Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
No matter how hard we try to lead productive professional lives, drama seems to find a way to seep into our work. After all, offices are the ideal ground for things to get way too complicated and chronically misunderstood. Employees tend to spread rumors, air grievances, rant about wrongs, lash out, and intentionally exclude others — the list goes on.
While water-cooler whispers can sometimes build up to a boiling point, workers also engage in hilariously petty gossip. A month ago, a Reddit user we will call ThatYoungster asked, "What is the small scale work drama happening in your office right now?" Well, be sure to pull your chair closer because people just had to open up about the dirty details of their coworkers' behavior.
"When people work closely, they get to know each other like family and the boundaries become blurred," Marlene Chism, a consultant and executive educator told Bored Panda. But while we’ve all had colleagues who inject drama into every situation, it seems that not all gossip is harmful.
Executive coach Kaley Klemp added that any energy people spend on rumors is not available for the "real" work. "Whether big or small, drama takes away from the culture and productivity of teams." Continue scrolling for the whole interview and hit upvote on the funniest low-scale drama stories you can relate to all too well!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Asked the HR manager for my pay to be raised to minimum wage (I’m 25), she said I would be fired if I asked for it. Fortunately I recorded this conversation.
Sent the recording to the Legal Manager and now all s**t is going down
RELATED:
#2
Some a**hole changed the mouse setting on this other a**holes computer. Extra large jumbo cursor, trails across the whole screen, super slow so have to move the mouse across the whole desk to move the cursor halfway across the screen, switched the button orientation so you right click to left click. AH2 doesn't know computers he had to call IT and has been pissy every since. The office about died laughing but can't prove it was me.
#3
Our operations manager fell through the ceiling of the conference room. He wasn't invited to the meeting and wanted to listen in.
Marlene Chism, the author of Stop Workplace Drama and No-Drama Leadership, explained that while not all gossip is toxic, it is destructive when people use it to harm others. "For example, when you make assumptions about someone’s intention instead of asking them directly, or when someone spreads rumors because they haven’t had the courage to confront the issue directly," she said.
There are several explanations why people often get drawn into these little disagreements and gossip. "One reason is to be part of the 'in crowd' and another reason is boredom," the executive educator stated. "In addition, social media makes it more likely to engage in distractions simply because we have become undisciplined, and we easily take the bait when we get triggered or feel misunderstood."
Chism told us that these distractions ultimately get in the way of our mental health and productivity, so it takes more discipline and courage to identify them and refrain from engaging in them.
#4
We've just received our pay increase and bonus figures for the year, except HR sent a number of letters to the wrong people. Some of whom work together, doing the same job, but with different rates of pay and bonuses. Bedlam.
#5
I work in a hospital in acute mental health. When the vaccine mandate was implemented, a lot of people with seniority didn’t take the jab. Overnight, I suddenly had the most seniority out of everyone in my unit. That meant I had a chance of getting the coveted day shift my friend used to have. Wed, thur, Friday 7am-7pm every week. It’s awesome. I get every weekend off. This caused a s**t storm of drama and I f**king love it.
Red 2 years ago
Hospitals are a cesspool of drama. My friend started working at the city's health department. She's a goth, a bit too rough and is there to work, not to make friends. Some of the other nurses hate her and started doing stuff to get her fired, picking on her, making up stuff, complaining to their supervisors about things that never happened... Sure, she's my friend, but I know for a fact she's really good at her job and a valued professional. When her contract ended she applied to have it renewed, many of her coworkers asked city councilors and other people for help on getting their contracts renewed and new people applied to work at the health department. My friend was terrified but was one of the first to be called to get her contract renewed (for four years, double the regular contract), was able to chose where she was going to work, with better hours and is in charge of her unity, so better pay as well. All that effort to harm her could have been used, idk, working.
#6
Trying to get workers back in 3 days per week. Nobody coming in. Forced pregnant lady to come in. Midwife found out and noted pregnant woman was high risk and is demanding companies procedure and evidence or who and why this woman was told to come back. Its glorious to watch them scramble and panic. Lawyers getting involved.
Tiger Pearl 2 years ago (edited)
They chose the pregnant lady to force back because in their eyes she was least likely to refuse… whether they considered her weaker or that she has something more to protect and not in a position to lose her job. (Again this is speculation on what they may have been thinking.) I can’t stand people who try to bully those they think are weaker than them and abuse their positions. Edited for the misuse of then/than. It’s been a long day. 😊
We also managed to get in touch with Kaley Klemp, an expert in small-group dynamics and leadership development, and co-author of The Drama-Free Office. She added that so many of us spend a significant amount of time at work, and "because that work is meaningful both in terms of our sense of contribution and financial wellbeing, it’s easy for things to take on additional symbolic meaning, which can lead to drama."
People often take part in office gossip when there isn’t a culture of candor and feedback. "When people don't approach a person quickly and directly, little misunderstandings can escalate. There can be a short-term energy boost when engaging in gossip, but it doesn’t last and, in the long run, usually undermines trust," Klemp noted.
#7
One of my colleagues is really s**t at his job, and he has thus far ducked out of any responsibility by blaming others.
Yesterday the students found out that he failed 80% of them, and there were gangs of them marauding the corridors in search of him.
It. Was. Fun.
#8
Some Jacket that was in the exact Same Spot for about 10 years vanished, people are going apes**t crazy
#9
We have a jigsaw puzzle on one of the spare desks to give people the opportunity to sit down for five minutes and de-stress. However, there's a piece of this puzzle missing, and everyone is pointing fingers at each other and trying to work out who has stolen or hidden the piece. My two cents is that it's just a missing piece, but it's fun to sit and watch the madness unfold.
Drama often finds a way to turn into big arguments or long-lasting bickerings. However, no matter how it manifests, it can be a highly disruptive force inside a company. Chism explained that where we put our attention is where we put our energy. "Building habits of engaging in drama ensures that you build more networks in the brain to focus on and foster drama. It doesn’t take a white paper to know that workplace conflict causes stress and stress affects productivity."
"The need to be right is a sign that the ego has taken center stage. What’s missing in our world right now is the willingness to consider another point of view, the willingness to be curious and the willingness to be wrong. I always say that it’s not disagreements that ruin relationships, it’s disrespect. Most of us don’t know the difference."
#10
2 of my coworkers have proposed to me in the last 2 weeks. not a lot of people know but the ones who do are invested in the drama and its hilarious.
#11
My boss rearranged all the tables so that he can see what we are doing on our computers from his office. Since it's an open office workspace, it's very loud, so we got noise barriers. These blocked his vision, so he said we don't need them anymore. It's 12 people in one big office room on the telephone talking at any time. I can barely understand my own words. Everyone is angry.
#12
I work in a Law Firm. The Senior Partner thought that the Junior Partner was sleeping with the secretary, but she was actually covering for the Junior Partner being gay. It's a whole thing.
If you’re already wondering about ways to stay out of such drama, Chism argued avoidance is not necessarily a good strategy. "In fact, avoiding may make a drama-filled situation even worse," the executive educator said and added she dives deeper into the topic of the cost of avoidance, especially for leaders, in her forthcoming book From Conflict to Courage.
"There’s a difference between setting a boundary and avoiding. You can set a boundary and say, 'I refuse to gossip about other people,' which is different than avoiding the subject when it comes up and allowing the behaviors to continue."
#13
I work in a collision repair shop and we all think our painter might be colorblind...
2 years ago
Easy, just have a Mystery Color paint job selection and let him go nuts! I'd love to have a unique-colored vehicle, it'd be easier to find in the CostCo parking lot
#14
Everyone just had their end-of-year reviews and received their pay raises starting next month. This week, everyone who's not in upper management is starting to take turns 'having the flu' as we do interviews at other companies. Everyone is looking for the door right now.
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
Well Mike, what can I say? Your commitment and loyalty to the firm hasn't gone unnoticed by upper management. So I'm proud to tell you that after 5 years of hard graft, all of your work finally has paid off. Yes, you get a raise of 5 cents per week before taxes. That's how we reward our most valued employees.
#15
One colleague refused to sign another's birthday e-card, and now they won't speak to one another.
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
A lot of grown ups aren't adults. Just because you are 43, 53 or 76 doesn't mean that you're not a toddler. As proven by the former US president.
"Rather than perpetuating drama, I recommend looking for ways to constructively work together to understand and address the source of the situation," Klemp added. "Anytime there is drama, it’s worth getting curious about your own role, and how you can most skillfully navigate it. Ideally, companies are able to create norms around raising disagreements and a shared vocabulary and structure to do so, such that they can be constructive learning opportunities for all involved."
#16
A guy slept with 2 different girls and they both got pregnant
Plot twist? He's married his wife is a trucker so she travels alot he had to take temporary leave because one of the girls went out of her way to call the woman and she........freaked out and broke his arm in like 3 places
He's actually in pretty deep s**t tho one of the girls lied about her age on her job application and she's actually 17 so he might get charged with molestation depending on how her parents choose to react
The others 28 and looking into adoption agencies
The bosses have actually been very hush hush about the entire thing but I ended up trying to console the 17 year old when her doctor called her on her lunch break to confirm the pregnancy and she started sobbing uncontrollably and she basically unloaded it on me
#17
The old manager wrote a list of pros and cons for each employee for the new manager. She left it out where it could easily be read. There are three to five cons for each person and one to two pros. She hasn’t left yet. Everyone now hates her.
Spiral Agent 2 years ago
Make a list for her. 12 cons and 1 pro. The pro being she will one day be gone from this world.
#18
My colleague with kids commented on me booking all of the Easter holidays off from work. FYI, I do not have kids. Just because he has kids doesn't means he has first pick on the school holiday weeks. If you want it off, then book it first.
Jeremy Van Portfliet 2 years ago
@ Ace Girl. Why should we with out kids have to go out of our way?
#19
Two coworkers applied to be supervisor. One has the right degree but is apathetic to everything. The other has good instincts and is highly motivated but doesn’t have the degree. Guess who got the job? Now the go-getter is learning to let the apathetic one fail.
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
Some employers have a talent for putting the wrong people in the wrong positions. They also have a knack for wondering afterwards why so much suddenly goes wrong.
If you want to create a drama-free culture, you must first understand what’s in your control and what’s outside of your control. Chism said that while you can’t control other people, you can manage your own behavior.
"If your culture is full of drama, consider finding another place to work. It’s very difficult to swim upstream. In the meantime, you can get clear on your values, and then behave according to your values."
"Others judge you not by what you say you believe but by how your actions align with what you say you want. Be the change you want to see and stop justifying your behavior based on what everyone else does. If you want peace, be peaceful. If you want kindness, be kind," Chism concluded.
#20
Our bookkeeper has been losing checks, 2 in the last 2 weeks. She blames everyone but herself even though her office is constantly covered in piles of paper and we have paper trails to prove she received them. We got a replacement check today and she took a video of the check in the envelope to be deposited with all of our banking papers in the background as “proof” she didn’t lose it again. Then sent the video to my coworker and myself…but it wasn’t me. Just a random number in her contact that now has all of our companies banking info.
#21
There was a little drama last week when somebody left literally human s**t in the fridge before going to the doctor. In plastic see-through cup. With his name written on label.
#22
I let slip that Im having issues with my anxiety meds. And my boss is now taking the opportunity to throw it in my face at every opportunity.
God what a c**t
#23
Someone at my office is a note writer. You know, the kind that loves leaving laminated notes around the office saying things like, 'Please finish milk before opening new bottle.' They're everywhere, and a new one pops up every week. The kitchen is almost entirely made out of notes now. Now someone has started leaving reply notes on their notes with pictures of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers saying, 'NO.' I don't know who's doing either of them!
#24
My coworker was texting my old number thinking it was me, asking if I could cover a shift. The person who took over my old number replied to her saying, 'Gargle on my balls,' or something like that. I almost got fired for it.
#25
Dunno if small scale but everyone is being asked to work in the office starting April. We were working from home for the last 2 years and delivery was not affected whatsoever. Of course everyone is now looking to apply to another company even before April starts lol
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
That's what you get when the need to control obscures that you've been doing great without it.
#26
Someone's been eating people's sandwiches at work. They only take the sandwiches. I'm legit invested in this because I wanna know...why just the sandwiches?
River Webb 2 years ago
put cannabis or laxatives into the sandwiches, you'll find that sandwich theif in no time
#27
No-one gets along with our boss, so the company hired another “boss” to be our point of contact - he’s her deputy. The original boss has started gate crashing Zoom calls, she’s calling people on their days off and writing emails saying they’re unprofessional for not picking up (on their day off!) and told a pregnant lady about to go on maternity leave that she’s not happy about the pregnancy. A WhatsApp group has been made up where everyone is voicing their concerns to the deputy boss and things are getting out of hand quite quickly.
WilvanderHeijden 2 years ago
The madness of the company shows in their decision to hire someone to act as a middle man instead of firing a boss who is obviously too incompetent to build a good rapport with her team.
#28
I bid into a new position at work, and my previous job was a very sought after position. The guy who was in the lead to take my old job ( our bids are awarded based on senority) is a total asshat. He was a sure thing to get it much to my entire crews displeasure when all of the sudden our beloved home boy from the yard came in at the last possible minute and put his name in and will be getting the job. Asshat is going to have a total meltdown when he gets the news. Our crew is very pleased.
#29
The playstation got stolen. For f**ks sake. We used to do an F1 tournament every friday but the playseat ain't no fun without a playstation.
I will find out who the f**ker was.
#30
72 year old woman won’t stop gossiping about other coworkers. It’s about to turn into large scale drama because she’s gotten homophobic
#31
The forks all vanished recently, so they were replaced with new ones. Now the second batch of forks are missing, and the white board notes are getting a little aggressive.
#32
The loose ceiling tile above my desk that inches its way down every passing day unnoticed by osha or quality assurance inspectors that will eventually hit me over the head causing me serious neck pain and brain injury that I would need a considerable amount of $ to be compensated for the trauma it has caused me.
#33
A new hire lost the master set of keys for the entire building. If we can't find them, then we'll have to replace every single lock, which will cost thousands of dollars.
#34
I teach.
Our team (teachers of the same grade level) is going to send home colored paper note sheets for parents to write encouraging comments to their students for state testing coming up. We want it to be a surprise for the students. We decided to try to see if the office could give us half size manilla envelopes to use. We found out they could! (Very exciting as a teacher to get office supplies!) The secretary went into the locked closet to get us some envelopes.
Another grade level team found out that we got envelopes from the office. Now THEY want envelopes because it’s not “fair” that we got envelopes and they didn’t.
That’s the drama. Plus, one teacher that basically hates kids and her job and maybe everyone else will finally retire next year (but we all were hoping it would happen sooner).
#35
We had to show up for work every single day during Covid, work overtime to cover all the sick people and take on more work. The suits just announced that they were sending a gift to all the poor office people who had to work from home…
What do you think ?
Red 2 years ago
Not me but my friend. He really dislikes his coworker for extremely petty reasons. The guy is annoying and has absolutely no clue about how my friend feels. My friend has a full beard and has been really into taking care and grooming it for a long time, way before it became a popular thing. Now his coworker grew a beard and is acting like he's the local beard authority, giving my friend tips and telling him how to do this and that, how to groom, what to use... My friend is livid. I find it hilarious. Him ranting about his colleague is my favorite show to watch.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
It's just me and one other person in my area, and we share a nice little kitchenette with a fridge. I like chilled water so I brought in one of those fancy glass bottles of springwater with the wooden cap and put it in the fridge. A few days later it was gone and my co-worker mentioned having found some broken glass on the floor. Between that and a few other suspicious incidents we're pretty sure the cleaning staff have been helping themselves to our stuff.
Mouse 2 years ago
Put a little camera in the fridge. Seems to me that someone else did it on a BP post and caught the culprit.
Load More Replies...
Jennifer Howe 2 years ago
I suffer with my mental health and had time off which they were very unsympathetic about. I told my manager in advance that I would have to take a day off as I was having a wisdom tooth out. He said that was fine because it was a "proper medical issue"!
Red 2 years ago
Not me but my friend. He really dislikes his coworker for extremely petty reasons. The guy is annoying and has absolutely no clue about how my friend feels. My friend has a full beard and has been really into taking care and grooming it for a long time, way before it became a popular thing. Now his coworker grew a beard and is acting like he's the local beard authority, giving my friend tips and telling him how to do this and that, how to groom, what to use... My friend is livid. I find it hilarious. Him ranting about his colleague is my favorite show to watch.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
It's just me and one other person in my area, and we share a nice little kitchenette with a fridge. I like chilled water so I brought in one of those fancy glass bottles of springwater with the wooden cap and put it in the fridge. A few days later it was gone and my co-worker mentioned having found some broken glass on the floor. Between that and a few other suspicious incidents we're pretty sure the cleaning staff have been helping themselves to our stuff.
Mouse 2 years ago
Put a little camera in the fridge. Seems to me that someone else did it on a BP post and caught the culprit.
Load More Replies... Jennifer Howe 2 years ago
I suffer with my mental health and had time off which they were very unsympathetic about. I told my manager in advance that I would have to take a day off as I was having a wisdom tooth out. He said that was fine because it was a "proper medical issue"!
You May Like "Where Are Your Parents?": Karen Loses Her Cool After Mistaking 32-Year-Old For A Teen 40 Of The Biggest Double Standards In Society, According To People Online Landlord Decides To Sell Renovated Property, Is Shocked Evicted Tenant Took It All Back
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Gabija Saveiskyte
Related on Bored Panda
