10 Minor Incidents That Spiraled Into Serious Workplace Drama

Don’t you just hate it when a nice, calm day at work gets ruined by the most mundane event? Like when you accidentally hit “reply all”, for instance. From sassy bosses to awkward comments and broken printers, here are 10 minor incidents that turned into full-on workplace chaos.

• A manager kept bringing cakes to raise morale a bit. One of the office groups reported him to higher management because they were all always trying to diet, and apparently he was “spoiling it”. He stopped bringing cakes and sweets in.
  None of them ever even lost any noticeable amounts of weight, by the way. © rezonansmagnetyczny / Reddit

• I got called into a meeting because someone reported me for looking at a band’s website at my desk. The manager was even all, “Don’t try to deny it!”
  I was just so shocked that I was being reprimanded for looking to Bon Jovi’s website on my break. It wasn’t like it was something inappropriate or anything. This was over 20 years ago, and I still chuckle at the ridiculousness of the whole thing! © Kaapstad2018 / Reddit

• I was getting frustrated with the constant complaints about the printer, especially since it worked just fine. One day, I saw a colleague leaving a note on it. It read: “Please fix this, it’s broken again.” I wrote back on the same note, “It’s not broken, it’s YOU who doesn’t know how to use it!”
  I was shocked when they confronted me in front of the whole department the next day. My note set this person off because they labeled it passive-aggressive. They even went as far as saying I “lacked a healthy work ethic.” We ended up having to involve HR to clear the air.

• I outed an affair by mistake when I was an apprentice. I knew that one of the managers had just gotten married. I got sent to the end of the table with her at the Christmas meal.
  Next to her was a guy from a workshop whom I didn’t really know either. It was so obvious that they were in a relationship, but I just assumed it was her husband.
  The next Monday, I said something about sitting with her and her husband. I was told that’s not her husband, her husband is X. The rumor spread around that she was seeing the guy from the workshop. A couple of weeks later, she got divorced from her husband and was pregnant with the other guy’s kid, so she married again. © spaceshipcommander / Reddit

• There was this horrible lady at my old workplace when I worked in a taxi dispatch. She was generally a stereotypical Karen, complete with the haircut and everything.
  She ranted and accused me of being a “fake vegan” when I was handing out 100% vegan snacks to everyone who was working that night. Beyond me. She was just an all-around workplace teaser. I think my stonewalling her sent her off, so I became her target. © TheFungiQueen / Reddit

• Someone was stealing my lunches at work for the whole week. I left a note on the fridge that said: “Stop stealing my food!” The next day, I was shocked to see a new note right beside it: “Fine. I’ll stop if you finally talk to me.” I froze.
  Turns out, it was my ex who recently got hired in another department. He had recognized my name on the containers and, in some twisted attempt to reconnect, started taking my food. We ended up having a real conversation a couple of days later. Nobody’s touched my lunch since.

• Before our previous manager left (read: he was forced out), he ordered ugly hot pink chairs for the conference room, which we won’t have the budget to replace for at least 5 years. They are also extremely uncomfortable. I think our department has stuck mainly to Zoom meetings in the past years to avoid sitting in them. Gotta respect the petty, though. © dredreidel / Reddit

• Recently, I found out that one of the senior members on my team has been telling my supervisor that I have no skills. I currently work in building maintenance with a background in carpentry. It just so happens that this person is 60 years old and also specializes in carpentry.
  This has resulted in me getting all the most basic and boring work. I find myself having nothing to do for most of my days. Instead of bringing this up to my supervisor or HR, I’m just embracing it. I’ve read a solid number of books this year and get to work on my writing, all while I’m at work. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was working on a big project back in the day. I accidentally sent a draft of my presentation to the whole team. It was riddled with mistakes and even some nasty jokes about the project. I know, I know, but it was meant to be private.
  I quickly sent a follow-up email explaining the mistake. One colleague forwarded the email to lots of people, saying I should be immediately fired, given how totally “unprofessional” I was. You know the type: the one who’s always a bit too eager to criticize.
  It sparked an entire scandal, with more colleagues getting involved, and soon the whole office knew. I was mortified. The situation escalated when my manager had to intervene, telling us to stop arguing like children. It was awkward for weeks.

• Our coworker is refusing to chip in $3 for a nacho party. My boss is mad and said, “I know he has $3 ’cause he just got his hair dyed and cut!” I also found out that a few weeks ago, my boss said to his face, “Take that hat off, you look like a deranged person!” No wonder he’s mad about it, and that’s probably why he’s not giving the $3. © Grogu918 / Reddit

There are many strategies available to help you cope if you’re experiencing difficulties at your workplace. Here’s a list of things you can do, for instance, if you’re ever subjected to workplace mobbing.