A new hire endured five months of nonstop torment from a burned-out coworker who barked at overseas teams on speakerphone, narrated her digestive disasters, and hijacked every conversation like it was her personal stage. Trapped in a stingy company where no one else could cover the workload, the coworker finally booked her first escape in three years, only for the fed-up Redditor to land a dream job and hand in notice days before takeoff.
The cheapskate boss laughed off the resignation, claimed fake reference warnings, then fired the Redditor on the spot and rushed a replacement hire, leaving the multimillion-dollar project, a clogged toilet denial, and an oblivious coworker’s Hong Kong flight hanging in glorious, petty balance.
Redditor quits toxic job, accidentally triggers chaos for rude coworker’s long-awaited vacation, boss delivers instant karma.
Walking away from a toxic workplace is rarely clean, but this saga takes the cake. On one side, we have a burned-out coworker who’s clearly forgotten workplace etiquette exists. On the other, an employee who just wanted peace and quiet while doing their job. Both are symptoms of the same disease: a cheap owner who refuses to hire proper coverage or pay people what they’re worth.
Workplace incivility, like loud personal calls, oversharing about digestion, or talking over colleagues, actually costs companies big time. According to a survey published in the Harvard Business Review in 2013 by Christine Porath and Christine Pearson, among employees who experienced incivility, 66% said their performance declined, and employees are less creative when they feel disrespected. No wonder everything feels like it’s on fire.
Relationship therapist Esther Perel has spoken extensively about how chronic overwork erodes empathy. She said: “When our ability to consider and understand the feelings of others decreases, our relationships suffer.” That doesn’t excuse the behavior, but it explains why someone might turn into an office gremlin after three years without a single break.
The real villain here isn’t even the rude coworker, it’s the employer who created a system where one person’s vacation becomes everyone else’s hostage situation. European countries mandate a minimum of 20 paid vacation days per year precisely to prevent this kind of burnout spiral.
Meanwhile, the U.S. remains the only advanced economy with no federal paid vacation requirement, which is why 62% of Americans didn’t use all their PTO in 2023, according to a 2024 Sorbet survey reported in Money.com.
The coworker’s behavior: blasting speakerphone rants, narrating bathroom sagas, hijacking every conversation would test the patience of a saint. Yet after three years glued to her desk with zero escape, anyone might start fraying at the edges. The Redditor politely asked for basic courtesy and got “I don’t jump to your tune” in return. That’s screaming “I’m drowning and lashing out.”
Meanwhile, the boss hoards pennies like a dragon while the company teeters on one overworked employee’s shoulders. No backup plan, no decent pay, no respect for personal time, it’s a recipe for exactly this meltdown.
The Redditor simply refused to chain themselves to a sinking ship. When the boss laughed off the resignation and hired a replacement overnight, the real chaos architect revealed himself. Sometimes the universe serves petty revenge with a side of clogged plumbing, and honestly? We’re just here for the show.
Neutral take? OP did absolutely nothing wrong by accepting a better offer. Giving notice early was the professional move. The fact that the boss turned it into instant karma for the coworker is just the universe’s sense of humor at work.
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
Some people encourage OP to quit immediately without notice and cite the coworker’s toxic behavior as the reason.
Some people suggest quitting right before the coworker’s scheduled vacation for maximum revenge.
Some people think deliberately ruining her vacation is too malicious or excessive.
In the end, the Redditor didn’t ruin anyone’s vacation, the cheap boss did that all by himself. Sometimes the trash takes itself out, and sometimes it clogs the toilet first. Do you think OP should feel guilty, or is this the karmic payback we all secretly cheer for? Would you have given two weeks in that environment, or bolted the second the new offer came in? Drop your verdict below!
