Soon-to-leave employee starts intentionally rage-baiting coworkers: ‘And I encourage anyone reading to stand up for themselves and not let insecure people take their problems out on you’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Oct 3, 2026 1:45 PM EDT

What goes around comes around in a different font

I have a friend who always says even the smallest things require payback. Yes, he's petty like that; he needs to get even, and I lowkey think he has a point.

The employee in this story had the perfect chance to get payback for everything her shady coworkers had done to her. When you have given your notice and know you're moving on to better opportunities, you know acting a little petty can't cost you your job.

Although I think it's fair to get even and let your shady coworkers know they can't mess with you, we have to be careful not to overstep the line. Not taking the work they used to throw at you is one thing, but going out of your way to give them more work directly hands them the moral high ground.

This employee has to be very careful not to cause the cycle to begin all over again, thereby making revenge chronic. Stating your ground is just that: showing you are strong enough and that they can't step all over you; that's it.

Still, this employee is changing jobs in no time, so I assume she doesn't care anymore and is only doing this for the sake of pleasure. Call me superstitious, but I think what goes around comes around, and she should not take it too far.

To me, revenge is fine when it is small and relatively fair, but it can't go beyond that. If it does, you run the risk of it coming back to you later, in a different font.

Either way, we have to give it to her; it's amazing to finally break free from the people-pleasing script and be mean for once. Have you ever had the most perfect revenge? Do you think revenge is always worth it? Or it could potentially backfire in the future, at some point in her career?

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  • Cheezburger Image 10668438016
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Happy to ragebait

    Image for illustrative purposes

  • I’ve intentionally been rage baiting my coworkers and it’s amazing

    I've always been a bubbly girl, and was encouraged to not entertain drama, or conflict. It's lead to r de at work stepping all over me. Don't get me wrong, I made some good friends here as well. But
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  • ever since I announced I'm quitting to pursue my dream job in January, I've intentionally started being mean back to the office I. I'm putting this out there to encourage anyone else reading this who has
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  • always been encouraged to keep smiling, and take bulls, that you do not have to. The only people pushing these ideas are the who want to use you for being too nice.
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  • It's been so hard to break out of my coding and actually start being sarcastic and r de, but you gotta look after yourself. And staying in this no conflict mindset is bad for
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  • you. Anyways, it's so satisfying watching them realize they needed my work after all. And making them do it themselves. Sometimes I'll even go out of my way to make things. more difficult for them, and
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  • laugh at them like they used to laugh at me when I was new. I know my boss will talk to me about it eventually but I don't care anymore. I still help the friends I've made, but f
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  • Cheezburger Image 10668438272
    via Vitaly Gariev

    They deserve it

  • everyone else. And I encourage anyone reading to stand up for themselves and not let insecure people take their problems. out on you
    via Gred-and-feor
  • Button_Mongoose10 Making them do the work they dumped on you is fair, but going out of your way to make it harder is how you hand them teh moral high ground.
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  • MolDanone Office dynamics can turn into an anthropological experiment when boredom strikes. Dropping minor pedantic contradictions into casual small talk and watching people spiral is a dangerous sport.
    via MolDanone
  • Cheezburger Image 10668438528
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Succesfully rage baited

    Model portrayal

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