Handling a “Karen” as a client is challenging enough, but managing one as a colleague is unbearably unpleasant. The following tales demonstrate that there are Karens everywhere, from deceitful coworkers who criticize you behind your back to passive-aggressive employees who make a concerted effort to covertly fire others. even in the workplace. Here are a few really obnoxious horror stories from the workplace.
Horror Stories of My “Karen” Co-Worker
A Real Creep
I worked as a barista and had a regular customer who was awkward and drove several towns over to visit my coffee shop, which I found odd. One day, he asked me out, and when I declined, he creepily commented on my boyfriend’s luck. On Monday, I was shocked to see him behind the counter in a uniform, having gotten a job there. He continued to hit on me and incompetently handled food despite a rash on his arm. When the manager refused to fire him, I quit.
A Real Creep
“That’s What Friends Are For”
At my last real job with a contractor, a company buyout led to my relocation and problems with a lead who harassed me and falsified records against me. When I reported this to HR, the director sided with him due to their friendship. I was given the choice of either a buyout or a transfer, and I chose the buyout, accepting about half the remaining contract value and moving on.
“That’s What Friends Are For”
The Stalker
At a 24-hour retailer, I discovered a night shift worker was stalking a 17-year-old morning shift employee. He took photos of her schedule under a false pretext and I later caught him watching her from another aisle. He followed her home and watched her house. I called the authorities, got him escorted off the property, and helped her obtain a restraining order. He violated it multiple times and is now behind bars.
The Stalker
Karma Is So Sweet!
Cheryl, married to a retired football player, thought she was important and one day attacked one of our plant vendors. When we threatened to call 911, she tried to flee in her SUV but backed into a pallet of ceramic pots and hit a police car. The officers found a flask of Jack in her purse, and she was arrested and charged.
Karma Is So Sweet!
He Could’ve Kept Quiet
While reviewing employee evaluations at a Fortune 500 company, I saw one noting an employee’s improvement for not eating glue that quarter. Thinking it was a mean joke, I asked the manager to cut the insults. She clarified that she caught him eating glue twice last year, leading to a change in glue types. I also found a suggestion card complaining about our hardware store’s seafood, which made the boss laugh and take bets on which customer confused us with another store. At the meeting, assistant manager Marko went pale, admitting he had shared his vacation fishing stories and sold a customer some trout.
He Could’ve Kept Quiet
The Missing Items
I work at a hostel in Amsterdam that hires travelers in exchange for accommodations, typically for a few months. A new guy, who is well-liked, has raised my suspicions as items, including earphones, sunglasses, and hats, have gone missing from rooms he cleans. Last week, after £150 was stolen, he asked me about the exchange rate for the same amount. He also revealed he’s using his brother’s passport and a fake name, and was kicked out of his parents’ house for stealing. Although I like him, I’m concerned about having a thief in the building and don’t know who to turn to.
The Missing Items
You Really Can’t Hide Everything
About 10 years ago, I worked as a production control analyst in a call center, dealing with various complaints and terminations. The most bizarre incident came from the housekeeping staff when a janitor informed me that someone had smeared feces all over the men’s restroom walls. After some detective work, we discovered it was an employee hiding his mental health issues, who had stopped taking his medication to avoid being found out despite having insurance. His other aberrant behaviors eventually led to his termination, though I never got all the details.
You Really Can’t Hide Everything
The Hidden Camera
A spy camera disguised as a charging brick was found in our department office, recording video and audio overnight. After the offender took down the camera and left the videos on their desk, we copied the footage showing their actions and reported it with all pertinent details. Despite nearly a year passing without action from the company, we’re preparing to escalate the matter to the FBI ourselves, as it remains unclear why the company has not taken action.
The Hidden Camera
You Know The “Nice” Guy?
I was working for an agency in New York City, involved in client meetings to kick off a new project in Boston. A project manager from our LA office joined us for the meetings, impressing everyone with his preparedness and presentations. After the week wrapped up, I returned to New York, only to find out the following week that all scheduled video conferences with the client had been abruptly canceled. It later emerged that this seemingly nice guy had sent intimate photos of himself to a female member of the client group. It was a shocking revelation that turned out to be true.
You Know The “Nice” Guy?
Liar, Liar
HR instructed me to lower three excellent employee reviews to “satisfactory” because management didn’t recognize the employees’ names. I faced disciplinary action for informing my team about this decision. What was even more frustrating, HR later denied giving me any such directive, despite emails proving otherwise. Despite the challenges, I stand by my decision because my employees were outstanding and ultimately received the raises they deserved.
Liar, Liar
Real Fake Address
At work, we have a rewards program where we ask customers for their addresses to sign them up. Some customers decline, so my manager suggested using a fake address like 123 Tree Rd. Recently, we received a call from a confused man who explained he was receiving hundreds of coupons addressed to different people. It turns out, 123 Tree Rd is a real address, and he had been unwittingly signed up for numerous rewards programs. Fortunately, he took it in stride, and after my manager spoke with him, we all had a good laugh about the situation for the rest of the day.
Real Fake Address
Corporate Wolves Dressed As Sheep
One of my managers was involved in an affair with a subordinate and they were caught making out at work by another colleague who reported them to HR. The manager successfully convinced HR that the reporting colleague had fabricated the story to cover up for theft, leading to the colleague being fired immediately without evidence. Two months later, the manager was caught in another affair with a different subordinate, but HR refused to take action to avoid acknowledging the wrongful termination of the first employee. To make matters worse, the manager was eventually promoted to an unfilled position in a different department. Disillusioned by these events, I decided to leave shortly thereafter.
Corporate Wolves Dressed As Sheep
Never Get High On Your Own Supply
I worked in an administrative role where we had a new hire who seemed constantly spaced out. Initially, we thought he was just adjusting to the job. However, he called in sick once and then showed up five minutes later, unaware of the call, and walked into a wall on his way to the office. At his desk, he would watch sports openly and once colored an entire page instead of highlighting lines as asked. When we expressed concerns to our boss about his behavior possibly being drug-related, the boss initially doubted us until more incidents occurred, leading to his dismissal. It later came to light that he was actually a dealer selling drugs from his bedroom.
Never Get High On Your Own Supply
An Ugly Surprises
I worked at a company that was unexpectedly sold to new owners. Upper management was abruptly fired, and the rest of us had to undergo job interviews and substance tests to keep our jobs, causing chaos. Some employees went to extreme lengths to pass, like drinking too much water and having a seizure during an interview. Another tried using his infant’s urine to pass, which didn’t work. I was wrongly told I failed my test but proved otherwise in a retest, returning to work after two weeks. I stayed a few more months but left due to dissatisfaction with lazy new management blaming original staff for everything, despite buying the company during the 2008 market collapse from the original owner who couldn’t sustain losses anymore.
An Ugly Surprises
The Black Sheep
I recently had to fire an intern for inappropriate behavior that went beyond a single incident of smacking a girl on the butt. Further investigation revealed he had been making the workplace uncomfortable for her with wildly inappropriate questions, like prying into her personal life. For instance, he once asked if her weekend was good because she had been intimate with her boyfriend. Her anxiety was justified, and we promptly terminated his employment. Since then, the atmosphere in our group has noticeably improved this week.
The Black Sheep
Still Not Over It
I work in IT at a hospital and have dedicated over 10 years to rebuilding our operations from the ground up. Despite putting in long hours and weekend work, there was a staff meeting where I, exhausted from a 90-hour week and a server incident the night before, briefly nodded off during a lengthy and hot meeting. This led to HR summoning me for the first time in my 30+ years of employment, lecturing me about work commitments and even warning me about firing policies for sleeping on the job—ironically comparing it to nurses who sleep on night shifts without monitoring patients. The incident stemmed from a complaint to the CEO that I wasn’t attentive during a critical update, and it still bothers me today whenever recruiters reach out.
Still Not Over It
All By Myself
Working at a golf course, Sean, the cart attendant, stood out as the worst. He landed the job through family connections despite being lazy. Whenever I saw his name on the schedule, I knew I’d be doing all the work, even though I was just a clubhouse worker. We frequently ran out of carts and had to assist him due to his slow pace. Closing shifts with him meant handling all tasks like cleaning bathrooms and restocking alone. On a busy Saturday, we even caught him sleeping in the cart storage area. He didn’t return the following year due to his poor performance.
All By Myself
Friends Will Steer You Wrong Sometimes
I worked at a large international company where we had just hired a young guy fresh out of college, who had moved from Eastern Europe to join us. During a company ski trip with plenty of free alcohol, his colleagues jokingly mentioned that a woman was interested in him. Already tipsy, he began aggressively hitting on her despite her clear disinterest. When she and another senior colleague, the head of global corporate security, told him to stop, he became confrontational and tried to punch the security head, only to be swiftly tackled into the snow. It turned out the woman he was bothering was the head of global HR. The consequences were immediate: he was fired on the spot.
Friends Will Steer You Wrong Sometimes
A Sweat Encouragement
When I was 17, I worked at our local Chipotle where my manager, while generally cool, had an unusual habit. During busy shifts, she would sweat a lot, which was understandable given the pace of the restaurant. However, her way of encouraging staff was a bit off-putting—she would hug them and say, “Here, have some of my sweat!” This happened in full view of customers, causing some to leave.
A Sweat Encouragement
Power Tripping At Its Finest
I worked at a company for four years where, about three years in, they brought in a new head of HR who was extremely difficult. She ignored anyone outside of management and treated everyone else with disdain. When a colleague, now my boss, resigned for a better salary elsewhere, on his last day she pressured him to sign away his right to sue for unpaid wages or bonuses. He refused, but she persisted. When I resigned a few months later, she tried the same tactics with me. Following my colleague’s advice, I returned all company property and had them acknowledge receipt, but I refused to sign away my legal rights. At our current company, where my colleague is a C-level executive and I report directly to him, the HR team is supportive, friendly, and competent—a welcome change from our previous experience.
Power Tripping At Its Finest
Playing The Victim Card
I conducted an in-house training course where an apprentice from another department attended to assess her suitability for the role. Despite agreeing on a 30-minute lunch break, she insisted on taking a 1.5-hour break due to personal reasons. During the practical session, she used her computer to apply for another job, unaware that everyone could see her screen. Despite attempts to get her attention, she remained engrossed. I reported her actions to her manager, resulting in her termination. Unfortunately, she later left a negative Facebook review accusing me of harassment related to her mental health.
Playing The Victim Card
Forgot To Turn The Speaker Off
As a shift lead at a gas station, I encountered a situation where a customer complained that one of my elderly employees had told him to “screw off” after a pricing issue. I investigated and found that the incident unfolded as the customer described. Apparently, the employee didn’t realize his microphone was still on and made the comment after the customer turned away, escalating into a verbal altercation. While considering how to address this, the next day the employee arrived intoxicated, demanding a bonus check. This behavior led to his immediate termination.
Forgot To Turn The Speaker Off
It Was Impressive, Though!
I used to work as a night auditor at a hotel, and I was surprised one day when I heard that a sweet older lady who worked part-time during the day had been fired. It was unusual for firings to happen there, so I was curious about the reason. It turned out that several customers had complained about her behavior, noticing she was slurring her words and seemed off. Initially, management thought it might be a medical issue, but after more incidents, they checked the security cameras and discovered she had been secretly drinking shots of Smirnoff straight throughout her shifts. The amount she consumed was impressive, considering she could still function to some extent.
It Was Impressive, Though!
A Trip To Disaster
Following an HVAC issue that shut down our department at noon, our manager took us out to a bar for what we thought was team-building. The next morning, we were shocked to find “Final notice in lieu of termination” letters on our desks, accusing us of drinking on the job and wasting company time. Even though our actions weren’t against policy, HR enforced a new policy manual retroactively, citing issues that hadn’t been communicated to anyone above the VP level. When the CEO reviewed the manual, he discovered numerous contract law violations and demanded the resignation of the head of HR, who was ultimately fired when she refused.
A Trip To Disaster
Lights On Or Lights Off?
The workplace dynamics around office lighting have become a major point of contention in our large company, akin to a battle between two factions: those who prefer working with lights off to enjoy natural light, and those advocating for full-bright lights throughout the day. It all started with Ron, who consistently turns on all the lights despite objections from colleagues who find it disruptive and unnecessary. Ron’s insistence escalated to involving OSHA, resulting in multiple tests and ongoing maintenance checks on the lighting system. This conflict has now divided the office, causing disruptions in productivity and even leading some employees to leave for the day depending on their light preference. The situation reflects how even seemingly minor issues can ignite major workplace conflicts in large corporate environments.
Lights On Or Lights Off?
Danger Zone
At the warehouse where I worked, there was a longstanding practice of concealing dangerous goods in shipments to cut costs. When I became manager, I refused to continue this practice and insisted on proper documentation. Instead of addressing the issue, management began signing off on shipments themselves or getting new employees involved. When I informed a driver about the concealed substances in a shipment, causing him to refuse it, management accused me of damaging the company’s image. I stood firm and explained the situation to HR, but shortly after, I was removed from my position due to supposed company restructuring. It was a disappointing experience to witness such unethical behavior and face consequences for trying to uphold safety standards.
Danger Zone
People Usually Don’t Quit Jobs, They Quit Managers
Recently, our new general manager has shown clear signs of incompetence. She’s been assigning unfavorable hours to most staff, favoring a few based on personal relationships rather than job performance or customer preference. She struggles with managing time-off requests, often missing or forgetting them despite various reminders. Previously, our department thrived under the guidance of our supervisor, who effectively led us with minimal interference from the general manager. Now, our supervisor is considering transferring to another store, a move that could prompt several others to quit, following those who have already left or are planning to do so.
People Usually Don’t Quit Jobs, They Quit Managers
Not Paid Enough
I took a job I was overqualified for at the same salary as my previous one because I disliked my former job and loved the railroad industry where the new job was. They claimed they couldn’t offer more. I was IT for HR and asked to pull a list of departures. Discovered my predecessor was paid $20K more than me, despite being less qualified. Commuting 90 minutes daily, I found a new job closer to home with a raise within weeks.
Not Paid Enough
This Is Why I Don’t Get Tattoos
I work on an HR team supporting various cities, including lively Florida locations, and here’s a standout story: A woman decided to avoid work by sitting in her car in the parking lot. Needing to use the restroom, she opted to pee out of her car window instead of going inside. Little did she know, a male coworker arrived late and witnessed the whole event while searching for a parking spot. He reported it, prompting an HR investigation confirmed by parking lot cameras capturing the incident. Confronted, the woman questioned how he knew it was her, suggesting it could have been anyone. However, his response noting her distinctive face tattoos settled any doubts. HR deals with unexpected situations, indeed.
This Is Why I Don’t Get Tattoos
The Colostomy Man
At a former workplace, an upper management figure overseeing the warehouse would occasionally perform stunts on forklifts, including doing donuts. Despite battling colon cancer and undergoing frequent surgeries with a colostomy bag, he would release the bag’s air during these maneuvers, spreading a strong odor throughout the area. Co-workers found it amusing but would often retreat outside until the smell faded, with one person even becoming sick from it. When a new employee raised the issue to HR, they hesitated to address it, citing the manager’s health condition as a reason to tolerate the situation.
The Colostomy Man
Sounds Like A Great Opportunity To Get A Video, I Mean Raise
I arrived early for a morning shift at the industrial lab where I work. At around 3:00 am, I heard noises from the back corner of the office area but couldn’t discern them clearly due to the distortion. Curious, I went to investigate, believing I was the only one present. To my surprise, I stumbled upon my lab manager engaging in inappropriate behavior with the district manager, with the HR representative observing. Shocked, I quickly left and retreated to the lab, attempting to push the unsettling sight out of my mind.
Sounds Like A Great Opportunity To Get A Video, I Mean Raise
But It’s None Of Your Business
The HR director assigned three of us to audit everyone’s medical leave applications, tasking us with researching medical terms, providing simplified summaries, and adding our own notes, supposedly to prevent fraudulent leave claims. It was a covert operation—none of the employees knew. For context, under the US Family & Medical Leave Act, employees have the right to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. The intrusive nature of this scrutiny felt unnecessary and invasive.
But It’s None Of Your Business
She’s Just Conserving Water
Amanda had chronic hygiene issues despite excuses like forgetting to shower or wearing dirty clothes due to a broken washing machine, resulting in documented disciplinary actions. Her neglect extended to hygiene, once even smelling strongly of old maxi pads and being sent home. She frequently took unauthorized breaks for fast food, citing skipped breakfasts. Additionally, she refused tasks like vacuuming, claiming she heard ghosts in the vacuum. Despite warnings, she would stop problematic behavior just before termination. Finally approved by HR, I was set to terminate her, but on the same day, the store unexpectedly closed, granting Amanda and everyone else severance and unemployment benefits, which felt unjust.
She’s Just Conserving Water
All This Over A “Nervous Dog”
After my boss lost a power struggle and was fired for allegedly submitting altered expense reports, I inherited his responsibilities along with his administrative assistant. Soon, suspicious charges for car services, local hotels, and stores began appearing on my corporate credit card. When I questioned the assistant, her explanations didn’t add up, prompting me to investigate further. I discovered she was living with her dog in a local hotel and using the corporate card for alcohol deliveries via car service to avoid leaving her dog alone. I reported her actions, leading to her termination and successfully disputing the charges. Despite identifying the real culprit behind the expense report issues, my boss remained dismissed ‘for cause’ due to his signature on the altered reports.
All This Over A “Nervous Dog”
Caught Red-Handed
While closing up at the bar one night, the supervisor checked the premises and found a locked stall in the washroom. Using a master key, he opened it expecting to find someone passed out. Instead, he discovered a man with his pants down kissing a woman. Shockingly, the supervisor recognized the woman as the wife of one of his friends, and the man with her was not her husband.
Caught Red Handed
Eating Someone Else’s Food
Before I joined the company, there was an incident involving one of our drivers at the local food delivery service. She arrived an hour late, behaved confrontationally, and left a messy scene. To add to the complaint, a customer discovered their kid’s meal mashed into a soupy mess of French fries and ketchup, with chicken fingers eaten down to burnt ends. Despite offering a refund and a fresh meal, the customer refused. When confronted, the driver defensively stated she was hungry and disparaged the customer’s child, claiming discrimination upon being fired, alleging it was due to her sexual orientation.
Eating Someone Else’s Food
“You’re Just Making Excuses!”
Let me tell you about Jerry, my worst boss ever. When my severe bleeding worsened, Jerry refused to let me leave work for the emergency room. Defying him, I got permission from higher-ups and rushed to the ER with my mom. The nurse there remarked it was the most blood he’d seen in his career. I needed blood transfusions and was hospitalized. When my mom updated Jerry, he dismissed it as stress and insisted I return to work immediately, despite my condition. Later, needing another hospital stay for a biopsy on a growth, Jerry denied it could be cancer, unaware I had lost eight pounds in a week and was seriously ill. Despite recovering, Jerry fired me for taking ‘too much’ time off. Days later, I was diagnosed with cancer. Jerry’s lack of empathy and understanding still angers me.
“You’re Just Making Excuses!”
Pre-Grave Digger
Our supervisor discovered the body of a coworker in our warehouse but instead of calling 911, he took the wallet from the deceased. When the coworker’s wife asked for the wallet, it was missing. They had already cleared out his locker, but the supervisor suddenly claimed to have found it during a ‘second’ check. As a result of this incident, he was promptly dismissed from his position.
Pre Grave Digger
More Holes, More Sales
As a mechanic, I once worked alongside a coworker who would intentionally puncture customers’ tires, even new ones, so they would return to buy replacements. I became suspicious when only the customers he serviced kept coming back for more tires. Watching him closely, I caught him red-handed using a pocket knife to slit the tread of tires he installed. He was immediately fired upon discovery. Brett’s deceitful actions were utterly unacceptable.
More Holes, More Sales