A ‘Karen’ Manager Throws Away An Expensive Birthday Cake Meant For The Employees, So They Devise A Revenge Plan
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So when one particular Karen basically got free reign of the premises where her office was located, she got a little carried away.
One day, she went as far as throwing away a really big, expensive cake just because she didn’t like the guy who brought it in. Even though it was his birthday!
But that was the last straw. His subordinates were furious—they liked the man. So, the whole office decided to get back at the evil queen and devised a savage revenge plan.
Image credits: Josh Davis (not the actual photo)
Image credits: NFkappaBalpha
Not all bosses are equal. After all, they all have different backgrounds. But being a bad boss doesn’t just mean employees don’t like your management style. As Inc. pointed out, there are actually real, verified, scientifically proven traits that ineffective leaders share. And the antihero of our story shows signs of possessing at least three of them.
Firstly, there’s the passive-aggressive or micromanaging boss. These people tend to avoid in-person discussions or confrontations, they provide unclear feedback, and stir up office drama. They can also withhold important information and disguise hostility as humor.
In 2018, Comparably polled more than 2,000 tech sector workers about the biggest complaint they had about bosses. Being a micromanager was first for 39% of respondents followed by “overly critical” (22%), disorganized” (16%), “know-it-all” (14%), and “impatient” (9%).
Then, there’s the narcissistic boss. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology finds that some narcissism can be a positive trait in leaders, but too much of it can tip the scale toward being a selfish boss who cares only about themselves.
Narcissism, in fact, may become a growing problem as millennials step into leadership positions (this demographic is said to exhibit stronger qualities of entitlement, self-centeredness, and neediness).
Let’s not forget the power-hungry or Machiavellian boss. Seth M. Spain, assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resources at Concordia University, coined this phrase in Stress, Well-Being, and the Dark Side of Leadership.
While some bosses might have poor management skills, they do not necessarily have ill will toward employees. Some bosses, on the other hand, represent those who can be mean, harassing, and abusive.
Finally, the psychopathic boss. They’re arguably the most toxic, and have traits such as lack of behavioral control, manipulativeness, and impulsivity which can point to a psychopathic boss. Psychopathic people are often described as having a lack of empathy.
Do you think our Karen fits any of these categories? Let us know in the comments.
Here’s what people said about the whole ordeal
every time i read one of these i imagine how many stories there must be of people abusing their power and getting away with it
this made me sad, knowing that so many people out there have to deal with people like this. But happy that he got revenge!
You know what happens to cream when it sits in a warm room for 4-8 hours...it separates, becomes curdled and kind of loose. It does not, however, produce a bacterial problem like mayonnaise or egg does. My son accidentally milk from a cup that was sitting in his room from the day before. I called the doctor in a panic. He said "he'll be ok. It's like drinking sour cream. It won't hurt him." Karen needs to take a chill pill. After she inspects it, of course.
It's lucky that "Tom" happened to be well liked. All too often managers like this will specifically target someone they know no one will stand up for - you know, that average employee... or the hardworking employee that's shy ... or just the 'one' that they've decided to pick on. Those people simply get ground down - and their coworkers, while happy to say "oh, that sucks, so sorry" or even "this is wrong, that shouldn't be happening" won't do a single thing to help, even when asked.
i would have cried if i had seen somebody throw away a perfectly good cake, especially since there are so many people who go without food.
I had a manager that hated that we celebrated the birthdays of every member of our organization. There were 23 of us not including her. She was the highest paid out of all and she would never donate for the cake but was always in there after everyone had their cake, digging out a huge piece for herself. So now it is her birthday and everyone is kind of like "nah we arent going through that trouble for her." Someone's daughter was learning how to decorate cakes, so we got a slab of foam and had her make it into a cake. We just left it on the break room table, one candle in it. She found it and happily dug out the knife to get a piece. Then we hear the whole thing being chucked into the trash can while she threw a quiet little fit. She stepped in icing and tracked it all the way back to her office. I bet the blue food coloring used is still staining the carpet. She decided to retire that year.
Lol after getting the second cake, I would have told everyone to just eat it slowly in front of her and tell her that she can't have any. While eating slowly, sloppily. And staring directly into her eyes.
Should have thrown the Karen out, after she paid for the cake! But the fish soup would have been sweet, smelly revenge.
Lace something with catfood then complain if she doesn't spot it --- animal food generally not approved for human consumption. I'm sure halal/kosher/vegan questions could also be asked; especially for kosher as often sephardic and ashkenazi traditions contradict on finer points.
A karen AND a Manager??? sounds like the type of manager that would wanna see the manager lol
Both male and female Karens always have sad little lives and pick on other people because this is the only way they can feel good about themselves. But Karma always comes back to bite them.
every time i read one of these i imagine how many stories there must be of people abusing their power and getting away with it
this made me sad, knowing that so many people out there have to deal with people like this. But happy that he got revenge!
You know what happens to cream when it sits in a warm room for 4-8 hours...it separates, becomes curdled and kind of loose. It does not, however, produce a bacterial problem like mayonnaise or egg does. My son accidentally milk from a cup that was sitting in his room from the day before. I called the doctor in a panic. He said "he'll be ok. It's like drinking sour cream. It won't hurt him." Karen needs to take a chill pill. After she inspects it, of course.
It's lucky that "Tom" happened to be well liked. All too often managers like this will specifically target someone they know no one will stand up for - you know, that average employee... or the hardworking employee that's shy ... or just the 'one' that they've decided to pick on. Those people simply get ground down - and their coworkers, while happy to say "oh, that sucks, so sorry" or even "this is wrong, that shouldn't be happening" won't do a single thing to help, even when asked.
i would have cried if i had seen somebody throw away a perfectly good cake, especially since there are so many people who go without food.
I had a manager that hated that we celebrated the birthdays of every member of our organization. There were 23 of us not including her. She was the highest paid out of all and she would never donate for the cake but was always in there after everyone had their cake, digging out a huge piece for herself. So now it is her birthday and everyone is kind of like "nah we arent going through that trouble for her." Someone's daughter was learning how to decorate cakes, so we got a slab of foam and had her make it into a cake. We just left it on the break room table, one candle in it. She found it and happily dug out the knife to get a piece. Then we hear the whole thing being chucked into the trash can while she threw a quiet little fit. She stepped in icing and tracked it all the way back to her office. I bet the blue food coloring used is still staining the carpet. She decided to retire that year.
Lol after getting the second cake, I would have told everyone to just eat it slowly in front of her and tell her that she can't have any. While eating slowly, sloppily. And staring directly into her eyes.
Should have thrown the Karen out, after she paid for the cake! But the fish soup would have been sweet, smelly revenge.
Lace something with catfood then complain if she doesn't spot it --- animal food generally not approved for human consumption. I'm sure halal/kosher/vegan questions could also be asked; especially for kosher as often sephardic and ashkenazi traditions contradict on finer points.
A karen AND a Manager??? sounds like the type of manager that would wanna see the manager lol
Both male and female Karens always have sad little lives and pick on other people because this is the only way they can feel good about themselves. But Karma always comes back to bite them.
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