Woman Gets Fired When She Causes Drama Because Coworker Accidentally Revealed Her Lies

It would be slightly ridiculous to brag about how you can do something that you actually can’t. Right? And yet, there are still people out there who have such deep self-esteem issues that they fabricate all of these fantastic details about their lives. But the moment you look closer at these pathological liars’ tall tales, that illusion starts to crack and eventually shatters.

This is what internet user u/throw_friescountry accidentally did to her new coworker, who bragged about knowing tons of different languages. The author was ecstatic because she actually did know how to speak them, so she tried interacting with her colleague in a different tongue. That’s when everything started falling apart for the braggart. Scroll down for the full story, an important update, a big dollop of secondhand embarrassment, and a reminder not to lie about your skills.

Liars don’t like getting caught. Accidentally catching a pathological liar in the middle of a lie can lead to quite a bit of office drama

Two women having coffee on a couch, one appearing confident while the other looks slightly uncomfortable in a workplace setting.

Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)

That’s what happened to one woman. She was excited to learn that her new coworker spoke the same foreign languages as she did. As it turns out, she was a fraud

Text excerpt about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Text on a white background about colleagues having coffee in a break room and discussing travel topics.

Text showing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Text on screen showing a statement about thinking of the Bahamas as exotic instead of Europe in a casual tone.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking confidently in a foreign language she claimed to know well at the office.

Text excerpt about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she falsely claimed to know well.

Text about a woman speaking Dutch to a new colleague, embarrassing her by claiming to know the language well.

Text about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well, causing awkward reaction.

Text about woman claiming to know Dutch fluently, embarrassing new colleague by speaking the language at work.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by confidently speaking in a language she claimed to know well during a conversation.

Text excerpt showing a woman admitting she challenged a colleague who lied about speaking French well.

Text excerpt from a story about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she falsely claimed to know well.

Text on a screen describing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she claimed to know well.

Text about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Frustrated woman gesturing with hands, expressing embarrassment while speaking to new colleague in a claimed language she knows well.

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev (not the actual photo)

She later shared a few more thoughts in a handful of updates

Text excerpt showing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well during a tense office moment.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well during a tense office interaction.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her confidently in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well, causing an awkward moment.

Text about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Text discussing differences in Dutch accents and dialects, related to a woman embarrassing a new colleague.

Text on a white background reading I spoke the general Dutch you'd see in the news in Flandres, related to woman embarrassing new colleague.

Text excerpt explaining a woman speaking conversational Dutch to embarrass a new colleague who claimed to know the language.

Text excerpt showing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking Dutch she claimed to know well.

Image source: throw_friescountry

Pathological liars can wreck their careers and personal relationships, but they often don’t care about the consequences of their actions

Man in office explaining something with hand gestures to new colleague during a language misunderstanding discussion.

Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)

It’s incredibly likely that you know at least one person who likes to exaggerate everything. They tell very dramatic stories, brag about their accomplishments, and claim to be super duper awesome. When, in fact, their life might be mundane.

While these individuals might be entertaining, they’re also exhausting to be around. They’re untrustworthy and unreliable. Now imagine that this isn’t just someone you hang out with, but actually a person on your team at work.

Liars are unimaginably hard to work with. You’re unsure of their actual skills, they can overpromise and underdeliver, constantly look for excuses, and you’re constantly worried about having to manage them.

On top of that, on a very fundamental level, it’s deeply annoying to speak with someone who you know is outright making stuff up. You can’t create a genuine connection with someone like this. Relationships built on lies aren’t worth much.

The fact is that everyone lies to some extent, whether for gain, to avoid negative consequences, or to protect someone they love. But a tiny sliver of humankind are pathological liars, who lie not just for the sake of one goal or another, but also regardless of the reason. They don’t care about the consequences of their lies.

WebMD warns that pathological liars compulsively tell untruths that often are extensive and elaborate. These liars continue telling tall tales even when the consequences of their actions directly affect their lives, e.g., forcing them to lose their jobs or damaging their relationships.

Being lied to is an awful feeling. But the best tools in your arsenal are staying cool, directly calling out the lie, and no longer engaging with the person

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know well during a tense conversation on a couch.

Image credits: Vitaly Gariev (not the actual photo)

“It isn’t clear whether pathological liars understand that what they say isn’t true. Some people believe the things they say, even when those things are clearly false. Other pathological liars will admit that they’ve been lying only when their lies are proved false.‌”

Some pathological liars suffer from personality disorders (antisocial, narcissistic, histrionic, etc.), while others might have no other conditions at all. Meanwhile, individuals with borderline personality disorder might frequently lie, but not pathologically.

While there is no medical way to treat pathological lying, psychotherapy can help. But even then, it’s a massive challenge. The fact is that pathological liars might not want to address their behavior, and so, they might simply, well, lie to mental health specialists during therapy sessions.

Liars tend to tell long, dramatic, often contradictory stories, and include details that can’t be verified. If something sounds too intense and dramatic to be true, it probably isn’t.

The best way forward is not to engage with a person’s lies. Tell them, straight up, that you know they’re lying and don’t continue having the conversation. Don’t get angry, stay calm, and if you care about the person, suggest they get professional help.

Have you ever had to deal with a pathological liar, whether at work or in your personal life? How did you handle their nonsense? What do you personally think is the right way to deal with someone at work who keeps bragging? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Internet users rushed to share their thoughts about the workplace drama. Here’s what they had to say

Conversation screenshot discussing a woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Screenshot of a forum discussion about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know well.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a claimed language.

Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she claimed to know well.

Comment explaining a situation where a woman embarrasses a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Comment about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well at work.

Screenshot of an online discussion where a user comments on a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a falsely known language.

Text excerpt showing a discussion about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by pretending to speak a language well.

Text conversation discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking in a claimed language.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know, causing confusion and laughter at work.

Screenshot of an online comment about embarrassing a new colleague by claiming to know a language well.

Text post showing a discussion about workplace drama where a woman embarrasses a new colleague with language claims.

User comment about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking in a language she falsely claimed to know well.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a woman embarrassing her new colleague by falsely claiming to speak a language well.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment about a woman embarrassing a new colleague by falsely claiming language fluency.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she claimed to know well.

Text post discussing a colleague creating a toxic work environment by bullying a new co-worker, highlighting workplace issues.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking in a language she claimed to know well in a workplace conversation.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking a language she claimed to know well.

Text conversation showing a woman embarrassing new colleague by speaking a language she claimed to know well.

Comment by lightspirate discussing workplace trust issues related to lying, highlighting a woman embarrassing new colleague using a language she claimed to know well.

Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Comment on a forum discussing a woman embarrassing a new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well.

Woman embarrasses new colleague by speaking to her in a language she claimed to know well in a workplace setting.

Image credits: Brooke Cagle (not the actual photo)

Later, the author shared an update about how the situation with her colleague escalated. Here’s what she wrote

Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)

Image source: throw_friescountry

And here’s how the internet reacted to the second chapter of the story. Many folks were glad for the follow-up

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!