Quitting a toxic workplace and shutting the doors with bad management behind them can feel overwhelming. Especially if you really tried to put up with all the nonsense and stay positive even when the facts showed the opposite.
No wonder the last day and even the last minute in that job can feel not just special, but as memorable as if it happened yesterday. So when someone posed a question “What was your final 'eff you' to a boss you didn’t like?” on Ask Reddit, the thread went viral, amassing 21.1k upvotes.
Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting stories people shared.
#21

I taped a piece of fish to the back of his desk which was up against a wall. I heard later on that it wasn't found for almost a month... f**k you Darren
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158points
#22

I bought the .com version of the domain name for their business and made him buy it off me for a grand. I think it made him like me more, ironically.
150points
#23

Salary was delayed by 2 weeks and was about told to be lenient because the company is growing and needs our help and cooperation. I waited for another week but I was ignored. I left the job without notice and upon them calling me to sue me, I replied “You have money to sue people but no money to pay employees.”
I switched job and I am at a better place right now.
I switched job and I am at a better place right now.
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146points
#24

She was a psychopathic narcissist. I knew she was plotting to leave her husband. Because I found it on a numbered to-do list on top of her desk. I was floored that she would leave it where her husband could see- it was a home office in one large room. I took a photo.
She proceeded to harass and gaslight her husband, who took off one night and slept in a parking lot. When he returned the next day she said “you left me, so it’s over.”
After she royally screwed me over for the umpteenth time I quit. A few weeks later I sent the photo to her husband, copied her, and wrote, “For your records” in the subject line.
Then I reported her to the IRS.
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129points
#25

I worked at a dry cleaner for a summer. Front desk, cash under table type of job. I worked 50 hours one week and he told me he'd pay me time and a half for the OT. I go into work on payday and my cash envelope is not in the drawer. I called him and asked about it and he told me he couldn't pay me for my work yet. I kindly informed him that I was taking the money I was owed, and locking up the shop, and left.
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125points
#26

I reported him to the work inspection.
He was employing more trainee than the legislation allows for a company this size and was making them work them like full paid workers, with basically no formation at all.
He got controlled and fined a big amount of money, had to give money to previous trainee that had worked for him, etc… His company closed for bankruptcy after that.
Sweet justice.
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123points
#27

Applied for a full time job at a daycare. Interview was on Friday and the director said she would text me over the weekend to tell me my hours for next week. Yay! I got the job!
Monday rolls around and no text or email from her so I am sitting in my pjs at home thinking I’m out of work. At 10am a random number calls me and she asks me to come in for 11. I let it slide thinking she lost track of time or whatever.
By the end of the day I asked for my schedule and she said she’ll contact me tomorrow morning at 9am. The next day is the same thing, except this time she calls at 11am asking to come in for 11:15!!!!! I waited TWO hours for her call. Now I have no car and live 15 minutes away. On top of this the shifts were only 4ish hours long, so the job isn’t even full time. I tell her I need a schedule by the end of the day. Didn’t get one.
The next day she calls at a random time but too late, I’m busy at an interview with a different job! I tell her I’ll stop in to get my cheque by the end of the week because she can’t respect my time and lied on the ad about being full time. Also I am not getting paid to be on call.
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115points
#28

My boss's boss hated me. He drove out my previous boss that was one of the best managers I ever worked for. He demoted me, and then when the company laid-off EVERYONE else who knew my product, I insisted he restore me to my previous status or I'd quit. He did, and he wasn't happy about it.
Eventually he demoted me again and I found another job. During my exit interview with HR, I spoke at length about how he'd f****d up the department and fired many excellent people who were now working for the competition.
A few months later he was escorted to the door and told never to return. Apparently the company took a good, long look at him and found he'd been holding his meetings with his subordinate managers in a local bar and would sometimes never return to the office. I don't know whether my discussions with HR had anything to do with their review of his performance, but I'd like to think so.
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113points
#29

Worked in China in a language training center. Left the country without informing anyone at work.
Once I was out of China, I posted all the info I had about the benefits foreign workers were supposed to have but never had (tax reimbursement, pension savings, etc.) and how HR & Finance appropriated them in regional and local WeChat groups both in English and Chinese.
Also posted addresses of local government offices where foreign workers could inquire about the aforementioned benefits or complain about lack thereof.
Once I was out of China, I posted all the info I had about the benefits foreign workers were supposed to have but never had (tax reimbursement, pension savings, etc.) and how HR & Finance appropriated them in regional and local WeChat groups both in English and Chinese.
Also posted addresses of local government offices where foreign workers could inquire about the aforementioned benefits or complain about lack thereof.
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109points
#30

Worked at a stupid fake French cafe & the manager was an idiot who made a point of giving me the sh**tiest jobs just to show he was in charge. One day he pulled me off the floor (where I earned tips as a server) and made me polish silver for hours. He kept returning & throwing every second piece back at me, telling me to do it over. Kept saying “missed a spot”.
So I walked out . . . and kept the apron. I kept the beautiful black apron with the embroidered logo and still wear it when I cook today.
Also invoiced the owner for my outstanding pay & informed him his manager was not up for the job. Owner begged me to reconsider but I told him nope.
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108points


