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“My Brilliant Boss Is Ruining His Career Over A 3-year Affair With An Employee”
Couple in office showing a secretive affair between boss and employee, hinting at workplace relationship issues.

“My Brilliant Boss Is Ruining His Career Over A 3-year Affair With An Employee”

Interview With Expert

27

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Infidelity automatically ruins the foundation of any relationship. In some cases, the partner cheated on isn’t the only one affected. Sometimes, even the people around the person who committed the infidelity may also feel hurt. 

Take this story you’re about to read, where an employee could not stand their boss’s affair with a younger subordinate. Having lost respect and being fed up with the coworker’s sense of entitlement as the mistress, the person decided to quit after months of keeping silent. 

You will find the story as you scroll through, along with some reader comments. 

RELATED:

    Cheating automatically ruins all relationships

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to as they start affair with employee in office setting.

    Image credits: LightFieldStudios (Not the actual photo)

    An employee was forced to quit their job after losing respect for their boss, who openly had an affair at work

    Person disappointed in boss after affair with employee causing career and trust issues, leading to resignation decision.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, feeling betrayed and disillusioned at work.

    Person disappointed in boss after discovering affair with employee, reflecting feelings of betrayal and lost trust.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee at work.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, showing feelings of betrayal and sadness.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee at the workplace.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, feeling upset about affair with employee affecting team fairness.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, sitting at desk with hand on forehead in modern office setting.

    Image credits: DC Studio (Not the actual photo)

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    Having grown tired of keeping silent for months, the employee quit their job

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, feeling betrayed and frustrated.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee during business trip.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee at the workplace.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, feeling disbelief and concern.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering an affair with an employee, feeling betrayed and upset.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, struggling with lost respect after affair with employee revealed.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, feeling betrayed after boss starts affair with employee.

    Image credits: Prize-Relative-6688

    A person’s reputation may take a hit for a long time after committing infidelity involving a coworker 

    You all likely remember the Coldplay scandal that remained in the headlines for weeks in mid-2025. It involved high-ranking employees of the tech company Astronomer, who became the talk of the world for months. 

    Infidelity will ruin a person’s reputation long after it first shatters, according to Gizem Sultan Kartalcik, HR specialist at Eskritor

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    “A leader may find that senior stakeholders quietly doubt their judgment. The employee’s performance is viewed through the prism of the relationship,” she told Bored Panda. 

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    Kartalcik adds that a relationship between the boss and employee immediately skews the power dynamic, where the tilt shows up in different ways. She notes that not only is there softened feedback, but the employee in a relationship with the boss may gain an upper hand through greater flexibility. 

    It will only be a matter of time before the rest of the team notices the imbalance. And once that happens, the dynamic goes into shambles, which may affect overall performance and productivity. 

    So, what can employees do in such a situation? Kartalcik advises reporting such incidents to HR immediately, but do so in a way that steps out of the direct line of supervision to avoid others from second-guessing these decisions. 

    Of course, companies must exercise command responsibly. From the company’s end, Kartalcik says the priority must be to intervene quickly to defuse resentment and be open to adjusting structures before the problems become entrenched. 

    “Fairness is the emotional backbone of a team. Once people feel that it has been violated, it has to be earned back,” she said. 

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    In the story’s case, the boss does not seem to care about his reputation or whether he is causing disorder within his team. The employee leaving because they lost respect for their leader was beyond justifiable. 

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to talking with employee in modern office setting during work hours

    Image credits: LightFieldStudios (Not the actual photo)

    Some people in the comments had their questions, as others offered their advice

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after affair with employee causing workplace unfairness.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, sitting alone with a sad expression, reflecting on workplace betrayal.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, showing emotional frustration over unprofessional affair with employee.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, feeling betrayed and conflicted at work.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, showing emotional and professional conflict.

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    Comment text on a screen about escalating issues due to the affair affecting the team, showing disappointment in boss.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, feeling betrayed after boss starts affair with employee.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering an affair with an employee, expressing frustration and betrayal.

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    Comment discussing power dynamics and accountability in a person disappointed in boss they looked up to after affair with employee.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, showing disillusionment and emotional conflict.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after discovering affair with employee, feeling betrayed and hurt at workplace.

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    Comment text discussing options for a person disappointed in boss they looked up to after affair with employee.

    Comment on forum expressing disappointment in boss after affair with employee, offering advice to stay focused on job.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, feeling betrayed after discovering affair with employee.

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    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to, showing frustration after the boss starts an affair with employee.

    Person disappointed in boss they looked up to after learning about affair with employee, expressing frustration online.

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    Poll Question

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    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

    Read less »
    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    Read less »

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    What do you think ?
    Jaya
    Community Member
    43 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I kinda assume that the majority of people disagree with some of the decisions their boss makes (how often do you hear people complaining about their boss being an idiot or making idiotic rules). Bosses often make decisions that we don't agree with, quitting your job over that seems, I don't know, over-involved? It feels like OP is too emotionally involved in the boss and all the personal stuff. I couldn't really care that much about what my boss does or decides, as long as it doesn't look like the whole company is at the risk of going under and it doesn't affect my work load that much.

    Tams21
    Community Member
    5 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Being in a regular relationship with someone at work is already risky and often doesn't end well. For a relationship to be between a boss and someone they directly supervise - and for that relationship also to be an affair (!!!) - is positively asking for trouble. If I were the op, I'd find a new job and hope I can get out of there before *it hits the fan.

    meeeeeeeeeeee
    Community Member
    7 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sounds like an incel. Everything's the woman's fault in this story.

    Jaya
    Community Member
    43 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I kinda assume that the majority of people disagree with some of the decisions their boss makes (how often do you hear people complaining about their boss being an idiot or making idiotic rules). Bosses often make decisions that we don't agree with, quitting your job over that seems, I don't know, over-involved? It feels like OP is too emotionally involved in the boss and all the personal stuff. I couldn't really care that much about what my boss does or decides, as long as it doesn't look like the whole company is at the risk of going under and it doesn't affect my work load that much.

    Tams21
    Community Member
    5 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Being in a regular relationship with someone at work is already risky and often doesn't end well. For a relationship to be between a boss and someone they directly supervise - and for that relationship also to be an affair (!!!) - is positively asking for trouble. If I were the op, I'd find a new job and hope I can get out of there before *it hits the fan.

    meeeeeeeeeeee
    Community Member
    7 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sounds like an incel. Everything's the woman's fault in this story.

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