Every workplace has that guy, the self-appointed authority who CCs everyone, hogs credit, and manages through condescension. But what happens when he tries to flex on someone who’s already got one foot out the door?
This Redditor learned that the best revenge doesn’t always require effort. Sometimes you just let arrogance do the work for you and collect a paycheck while it burns itself out.
A soon-to-be college student was wrapping up his final two months at work when an arrogant overseas teammate tried to strip him of responsibilities
The original poster (OP) had accepted a job for two years, handed in a resignation with a two-month notice, and then found themselves subject to what appears to be deliberate undermining by a co-worker (let’s call him Mr. S).
Mr. S, who worked remotely, oversaw or mediated between the client and OP’s team, but his conduct included excessive self-promotion (“CCing every manager”), inflated promises to the client, odd phone calls at night, and then in this instance, after reminding the OP of a high-priority task, emotionally devalued the OP (“you’re easily replaceable”) and reassigned all of OP’s tasks for the remaining two months.
OP shifted into a state of passive compliance, performed no new work, and effectively had two months of paid downtime while still officially employed.
From one perspective, the OP handled the shrinking role professionally by complying with the removal of tasks and preserving their notice period without creating drama.
From another perspective, a colleague’s undermining behaviour, especially an act of reassigning all of the OP’s responsibilities for months, damaged both the OP’s sense of agency and the team’s trust and workflow.
This kind of behaviour aligns with what organisational-psychology calls social undermining, behaviours intended to hinder another’s performance, reputation or relationships at work.
Research shows that such undermining by co-workers leads to reduced trust in those peers and negative outcomes for work behaviour.
For example, a study found that “co-workers’ social undermining behaviour was significantly and negatively related to trust in co-workers… the more trustworthy the co-workers were, the more employees trust them, and the more they were likely to engage in organisational citizenship behaviour.”
Also, another study from MDPI shows social undermining links to emotional exhaustion and increased counter-productive behaviours.
Given this, the OP’s experience is valid: a colleague’s move to off-load their tasks and diminish the OP’s role reflects a breakdown in team integrity and leadership oversight. It is reasonable for the OP to feel detached and unmotivated when the assignment of responsibilities becomes arbitrary and the co-worker weaponises their role.
Here are some suggestions for people in similar situations:
- Maintain documentation: When you notice a colleague systematically undermining you (e.g., reassigning tasks, excluding you from communication, making derogatory comments), keep timestamps, emails, and records of the shift. This can protect you (and clarify roles) if you raise the issue.
- Address the underminer and/or leadership: A respectful but clear communication like “I noticed that all my remaining tasks were reassigned, can you clarify the reason? I want to ensure I still add value during my notice period” may open a conversation and prevent outright exclusion.
- Check your role transition: When resigning with notice, ask for a written transition plan. If your role is being removed arbitrarily, you might ask: “Am I still responsible for this area until my final day? If not, can we agree on what I should hand off or complete?”
- Protect your mental-well-being: Being sidelined can feel like punishment. Recognise the behaviour is about dysfunction in the team, not a reflection of your worth. Engage in self-care, uphold your commitments, but mentally detach from the discomfort.
- For organisations: Undermining behaviours should be flagged in culture assessments. Leadership should foster transparency in task assignment, reinforce accountability for reassignments, and ensure that no one is sidelined or marginalized simply because they are leaving soon.
Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:
These commenters joked about trolling the supervisor with a sarcastic thank-you note
This group pointed out the professional side, noting the improper layoff case and how OP’s inaction cleverly exposed the company’s dependency on their work
These Redditors reveled in the satisfaction of watching arrogant coworkers or bosses scramble after being left high and dry
This pair mocked the supervisor’s clueless authority, suggesting he was out of touch and would’ve piled more work on OP if he’d known the truth
These users added flair, one poetically describing workplace “snakes,” while the other applauded OP’s malicious compliance and the perfect “replace me” moment
Sometimes, the sweetest revenge requires no effort, just patience. This soon-to-be college student didn’t yell, argue, or sabotage. He simply watched as his arrogant coworker built his own trap and stepped right in.
Two months of paid peace later, he walked away with tuition money and a story that belongs in the Hall of Workplace Karma.
So what about you? Have you ever been “replaced” only to watch chaos unfold? Would you have handled Mr. S any differently?
