Employee asks for tips on how to deal with a coworker who constantly reports everyone else’s slip-ups: ‘They turn every little thing into a investigation, escalations and somehow remember every mistake you’ve made’

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Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Aug 13, 2026 4:00 PM EDT

The classical 'Petty employee turned CEO' story that never occurs

At some point in our careers, we've all had that one coworker who thought that if they sided enough with the management team and worked as their informant, they would give them a better position and make them the company's CEO.

You're probably going to find out about it anyway, so here's a little preemptive truth-telling: That never happens. Ideally, an employee who flags persistent issues is retained and heard, but often they are either ignored without reward or disciplined for speaking up.

With that, I'm not saying the employee is an unsung hero; I'm simply saying that his efforts won't earn him a raise and management will likely realize he's being too extreme and escalating minor stuff.

Maybe my opinion will be a little too superstitious around this topic, but bear with me. I believe that if you leave people like this to their own fate, they'll eventually encounter the consequences of their actions on their own, without anyone's help. And in this case, I think those consequences will be negative.

Given this situation, would you confront your coworker, escalate the issue to your bosses, or just keep yourself away from the drama at all costs? I would definitely try to discuss it with all coworkers except him (rather than the internet) before arriving at any conclusions.

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  • man in front of laptop
    via Icons8 Team

    The pseudo-manager in question

    Representation

  • Does anyone else have a coworker who reports or escalates every small mistake?

    Anyone else have that one coworker who acts like they're the CEO every time you make a tiny mistake? Instead of just saying "hey, this is wrong," they turn
    via AromaticCitron7440
  • every little thing into a investigation, escalations and somehow remember every mistake you've made since the Stone Age.
    via AromaticCitron7440
  • two women writing on paper near laptop
    via Amy Hirschi

    The management team reviewing every mistake ever made

    Illustration

  • How do you deal with these people?
    via AromaticCitron7440
  • truth_bombs ⚫ . I let them escalate. Just because THEY think you did something wrong doesn't mean you did. Some people just love feeling and acting like they're smarter than everyone in the room.
    via TrUth_bOmbs
  • SgtPepper_8324 · Let them constantly escalate things. They're managers will get frustrated after a while. They're dealing with someone constantly screaming "wolf".
    via SgtPepper_8324
  • Ultimatesims. No, because I would be involving HR. Unless you are a manager this is not your job. I would probably just reply to her email asking my manager if I report to her now since she is tracking my performance. Might bcc HR too.
    via Ultimatesims
  • man in suit jacket
    via Hannah Nicolet

    The coworker after he escalated yet another mistake

    Subject is a model

  • Of course, I would advise the coworkers to try to keep a distance from this employee and to do the best they can at their jobs, because I think that, with time, things will find their course; but I understand there are other options to deal with this issue, just like escalating it.

    The second option, in my opinion, would be too similar to his actions, and it might cause major drama, which wouldn’t be useful to anyone. In my opinion, it’s always best to be far away from where the drama has its focal point.

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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