Nobody enjoys seeing another person take credit for their work. Whether it’s a friend repeating the joke you just said louder so they get all the laughs or another student in your class copying answers from your test, it’s just not fair. So when one employee caught their colleague attempting to steal credit for their extensive report, they immediately shut the situation down. Below, you’ll find the full story that this employee recently shared on the Petty Revenge subreddit, as well as a conversation with the employee and some of the responses amused readers left.

It should go without saying that stealing credit for another person’s work is inappropriate

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

So after this employee caught a colleague passing off their report as her own, they decided to teach her a lesson

Image credits: The Coach Space (not the actual photo)

Image source: Aiku

Later, the employee responded to comments from invested readers and provided more information on the situation

Unfortunately, it’s quite common for employees to steal ideas or credit in the workplace

Image credits: Redd F (not the actual photo)

We reached out to the employee who shared this story on Reddit, Aiku, to gain more insight on the situation, and they were kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. We wanted to know what inspired them to share this story in the first place, and they said that this took place around 1991-1992, but they were recently reminded of it by reading a similar story on Reddit. Aiku also shared that this wasn’t the first time they had taken issue with this colleague. “A funnier situation occurred in the lunch room prior to this, where she was bragging about her school, which I think I previously mentioned, was for rich peoples’ stupid kids,” they said. And when it comes to why this sneaky colleague thought she could get away with stealing Aiku’s work, they guessed that it might have had something to do with their clothes. “I was the Event Manager, and during event season, I was largely seen in T shirt and jeans instead of the usual corporate monkey-suit garb.” Perhaps the woman thought that if she “looked the part,” she could fake it until she made it…

It’s an unspoken rule that we should never try to steal credit for anyone else’s work, but apparently, that rule does need to be said out loud from time to time. It’s slimy and unethical, but for some reason, there are people out there in various workplaces who feel no shame when it comes to passing off another person’s hard work as their own. According to a survey from Office Teams, 29% of employees report that they’ve had ideas stolen from them at work. It might not always be as blatant as this particular story on Reddit, but clearly, this is a problem impacting many offices. It can cause employees to lose trust in one another and cultivate a toxic work environment. So how are we supposed to remedy it? We don’t all have the opportunity to enact satisfying petty revenge in the moment, and it’s possible that in some workplaces, defending your own work could backfire. So we consulted this article from the Indeed Editorial Team detailing how to respond in these uncomfortable situations.

First, it’s recommended for employees to maintain their composure when you realize someone is trying to steal your work. As frustrating as this can be, it’s not always wise to respond emotionally in the workplace. Keep cool, evaluate the circumstances, and when you can, give your colleagues the benefit of the doubt. “Before assuming that someone has purposefully taken credit for your work, remember that it could happen accidentally. Consider moments where you may have accidentally claimed credit for something you didn’t do,” the Indeed team writes. “You can also ask others if they remember your name from the presentation or think through each part of the situation. It’s important to consider the circumstances because it may not be standard for you to receive credit. For example, if you’re writing a speech for someone or assisting your team lead with a presentation, it may not be necessary for them to give you credit.”

It is wise to know how to appropriately respond to colleagues when this happens

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)

Next, Indeed recommends focusing on communication and suggesting potential solutions. You may want to speak with the person who stole your work one-on-one first to hear their perspective, before calling them out in front of a supervisor or HR. Then, try to find a solution. If they admit that you deserve credit, you can address the correction with whoever it affects. And if you’re unable to agree on a solution together, don’t be scared to bring the issue to your supervisor, manager, HR representative, or anyone else who may be able to resolve the issue. We all deserve credit for our hard work, and it’s not worth it to stay silent solely to avoid conflict.

According to the experts, it’s often important who receives credit for work, as it can affect paychecks and the future of your career, so we shouldn’t be afraid of making sure credit is given where it is due. However, it’s important to go about it the right way. Be careful not to respond immediately out of emotion, as you may end up looking like a “kid who’s folded her arms and is pouting,” Karen Dillon, author of the HBR Guide to Office Politics, told Harvard Business Review. “If you’re emotionally piqued at being ripped off, it’s not the time to talk about it. Neurologically your mind is not working at its best, and you may get out-argued,” Brian Uzzi, professor of leadership and organizational change at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, adds.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to resolve these situations when they first appear. So if you’ve accepted that you may not get credit this time, you can focus on trying to prevent the issue from resurfacing in the future. When it comes to collaborative projects, this might mean agreeing upfront how credit will be allocated within the team. And if roles shift while you’re working, be sure to communicate clearly about how much responsibility each person has taken on. We can’t assume that everyone is on the same page; it’s important to actually have a conversation, ideally via email so there are paper trails. 

Leaders can also model appropriate examples of how to give credit to prevent these issues in the first place

Image credits: Austin Distel (not the actual photo)

And, of course, if you’d like your own team to follow the honor system when it comes to crediting one another, be sure to model good examples. “If you’re generous and intentional about sharing credit, others are likely to follow suit,” Amy Gallo writes for Harvard Business Review. “Never hesitate to ask your team: What’s the best way to make sure all of our work is recognized? Uzzi says that he used to add a slide at the end of his presentations with the name of everyone who had contributed to the research. ‘But I was rushed, and didn’t always get to the last slide,’ he says. Now he gives his collaborators the deck beforehand and asks, ‘What do you think? Does it give appropriate credit?’”

We all learned to give credit where credit is due as children, so let’s not let this lesson go flying out the window as adults. We would love to hear your thoughts on this particular situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this petty revenge was the right way to deal with this colleague? If you’ve ever had credit for your own work stolen in the workplace, feel free to share your personal stories in the comments, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring brilliant petty revenge that’s been enacted in the workplace, we recommend reading this story next!

Readers applauded the employee for their act of petty revenge and shared some of their own similar stories

Bored Panda has reached out to the Reddit user who shared this story and will update the article as soon as we receive a comment. 

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