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.

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  • Woman points directly toward the camera
    via Unsplash+ (via Artur Voznenko)

    A representation of an angry woman points directly toward the camera.

  • i started a new role at a distribution company about eight months ago and from the beginning i was put on a team that was genuinely understaffed and behind on everything. i came in and spent my first few months clearing a serious backlog, rebuilding reporting processes that were a mess and getting things running in a way they hadn't been for a while. i worked hard and the results were visible and i felt good about what i was contributing.
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  • then about six weeks ago i was pulling together some documentation for a project review and noticed something off in the system. several of the reports i had built and submitted were logged under my coworker Perry's credentials. not one or two but a consistent pattern going back months. Perry sat near me, had access to the same systems and had been there about six months longer than me.
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  • i sat on it for about a week trying to figure out if there was an innocent explanation. there wasn't one i could find. the timestamps didn't match his working hours on several of them and the formatting was mine in a way that was pretty distinctive.
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  • i went to HR and i was specific and i was thorough and i brought documentation.
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  • Perry was let go about three weeks later.
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  • he messaged me afterward and said i had gone out of my way to destroy someone who had a family depending on him and that i could have just come to him directly and given him a chance to explain before going straight to HR.
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  • he's not completely wrong that i skipped the direct conversation. i made a deliberate choice to go to HR first because i didn't trust that a conversation with him would go anywhere except him denying it and me having no recourse and i knew going to HR with documentation would be harder to dismiss. so i chose the path that was more likely to have consequences and i knew that when i chose it.
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  • i don't regret that he faced consequences for taking credit for my work.
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  • Employee leaves the office carrying a box of belongings after losing his job
    via Unsplash+ (via Vitaly Gariev)

    A representation of an employee leaving the office carrying a box of belongings after losing his job.

  • Comments, as we can expect, come from all types of Redditors with different and unique perspectives on this situation. I'll say I was shocked to see that most of them were backing the OP up and praising her attitude. They said your work is your work, and making it that known and appreciated is not a mistake.

  • Both-Entrepreneur809 going straight to HR with documentation wasn't wrong it was smart, a private conversation would've been pointless and you knew that, you protected yourself and reported theft of work through the proper channel.
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  • Spiritual_Aerie_8733 he got fired because he took credit for your work not because you reported him, those are two different things and he's trying to make you feel guilty for holding him accountable.
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  • Dramatic-Cancel-4533 you're not the a hole, he stole credit for your work over months and you reported it with proof, you don't owe him a private conversation where he can just deny it and keep doing it, HR was the right call.
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  • Intrepid-Worth3713 nta. i was in a similar situation, i decided to have the private convo... the person then did everything to destroy my reputation, started seeking out conflict in private while excluding me from several work meetings. i regret not going straight to HR.
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  • LastEntertainment787 NTA You didn't lose Perry his job. Perry lost his job. You did the correct thing, going to HR with documentation. If you'd gone to Perry first he'd have come up with something and gone to HR himself. Maybe next time he has a job he won't do this again. Again, Perry lost his job himself.
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  • Designer_Thought2907 Dude would've spun some story if you went to him first. He is a thief plain and simple, what was he gonna explain? That he stole credit because he was hungry? It's not a piece of bread
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  • Coworkers work side by side at a shared desk
    via Unsplash+ (via Vitaly Gariev)

    A representation of two coworkers work side by side at a shared desk.

  • SpiritualMethod8615 He did not loose his job because of something you did. He lost his job because of something he did. This is not on you brother. Did he ask if it was ok with you, have a conversation, if he stole the credit? HR did what it had to do to protect - you And Others - from his future actions. You did gods work - and deserve praise.
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  • Stonepainterist HE destroyed his job situation, not you! Way to take responsibilty for one's actions
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  • gdognoseit NTA He got fired because he's a liar and a thief who tried to take credit for YOUR work. You did the right thing. Don't ever let anyone use you to make themselves look good.
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  • Ok_Childhood_9774 NTA. Looks like Perry FA,FO. You didn't owe him a private conversation. If your company investigated the situation and fired him, then he clearly committed fraud. That's all on him.
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  • Good_Zookeepergame92 It's not your fault he was stealing your work. He did this to himself.
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  • Redjeepkev It's not your job to confront a thief. In fact he could have altered the reports to make it appear you were the theif
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employee coworkers coworker fired workplace stealing work
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