Fueled by Spite: How One Hour-Long Commute Delivered the Ultimate Petty Workplace Revenge
There are few things more satisfying than a perfectly executed act of petty revenge—especially when it involves outsmarting a lazy coworker and getting a little sweet justice along the way. If you’ve ever felt the urge to inconvenience yourself just to prove a point (and maybe catch up on your favorite podcasts), you’re not alone. One Redditor, u/pagewithani, turned the tables on her senior colleague in a story that had the r/PettyRevenge community practically raising their glasses in admiration.
Here’s how a woman’s commitment to not being a workplace chauffeur—and her refusal to let a senior slack off—led to a gloriously spite-fueled, hour-long commute, and a lesson her coworker won’t soon forget.
Let’s set the scene: Our hero, OP (original poster), works in a male-dominated, non-U.S. industry, where office politics and subtle power plays are as common as coffee breaks. She’s the only one on her team with a different degree, and she’s used to shifts that bounce between midnight and 8AM or 4PM, making her daily 20-minute drive a necessity. Her senior coworker? He’s got the easy 8AM shift and also drives.
Enter the supplier visit—a work obligation that’s a full hour’s drive from the office. As OP put it, the visit and all its logistics were supposed to be her senior’s responsibility, but he’d been slyly dumping the planning and coordination onto her, all while making not-so-subtle hints that maybe, just maybe, she should drive everyone there. “I didn’t want to add ‘chauffeur’ to my responsibilities,” she wrote, and who could blame her?
But here’s where the story takes a turn for the deliciously petty. Instead of confronting him directly—a tactic that, as OP clarified in the comments, would have put her at a disadvantage given her workplace dynamics—she hatched a plan. For an entire week before the supplier visit, OP left her car at home and braved an hour-long, convoluted public transport route, all in the spirit of making her senior’s laziness crystal clear to management. She even spun a convincing tale about lending her car to her visiting brother to keep up the ruse. As one commenter, u/CatlessBoyMom, joked, “You drove that point home”—or rather, didn’t drive it.
The fallout was instant. When her manager noticed the absence of her car, OP casually mentioned she had no ride, and sent a group email asking the supplier if there were alternative transport options, since “our transport plans fell through.” The manager, not fooled for a second, quickly turned his frustration on the senior: “Is this your idea of ‘figuring something out’?” And just like that, the senior was forced to finally step up and drive, grumbling all the way.
Redditors were delighted by the elegance of the scheme. “The pettiness is strong in this one. Good work,” said u/user101aa, with hundreds chiming in to salute OP’s commitment. u/notanerdlikeu summed it up: “Dude basically orchestrated a whole setup just to prove a point. Respect the commitment honestly.” And as u/WoodyTheWorker pointed out, “gal”—a nod to OP’s extra hurdles in a male-dominated field.
But what makes this story more than just a funny anecdote is the commentary it sparked about workplace culture and the subtle art of office self-preservation. As u/Tikki_Taavi noted, at smart companies, the most senior person should handle transportation for liability reasons: “If something bad happened and a junior was responsible there were a lot more legal complications.” OP herself confirmed this was the intended policy at her company; her senior just “really was just a job-passing ass.”
Others reflected on how corporate policies can go awry, with u/Plastic_Position4979 sharing that managers should take on shared expenses and logistics because “you usually make more money than your staff, so you can take the temporary hit more easily.” It keeps things fair and prevents juniors from being put in awkward spots—like being stuck as the de facto Uber driver, apparently.
Of course, there were a few naysayers questioning whether the self-imposed commute was worth the trouble. u/CabSauce quipped, “You wasted hours of your own time instead of being able to say ‘no’.” But OP’s retort was perfect: “I didn’t mind the extra hour because I was fueled by spite.” As u/OkAbbreviations1207 and several others gleefully noted, “Fueled by spite”—now that’s a motto for life (or at least a bumper sticker).
And let’s not forget the cherry on top: The day after the supplier visit, OP’s “brother” conveniently left town, and she rolled back into the office in her car as if nothing had happened. The commitment to the bit? Impressive. The poetic justice? Chef’s kiss, as u/JokersGal08 put it.
Ultimately, this saga isn’t just about one-upmanship—it’s a reminder that sometimes, a little bit of pettiness goes a long way toward changing the power dynamics at work. As u/affectionate_orchid wisely observed, “Sometimes petty is exactly what’s needed when people won’t step up.”
So, next time you’re tempted to go the extra (literal) mile to make a point, remember: You’re not alone. The internet is cheering you on, and somewhere out there, OP is catching up on her podcasts, fueled by spite and sweet, sweet vindication.
What’s your best story of workplace pettiness? Would you go out of your way to prove a point—or do you have your own “fueled by spite” moment? Share your tales in the comments!
Original Reddit Post: I Took an Hour Commute To Get My Coworker in Trouble