While workplace gossip and theatricality can be annoying, petty and just silly, when you look at it from a distance, it is also the foundation of one of the most watched TV shows of all time. In case it wasn’t clear, I am talking about the Office. However, the humor of the show only really hit home because so many people could find those moments somewhat relatable.
Someone asked “What’s the worst office drama you’ve ever witnessed?” and netizens shared their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own thoughts and tales of drama in the comments below.
#1
I worked with a guy who faked brain cancer for 3 years.
Image credits: silvias_trip
#2
Your outlook diary is shared with the entire office. The office Casanova would keep a log of all his hookups, with a list of locations, activities performed etc, along with marks out of 10 for every encounter. It was very detailed. Staff were sending emails along the lines of "have a look at 4/4/2023"
Image credits: revinthenorth
#3
Someone released the spreadsheet of Christmas bonuses. The new hire that was buddies with the manager (had been there a MONTH) got the biggest bonus.
The best salesperson and only woman on her team got the smallest bonus in the company.
I was that woman.
Image credits: steph_does_it_all
#4
Worked in an office with a mail room. Two of the employees started talking about their partners, one a boyfriend & one a husband. Turned out it was the same man. Wigs were snatched, weaves were yanked out, fists were flying. There was a whole big throw down at 10:00 am on a Tuesday. How they both didn’t get fired, I’ll never know.
Image credits: ennica
#5
My coworker said goodbye see ya later Cassedilla (a play on my name and quesedilla) and went home and unalived her boyfriend and his son. I still get chills thinking about our last interaction.
Image credits: horrormoviesandcoffeeplz
#6
Someone sent out a mass email with every employee's salary and then immediately followed it with: don't look.
We looked.
Image credits: leah2horse
#7
The CFO of our smallish company embezzled $4 million from the crazy Russian owner. The owner then proceeded to dismantle his entire life which resulted in his kids going to foster care.
Image credits: rbergh
#8
I worked at a MENTAL HEALTH company that was fully remote. We had a company retreat, and everyone got to meet and our CEO tells us the future of the company blah blah. Well as she's telling us this she says they're currently hiring for a new Marketing Director .... thing is... we already had a Marketing Director. So we all look at her like "oh no you're leaving!?"
Her response: I wasn't aware that I was being replaced.
And the CEO kept talking and avoiding eye contact with her.
Image credits: iamkilaofficial
#9
A coworker found our shift leaders fiancé on Tinder AND Grindr. In his profile he said he was gay & single. After some debating, we showed her all the proof. Next shift she came in without her ring and a called off wedding.
Image credits: _meowornever_
#10
Colleague who had decided to use a meeting room as " their office" was upset when told this was a no go by management. This meeting room was a shared space, she had a desk in a shared office like everyone else. This woman baracaded herself in this room. And would not leave. Eventually she left the room after several hours still protesting (think police were called). She was placed on leave ( full pay). It was eventually decided that she would take early retirement. Completely bats**t behaviour.
Image credits: cats_housekeeper
#11
Idk if it counts as "the worst," but it's definitely cringey. We fired someone in late November due to poor attendance/performance and while getting fired she asked if she could still come to the company's holiday party that was happening in a few weeks.
Image credits: catherine_dagostini
#12
Work Christmas party.
Boss was having an affair with his secretary.
Wife and mistress had a full on cat fight on the dance floor.
It was messy.
Wife was also the man’s former secretary.
So he had a long form for this…
Image credits: the_not_lost_wanderer
#13
I once watched a passive-aggressive email war turn into a full-blown screaming match… in the middle of an all-hands meeting. The CEO just sat there sipping coffee like it was an episode of ‘Succession.’ Iconic.
Image credits: dimmanosociala
#14
I saw my co-worker make out with someone on the job. I was a prison guard. She was making out with an inmate.
Image credits: heleen_tll
#15
Found out my co workers were in love but wouldn't break up with their respective partners, so they would just look at each other longingly all shift. It was sad af. They could have been happy.
Image credits: theherber
#16
My boss cheated on his fiancée in front of the whole team. She became one of my best friends after this, because f yeah, I told her everything. Before firing me he made sure to torture all of us, treat us like s**t and play the victim the whole drama. His family didn't believe him. His friends didn't believe him. And after firing me, less than five minutes later, the whole crew quit as well. He faced a busy day at the restaurant with nobody except for him and his mistress. No waiters, nothing.
Image credits: atlasmother
#17
Worked in a call centre in upper management. An employee had a full mental breakdown, beat the s**t out of another employee with a keyboard and his fists. He was dragged outside by another coworker, and then he stripped naked and started dancing outside the locked doors until the police came.
Image credits: ockroach.brain
#18
I worked as a pastry chef with… let’s say a very toxic chef in charge 😌 he mislabelled all our sorbets, I sent an order for a scoop of mango that turned out to be passion fruit, the customer sent it back, my chef flew into a rage calling me stupid and asking if I knew how to read.
I tried the sorbets myself to realise they were all mixed up, went into the walk in freezer to get more, at which point he lost it and threw a frozen metal pacojet container at my head.
I quit on the spot.
Image credits: chefclarisseflon
#19
Employee who didn't want to work ended up getting let go. He screamed so loud, everyone in the bldg heard him regardless of where they were, headphones or not. He stormed into the president's office asking him to tell HR and his manager to reverse the decision. "Security" was following him around. He screamed on his manager and threw his key card at her. Said something like "this isn't over" and sped out of the parking lot.
Everyone was shook and worked from home the next day.
Image credits: mynameisosato
#20
My manager in the kitchen loudly complaining about (the sweetest) coworker. Yelling during a management meeting, storming out & slamming the door. During a meeting with me, going on a loud insult-ladened 45min vitriolic rant about the organisation/coworkers. I had words with him the next day & reported it. An investigation happened then management suggested he should resign - they were so wary of his reaction that I was encouraged to work from home that day 🙃
#21
I was working in a finance co. I had been there less than a year and had been promoted twice. The bosses boss met w/me on a Thursday and let me know another big promotion was coming for me the following week! The next morning two men walked into his office and were in there for 3 hours. Then they walked him, along with my promotion, out the door in handcuffs. He'd embezzled $1M+ from the company
Image credits: ilisa_stillman
#22
I witnessed a predident/COO, in a group meeting, start yelling, then scream insults at staff, throw stuff across the room, then huff out of the room like a petulant five year old. I’d heard stories of him doing this then witnessed it for myself. It was wild.
#23
When I (F) complained to a supervisor (M) that a man in the training session was wearing a shirt that said “tell your boobs (with ‘artistic’ enhancement of the Os) to stop staring at my eyes” and he looked at my colleague (F) who was about to train the next session and said “you should see the way they’re looking at YOU”. And yes, she was “blessed” in said department. And no, nothing came of it because oilfield.
#24
Out and proud lesbian married to another woman decided to have affair with man 12 years older than her (also married to woman). Man’s wife found out because he was talking to his side chick on Bluetooth in the car and when he pulled into the garage it connected to the Alexa in the house. Both got divorced and married each other.
#25
Someone got a promotion at work that was extremely unexpected. Like, out of left field this is nuts, unexpected. The next day there were xerox flyers of the promoted employees face and the individual who promoted them with the caption “it’s not what you know it’s who you blow” taped EVERYWHERE in the 10 story building. I was in a meeting with both of them that morning. Awkward doesn’t begin to describe it.
#26
My company is 100% remote and one time we had an in person meeting, people traveled from all over the U.S. for the meeting. One of my coworkers arrived so drunk she got kicked out of the hotel, our VP went to personally fire her while she was packing her stuff and she opened the door with a cigarette in hand and said “What the f* do you want?” needless to say she didn’t make it to the meeting and we never seen her again lol
#27
Multiple bedbugs were found in the office and our manager didn’t do shit about it. I made an anonymous report to OSHA. Few days later I was sitting next to one of our managers who received the phone call. She transferred the call to my boss & said “uhh I have OSHA on the phone??”. The wicked smile on my face was priceless. We had monthly professional pest treatments after that AND my anonymous report was posted on the bulletin board 💀😇
#28
Can't decide between the time the pizza guy threw a kitchen knife at another driver as we were both returning to the store and it almost hit me or the time some manager went on a screaming fit in the middle of a huge cube farm and someone threw a plushie at him and told him stfu
#29
We had a WhatsApp chat with everyone in the office and company included and one of the owners dad sent a c*mshot picture to the entire company.
#30
Not an office, but an icu. A few young nurses were wildly inappropriate (no filter, a lot of uninvited serial talk, gestures, touching towards the male employees). They had pictures on their phones of a comatose patients genitalia. Federal offense. One had to surrender her license to avoid jail. For a while, she would come up if you googled "hottest mug shots"
#31
saw a stapler launched at an assistants head. She didn’t even stop typing
#32
A manager I had was sleeping with 11 employees spread out between 2 different stores, and none of the girls knew about eachother. Until one day when 2 of the girls admitted to eachother they were pregnant, and confessed by who…. While on the clock….. in a full store…..
#33
My previous boss was a gaslighting narcissistic felon who got into a disagreement with her boss. It escalated to yelling, then her screaming F YOU at her boss and telling him to F OFF. And not only did she get to keep her job, she ended up being promoted a few months later!
#34
Outgoing disgruntled employee hid a bunch of confidential records in the ceiling tiles. They were found months later by maintenance workers.
#35
My former employer couldn't replace me with one person. When I left, they had to hire two full time employees to do the work I was doing for $25/hour.
#36
My office closed my city's location, all of us are laid off at the end of the month. Somebody found out early and starting taking revenge dumps. They pooped on the floor, on a break room sofa, etc. and knew the places the cameras couldn't see.
The company closed the office and we're all working from home now, which I love. Thanks, mystery pooper!
#37
A coworker decided to end a staff meeting by letting us all know she was pregnant by another coworker (not her husband). She also let us know she was keeping it. This was said in front of the sperm donor and one night stand/coworker who was hearing this for the first time. Awkward didn’t begin to describe the room.
#38
My coworker screamed at me out of the blue (in the middle of the cubkicle farm) because I replied to an email of him asking me to do something with, “I don’t have the capacity to take on things outside of my direct duties.” Homie snapped.
#39
I worked in fraud Dept of telecommunications company. We detected cloned phones. The only numbers we could legally actively monitor were accounts that had a warrant. Our boss was monitoring her husband's and his coworker-lover's accounts. Meanwhile, she was screwing one of her vendors after hours in her office. It was a hot mess and I enjoyed watching it play out. 😂
#40
Attorneys constantly drunk off vodka in water bottles.
Pill popping paralegals slumped at computers.
Fist fights in cubicles.
Affairs with DL attorneys.
#41
I worked at a vet office and a client signed a waiver to put a cat down who was sick. We put the cat down. Client made FB posts saying they never approved cat being put down.. went viral. We started receiving 💀 threats in phone calls for weeks after.
#42
2 guys were dating the same chick. Said guys got in a full on fistfight on the floor. She showed up, ripped her wig off and handed it to the girl next to me, and beat both those dudes
#43
I worked in a dental office. One of the receptionists was always late, would never let anyone know when she would actually arrive. She walked in one morning and another receptionist (my actual nemesis), made an asshole comment to her. It immediately made Late Lady start yelling at her. This went on for at least 5 minutes. Actual yelling. In front of patients. And nothing happened to either employee.
#44
The worst was after Mom retired. One of her coworkers quit her job that day and then wanted to see her and she asked if I'd go along. I liked the lady so I agreed.
20 minutes later I was spitting tacks angry for her. She told a tale I can't relate but culminated in spiking her water bottle with something. She tasted it and shortly after she was very sick for a hot minute. She figured it out (the bitter taste) and probably saved her own life.
#45
Working at an advertising agency in the '90's. Had a meeting one morning, very early, with my production team. Exiting the elevator, turned down the hall slowly (bought coffees for everyone) see my team sitting in the hall cross-legged on the floor with three armed NYC Marshalls standing over them. Tall, big one looks at me, "You got the keys?". Yessir, I did. We had 20mins to get our personal effects. Apparently our boss hadn't paid the rent/utilities in over a year.
#46
I was new at a job and had just walked through a door that needed closed for heating reasons, someone asked me a question so I didn't shut the door right away. The GM came out and yelled at me for 5 minutes in front of the other coworker because I didn't close the door. I was going through a lot in my personal life and almost quit right there, but I held it together and kept my job.
Two weeks later the GM had a heart attack while driving and died. I wasn't as sad as I could've been, probably.
#47
I was working in a small advertising agency (pre-internet days, so lots of paperwork, folders, printouts). We had a new temp who was meant to be at the reception desk, answer the phone etc. Instead he „re-organized“ the boss‘s office on his first morning at work. He was fired at lunchtime.
#48
Working in an after school academy in South Korea, the director manipulated a lot of us and one girl lost her shit on the director and walked out, never returning. She said a lot of nasty things about pretty much everyone in her rant before leaving but turns out she was right about a lot of it and I ended up breaking my contract and returning home several months later.
#49
I was a pharmacy tech at a retail pharmacy and my pharmacist was inappropriately touching me, always claiming it was an accident . After my husband confronted him he continued, when I’d call him on it he’d say “or you’ll tell your husband again?” I was sure it was caught on tape and sure enough it was. Another tech even came forward. The store manager treated it like gossip he was the last to know about. The only “punishment” the pharmacist got was moved to another store.
#50
A coworkers ex wife ran into the building an held a gun to his face. Scared me half to death
#51
Was working in a start up and the head of int finance (just below CFO) had created a company and an invoice for herself & asked me to pay it ( I was in the finance team). She was having a dispute about a raise with CFO. Another member of our team has suspicions and looked up this company on Companies House to find she was the only employee
#52
A former co-worker bunked work for more than 1 consecutive day, requiring them to produce a doctor's note. Instead, said person used their mom as an alibi ("I was sick, you can ask my mom."). Dear reader, when confronted by the boss, the person's mom did not in fact confirm their child's alibi. 🤣
#53
During an unsanctioned Christmas party after party on the roof of our office building a group of us saw two of our married coworkers hooking up on his desk through a skylight.
Then when the two offenders came back up to the roof Office Karen loudly shamed them for what she saw and how they should be ashamed of themselves and how everyone here *wild hand motions* saw what you did.
It was not a proud moment for all involved.
#54
One of my software testers drugged an engineer at a team party celebrating our company's acquisition. The engineer ended up at the hospital. Two days later we had our orientation at our new office and I had to track down both the engineer and tester when they didn't show.
That night, the tester went to the old offices and stole tens of thousands of dollars in cash and computer equipment from the company.
AND THEN HE SHOWED UP FOR WORK THE NEXT DAY. Needless to say, he was fired.
#55
My boss walked up to a guy working at his desk and slapped him hard in the face because one of the ceiling lights above him had gone out.
#56
Had a guy, clearly in the middle of a mental health crisis, come in and yell at everyone. Told every person to their face what he didn't like about them, then pointed to one person and said "you're cool though" then speed out of the parking lot on his motorcycle right before we opened.
#57
The worst office I ever worked in was for a charity. Our away day was just an extended bollocking from management, which was somehow meant to improve morale. 3 people were sacked the next day and 2 more suspended. I still don't know why. It was really tense for ages.
#58
A coworker caught video of one of the managers and their supervisor at a bar after a company function and they were holding hands. Everyone had suspected a relationship between them for years but never had any proof until that day.
#59
The day someone in IT sent the entire company his manifesto was an interesting day. I sent myself an pdf copy because I knew IT was going to wipe it from our computers and let everyone read it who missed it.
The office he worked at got sent home and we had to hire security because that boy was hot and sounded like he would go postal.
#60
Fairly new as an employee, shared an admin with another director. Made a lunch date with her in honor of admin day. He got mad because it interfered with his two hour lunch. Stopped talking to me for several months (one of many times btw).
#61
The owners of the insurance agency I worked at ran a Ponzi scheme with investor money and bilked them for $16 million. All 3 filed personal bankruptcy, there were angry calls from investors, the office was raided by the State Patrol and the staff just left and went to brunch, and they were eventually sentenced to prison.
#62
That a woman in my office had started a rumour that I was having an affair with my director.
I was less than one year out from the very traumatic and sudden death of my husband. She spread the rumour far and wide. Tried to obliterate my reputation.
I was there and still can’t believe she did it.
