Office life can be unpredictable, but some coworkers take workplace drama to a new level. Here are 13 stories of our readers who had some moments of office chaos.
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I had a small cactus on my desk, and every Monday, I’d find it just a bit more shriveled than the week before. I started suspecting someone was overwatering it as a prank. I installed a hidden camera and found it wasn’t just one person—it was five different people, all watering my cactus “to help me out” because they thought it looked “lonely.” Turns out they were in a friendly competition to see who could make it flourish the most, without telling me, and accidentally caused it to wither from over-love.
Our office had a strict no-perfume policy, but I started noticing that every time I came back from lunch, my desk had this overwhelming smell of vanilla. Then it was lavender, and then something musky.
I was losing my mind, convinced someone was messing with my workspace. I finally caught my coworker in the act—she was lightly misting my area “to make it more Zen.” When I asked her why, she admitted she thought I was the one secretly wearing perfume, and she was trying to “balance out” my scent with neutralizers. We’d been unknowingly scent-warring each other for weeks.
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.
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.
Our office was giving out new ergonomic chairs, and one of my coworkers wanted one so badly, she stole mine while I was in the bathroom. I found her sitting at her desk with my new chair, her old one under my desk, and her expression completely neutral. When I pointed it out, she claimed it “came with her job title.”
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.
I noticed my new coworker was starting to copy everything I did. I wore black on Monday; she wore black on Tuesday. I started taking my coffee black; she dropped her creamer the next day. It went from quirky to creepy fast—she even started repeating my phrases in meetings.
When I brought it up to her, she told me, “It’s just that you’re so good at everything; I thought I’d learn by doing everything exactly the way you do.” I later found out she was reporting back to HR, saying I was “imitating” her work to “undermine” her confidence.
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.”
A year ago, my Secret Santa coworker Sarah gave me a beautiful silver ring with a tiny emerald, a surprisingly thoughtful gift. We’d always been friendly, so I wore it often, thinking nothing of it. Then, after a year, I noticed a groove around the gem. I finally managed to twist it open.
Inside the hidden compartment was a note. Just two words: "Hate you." I sat there, stunned. All year, I thought Sarah and I were getting along just fine. Now I couldn’t shake the questions: Was it a joke? Some kind of mistake? Or had she hidden this all along?
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!
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.
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.”
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.
Here are some tips on how to handle a toxic person and protect your well-being in challenging situations.
