When Petty Meets Professional: One Manager’s Revenge on a Nightmare Employee
If you’ve ever managed a team, you know there’s always that one employee. The one who thinks the rules are optional, the shortcuts are speedways, and “good enough” is the new gold standard. But what happens when that employee finally pushes things too far—and then, in a final twist, lists you as a reference for their next job? Welcome to the world of “petty revenge,” where one retail manager decided enough was enough, and Reddit couldn’t get enough of the story.
This is the tale of “Ezekiel”—not his real name, but it fits—a master of mediocrity whose shortcuts and half-measures left a wake of chaos in his wake. When Ezekiel’s time finally ran out, his manager found the perfect, oh-so-legal way to ensure his legacy lived on… in the most inconvenient way possible.
The Problem Child: When Laziness Becomes Legendary
The saga begins like so many retail nightmares: a new hire, a generous salary, and a job that isn’t exactly rocket science. But as the original poster (u/AJRimmer1971) recounts, Ezekiel managed to turn even the simplest tasks into Herculean ordeals for everyone around him. Warnings were issued, riot acts were read, but Ezekiel’s confidence was unshakeable—never mind that his paperwork “time bombs” kept blowing up in everyone else’s faces.
Ezekiel’s greatest hits included skipping steps on warranty claims (making others redo his work), neglecting his aisles, and even lying to customers about products—all with zero commission incentive. When the team decided to hold off firing him until after the holidays, Ezekiel upped the ante by calling in sick for every “minor setback,” convinced he’d cracked the code for paid time off.
Redditors quickly picked up on the universal pain here. As u/FisherAndSonsFH summarized for anyone missing the point: “He was incredibly lazy at his job, and often others had to redo his work so that it was done properly.” Others, like u/Green-Wyrm, didn’t mince words about the impact of such sabotage: “Intentionally playing the system and not pulling your weight in a job could be considered malicious... especially when you’re leaving paperwork landmines for your coworkers.”
The Last Straw: Exit Stage Loading Dock
Eventually, Ezekiel’s luck ran out—along with his paid leave. He was given notice in early December and, true to form, chose to leave his shift early on his last day, slipping out the loading dock without a word. Little did he know, the cameras were watching, and his manager manually clocked him out the moment he vanished through the bay doors.
But Ezekiel’s pièce de résistance was yet to come. Without so much as a courtesy call, he’d listed his manager as a reference on every job application he could find—despite having been sacked for gross underperformance. As u/ChickinSammich marveled, “I don’t know why you’d give the name of someone who directly worked with you as a reference for a job you fucked around at.”
Petty Revenge, Reference-Style: Legal, Lethal, and Hilarious
Here’s where the story gets deliciously petty—and, frankly, a master class in “damning by faint praise.” Every time a recruiter called, the manager would answer, but never with outright defamation. Instead, he’d employ the art of the awkward pause, the heavy sigh, and the roundabout answer—enough to make any recruiter think twice.
Reddit’s HR and management veterans chimed in with advice and anecdotes. As u/Nunov_DAbov put it, “When asked for a reference, there’s always ‘damnation by faint praise’ to avoid negative repercussions. ‘His shoes were always carefully tied and he often communicated in complete sentences.’” The thread quickly filled with variations on this theme, from the classic “He was employed from start date to end date in this role” (u/KnickKnockers) to the pointedly neutral, “He is ineligible for rehire” (u/Substantial_Slide_54).
Some even suggested channeling the weather: “The weather has been truly awful, some of the worst weather I’ve ever had to put up with while working here. It makes a mess of everything it comes in contact with. Also, it has been stealing away my joy, literally STEALING it, if you catch my meaning...” offered u/scansinboy.
The result? Every recruiter who called got the not-so-subtle message: Ezekiel was not the employee they were looking for. As the manager relished, “Today, a recruiter rang me about a support worker traineeship he has applied for. Unfortunately, it's not looking good for him... Honestly, I think he struggles to support himself, let alone being responsible for the well-being of others!”
Consequences—Not Just Revenge
While some might call this revenge, others saw it as simple consequences. As u/naomi-noah wisely pointed out, “That’s not revenge, that’s consequences. If he listed you as a referee without asking and then lied about why he left, you’re well within your rights to answer honestly.”
The OP later clarified in the comments that Ezekiel’s sabotage was no accident: “He was malicious to the entire team... Ezekiel's whiteanting of our processes was against our training and our ethos, so it was malicious against us.”
The Takeaway: Hire Slow, Fire Fast—and Never List Your Old Boss Without Asking
If there’s a lesson in all this, it’s that professional references are a two-way street—and sometimes, the truth told with a long pause and a sigh is the most damning feedback of all. From the comments section to real-life HR policies, the consensus is clear: honesty, even when laced with pettiness, is fair game when someone’s incompetence has made life harder for everyone else.
So next time you’re tempted to cut corners at work, remember: your future may rest in the hands of the person picking up your mess—and they just might be a master in the subtle art of professional revenge.
Have you ever had to give (or receive) a reference that said everything by saying almost nothing? Share your stories below—because if there’s one thing we know, retail revenge is never out of season.
Original Reddit Post: Revenge on ex-employee