13 Coworkers From Hell Who Took Workplace Drama to New Levels

We all know the drill: you can love your job, but one truly toxic coworker can make every day feel like a reality TV show nobody asked to watch. You walk in hoping to be productive, only to find yourself entangled in manufactured drama, petty sabotage, or outright absurdity.

1.

A coworker complained I “brought down morale” because I wasn’t... cheerful enough.

HR called me in.
I explained I was recovering from a breakup and trying to stay professional, not miserable.

The HR rep paused and said,
“You were reported for not smiling?”

They closed the complaint and later asked the coworker to stop “monitoring others’ emotional output.”

She stopped speaking to me, but honestly?
Peace returned to my cubicle.

2.

Every morning at 8:01 AM, he blasted motivational speeches like:
“RISE AND GRIND! SUCCESS NEVER SLEEPS!”

Open office.
No headphones.

One day, the CEO happened to walk in early.
She heard the speech and said,
“Is this... normal?”

Next week, a new policy will go out:
“All audio must be through headphones.”

He stormed around saying the company was “silencing greatness.”
No one missed the speeches.

3.

For months, I found love letters and small gifts on my desk from a “secret admirer.” I was flattered...until I learned they were left by my married coworker. When I confronted him, he blushed and confessed they were for himself—to keep his spirits up after his wife left him.

4.

Our office “adopted” a stray cat that we all adored—until someone “stole” it one night. After days of searching and blaming each other, the janitor confessed he took it home because it reminded him of his late wife’s cat.

5.

Two employees wanted the same holiday week off.
One had seniority; the other constantly bragged to leadership about “how essential” she was.

Management denied her vacation and approved the senior person’s.

So she loudly told the team:
“If I leave, this whole place collapses.”

Leadership heard.
Realized she really thought that.

Three weeks later, she was reassigned to a smaller account to “build resilience.”
The senior employee?
Got a raise.

6.

I’d find my coffee cup meticulously washed every morning, which was odd because I left it unwashed on purpose to finish my coffee the next day. After weeks of this mystery, I caught the intern in the act. She confessed that she thought coffee residue was “unprofessional” and took it upon herself to scrub it daily for the team. When I explained I preferred it “seasoned,” she was horrified, saying she thought it was my “forgetfulness” and wanted to “help me” without asking.

7.

On a remote day, I didn’t respond to a Slack message for 20 minutes.
He wrote to our boss:
“I’m concerned X. is not actually working.”

My boss replied:
“That’s strange, I’m looking at the document X. is editing right now.”

Turns out he thought remote work meant people should reply instantly.
Boss told him to stop policing coworkers.

8.

I started receiving “anonymous” tips about my performance, critiquing my outfits and word choices. Finally, I discovered my coworker had been leaving them, claiming they were “sourced from feedback she’d gathered.” When I asked why, she said, “I thought you’d appreciate proactive feedback.”

9.

During our office Secret Santa, my coworker Lisa gave me a silver ring with a tiny emerald. It was unexpectedly thoughtful, almost too nice for the $20 limit, and I remember feeling weirdly flattered. Since we’d always been friendly, I wore it a lot, assuming it was just a kind gesture.

This month, I noticed the stone had become a little loose. When I pressed on it, the emerald shifted slightly, as if the glue holding the setting had finally started to weaken. Worried I might lose it, I took the ring off and set it on my desk to inspect it more closely.

As I tilted it under the light, something caught my eye along the narrow inner edge of the band—tiny markings I’d never noticed before. I rotated the ring, squinting, and realized it wasn’t just wear or scratches. It was a line of engraving, so small it was practically invisible unless the setting moved just enough to reveal it.

Two words, etched in the metal:

“Hate you.”

I just sat there, ring in one hand, note in the other, trying to make sense of it. For a whole year I’d believed Sarah and I were on perfectly good terms. Now all I could think was: Was this a joke I was never meant to see? A mistake that slipped into the gift somehow? Or had she placed it there on purpose, knowing it would stay hidden until the ring started to fall apart?

10.

I kept getting unsolicited “advice” from a coworker who wasn’t even in my department. When I finally asked why, she revealed that her boss had assigned her to secretly “mentor” me to help me “succeed.” I’d had no idea, and neither had my manager!

11.

I started noticing that every time I arrived at work, my coworker was already parked in the spot right next to mine, waiting for me. Then she’d follow me into the building, keeping an odd silence. Finally, I asked her about it, and she casually explained she’d been “monitoring” my arrival time because she felt I was “cutting it too close to 9 AM.” She had even compiled a spreadsheet.

When I reported it, she claimed it was a “team-building accountability tool.” HR had to give a company-wide statement about respecting personal space.

12.

A coworker started leaving low-calorie snacks on my desk, then one day handed me a booklet titled “Your Path to Wellness.” She said she’d been “assigned” by her boss to “inspire healthy habits” in the team. Apparently, I was her main “target.”

13.

I spent days preparing a presentation, but the morning of the meeting, my coworker started presenting the same topic ahead of me. When I asked her why, she said she thought my slides were just “ideas for her own presentation.” She hadn’t even bothered to change my name on one of the slides.

Share your wildest, most unbelievable coworker stories below in the comments!

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