If you’ve ever worked in an unpleasant office atmosphere, you know how satisfying it is to eventually be able to leave. Typically, when you leave a toxic employment, you’re just relieved to be free and never have to talk to your former coworkers again. One man, on the other hand, was recently offered a wonderful chance to exact revenge on his former workplace bully. Read the complete tale that this man shared outlining how he was able to retaliate against a former toxic coworker. Enjoy this tale of sweet vengeance, and then tell us in the comments what you think about the scenario and whether you’ve ever had the opportunity to retaliate against a nasty coworker.
Source: Reddit
So back in June, I left a very toxic workplace of 8 years. I mainly left due to having a break-down from being overworked. But this one particular person made working there even worse on-top of the excessive work.
This guy was 1 year younger than me. He was a 30 year old man, the type of guy that appears to have peaked in secondary school, very jock-like mentality and childish too. He was part of my team of 4. I was civil with him just because I had to work with him but he WAS my workplace bully.
Apart from just the general “workplace banter”, this guy (let’s call him Chris) was relentless with his teasing. What would usually be classed as ‘playful’ always pushed to bullying from him because he never knew when to quit. And if he noticed you were getting stressed or annoyed. He’d use you as a target of his teasing for the rest of the day. He would be super nice to you when it’s just the two of you, but as soon as he has an audience, he picks his ‘victim’ and will tease them constantly in what he would call “playful”. And if you ever got annoyed and stood up for yourself, he’d say he’s “only messing” and make out like he’s the victim. He’s that type of person.
One specific thing that he absolutely lost any respect I had for him was when I was STILL working there, some ex-employee wrote a very aggressive and angry review on glassdoor about the company. Just because this person used a phrase that I use, Chris thought the review was me… As much as I proved that it wasn’t me (didn’t even have a glassdoor account at the time). He was relentless with campaigning around the office that I was the one that wrote it. I also believe he told the boss that I was the one that wrote it once I left and that’s why I didn’t get any freelance work from them afterwards.
So after I left my workplace, my old team still has a whatsapp group that I’m a part of and we still talk almost every other day on it. After I left the group chat went a bit quiet, I assumed they made a new one of just them which is fair. But the chat still kept going occasionally. I unfollowed and unfriended Chris on facebook and instagram because I just didn’t want to be associated with him anymore.
In the middle of the group chat. He broadcasts “Why did you unfollow and unfriend me on facebook?” whilst also @ ing me. He wrote this message at 6:30am. I woke up to this message broadcasted in the group chat… It pissed me off. So I was honest and said that he’s a bully and instead of making a big thing of it, I’d rather just remove him from the equation. I also said that it was immature of him to do this over the group chat and not in private.
He didn’t say anything, he just left the group chat and blocked me on everything. The group chat pretty much died after that. I was at the time, livid. This 30 year old man set fire to the group chat, saw what I said and then ran off… I thought it must be a blessing in disguise because I finally got to say what I wanted to him and I now don’t have to acknowledge him again….
BUT I WAS WRONG.
Skip to 3 months later, me and my husband walking through town and stopping off at a pub to get some grub… And low and behold. I see Chris there with a new girl I hadn’t seen before. I was feeling extra-confident and decided to approach.
I went and said “Hey Chris, long time no see!” with a big grin on my face, Chris looked like a deer in headlights, the perfect kind of red cheeks. I asked him “How are things going?” and he replied in a very normal way, clearly not wanting the conversation to continue and looking awkward as f&%k in front of his new girl.
She asked how we knew each other. I generously waited for Chris to say “We used to work together”. So I added onto that “Yeah, its quite funny really, Chris used to be my workplace bully, he’s the reason why I struggled financially after I left my old job because he accused me of writing a hostile review to the company which I proved I didn’t do and lost me a lot of freelance work because of it”.
He was gobsmacked. Face redder than a traffic light. The new girl clearly looked confused and uncomfortable. Neither of them responded. I didn’t want it to carry on much longer as it wasn’t really fair on her. But just to add salt to the wound I said “So is this your new girlfriend Kathrine? Or is this Georgia? What happened with Sarah since someone said you were still with her last week?” (all of those are completely true, he gets around). This girl goes from confused, to angry in the blink of an eye and just stares at Chris.
I just say “Oh whoops, I really put my foot in my mouth haven’t I, I better go, it was nice seeing you again Chris.” and walk off.
My husband whilst he felt bad for the girl (which I did too, but tbf, I might have saved her from inevitably being dumped by him a few weeks later when he gets bored of her) was very proud that I finally got my “closure revenge” on him.
It feels amazing. Like I feel petty as f%#k, but it felt good for there to finally be some consequences to this Chris guy being a d^$k.
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
