10+ People Who Could Write a Novel With Their Workplace Stories

Every job has its own funny, strange, or even unbelievable moments. Some people have experienced so much at work, you’d think they stepped into a movie instead of an office. In this article, you’ll find a collection of true tales from individuals whose day-to-day jobs were anything but ordinary. These short stories show just how unexpected and entertaining real-life work experiences can be.

• I got promoted after a long wait. My wife kept saying she's proud and came to the office party that was thrown for me, in my honor. The next day, the CEO called me in. He said, "We have to let you go!" Shocked, I asked why. He said, "Ask your wife!"
  Imagine my disgust when I learned that my wife had spoken to him privately and begged him not to give me the promotion. She told him I was having an affair and that the extra money would end up with the other woman. That part is true—but I still don’t know how she found out.
  Turns out she had known for two years and was just waiting for the perfect moment to get her revenge. My boss is a very traditional, old-school man who has zero tolerance for infidelity. Add to that the fact that my wife cried and played the victim—he was easily convinced.
  The truth is, I’ve been deeply unhappy in my marriage for years. My wife is manipulative and has made my life a living hell. I was counting on this promotion to finally leave her.
  Now, I’m disgusted by what she did—and heartbroken. Yes, I cheated. But I’m not the villain here. Spend just one day with my wife, and you’ll understand how truly toxic she is...

• Two individuals at work are having an affair. Both are married, and neither is as discreet as they think they are. Both of their partners are aware that something is going on. Some of this drama spilled out at the most recent company picnic, which ended with people yelling and screaming obscenities at each other.
  But that’s not even the wildest part. The latest news is that the woman wants to get pregnant, but the man does not. Apparently, she’s gone off the pill. Meanwhile, he’s starting to get cold feet about the whole situation and has begun flirting with the receptionist. © asdkasjdf / Reddit

• My boss went “on vacation” for a week. She never came back. No notice. No goodbye. Her calendar stayed blocked for months. Clients kept asking for her. Eventually, someone slipped and said she ran off to Bali with a consultant.
  She left her work laptop, though. And her emails showed she was planning it for weeks. We had to clean up her mess. She posted beach pics with #blessed the next day.

• Someone kept messing with my desk drawers. Tiny things moved, papers shuffled. I put a sticky note trap. It moved again.
  Turns out, our copier repair guy was using my computer to print resumes. For other jobs. During our office hours. He even used my saved templates.
  Boss thought it was me trying to quit. I had to prove it with security footage. Now I work from home—alone, with my printer.

• I work for a very prominent doctor in my city who runs a solo practice. His wife is the practice manager. They hired a cute blonde RN in her early 30s (married) to work part-time. I work next to her, and she tells me everything.
  The doctor started hitting on her in person, through intraoffice instant messaging, and via text. The latter two methods caught the attention of his wife. Instead of apologizing for the extreme discomfort this caused the nurse, the wife progressively and passive-aggressively pushed her out of the practice by gradually reducing her hours, making her track everything she did minute by minute, and generally creating a hostile work environment.
  She’s gone now. It worked. © SynapseForest / Reddit

• Two weeks ago, the CFO just up and quit. We’re decently friendly, so I texted her to ask why.
  Her response was, “I just need to spend more time with my family.” Uhhh, okay.
  Payday was last Wednesday, but nobody has been paid yet, and there’s no sign of it happening anytime soon. This ship is going down big time. I’ll be surprised if this place still exists in 60 days.
  Luckily, I have an interview for another job in a couple of days. © Metalmorphosis / Reddit

• I worked at an ad agency where the head of HR sent a companywide email and accidentally attached an unsecured Excel spreadsheet containing everyone in the company’s salary.
  It was a crazy 24 hours after that—several people quit when they discovered what their co-workers and peers were making over them, exposing some pretty nasty pay-related inequality. She was NOT fired. © JeffRSmall / Reddit

• Our coffee machine started making funky brews. Tasted like toothpaste and mustard, seriously! We formed a coffee detective squad, suspecting the IT guy.
  But turns out, he was just experimenting with crazy coffee ideas. He thought "barbecue espresso" was the next big thing! Now there's a new rule: "No coffee experiments without consent." The IT guy's got a quirky coffee startup! © Azonnn1 / Reddit

• The receptionist and the land administrator had an affair, and she got pregnant. Her husband had had a vasectomy years earlier. The office affair ended, but the receptionist and her husband maintained that it was a miracle.
  Publicly, the receptionist and her husband pretended that nothing had happened and that this was a wonderful surprise. But everyone knew it was not likely to be the husband’s child. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I trained the new guy for months. Showed him all the ropes.
  One morning, HR sent an email congratulating him on becoming team lead. I was stunned. Turns out he’s the manager’s nephew. Nobody knew. He never said a word. I still had to report to him every day.
  A month later, he asked me how to do payroll. I helped him—again. He got a raise. I got burnt out. I finally quit. They asked me to train the next person.

• On my very first day on the job, the receptionist had made some strawberry cookies, and she was really excited for me to try one. I really don't care for strawberries, and I wasn't in the mood for a cookie, and she was so sweet that I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I told her I was allergic to strawberries.
  And she threw them all away immediately! A whole tray dropped it right into the trash and told everyone not to bring any strawberries into the office. So, I've been pretending to be allergic to strawberries for three years now. © Unknown author / Reddit

Sometimes, the biggest surprises hide in plain sight. In our everyday routines—whether at work, at home, or just going through the motions—there are truths we don’t see coming. But when they finally surface, they can turn everything upside down. This article shares 12 unforgettable moments where hidden truths came out in the open, unfolding like scenes from an award-winning film.