If you have ever worked in a toxic office environment, you know how it feels to experience the relief of finally leaving. After your last day, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. The air feels fresher, and the days feel brighter because you no longer have to spend 40 hours a week in a bleak office tiptoeing around colleagues who make you feel stressed or inadequate. Usually, after exiting a toxic workplace, you’re just happy to be free and never have to speak to your old co-workers again. One man, however, recently was given a golden opportunity to get revenge on his former workplace bully.

Below, you can read the full story that Reddit user DenniseDenephew shared on the Petty Revenge subreddit, detailing how he was able to get back at a former toxic colleague, as well as some of the responses his post has received. Enjoy this story of sweet revenge, and then let us know in the comments what you think about the situation and if you’ve ever had the chance to get back at a toxic colleague. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article featuring even more tales of petty revenge, check out this story next. 

Several months after leaving his toxic work environment, this man finally had the chance to get back at his former bully

Image credits: Tony Mucci (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Austin Distel (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Redd (not the actual photo)

After assuming he would never see his bully again, one night the author spotted him while he was on a date

Image credits: cottonbro (not the actual photo)

Image credits: DenniseDenephew

We’ve all been told a million times that bullying is a prevalent issue and that we need to put a stop to it. But we often forget that it happens outside of schoolyards and social media pages. Adults are not immune to it and especially not at work. In fact, a 2019 survey from Monster.com reports that almost 94% of over 2000 employees surveyed said they have experienced bullying in the workplace. And apparently it’s becoming more of a problem over time, as in 2009, 75% of employees said they had been bullied at work.

As with bullying at school or online, bullying at work can manifest in a variety of different ways. It comes from a boss or manager about half the time, and it can include receiving or being mentioned in aggressive emails, hearing negative gossip from colleagues, being yelled at and more. 

Workplace bullying, like all forms of bullying, should be taken very seriously, as it can have devastating effects. On the victims, the stress of experiencing bullying can be detrimental to their mental and physical health, causing anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, panic attacks, IBS, PTSD, and skin disorders. Our bodies are not meant to experience stress on a daily basis, especially not for 40 hours or more a week. 

“Just because bullying is common–too common, per our survey results–doesn’t mean it’s normal,” Vicki Salemi, Monster Career Expert, told Forbes. “This is unacceptable behavior and it should not be normalized. If this is happening to you, and you’re on the receiving end, you deserve better! The good news is there are better bosses and companies who do treat you with respect and colleagues who don’t gossip out there.”

Considering that DenniseDenephew had been subjected to countless instances of workplace bullying from Chris, I think he is justified in ruining one date for him. Unfortunately, we don’t always get the chance to stand up to our bullies and call them out, but this act of petty revenge was the perfect way to get back at the aggressor. He didn’t fight fire with fire; he simply told Chris’ date the truth about him and made him uncomfortable by making his presence known. We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation down below, and if you have any great stories of petty revenge, feel free to share them as well.

Readers are applauding the man for finally getting his sweet revenge, while some have even shared their own stories of petty revenge

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