When Petty Revenge Is Just What the Doctor Ordered: The Care Home Breakroom Showdown
Let’s be honest: we all have that one coworker. The one who takes “working smarter, not harder” so far they skip the “working” part entirely. For u/agedpunkfairy, a dedicated staff member at a small care home, that coworker is Brian—a man whose commitment to minimal effort is matched only by his ability to disappear at lunchtime. But when Brian’s slacking started cutting into someone else’s well-deserved break, our hero decided it was time for a little taste of his own medicine. Spoiler: it was more satisfying than a perfectly steeped cup of tea.
What followed was a masterclass in workplace pettiness—served with a side of poetic justice and a sprinkle of Reddit-approved schadenfreude. If you’ve ever worked a long shift and felt your blood boil as your partner in crime clocked out early, this one’s for you.
Meet Brian: The Breakroom Bandit
The scene: a care home with six residents and a golden rule—at least two staffers on duty at all times to ensure everyone’s safety. Simple enough, right? But Brian, with his ninja-like vanishing act, manages to stretch a one-hour unpaid break into a generous hour and a half. Meanwhile, our narrator watches her own precious break time evaporate, returning early to pick up the slack and get dinner going.
It happened again and again, but on this fateful day, u/agedpunkfairy had had enough. As soon as Brian strolled back from his extended “lunch,” she informed the manager she’d be taking her full hour—no shortchanging herself this time. When the manager asked who’d be prepping dinner and wrangling residents, she delivered the punchline: “Brian will be there to do the work. I’ll be back in an hour.” The satisfaction? Immaculate.
Karma Served Hot
When she returned, Brian was sweating like he’d just run a marathon (or, you know, done the work of two people for once). The residents were fine, the world had not ended, and Brian had faced the consequences of his actions. As u/GodivaPlaistow put it, “Let Brian experience what he puts you through, for once. I doubt he’ll learn anything from it but you never know. People can surprise you.”
The beauty of this revenge is in its simplicity: no drama, no yelling, just a perfectly-timed, manager-approved break. It’s the workplace equivalent of calmly eating your lunch while the office slacker finally has to answer the phone.
Reddit, of course, ate it up. “This is good suspense,” one commenter chuckled, “Either he becomes a better coworker… or you stand up for yourself again and he faces the complicated consequences.” The masses demanded an update—after all, tomorrow’s dinner was apparently even more complicated, and OP had the menu to prove it. The anticipation was palpable.
Management: The Invisible Ingredient
But there’s a twist to this tale—one that many Redditors were quick to point out. If Brian’s antics were well known, why wasn’t management stepping up? “Why doesn’t your manager manage this issue?” asked u/CoderJoe1, voicing what so many were thinking. The top-voted reply? “Manager, manage? Surely you jest.” (A nod to everyone who’s ever worked under a “hands-off” boss.)
OP clarified: the manager was aware, and had been notified ahead of her break. He even stepped in to ensure residents weren’t left unattended, so no harm, no foul—except to Brian’s sweat glands. But as u/Pristine_Egg3831 noted, the real solution would be a manager who actually enforces break times and ensures fair workload distribution. Until then, a little grassroots justice would have to suffice.
Paper Trails and Petty Tales
Reddit’s collective wisdom didn’t stop at moral support; practical advice abounded. “Start a written document of all the times he’s late,” suggested u/InkandPage, warning that Brian might be fudging his timesheets and stealing more than just OP’s time. OP was already on it—“Recording everything is a big part of my job 😉”—and was keeping receipts in case this petty revenge ever needed to escalate to HR or, as u/gotohelenwaite suggested, the labor board.
Humor, as always, was never far behind. “Did Brian also take the paragraph breaks?” joked u/Lem1618, poking fun at both Brian’s laziness and the sometimes frantic writing style of a good rant. And when the inevitable “Brian vs Brain” typo appeared, Reddit couldn’t resist: “Don’t tell me…the manager’s name is Pinky?” Because really, every good villain needs a sidekick.
Why We Love Petty Revenge
So why did this story resonate with so many? Maybe it’s because we’ve all been in OP’s shoes—watching someone coast while we carry the load. Maybe it’s because the revenge was perfectly proportioned: satisfying without being cruel, effective without harming those in need. Or maybe it’s just that sweet, sweet feeling when karma actually shows up to work for once.
As u/Suitable-Pride-1941 summed up: “Sometimes a taste of his own medicine is the wake-up call he needs.” And if not? Well, as u/Contrantier quipped, “OP can do this endlessly until Brian does admit to learning his lesson. There’s no end in sight.”
Conclusion: Your Turn to Weigh In
Whether you’re Team OP or think the manager should be the real target here, there’s no denying this story had Reddit rooting for a little workplace justice. Have you had to serve up some petty revenge to a lazy colleague? Did it work—or did you just end up doing extra work anyway? Drop your own tales of workplace woe and triumph in the comments below—because sometimes, sharing the sweet taste of victory is the best break of all.
Original Reddit Post: Taking my break