you need to start getting here
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  • 18
    earlier so we can have this set up and ready on time". | just gave her the blank stare, no words. She asked me if I heard her and I said no, so she repeated it. Again, I gave the blank stare. I'd always been respectful and nice, buying her a snack when I went out for lunch (something she never reciprocated). She was older and had been there longer but I ranked above her in
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  • 19
    responsibility because she worked under my license. I kinda felt like this made us equals and always treated her as an equal. After she did this, I stopped being nice and just behaved neutral, did my job, didn't speak with her unless I had to. This made her behavior escalate and she stopped doing her work, thinking I'd just do everything.
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  • 20
    Joke's on her. I didn't need to work so I quit just before the holidays so she had to work every one. When I told the office I was leaving she said, "must be nice to not have to work" under her breath (she was always passive aggressive like that) and I said, "you know what it IS really nice! I'm glad I made good life choices so I don't have to work in a shitty environment". I then
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  • 21
    announced I would be working in a different office my last day which meant she had to do all her work. I grabbed my stuff so I wouldn't need to go in her office all day and never saw her again. I got to hear her talking about me all mad and shit the whole day, lol, she didn't realize I could hear everything from where I was working. It was SO SWEET. I wasn't upset at all, I was
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  • 22
    getting to quit and take a break from work for a long while. My getting to quit was directly tied to her shitty attitude (my partner was like, you don't have to put up with that, just quit). So she did me a solid. And hearing her anger and attitude made me happy. It was the best day at work I ever had.
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  • 23
    When I returned my key, I told the receptionist to tell her thank you.
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  • 24
    Woman skateboards through office full of workers in modern cubicles
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

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

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    jccaclimber Ordered me to sign off on a plan that involved forging a massive amount of production data before a customer visit. I didn't, but I did find my way out of there. Pretty sure that NA head of quality is still there.
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  • 26
    Sarge1387 Actually just went through this. MY team works closely with an outside sales team, and this particular dude has been struggling lately, being. called out but us for using less than admirable procedures to skirt protocols etc, getting into hot water. Well two Fridays ago, at 3:50pm (we're done at 4) while I'm away from my desk talking to one of the
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  • 27
    engineers about another job, he calls my office...well with the HVAC system on I didn't hear it (seriously, sounds like a Jet engine). Next I get a phone call on my personal cell phone from a number I don't recognize, so I did what any normal person does- I hit "send to voicemail". Well two minutes later my boss comes running out saying "S was trying to
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  • 28
    reach you, said he called your phone" and I went "Oh was that him? I ignored the call on my cell because I didn't recognize the number" Anyways, five minutes later I call him back and just say "Hey man, sorry about that I was talking with J about X job, and I don't have you saved on my personal phone, so when I don't recognize the number I don't answer." We go on
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  • 29
    about the business of the call, which wasn't urgent in the slightest. Monday comes up, and my boss pulls me into his office and goes "remember what happened Friday? Well S complained to his boss and now I have to write you up" and I said "uhh...what the hell for?" and he goes "for not answering your phone or your cell phone". I literally started shaking my head
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  • 30
    and laughing and just said "yeah, I'm not signing anything" "Well you have to" "Like hell I do, Boss. Tell me why" "he overheard you on my phone say you ignored his call because you didn't recognize the number, you're supposed to answer" Me-"My personal phone? You're trying to write me up for not answering my personal cell phone at work"
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    B-"Well it doesnt matter, he tried to reach you and you didn't answer" Me- "again, my personal phone. Wonder how he got that number?" B- "I don't agree with it, but I have to...why weren't you at your desk?" (now trying to deflect because he knew I was right)
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  • 32
    Me-"Well because I was discussing another job with J in his office...and besides, I'm not chained to my desk. Hey, what would he have done if I was taking a s`t?" b-" Well you don't need to be lude about it"
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  • 33
    Anyways, I'm sorry for ranting...really pissed me off. The slimy fucker tried to get me in shit for not answering my personal cell phone when he called it, which I don't use for work. AFAIK My boss never pushed anything forward formally with HR...but holy fuck I was FUMING
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  • 34
    Lemonocalypse I was working as a seasonal clerk for an IT help desk with about 5 other seasonals. There was supposed to be a chance that we got held on permanently, but we all knew that it wasn't going to happen. This really upset one of my seasonal coworkers, Chris, and he took it out by placing an "anonymous" tip to upper management that one of our
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  • 35
    leads, Francisco, had lied on their application in an attempt to get him fired. This led to an investigation of Francisco, which of course turned up nothing. Because management found out that the tip was fabricated, Chris was fired instead. Well Chris went to our union and claimed it was retaliatory because of the anonymous tip he placed, and somehow managed to
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  • 36
    get his position reinstated, although he was ultimately sent to work in the mailroom and was furloughed the following season. Not sure what his end goal was there, but I'm sure he's still out there somewhere lying to get people fired.
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  • 37
    ramenonxbox My CEO was announcing my (previously) amicable departure at a company- wide meeting. After the announcement he proceeded to cuss me out in front of everyone and went on about my betrayal and how 'bone headed' I was for leaving 'such an amazing company. I feel bad for anyone still working for him.
    via u/

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