When Your Job Thanks You With Grief: One Public Sector Trainer’s Epic Petty Revenge
Sometimes, the universe hands you lemons. And sometimes, it hands you a room full of unruly trainees, an unsupportive manager, and a front-row seat to your own professional meltdown. But if you’re savvy (and a little bit petty), you might just find a way to turn those lemons into the most satisfying glass of “I told you so” your workplace has ever tasted.
That’s exactly what happened to Reddit user u/One-Dodgy-Bollock, who recently shared a saga on r/PettyRevenge that reads like the script of a workplace sitcom—with a twist of righteous vengeance. If you’ve ever felt underappreciated at work, buckle up: this one’s for you.
The Setup: When Going the Extra Mile Gets You Nowhere
Our hero isn’t just any public sector worker—they’re the office’s secret weapon. Despite officially being one pay grade below the trainers, they’ve spent years stepping up to deliver training sessions when needed, always bringing experience and a dash of professional wizardry. Each time, there’s a small financial cherry on top for their efforts. So far, so good.
Then comes the “Big Restructure.” Suddenly, the department is a central hub, new recruits are flooding in, and our protagonist is called upon (again) to train the fresh faces. The first group? A dream. Attentive, polite, eager to learn. But the next? A nightmare. Think tardiness, phone-scrolling, and a general disregard for anything resembling adult behavior.
Reporting these issues to management is met with a shrug and a patronizing “they’re just young—keep going, you’re doing fine.” Spoiler: they were not fine.
The Breaking Point: When Patience Snaps
After a week of wrangling chaos, our beleaguered trainer finally snaps when two trainees loudly challenge their expertise. There’s shouting. There’s the dramatic slamming of training materials. There’s a silence so thick you could spread it on toast. The “wronged” trainees storm out, accusing the trainer of inappropriate behavior.
The fallout is immediate and entirely predictable: the trainees race to management to complain, and our protagonist—armed with the very training materials that prove their correctness—heads to the boss. But the damage is done. A higher-up swoops in, spends ten minutes berating our hero, and kicks off a gross misconduct investigation. Five trainees’ words against one seasoned employee.
Luckily, a more senior manager eventually quashes the witch hunt, chalking it up to an inexperienced new boss. There’s a groveling apology, but the scars remain. The message is clear: loyalty and expertise aren’t worth much when push comes to shove.
The Sweet Sting of Petty Revenge
Weeks later, management—apparently suffering from collective amnesia—asks our protagonist to step up and train the next batch of recruits. This time, the request is met with the biggest, most radiant smile and a simple, devastating line: “I’m not a trainer. See someone a grade above me.”
Cue chaos. Management scrambles to find a replacement, pulling in an external manager whose lack of expertise results in delays, mistakes, and an avalanche of complaints. The cost? Higher. The quality? Lower. The poetic justice? Immaculate.
Why This Petty Revenge Hits So Hard
Petty revenge stories resonate because they’re rarely about malice—they’re about fairness and self-respect. In a world where “going above and beyond” is too often rewarded with extra work and zero appreciation, sometimes the most satisfying move is to step back and let the system stew in its own shortsightedness.
u/One-Dodgy-Bollock’s story is a reminder that every workplace has unsung heroes who keep things ticking—and that pushing those people too far can have consequences no spreadsheet can calculate. The next time you’re asked to do a “little extra,” remember: your dignity isn’t on the discount rack.
Share Your Own Workplace Wins (or Woes)
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation—overlooked, overworked, and underappreciated? Did you get your own slice of satisfying revenge, or are you still plotting the perfect comeback? Drop your stories in the comments below! And if you’re a manager, maybe—just maybe—say thank you to your hard-working team before it’s too late.
Read the original post on Reddit: Treat me badly, then expect me carry on as if nothing happened? Uh, ok...
Because sometimes, the best way to fix a broken system is to let it break itself.
Original Reddit Post: Treat me badly, then expect me carry on as if nothing happened? Uh, ok...