It’s impossible to be friends with everyone. As they say, you can be the sweetest apple in the orchard, but some people just don’t like apples! When you’re at work, however, it’s important to at least be cordial with colleagues, so you don’t end up miserable for 40 hours a week.

But when a coworker made it extremely clear that he had no interest in being friends, one man decided to channel his petty side. Below, you’ll find the full story that the worker recently posted on Reddit detailing how he got revenge on his rude colleague, as well as a conversation between Bored Panda and the author. 

It’s not always possible to be close with your colleagues

Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages / envato (not the actual photo)

But when a coworker made it clear that he had no interest in being friends, this man decided to comply with a bit of pettiness

Image credits: msvyatkovska / envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: outersenshi

“He learned a valuable lesson, even if only temporarily, and I got to have a little bit of fun along the way”

Image credits: westend61 / envato (not the actual photo)

To find out more about this situation, we reached out to the author, Reddit user Outersenshi, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. First, we wanted to know what inspired him to share this post. “Mainly to get it out of my system,” he noted. “Another reason was because I wanted to share the story to others who might also want that small win in the office but maybe don’t know how to get back at a coworker in a professional but petty way,” he added with a laugh.

But unfortunately, the OP says that his coworker still annoys him. “That probably won’t change. He backed off for a day though and was a little bit more mindful about how he approached me, but I don’t expect that to last forever,” the author shared.

We were also curious to know if anyone else in the office addressed the messages that were sent in the group chat. “Two colleagues commented about them,” Outersenshi said. “One asked why that coworker was slacking that day and the other asked, ‘Who is he flirting with today to avoid work?’ From what I saw and heard, nobody else saw it as me calling him out or being petty. One did mention that I was being more detailed than usual with my messages to him though.”

The author added that he enjoyed reading the replies to his post. “I was happy to clarify and elaborate where needed. Generally, I thought the replies were positive. Some were a little bit off topic and some made assumptions, but it’s Reddit,” he continued. “I’m glad that people generally avoided getting into arguments in the comments section.”

Finally, Outersenshi added that it can be therapeutic to be petty sometimes. “In my line of work, sometimes we just need to sprinkle pettiness into the day to cope with everything. I never overdo it and mean it to be harmless in the long run,” he explained. “Yes, my coworker was called out for what he did, and yes, I was maliciously compliant. But for what I was petty for, he won’t get in any serious trouble, and at the end of the day, nobody got seriously injured. Emotionally or otherwise. He learned a valuable lesson, even if only temporarily, and I got to have a little bit of fun along the way.”

The vast majority of workers have at least one colleague that they’re not a fan of

Image credits: ivanmorenosl / envato (not the actual photo) 

Just like in school or at a family reunion, you’re bound to encounter some people that you don’t get along with at work. Perhaps you sit next to a colleague who’s constantly smacking their gum, or you’ve noticed someone who always leaves the water tank in the coffee machine empty after using it. Even if your job is fully remote, you might have a coworker who tries to make virtual meetings last way longer than they should.

Dealing with individuals that you’re not a fan of is an annoying yet inevitable part of life. And according to CNBC, a whopping 90% of Americans have at least one colleague who gets under their skin. In fact, 57% of workers have even considered quitting their jobs, or have left a job, because they simply couldn’t stand a coworker.

Apparently, the three most obnoxious habits that colleagues can have are interrupting, taking credit for someone else’s work, and oversharing. And if you find yourself struggling to keep your cool when dealing with annoying coworkers, psychologist Daniel Goleman told CNBC that the keys to success are self-awareness and self-management.

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He notes that it’s important to check-in with yourself and see how you’re feeling when you’re around a difficult colleague. Try to identify exactly what is bothering you about them, so you can learn how to anticipate their behavior and be more mindful of how to react.

In fact, it’s probably best not to react at all, but rather to self-regulate and focus on your breathing, for example. Goleman recommends “preparing your physiology” before encountering a frustrating colleague and trying to make your body more relaxed. “You can’t control what in life is going to trigger you,” he told CNBC. “But you can control how long you stay triggered and how long you are upset.”

Navigating company group chats can be challenging

Image credits: insidecreativehouse / envato (not the actual photo)

Even if you are friends with many of your colleagues, it can be difficult to navigate company group chats. You’re expected to be professional and polite, but the occasional meme or funny video might be considered appropriate as well. So if you need some tips on work chat etiquette, Taskworld has got you covered. 

First, they recommend not leaving messages on “read” without acknowledging that you’ve seen it. Don’t leave your colleagues hanging! Next, they suggest not sending a string of messages back to back. This can be overwhelming to see notifications pile in, especially if the person receiving them has their sound on. Simply craft everything you want to say in one go, and send it off.

And be careful not to get into any arguments over work chats. Sarcasm and jokes don’t always translate well over a screen, so it’s easy for messages to get misconstrued. If you’re frustrated, you can be direct, but be polite too. Messages can sound harsh when read without hearing a person’s voice. 

Taskworld also suggests refraining from criticizing anyone publicly. If you have a note for a colleague, address it directly with them. There’s no need to embarrass them or alert the whole team to what’s going on. Unless, of course, they’ve strictly told you not to send them direct messages…

It appears that the man in this story learned his lesson about telling colleagues not to contact him, but only time will tell. We would love to hear your thoughts on this petty revenge, pandas. Would you have responded in the same way? Feel free to weigh in in the comments, and then check out another Bored Panda article featuring work drama!

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Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the author joined in on the conversation

However, some made it clear that they weren’t fans of the story

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