Employee gets coworker Perry fired after discovering he had been taking credit for months of their work: ‘I brought documentation’

Author image for Cata Holmes
Cata Holmes • Writer
Jun 28, 2026 8:00 PM EDT

Should you confront a coworker before going to HR?

This question is an eternal debate. From one perspective, you want to value and respect your work, and getting the recognition you deserve is part of that- But, on the other hand, reporting a coworker to HR is a whole other thing. In this story, an employee realized that one of his teammates was putting his own name in a compilation of very important reports, as if he were the one writing them. The OP, who is the OG writer, got so mad that he told HR and got him fired three days later.

I'll be the first to say that I think the OP did well. It's hard to get some good work done, and if she has to demand one of their coworkers, no matter how good their relationship is, I don't believe it's a wrong move. Maybe she wasn't expecting management to fire him; perhaps that's a bit extreme, but when it comes to making yourself worthy, I'm all for that.

Now, I'd love to see how her other piers reacted. This is the lore I want in my office. Such a fun thing to witness, although I'd feel bad for that person leaving. But, I wonder…. is it okay to feel bad about him? Because, at the end of the day, he was getting praised for work he hadn't done. That's stealing in my handbook. Anyways, I think she did well.

Just some corporate advice for y'all today: professional accountability can feel harsh, especially when personal circumstances enter the conversation. But having a family or facing financial consequences doesn't erase workplace misconduct. Responsibility ultimately rests with the person who chose to claim someone else's work, not with the employee who documented it and followed the proper reporting process.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement

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

Tags

employee coworkers coworker fired workplace stealing work
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From FAIL Blog

Employee gets back at demanding colleague by submitting tasks at the last minute and causing her to almost miss deadlines: ‘I'm watching her spin out’

Employee gets back at demanding colleague by submitting tasks at the last minute and causing her to almost miss deadlines: ‘I'm watching her spin out’

Trending Now

Employee pretends to be friendly with coworker for months only to extract important information about the workplace: 'The friendship part might have been real at first, but somewhere along the way it started feeling more like a project to him'

Employee pretends to be friendly with coworker for months only to extract important information about the workplace: 'The friendship part might have been real at first, but somewhere along the way it started feeling more like a project to him'

01
University library employee reports increasing student entitlement towards loaned laptops since 2020: 'I've had more than one patron demand I get them a different laptop because the one I grabbed from the cabinet didn't look nice enough'

University library employee reports increasing student entitlement towards loaned laptops since 2020: 'I've had more than one patron demand I get them a different laptop because the one I grabbed from the cabinet didn't look nice enough'

02
Bride to be considers not making her lifelong best friend her maid of honour because she didn't defend her when coworker made nasty remarks about the wedding: 'I worry I’m overreacting and 20 years of friendship should outweigh this situation'

Bride to be considers not making her lifelong best friend her maid of honour because she didn't defend her when coworker made nasty remarks about the wedding: 'I worry I’m overreacting and 20 years of friendship should outweigh this situation'

03
Employee gets laid off without notice, and when he says he already has a new job, he gets asked if he was going to give proper notice: ‘You just told me my role is done by Friday, and you're asking me about proper notice.’

Employee gets laid off without notice, and when he says he already has a new job, he gets asked if he was going to give proper notice: ‘You just told me my role is done by Friday, and you're asking me about proper notice.’

04
Stepdaughter refuses to rely on wealthy stepmom after watching her use money to control the family: ‘I've seen what financial dependence does to my dad’

Stepdaughter refuses to rely on wealthy stepmom after watching her use money to control the family: ‘I've seen what financial dependence does to my dad’

05
Teen son spends his mom's dream concert complaining and begging to go home, so she bans him from seeing his favorite artist: ‘Natural consequences’

Teen son spends his mom's dream concert complaining and begging to go home, so she bans him from seeing his favorite artist: ‘Natural consequences’

06
Advertisement