Boss Punishes Employee For Taking Time Off After His Mother’s Death, So He Destroys The Entire Business
Sadly, there are plenty of jerk bosses whose toxic behavior makes the entire workplace a living hell. But some of these idiots are so exceptionally bad, their own employees start revolting against them.
About two decades ago, Reddit user PissedBrewer got a job at a brewpub. Everything was going pretty much alright, but when his mom died, the owner of the brewpub showed his true colors. He started to punish PissedBrewer for taking time off, publicly showing his frustration, and even cheating the poor guy of his hard-earned money.
Eventually, it got to a point when PissedBrewer decided that enough was enough and came up with a plan to sabotage the entire business. Now whether you think the revenge fit the crime or was too harsh, you have to admit it was really creative and executed to the t.
Image credits: kapital (not the actual photo)
Image credits: P*****Brewer
Bored Panda once contacted Eddy Ng, the James and Elizabeth Freeman Professor of Management at Bucknell University, to learn more about good leadership and management. Professor Ng said that a strong leader in the workplace is someone who is moral, principled, and “does the right thing,” instead of someone who dithers or aims to do only those things that make them popular. So I guess the villain of our story was neither a good boss nor a popular one.
The professor stressed that leader-follower relationships are based on the principle of exchange. “Employees can manage that relationship to have work satisfaction. In this instance, employees need to communicate what they need (tools) or work conditions (autonomy) in order for them to perform optimally when working with a controlling boss. Employees need to convey what they can and are able to perform,” he explained.
There are many different styles of leadership, however, and they all have their own place. Except for this one.
Here’s what people think about the conflict
I am sorry that you subjected to this mistreatment, but couldn't you have taken them to court? Deliberately sabotaging your ex-place of employment may have been illegal.
It's probably illegal and he not only hurt the boss but also all of the colleagues.
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so you make all others employees loose their job because you're mad at your boss? that's a shitty way to go
If I worked for an a**hole boss and some guy did this out of revenge for being fired...I would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and looked for work elsewhere. It was a full year later that this guy went out of business. The other employees had plenty of time to find other work. If it were me, I would have found the other employees new gigs elsewhere. He was obviously friends with them. Otherwise, how would he have known what the owner was saying behind his back.
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People take action like this because the laws and protections don't work for them, or (in the US) don't even exist in the first place. You can't complain workers destroy businesses if you exist in a system that gives people little or no alternative to seek redress. Employment rights are exactly that- A RIGHT. And the thing about rights is they are universal- they protect EVERYONE, including, yes, the employers too by ensuring balance and fairness. People who are treated unfairly do rash and often dangerous things. That boss was lucky the disgrunted guy didn't rock up the next day with his gun. It happens in the US! Thank goodness I live in a country where that fact is recognised.
It did in no way help him other than feeling like he got revenge. That does not make him a very nice person if that's what makes you happy. Just leave. That owner was really busy destroying his business anyway. Find pleasure in that. Don't add to it. Don't get me wrong, I've met my share of assholes and wished them all the best, but other than confronting them with their actions, I've never gone for more than that. So yeah, I put my money where my mouth is.
Load More Replies... In the 1980’s I blew out my left knee at work. I met some horrible people during this time in the legal and the medical professions. One orthopedic surgeon was the absolute worst. He had made a mistake during my surgery and back in those days surgeries were videotaped he had tampered the video tape to cover his mistakes. The physical therapist who worked in the same office was the one who brought this to my attention, he was horrified. This surgeon was a real treat to be around I saw him degrade his wife and his young son and I saw him demean his staff constantly. Because he had tampered with the video there was nothing I could do about suing him. Later I learned his support staff had made sure that the surgeon was going to be in business no longer. They started messing with his appointment and operating schedules they just acted completely incompetent forcing him to close his office. I love them even though I don’t know them. To this day that surgeons reputation is still talked about
Not everybody has the time and money to take an employer to court.
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please learn that wages are very important and law stuff is very expensive mate so delibertly sabtageing is a kinda good idea
Jeez, wow! The world would be anarchy if everyone did this over any issue for whatever reasons or justifications. Thank f**k there are rational forward thinkers in society that wouldn't even think to do such a spiteful detrimental act like that which can have unforseen disastrous side effects to everyone involved, except himself.
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Wage docking. Happened to me. Worked at a Mc company. Big name franchise branch. Girl who used to work in my dept ordered really expensive sunglasses. She got fired later for something else. Eventually I was running the dept. I was eventually told too to inventory pack an send back the sunglasses. I did. Receiving dept opened the box an stole two pairs and closed an sent it out. That company told boss to pay for missing items. I didn't know any of it. Guy in another dept told me to check my paychecks. Guess he heard them talking about it. Found out they were docking me for the glasses. An altering my clock in an out times to 36 hrs a week. Just enough to keep insurance but not the 52 or so hours I was working being alone in my dept an working every day of the week and weekends. I called labor dept. they send someone over. Got the money back for them making me pay for something that wasn't my fault. But couldn't comp the hours stolen. Next day got pink slip. Read reply for more of story
Turns out they gave the labor dept guy a kick back to lose my case on the unlawful termination of a three wheel mc. This is the karma part. The labor guy picked up the mc an drove it into the building wrecking it. Also the company was seized and locked down due to bankruptcy. And although I was screwed over he lost everything. I did get unemployment because I had never been written up ever tho.
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Just cause the boss is an a-hole doesn't mean two wrongs make a right. There's plenty of other comments addressing the morality (errr... lack thereof) of what you did so I'll just say you opened yourself up to liability by not fulfilling your job responsibilities. You're lucky you didn't find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit, because I'm pretty sure you would have lost - and that's just going by YOUR version of events here. I'd like to hear what the boss would have to say about you.
I feel sorry for the guy, but it doesn't excuse his act of destroying a business and putting people out of employment.
That's a bit extreme.....I mean what you did messed over your colleagues and not just your boss.
Why is everyone whining about this dudes colleagues? This sounds like a terrible work environment. Off anything I would have asked them to join in wrecking the business and leaving the darn place
Load More Replies... I saw someone say "I'm glad I live in a country with employment laws." We have them here in the states. It doesn't mean they're good or that people don't try to get away with robbing their employees. We have a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour in our state...except for waitstaff who make $2.13 an hour with the expectation that their tips will make up the difference. If they don't, the employer is required to make up the difference. They can even get money and tax breaks from the government for doing so. But one restaurant I know, the owner doesn't pay the difference and will sometimes confiscate tips if the waitstaff isn't quick to clear their tables. I tried to call in a complaint to the labor department. They said the employees would have to complain to file a report. None of the waitstaff would do it because they were afraid of getting fired and/or never getting another job. A**hole owner just bought a $4 million house.
I'm glad I live in a country with decent employment laws.
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I just about fell off my chair at "First vacation in over a year" - do people in the states seriously have to work for over a year with no time off? Do you realise that in the civilised world, we're legally entitled to paid time off?
Two wrongs don't make a right. Also, I side eye the part where he goes camping a six hour drive away with a mother in a hospice without telling anyone. I know that a six hour drive is not considered that far to US standards. But with someone dying, I would not want to be too far away. So no. Sorry. I do not like this story and I think these two people that are starring in it deserved each other.
Worker and employers were people in same boat. Of course that employer need to respect his worker too. But taking such a big revenge is prove that the worker too is not a good guy. During my 25 years career I have meet many employers that not the best on my interest. But I am just carry-on to next career.. Just forget them..
I feel that this is wrong. You may have killed a person that was making money here, and had to go homeless and starved after this, but no, as always america had to only think about themselves.
Wow, way to salt the earth. Now you really can't go back and sue for lost wages. Also future employer... or future romantic relationship... or business partner will know that when you are mad you get destructive rather than seeking the sensible path.
Ok how will other people know? I don’t think there are mandatory employment references in the US, so I don’t see how a future employer would know about this. Also, did you read that he has a wife? I don’t think a future romantic relationship knowing about this is an issue.
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I agree the the boss was a total jerk but I also think that the employee handled things extremely poorly. I have no sympathy for either person other than the loss of the employees mom.
Dude did amazing. I don't blame him. And the owner got what was coming to him.
Contrary to popular perception, salting the earth has never been done and isn't very effective... Salt has almost always almost everywhere been valuable ['salary' literally means 'allowance to buy salt' in latin], you'd need staggering quantities of it to have any effect once mixed with earth, and it's water-soluble so just dissolves/rains away quickly; and most plants are relatively tolerant. Incredibly, it gets told that the Romans salted the lands after the final defeat of Carthage --- but that was totally made-up by some history student 100+ years ago and crept into teaching materials!
Dunno. Used to keep grass at bay in my yard by sprinkling salt on the edges. Worked like a charm.
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Every brew pub owner I've ever met (4) was a total ass hat. Always angry, always insecure, always trying to con the staff, always constant staff turnover. It must be the fumes.
Four is not a particularly exhaustive sample, so be careful about making sweeping generalizations.
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So you go camping while your mother is in hospice and the boss is the a$$hole here. Hmmm. Not really.
Go back and read it again. His mother encouraged him to go.
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"What about the other employees? You mean what about the other marks in this scam.
When I read this I wondered if it was about a brewpub near where I used to live, but then some details proved this is a different place. Can't help but wonder if similar male bovine solid bodily waste ejecta played a role in its closing.
I am sorry that you subjected to this mistreatment, but couldn't you have taken them to court? Deliberately sabotaging your ex-place of employment may have been illegal.
It's probably illegal and he not only hurt the boss but also all of the colleagues.
Load More Replies... so you make all others employees loose their job because you're mad at your boss? that's a shitty way to go
If I worked for an a**hole boss and some guy did this out of revenge for being fired...I would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and looked for work elsewhere. It was a full year later that this guy went out of business. The other employees had plenty of time to find other work. If it were me, I would have found the other employees new gigs elsewhere. He was obviously friends with them. Otherwise, how would he have known what the owner was saying behind his back.
Load More Replies... People take action like this because the laws and protections don't work for them, or (in the US) don't even exist in the first place. You can't complain workers destroy businesses if you exist in a system that gives people little or no alternative to seek redress. Employment rights are exactly that- A RIGHT. And the thing about rights is they are universal- they protect EVERYONE, including, yes, the employers too by ensuring balance and fairness. People who are treated unfairly do rash and often dangerous things. That boss was lucky the disgrunted guy didn't rock up the next day with his gun. It happens in the US! Thank goodness I live in a country where that fact is recognised.
It did in no way help him other than feeling like he got revenge. That does not make him a very nice person if that's what makes you happy. Just leave. That owner was really busy destroying his business anyway. Find pleasure in that. Don't add to it. Don't get me wrong, I've met my share of assholes and wished them all the best, but other than confronting them with their actions, I've never gone for more than that. So yeah, I put my money where my mouth is.
Load More Replies... In the 1980’s I blew out my left knee at work. I met some horrible people during this time in the legal and the medical professions. One orthopedic surgeon was the absolute worst. He had made a mistake during my surgery and back in those days surgeries were videotaped he had tampered the video tape to cover his mistakes. The physical therapist who worked in the same office was the one who brought this to my attention, he was horrified. This surgeon was a real treat to be around I saw him degrade his wife and his young son and I saw him demean his staff constantly. Because he had tampered with the video there was nothing I could do about suing him. Later I learned his support staff had made sure that the surgeon was going to be in business no longer. They started messing with his appointment and operating schedules they just acted completely incompetent forcing him to close his office. I love them even though I don’t know them. To this day that surgeons reputation is still talked about
Not everybody has the time and money to take an employer to court.
Load More Replies... please learn that wages are very important and law stuff is very expensive mate so delibertly sabtageing is a kinda good idea
Jeez, wow! The world would be anarchy if everyone did this over any issue for whatever reasons or justifications. Thank f**k there are rational forward thinkers in society that wouldn't even think to do such a spiteful detrimental act like that which can have unforseen disastrous side effects to everyone involved, except himself.
Load More Replies... Wage docking. Happened to me. Worked at a Mc company. Big name franchise branch. Girl who used to work in my dept ordered really expensive sunglasses. She got fired later for something else. Eventually I was running the dept. I was eventually told too to inventory pack an send back the sunglasses. I did. Receiving dept opened the box an stole two pairs and closed an sent it out. That company told boss to pay for missing items. I didn't know any of it. Guy in another dept told me to check my paychecks. Guess he heard them talking about it. Found out they were docking me for the glasses. An altering my clock in an out times to 36 hrs a week. Just enough to keep insurance but not the 52 or so hours I was working being alone in my dept an working every day of the week and weekends. I called labor dept. they send someone over. Got the money back for them making me pay for something that wasn't my fault. But couldn't comp the hours stolen. Next day got pink slip. Read reply for more of story
Turns out they gave the labor dept guy a kick back to lose my case on the unlawful termination of a three wheel mc. This is the karma part. The labor guy picked up the mc an drove it into the building wrecking it. Also the company was seized and locked down due to bankruptcy. And although I was screwed over he lost everything. I did get unemployment because I had never been written up ever tho.
Load More Replies... Just cause the boss is an a-hole doesn't mean two wrongs make a right. There's plenty of other comments addressing the morality (errr... lack thereof) of what you did so I'll just say you opened yourself up to liability by not fulfilling your job responsibilities. You're lucky you didn't find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit, because I'm pretty sure you would have lost - and that's just going by YOUR version of events here. I'd like to hear what the boss would have to say about you.
I feel sorry for the guy, but it doesn't excuse his act of destroying a business and putting people out of employment.
That's a bit extreme.....I mean what you did messed over your colleagues and not just your boss.
Why is everyone whining about this dudes colleagues? This sounds like a terrible work environment. Off anything I would have asked them to join in wrecking the business and leaving the darn place
Load More Replies... I saw someone say "I'm glad I live in a country with employment laws." We have them here in the states. It doesn't mean they're good or that people don't try to get away with robbing their employees. We have a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour in our state...except for waitstaff who make $2.13 an hour with the expectation that their tips will make up the difference. If they don't, the employer is required to make up the difference. They can even get money and tax breaks from the government for doing so. But one restaurant I know, the owner doesn't pay the difference and will sometimes confiscate tips if the waitstaff isn't quick to clear their tables. I tried to call in a complaint to the labor department. They said the employees would have to complain to file a report. None of the waitstaff would do it because they were afraid of getting fired and/or never getting another job. A**hole owner just bought a $4 million house.
I'm glad I live in a country with decent employment laws.
Load More Replies... I just about fell off my chair at "First vacation in over a year" - do people in the states seriously have to work for over a year with no time off? Do you realise that in the civilised world, we're legally entitled to paid time off?
Two wrongs don't make a right. Also, I side eye the part where he goes camping a six hour drive away with a mother in a hospice without telling anyone. I know that a six hour drive is not considered that far to US standards. But with someone dying, I would not want to be too far away. So no. Sorry. I do not like this story and I think these two people that are starring in it deserved each other.
Worker and employers were people in same boat. Of course that employer need to respect his worker too. But taking such a big revenge is prove that the worker too is not a good guy. During my 25 years career I have meet many employers that not the best on my interest. But I am just carry-on to next career.. Just forget them..
I feel that this is wrong. You may have killed a person that was making money here, and had to go homeless and starved after this, but no, as always america had to only think about themselves.
Wow, way to salt the earth. Now you really can't go back and sue for lost wages. Also future employer... or future romantic relationship... or business partner will know that when you are mad you get destructive rather than seeking the sensible path.
Ok how will other people know? I don’t think there are mandatory employment references in the US, so I don’t see how a future employer would know about this. Also, did you read that he has a wife? I don’t think a future romantic relationship knowing about this is an issue.
Load More Replies... I agree the the boss was a total jerk but I also think that the employee handled things extremely poorly. I have no sympathy for either person other than the loss of the employees mom.
Dude did amazing. I don't blame him. And the owner got what was coming to him.
Contrary to popular perception, salting the earth has never been done and isn't very effective... Salt has almost always almost everywhere been valuable ['salary' literally means 'allowance to buy salt' in latin], you'd need staggering quantities of it to have any effect once mixed with earth, and it's water-soluble so just dissolves/rains away quickly; and most plants are relatively tolerant. Incredibly, it gets told that the Romans salted the lands after the final defeat of Carthage --- but that was totally made-up by some history student 100+ years ago and crept into teaching materials!
Dunno. Used to keep grass at bay in my yard by sprinkling salt on the edges. Worked like a charm.
Load More Replies... Every brew pub owner I've ever met (4) was a total ass hat. Always angry, always insecure, always trying to con the staff, always constant staff turnover. It must be the fumes.
Four is not a particularly exhaustive sample, so be careful about making sweeping generalizations.
Load More Replies... So you go camping while your mother is in hospice and the boss is the a$$hole here. Hmmm. Not really.
Go back and read it again. His mother encouraged him to go.
Load More Replies... "What about the other employees? You mean what about the other marks in this scam.
When I read this I wondered if it was about a brewpub near where I used to live, but then some details proved this is a different place. Can't help but wonder if similar male bovine solid bodily waste ejecta played a role in its closing.
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