Getting out of your bed to go to work in the morning can be difficult enough, even if you love your job and colleagues. So if you’re stuck with a horrible manager, you might find yourself fantasizing about the day they quit.
But one woman was lucky enough to find the perfect way to say sayonara to her toxic manager without needing to wait for her to leave. Below, you’ll find the full story that she recently shared on the Petty Revenge subreddit detailing how she cleverly exposed her manager’s online behavior, as well as a conversation between the employee and Bored Panda.
Despite being a stellar employee, this woman was constantly criticized by her manager
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels (not the actual photo)
So she found the perfect way to get revenge
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Anna Shvets / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Flassourian
“I shared the story to show how managers who treat their employees badly for personal reasons can sometimes get their just desserts in the end”
To learn more about this specific situation, we reached out to Reddit user Flassourian, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. First, we wanted to know what inspired her to tell this story now. “I shared the story to show how managers who treat their employees badly for personal reasons can sometimes get their just desserts in the end,” she noted.
We also wanted to know if this manager was mean to all of her employees, or if she simply targeted the OP because she liked her husband. “While there were a couple other employees she didn’t mesh well with, I definitely took the brunt of her pettiness,” Flassourian shared. “Since we had no other conflicts outside of her interest in my husband, I can only assume that’s why she targeted me from the first day she became a manager.”
As far as why this manager decided to post so openly about the company online, the OP says, “While I can’t fathom a reason why she would vent on her blog about the situation, I do think she believed she was clever enough to not get caught or have any repercussions from posting the information.”
“Don’t let a bad boss make your life a living hell”
We were also curious if the OP has had similar experiences with other managers. “I have worked for other frustrating managers, but she was above and beyond the worst as far as the treatment I received,” she told Bored Panda.
Finally, Flassourian added some wise words for other workers out there. “I encourage people to never take unnecessary flack from managers,” she says. “If you are being treated poorly, contact HR, upper management, or even a lawyer depending on the nature of the situation. Don’t let a bad boss make your life a living hell.”
We all know how it feels to work under a terrible manager. Whether they micromanage, are incompetent or lack strong leadership skills, it’s frustrating to have to answer to someone who you don’t respect. According to a poll from Monster, 76% of workers in the United States say they currently have or have had a toxic boss in the past. And apparently, many workers don’t have much faith in their managers either.
Toxic managers are far too common in the workplace
GoodHire reports that 84% of Americans believe they could do their managers’ jobs, and only 39% say their managers are open and honest about opportunities for growth in the company. Less than a third of workers say their managers actually care about their career progression, and 62% of employees say that their managers either communicate too much or not enough virtually. On the same note, over half of workers say their managers have too many or too few meetings.
But workers definitely want to have managers that they trust and enjoy working with. 82% of Americans in the workforce say they would consider quitting their job if they had a terrible manager, and the qualities that they desire most from managers are honesty and authenticity.
When it comes to dealing with a bad boss, Forbes recommends trying to pinpoint their motivation for their behavior. Perhaps if you understand where they’re coming from, you can find a way to work with them rather than against them. Try to focus on their strengths too, rather than their shortcomings. And don’t be afraid to gently address their behavior or bring it up to Human Resources. Treating employees poorly should not be the norm, and just like Flassourian says, we shouldn’t have to stand for it.
Readers applauded the woman for her petty revenge and called out the manager for her poor judgment
