30 Employees Who Got Sweet, Sweet Revenge On A Bad Boss

Some bosses make work a nightmare, and sometimes, the best way to clock out for good is with a little poetic justice.

Employees on Quora have shared the times they turned the tables on terrible bosses—whether it was by exposing shady business practices, outsmarting office politics, or making their departure a lasting headache.

From small acts of petty revenge to moves that completely wrecked a bad boss’s career, these stories are proof that karma always finds a way.

1.

I was the editor for a small daily newspaper in Texas. I had four reporters and a photographer on my team.
Newspapers are notorious for not paying overtime, even though it is the law in most cases.

They forced the employees to work 50–60 hours a week and to turn in a 40-hour time card, they got paid no overtime. The bad thing was, I was the one who had to tell them to work. The only option was to work without pay or get fired, and people needed a job so they stayed.

I secretly kept meticulous records. I had each employee fill out their real hours on a time card and give it to me. I took notes of every conversation.

I eventually got fired because a story that I didn’t know about didn’t get in the paper. Should not have been that big of a deal, but I was relieved.

My first order of business was to contact the labor board in the state. I gave them all the actual hours, and copies of the time cards the employees were forced to sign. Along with notes about conversations I had.

A few weeks later, the paper was fined several thousand dollars, had to pay every employee, including me, backpay with overtime. The company fired my boss as well. That was a good piece of revenge.

2.

Only once and I honestly am still conflicted about it 15 years later.
I was fired from a small company that used a lot of pirated software (Microsoft products everywhere). The firing wasn’t because of my performance, but because the owner wanted to make room for his stepson to come into the job I held. It was during the holidays and he wouldn’t even let me stay until after Christmas (two weeks away). I was called into the office, told I was being let go, and told to get my things and leave by the end of the day.

I went back to my office and, from there, filed a report with the Business Software Alliance to report all of the pirated software they used. I then packed my stuff, told my friends goodbye, and left the office.

Later, I heard that the BSA came in and hit them hard. They had over $350,000 worth of unlicensed software for which they had to pay and, I believe, they might have gotten hit with a fine on top of that. Since this was a very small company (12 employees), it hurt them pretty bad and they had to lay off two people.

In the beginning of this answer, I said I feel conflicted about doing this and here’s why: I worked at the company for a little over 2 years and knew they used pirated software the entire time. I even used pirated software to do my job with the full understanding that it wasn’t licensed. It never bothered me enough to report it until I was fired. I have to accept that, while I told myself it did at the time, this had nothing to do with morals or ethics on my part but was purely revenge.

I’m a little ashamed of that.

3.

I left him dangling in the wind with no recourse.
I was a contractor for a large IT company. After we wrapped our 18-month project, the original manager moved to a different job, and it was a good move on his part.

His replacement was, however, a real piece of work. He was dismissive of the progress we had made before he took the helm. Moreover, he consistently pushed back and then canceled meetings. And, without ever meeting with anyone, he declined to hire us back for the next phase of the project.

Instead, he just wanted us to fill him in. So I wrote up the math and statistical analyses I had done. It was only 25 pages, and he never even read it. Instead, he had me stop by to explain it. Ten minutes into a one-hour meeting, he said he didn’t like the approach and dismissed me.

That’s when I found a new job and left ahead of schedule.

A month later, his managers were asking him to explain the math and statistics from phase 1. It was all in my document, which he’d received via email and hard copy from me. For whatever reason, he’d lost all his copies and needed my help.

I declined since he’d already gotten four copies from me. Besides, he had said he didn’t like it anyway. Apparently, his managers weren’t too impressed with that answer.

4.

Actually, I wasn’t fired, but my direct supervisor made working there impossible unless one were in her circle of friends.

The day after I left, I started getting calls from that office, asking about various things. I told them that I would get back to them, and sent an email to corporate and to the management in our area. I let them know that from that time forward that I would be happy to help but my fee was $150.00 per hour with a minimum four-hour charge and that the clock started ticking the minute that I answered a call or opened an email.

So the next day, I got a call and helped the caller with their issues. I then sent an electronic invoice to corporate. They called and said it was only a ten-minute call and they were willing to pay me twenty dollars. I reminded them of the email and told them if I didn’t receive payment in full ($600.00) within thirty days, I would notify the credit reporting agencies and start legal proceedings.

Three days later, a check arrived, FedEx next-day delivery, signature required, and strangely enough, I have yet to receive another call or email from any of their employees. I can’t imagine why.

5.

I used a copier.

She was the type who enjoyed micromanaging and exercising her power on those beneath her. Life happened and it came down through the grapevine that she was taking mental health leave. Fair enough.

Less than a week later, I was looking through a paper someone had left on the unit and saw where she was working at a nail salon and offering discounts for new customers. While being paid for leave by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Oh hell no.

I made copies of that ad and slid them under the doors of every member of management in my building. She made the ‘decision’ to resign within a week.

6.

My boss was a woman. She didn’t like the fact that I had told her I was pregnant the day she told me she was divorcing. From that day on, I was persona non grata.

My job was highly sophisticated. Have you ever called an 800 number for software support and expected the person to know the answer no matter what? That was the kind of job I did. For 16 years. I enjoyed it and my customers. They liked me as well, and trusted me.

Well, things started going south with my boss. It took an hour (without traffic) to get to work. The problem? My son and daughter’s daycare didn’t open until 7:00. Which meant that if I got to work by 8:00 it would be a miracle.

There WERE people on special schedules. One person worked 7–4 simply due to traffic issues. One person worked 9–6, simply because he did not like to get up early (I swear to God, that was the reason). So, I thought it was quite logical to ask for an 8:30–5:30 shift.

Guess what? I was told NO. The reason? “We don’t do special schedules anymore.”

Okay, fine. My review comes up. I’m marked down because I’m 15 minutes late every day. This goes on for a year and a half, 2 years. One year she dings me badly for the 15 minutes. I talk to HR. They take my side, knowing I have asked for a special schedule and could have been given one.

Paid lay-offs are offered while I am on vacation, yet I don’t get the paperwork. One of my friends gives me the papers, I fill it out, and submit it. Her first question was, “where did you get these papers? I didn’t leave any for you!” Another trip to HR.

She finally submits the papers for the paid lay-off, after 4 months of waiting, and isn’t happy about it. I told her it was her fault for giving me bad reviews instead of agreeing to a special schedule.

My last day comes. I have a buddy in the mail room. All the big bosses work in the same building. I have been working on a letter about ALL her transgressions with a copy of all our memos back and forth as supporting documentation. I wrote to her boss’s boss and up the chain all the way to the Regional President. I also wrote HR and asked that a copy of the letter be put in her file.

I took the letters, gave them to my guy, gave him a huge hug and said, “Elvis is leaving the building.” Only at that time did he put it in the inter-office mail. Every big boss got a letter about her antics, her favoritism, her lack of professionalism, etc.

I found out that she was demoted 6 months later and ultimately fired a year later. Yeah, I smiled when I heard that.

7.

I was an assistant in Orthopedic and Physical Therapy. We had a great boss. There were two other therapists. One was a young guy. The other was a perv. Would not look at me anywhere but in the boobs. I was in a lab coat and you could not see them, but I swear he must have thought he had X-ray vision. He did this to all the women there. I asked him several times to quit staring at my chest but he didn’t stop.
Our old boss retired. This tool became the boss. Second day in, he fired me for insubordination for telling him to stop staring at my chest. Made me sign a paper about it too.

Next thing I know, I get a call from corporate that I have my job back with back pay and a raise. I come into work, he was fired for being a perv! Idiot had told HR what I had said and when they called him in, he did the same thing to the HR manager! Made my decade!!!

8.

I was a government employee for 28 years and worked overtime whenever she asked me. I also took no sick leave and cut my vacation time when there was an overload of work.
An opening for a promotion came up and I passed the tests with flying colors. However, my supervisor wanted a woman in the position and called in favors to have a female employee from another department transferred to her section.

I then went to HR and asked when I could take early retirement with the best employee pension possible given my number of years as an employee. I bided my time, and when the time came, I gave exactly 2 weeks’ notice.

How did it hurt her? I had accumulated 2 years and six weeks of vacation, sick leave, and overtime, so for that time, I was paid full salary on early retirement. The best part, she could not have another employee fill my position because I was officially still occupying that position.

9.

Yes! I worked for Sherwin Williams years back. Our district manager was the best. He inspired us to do our best, he was tough when needed, but fair, and he truly understood the business.
The regional manager’s position opened, and it was between our district manager, Louie, and an a** kisser from the home office.

They chose the a** kisser, and we all hated the choice. The guy was an a**.

I decided to leave the company, and they sent an exit interview. My final comment was, “whoever hired this guy over Louie had his head up his a**.”

A few months later, I was in the Sherwin Williams store and someone who had been a store manager in our district was the new district manager. He greeted me like a long-lost hero. He insisted we go to lunch and asked if I’d said something on my exit interview.

I told him, and he nearly fell out of his chair with glee. He said the a** regional manager was called to the CEO’s office. The CEO handed him my exit interview and asked him for comments. Soon after, he was fired and Louie became regional manager.

Louie went on to become CEO.

10.

I was the Maintenance supervisor of an Irrigation District, which manages and delivers water to farmers. I didn’t do toilets and lightbulbs; my department fixed and maintained roads, pipelines, and canals.

We had that one guy. The guy that is a pain in everybody’s arse. And he lived to be a problem. He wanted the supervisor position when it was open, but they hired me from the outside. That really pissed him off. He would find every minute issue and try to blow it up into a major complaint, then try to upset his coworkers about the “injustice of the week.”

One morning he walks up to me and says he wants to file a complaint. I say about what, now? He says there is no hot water in the men’s room. I ask what he needs hot water for. He says to sanitize his hands, of course. I tell him that’s what the soap is for. It’s antibacterial. He tells me OSHA requires the employer to provide hot water for sanitation. I say BS, we’re not even required to provide a bathroom, but we do so you don’t spend all day driving into town to pee.

He tells me if I don’t fix it, he would complain to the GM. (GM didn’t like him either).

I told him I would handle it.

The next morning, bright and early, I get summoned to the GM’s office. He’s holding a laminated piece of paper, rubbing his eyes.

“Is this your handiwork?”

Yes sir.

“You can’t do that. You just can’t! And…I’m taking this home to show my wife because she won’t believe me. Try to figure out a way to get him hot water, and don’t post any more signs, PLEASE.”

Yes sir.

The laminated sign said:

“WE DON’T HAVE HOT WATER, DON’T P*SS ON YOUR HANDS.”

11.

This happened to my husband when we were first married. He was working (salary) 60–70 hrs a week. He worked for a company that was a family business, except my husband and the skilled field employees. The family office staff didn’t do as much as my husband, so he asked for a raise, since he was doing a higher-level position than he was working. He also asked for an assistant, because he was doing that much work. My husband knew they would probably not honor his requests, so he went prepared. He had gotten a license to form his own company and went in with a resignation letter. When he asked for the raise and an assistant, his boss literally laughed in his face. My husband gave his notice and walked out. He had a couple of jobs lined up from other contractors whom he knew from his connections other than his job, so he didn’t skip a beat in getting work.

A week went by, and his boss called him begging him to come back. My husband rightfully declined. They had to hire 3 people to fill his position there, and within 2 years, they went out of business. I’m proud that my husband did all of this with class, dignity, and integrity!

12.

The absolute funniest “Revenge” tale I have personally seen occurred back in the early 1980s when I was working for the headquarters of a major drug store chain in Southern California. We were a great company to work for, and the president was an amazing leader. Unfortunately, after the sale, the new board of directors cleaned out our quality leadership and installed an uneducated sycophant as our new president. At our annual meeting, this knucklehead had to give a State of the Company address to 500 people, and he was terrified of public speaking.

He wrote his speech on 3 x 5 note cards and handed them to someone who shall remain nameless for safekeeping while he went to have a few drinks to steel his courage. This unnamed person “accidentally” shuffled the 3 x 5 note cards not once but three times, ensuring that they were now in random order. The knucklehead was not even smart enough to number the cards.

He took the podium slightly inebriated and proceeded to read his entire speech off the cards, even though the order now made absolutely no sense. He was mercifully terminated soon after. All I can say is it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Friends don’t let friends work for bossholes. Thanks, Frank, you did your fellow employees a great service.

13.

Well, actually, he did it for me. I worked at a company that built business machines. A little back story, I was a spray painter making almost $20 per hour and had been hurt and on worker’s comp. When I returned, I had to go to lighter work in the assembly department, which paid considerably less, but they left me at my previous rate. I did intend to eventually get back to painting, so they left it be. Part of my “new” job was to test run and adjust them so they’d be ready to use out of the box. My supervisor (who I actually made more per hour than) was also supposed to double-check the settings to verify everything was good to go. We had an issue with one of the adjusting tools and didn’t realize it until a whole order of around 40 machines went out (without him checking because, as he put it, “I’ve got better things to do,” which was usually sitting & watching us work). Of course, they were out of whack and were returned. When asked, my supervisor told the manager that I sent them without his knowledge and that’s why they were wrong. Long story short, I was terminated for “insubordination & bypassing inspection,” which wasn’t true, but it was my word against his.

So, I left, and he looked all proud of himself because of his BS. About a month later, another full shipment was returned for the same problem (since I’d left, they didn’t replace me; they had him doing the adjustment/testing). He at first tried to say it was from a shipment I’d worked on until they checked the date and saw it was two weeks after I was gone!!!! He was FIRED, not laid off. They called for me to come back… sorry, already had a new job making $4.00 more than I was there. KARMA strikes again.

14.

After the dotcom crash, I got hired by a small software company. They didn’t really have a good product, and it was obvious they were on the way down. One day, the owner called in with instructions to fire all the salespeople as they weren’t making any sales anyway. OK, so at the end of the month, he calls to ask how sales were going. I said about as good as can be expected with no salespeople.

A week later, the hammer comes down, and we’re all let go and given our severance checks. I immediately go to the bank branch that the check was drawn on to cash it, and it bounced!

Since I still had the keys to the office, I went back and grabbed a bunch of high-end laptops and took them home. Another week goes by, and he calls to ask about these laptops that have gone missing. I said they’re not missing; I’m holding on to them until you make good on the bounced check. I was told that was theft and they would be pressing charges. I said great, I’ll be contacting the Labor Relations Board about your shady practices and also the police about knowingly passing a bad check for thousands of dollars.

Needless to say, I was asked to stop by his office to exchange the laptops for another check. It was like the scene out of Scarface where Tony Montana goes to buy the coke.

Owner: Do you have the laptops?

Me: They’re close by. Do you have my check?

He gave me the check, and I went and cashed it, then went back and gave him his laptops.

15.

Not a previous boss but an employee that stuck a knife in my back a couple of years ago. That guy had a burnout and I did everything to cover him up and make sure his job never was at stake. Even when my boss asked if we should keep him, I ensured he could keep this job. I even went several times to his home to make sure he was alright and no stress for coming back too soon.

Later on he maneuvered himself slowly but surely to my position and had a direct contact with my line manager. In the end, he just took my job and I was laid off. (Not that he was better than me, just more political and not trustworthy.)

Now… knowing he was taking over my company car, I did two things. Under the carpet of the back seat area, I hid a piece of cheese. This would start to smell bad and after a while probably they would find it and think this was the source of the smell.

But… little did he know I also hid a part of a fish under the spare wheel in the trunk of the car. I can only presume it must have taken loads of time before he figured that one out…

16.

I signed up my jerk of a boss’s email address to every subscription email I could find. Horoscope, spam, magazines, novelties—everything.
That guy was very lucky to be born into wealth, but I believe in the saying, “One generation builds an empire (his grandfather), the next generation grows it (his father), the last one blows it up (him).” Immature, unprofessional, and loved to micromanage.

17.

My friend worked in a pharmacy department in a hospital where the pharmacy manager would routinely abuse and bully the night pharmacists. She dumped extra work on them (when they were already busy and short-staffed), accused them of sleeping on the job (which wasn’t true), and would even call or text them during the daytime (when they were trying to sleep).
She also forced them to attend mandatory meetings in the middle of the afternoon, which for a night shift worker is like asking a day shift person to show up at 3 AM.

Eventually, the night shift pharmacists had enough and all quit at the same time. The manager tried to stop them from leaving, but since they were at-will employees, she had no power. She ended up not only doing her manager job but also covering the shifts of four pharmacists until new ones could be hired and trained—which took months.

She absolutely got what she deserved.

18.

While working as a temp in a hospital for two weeks, I heard that they hadn’t been successful in keeping anybody in the administrative assistant (AA) position. I quickly found out why.
The department head, S., was difficult and had no problem telling people off. I remained respectful, patient, and did my job well. I really liked everyone else in that department, including the charge nurse, who later recommended me for the permanent role.

One week into my full-time position, I asked S. a simple question about which doctor could be called for a particular issue. She barked at me, saying, “If you don’t learn the names of these doctors fast (there were 50), I will drop you as fast as you got hired here!”

Hours before the end of my shift that day, security entered S.’s office, took her purse, and locked the door behind them. She had been fired.

19.

I was an automotive tech for a few years. The last position I held was at a small, locally owned oil and lube shop.
The owner was not a good man. He took big-game hunting trips to Africa, only donated to charity for tax breaks, and had zero empathy for people. His holiday bonuses were $25 gift cards… to his own store.

His nephew was the manager and had a favorite saying: “If you don’t do XYZ, you can take it to the house.”

One day, all of us employees got pulled in for “morale talks.” Really, it was him trying to sniff out whether two of us mechanics were planning to open our own shop (which we were).

The next day, both of us were “suspended” for two weeks for allegedly smelling like whiskey (which we didn’t). This was their way of avoiding paying us unemployment.

So, I called OSHA and the EPA to report all the illegal waste disposal and unsafe work conditions. Within weeks, OSHA had forced them to clean the entire garage, and the EPA hit them with a massive fine.

Two months later, all their locations were sold off.

20.

I got revenge by living well, succeeding in my career, and not caring one bit about my former boss.
He, on the other hand, created problems in both his personal and professional life.

He felt he should be the center of the universe, and he raged when he discovered the rest of us didn’t share that belief.

Our successes infuriated him, even though they had nothing to do with him.

I didn’t seek revenge, so I will never feel guilt about what happened to him. But I admit, I occasionally have a twinge of satisfaction.

21.

I worked in a grocery store and was scheduled to work on my birthday. I had plans with friends, so I spoke to both my department manager and the store manager to see if I could start a half-hour early to leave on time. They both agreed, so I came in early.
During my lunch break, I got a call from the assistant manager accusing me of taking an unauthorized coffee break instead of my lunch. She accused me of time theft.

Right there in the middle of the break room, I told her she better have her facts straight before accusing me. I pointed to the break schedule that proved I was on my legitimate lunch. I also reminded her that, per our union contract, she had now interrupted my break, meaning I could restart it from scratch.

Instead, I went back to work and reported her to HR. Eventually, after enough complaints, she was fired and escorted out by security.

22.

I worked for a supervisor who was a complete snake. He would make up rules, pull rank for petty things, and write people up for things they weren’t responsible for. Several employees reported him to HR, but nothing happened.
After one false write-up too many, I found another job and planned my exit. On my last Friday, after he told me to come in just to watch guys pull up tile (to make sure they didn’t break a wire), I left my badge, phone, and laptop and walked out for real.

The following Monday, my ex-boss spent the whole day calling everyone trying to find me.

He lasted two more days before he and his toady were both fired. The company then started investigating what went wrong because a mass exodus followed. They even tried to get me back, but I turned them down. I wasn’t about to work for a company that allowed someone like him to be in charge.

23.

I worked as a contract employee for years, hopping between different companies as an accountant.
One time, I was covering a medical leave for a credit manager at a company called ScubaPro. During casual conversation, I asked a purchasing manager if she knew where I could buy a replacement zipper for my ski jacket. She took this as me trying to engage in “industrial espionage” and reported me to management.

The finance manager, also a nightmare, called me into her office and chewed me out. She even said, “As a contract employee, you’re probably desperate for a paycheck.”

I smiled, walked to my desk, grabbed my things, and quit on the spot.

A decade later, I got an email asking for my opinion on a job applicant. It was that finance manager, applying for a new job. My response?

“He may have changed, but… I would hesitate to work in the same company as him.”

Needless to say, he didn’t get hired.

24.

Before I try to get even, I always try to solve the problem directly.
If someone treats me badly, including a boss, I privately ask, “Have I done something to offend you?” If they say yes, I ask what it was, apologize, and promise to improve.

Most of the time, they say no. Then I ask, “Then why are you treating me badly?” That usually forces them to reflect. I’ve never had a case where I didn’t get an apology and immediate change in behavior.

That said, if you really want revenge, the best way is to leave and succeed elsewhere. The only true way to win is to become successful enough that your absence hurts their bottom line. The best revenge is a good life.

25.

I worked at a small electronics company until they hired a new engineering manager fresh out of his MBA course. He was awful.

For months, he stood over my desk, yelling at me over minor things. At one point, he decided that my two years of experience made me a “senior electronics engineer”—except my pay didn’t reflect that.

I had my resignation letter in my pocket for weeks, just waiting for the right moment. One day, during a meeting, I pulled it out, signed it, and handed it over on the spot.

Fast-forward ten years. I was working for a company that shared office space with a consulting firm. One day, I got an email asking for my opinion on a job applicant.

It was that engineering manager.

My reply: “He may have changed, but… I would hesitate to work in the same company as him.”

He didn’t get the job.

26.

I used to be friends with a guy who, one night while drinking, described in detail an illegal tax scheme he had pulled off. At the time, I didn’t care.
Fast forward six months. This guy revealed himself to be a complete jerk, so I left the company. Then, I heard he was badmouthing me, trying to get me blacklisted in the industry.

I had a few options, but instead of confronting him, I waited.

Eventually, I tipped off the right people—his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer, his probation officer (he was already on probation for something else), and multiple tax agencies. His ex-wife’s lawyer did the heavy lifting.

In the end, he was rearrested, his probation was revoked, his wife got a better divorce settlement, and he spent time in jail.

Later, I realized I had wasted valuable time getting revenge on him. I decided never to do something like that again.

27.

I had an incredibly abusive boss. He was only respectful to rich, white, straight men. Women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and working-class employees were treated terribly.
I left the job but waited a few years to get my revenge.

One day, I sent letters to all kinds of questionable organizations, giving them his name, work address, and phone number. Soon, he was bombarded with phone calls, mail, and random visitors.

Months later, a former coworker told me that my ex-boss had lost 60 pounds from stress and was taking a month-long vacation to “get away from the harassment.”

Karma needed a little push, and I was happy to help.

28.

I worked at a car dealership. After returning from Christmas break, I found out that eight coworkers had tested positive for COVID. I told my supervisor I didn’t feel safe and wanted to go home.
He said if I left, I would be charged with job abandonment. Then I was fired.

Later, I found out the number of positive cases rose to ten. When I applied for unemployment, my employer lied and said I had quit, so I was denied.

I’m 65 years old, and it is illegal in Texas to deny me a safe work environment. Needless to say, I am appealing their decision.

29.

My manager at Starbucks hated me for no reason.
One day, he saw me squinting at the register and decided I needed glasses—even though I didn’t wear or need them.

So, I bought a pair of fake glasses.

Later, I saw a note from a shift supervisor saying, “Everything was fine last shift, and he wore his glasses.” He had people spying on me.

When I quit, I left a note on his desk that said:

“Did any of your spies ever figure out that my glasses are fake?”

I left the glasses on top of the note. I hope he was mad.

30.

I was a highly trained metal worker when my boss asked me to work the night shift. I agreed, but only temporarily because my wife and I had two small children.

Three months later, they still hadn’t hired my replacement.

I told my boss I needed to return to day shifts. His response? “You’ve done such a good job, we’ve decided to keep you on nights.”

I thought about it for 30 seconds, then handed in my two-week notice.

Five years later, after becoming a welding inspector, I returned to that same shop. Their poor welding practices had created massive issues on the job site.

Be careful who you mess with.

Read more:20+ Wild Reasons Employees Quit Their Jobs On The Spot