12 Workplace Stories Shared by Employees Who’ve Seen It All

Crazy work stories can pop up in just about any job, whether they’re sparked by unpredictable customers, difficult coworkers, or unusual bosses. No matter the workplace, there’s always something unexpected waiting to happen.

• I worked as a live-in maid for a wealthy couple, and they had only one rule: never enter the husband’s office. One day, they flew off to Europe for a week, and my curiosity got the best of me. I opened the office door and almost screamed when I saw a nursery, fully set up with toys, a crib, and even baby clothes.
  There was just one problem. The couple didn’t have any children. I never found out the full story, but it felt like I had walked into a grief they weren’t ready to share.

• I had a colleague who showed up to work every day in a completely different car. It didn’t make sense. He lived modestly, dressed simply, and never talked about owning a fleet of vehicles. One day, I asked directly, “How many cars do you own?” He laughed and said, “None.”
  Turns out, his neighbor owns a car rental business, and every morning, my colleague borrows whatever car isn’t rented out that day. “It’s cheaper than owning one,” he said, “and I never have to pay for maintenance.”

• I had a manager once who dumped trash on my desk my third day there. She said it was to remind me that taking out the trash was part of my job description. It wasn’t, I was a research assistant at a mortgage firm. © litkat16 / Reddit

• I worked with a guy that regularly googled everyone we worked with. He knew information about the apartment we had just sold and told everyone at our department meeting how much we sold for. © fetedelamusique / Reddit

• The office I worked in instituted a scent-free policy. One woman, who was already insufferable, was so offended by it that she snuck in her perfume collection. She’d walk down the halls and spray perfume into empty offices or cubicles when no one was looking or before everyone arrived in the morning.
  This went on for well over a month or two, and we had no idea who was responsible. My coworkers and I started referring to this mysterious person as the Chanel Bandit. She was finally caught on camera in the act.
  She’d left for three weeks vacation and was unaware that we had installed cameras after a break in. Some of us already suspected her, as the Chanel Bandit mysteriously stopped spraying while she was away. She quit right after she was caught. © Unknown author / Reddit

• The CEO’s girlfriend was a devout vegan who would patrol the office around lunch to make sure that anyone who was eating meat promised not to use the sponge in the kitchen to wash anything that meat had touched.
  For April Fool’s day, I rinsed out a carton of chicken broth and filled it with mango juice, and made a point of pouring myself a glass and drinking it in front of her. She was disgusted, so it was twice as delicious. © MarshallApplewhiteDo / Reddit

• One time, a coworker got up from her desk, walked over to mine, grabbed my back-scratcher, and used it on herself. It wouldn’t have been an issue if she had used it ABOVE her clothing. I let her keep it, obviously. © Boycott_*** / Reddit

• I had a coworker who would watch me work. We had our backs to each other, but she would turn around in her chair and just watch me. I would only realize it was happening when she would comment on something on my screen, so it wasn’t even like she tried to hide it.
  I did my best to ignore it, but drew the line when she put a mirror on her desk positioned just right so she could see both of my monitors without having to turn around. © sarajanie / Reddit

• My worst co-worker was one I worked with when I was a cashier. She approached me and asked me to cash out her paycheck. I was still new at the job and never got training on how to do that function. She was sympathetic, so she walked me through how to do it.
  Transaction over and done, I go on about my day. I get called back a couple of days later by my managers, and they circled me in an office and accused me of stealing. After tears, videotapes, and telling them what happened, they told me that apparently this coworker of mine had stolen not only from me, but several other people that day as well.
  They just wanted to confirm I wasn’t in on the deal. © jellojock / Reddit

• I once worked with a guy in a kitchen who frequently misread decimal points. Once he gathered 100kg of flour because a recipe asked for 1.00kg of flour. © Casey2700 / Reddit

• I had a manger that was really sarcastic, which I usually enjoy. But when she was sarcastic, it just felt really mean instead of silly. I told her this as a subordinate, that it made me feel bad even though I know she’s probably joking, and asked her if she could do it less with me.
  Her reply was, “That’s the only way I know how to communicate, so I’ll probably just not talk to you much.” © QNilsson18 / Reddit

• My coworker was presenting a solo project to upper management. At the start of the meeting, it was clear there were no memos, which are usually handed out for reference.
  Pointing at me, my coworker said, “Sam said he would print them for everyone.” He literally just made that up on the spot, and all our executives looked at me. I was literally too shocked to stand up for myself because I was so caught off guard. © whitesapphire93 / Reddit

Some bosses make work a joy, while others cross the line and turn the job into a daily struggle. Check out 12 Nightmare Bosses Who Could Easily Star in the Next Office Drama to see some of the most outrageous stories.