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Man Gets In Trouble Because Of Coworker’s Rumors, Gets Revenge By Collecting Real Facts About Him
Some competition at work might be healthy and can foster motivation and innovation. But too much of it can lead to stress and conflict, harming the entire business.
A few days ago, Reddit user Solutions1978 made a post on r/PettyRevenge, recounting a workplace saga that vividly illustrates what happens when employees get obsessed with climbing the ladder.
A new hire joined his team and instead of focusing on the job, the guy immediately began spreading rumors, trying to sabotage his colleagues’ reputations.
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When this worker realized that his colleague was secretly spreading nasty rumors about him, he decided to take revenge
Image credits: APchannel/Envato elements (not the actual photo)
And started his own covert operation
Image credits: wosunan/Envato elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: wirestock/Envato elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Solutions1978
Rumors and lies can really damage an organization’s culture
The author of the post could’ve easily ended up in a very bad spot himself. Emma Seppälä, PhD, who is a faculty member at the Yale School of Management and the science director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, says workplace gossip can have devastating consequences.
“We tend to have a strong negativity bias,” she writes. “Almost all of us pay more attention to negative information than we do to positive information. Think about the last time you posted something to Facebook, for example, and got a string of enthusiastic comments followed by a single, stinging rebuke – which comment did you focus on?”
“We react similarly to information about others. Research by Stanford University professor Robb Willer shows that we take negative gossip about others seriously. We view it as useful information that can protect us. The result — if someone spreads false rumors about you — is that it’s hard to shake off that reputation. Not only can this experience damage your professional opportunities, it can be extremely stressful on a personal level.”
Image credits: fauxels/Pexels (not the actual photo)
According to Liz Kislik, who has taught at NYU and Hofstra University and helps organizations solve their thorniest problems, some employees really do indulge in gossip because they believe they can’t achieve their goals through good work.
What’s worse, they can be tricky to deal with — pointing out their lies can push them to “lie better.”
In these cases, she advises you to “document the lying employee’s behavior and your feedback so that you at least have a private record.”
“[When] you’re dealing with someone who lies repetitively, it may be an ingrained habit that’s hard for the liar to break. Even if they suspend the habit temporarily when they find themselves under pressure again, they’re likely to revert to lying as a coping behavior,” Kislik explains.
It’s in the company’s best interest to catch these folks and show them the door because such behavior causes poor decision-making and disrupts work relationships. Plus, leaders can’t afford to have employees thinking they’re willing to tolerate a toxic culture of lies and deceit.
So it seems like the villain of the post got what was coming to him.
As the story went viral, its author joined the discussion in the comments
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What do you think ?
KatSaidWhat 5 months ago
I got threatened with a written warning last week because the only person that didn't know I was WFH that day was the top brass. His little minion couldn't cope with doing her own job so went crying and he phoned me to tell me that he was going to do a written warning and look into legal options. Ok, Felicia. Next day, we had a chat, I apologised but said that I had in fact told everyone else and that perhaps if they are not coping with their own jobs, it's because I am constantly helping them out because I work smart, not hard. Something for him to chew on. Also, this guy is running an unaccredited blood lab in our building. Threaten my job again because of your minion, I will bring on an investigation.
DarkViolet 5 months ago
Oh, if I only could have employed OP's technique at a certain job. It would have made my year seeing certain individuals walking out the door, never to return.
Tonyah Mcanelly 5 months ago
I worked with a girl who was like this she would constantly yell at me in front of customers and office staff . I would embarrass me like i wanted to crawl under a rock and die embarrass. after the first time I forgave her and asked her to talk to me in private if needed. she apologized 2 months later the same thing then she aoplogized fast forward to 4 months later she did it again attemped to apologize i declined her apology telling her it means nothing to me if she keeps doing it. she got mad at me and told our manager i was saying inappropriate things. i got written up. When i get upset my mouth has no filters. but i dont feel like i said anything inappropriate. over the corse of 3 days she had gone off on everyone in her path it was sweet justice for me because she got fired and management realized I was not the common denominator. they removed my write up.
KatSaidWhat 5 months ago
I got threatened with a written warning last week because the only person that didn't know I was WFH that day was the top brass. His little minion couldn't cope with doing her own job so went crying and he phoned me to tell me that he was going to do a written warning and look into legal options. Ok, Felicia. Next day, we had a chat, I apologised but said that I had in fact told everyone else and that perhaps if they are not coping with their own jobs, it's because I am constantly helping them out because I work smart, not hard. Something for him to chew on. Also, this guy is running an unaccredited blood lab in our building. Threaten my job again because of your minion, I will bring on an investigation.
DarkViolet 5 months ago
Oh, if I only could have employed OP's technique at a certain job. It would have made my year seeing certain individuals walking out the door, never to return.
Tonyah Mcanelly 5 months ago
I worked with a girl who was like this she would constantly yell at me in front of customers and office staff . I would embarrass me like i wanted to crawl under a rock and die embarrass. after the first time I forgave her and asked her to talk to me in private if needed. she apologized 2 months later the same thing then she aoplogized fast forward to 4 months later she did it again attemped to apologize i declined her apology telling her it means nothing to me if she keeps doing it. she got mad at me and told our manager i was saying inappropriate things. i got written up. When i get upset my mouth has no filters. but i dont feel like i said anything inappropriate. over the corse of 3 days she had gone off on everyone in her path it was sweet justice for me because she got fired and management realized I was not the common denominator. they removed my write up.
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