Regardless of religious beliefs, everyone subscribes to one overarching life tenet: don’t be a jerk. There even exists a golden rule that simply states, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
That means having an abhorrent personality will come back to you in some form. This was a hard lesson an employee learned after he had been an all-around obnoxious person to his colleagues. To add insult to injury, he also blatantly stole from his subordinates and refused to repay them.
Fed up with dealing with him, the company he worked with launched an epic revenge plot that cost him millions of dollars in potential earnings.
There is no upside to being a jerk
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This story begins with a finance company where the two owners hated each other
Image credits: Muradi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
One of them, a man called Tim, is an absolutely reprehensible person by all accounts
Image credits: volodymyr-t / Magnific (not the actual photo)
All of Tim’s colleagues eventually find out why he had been at odds with the other owner, Roger
Image credits: seventyfour / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Apart from being insufferable, Tim also stole from his subordinates
Image credits: Vitaly Gariev / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Fed up, the company hatched an epic revenge plot
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Tim eventually realized he had lost out on millions of dollars in potential earnings
Image credits: anon
Workplace disputes can turn costly if the company fails to address the root of the problem
Based on the author’s account, Tim appeared to have gotten away with his problematic behavior. He remained a part of the company even after stealing from his subordinates.
According to leadership and management consultant Dr. Neal McIntyre, the company may not address the problem because they count on it eventually blowing over.
“(Leaders) sometimes feel that addressing these behaviors will cause more damage and friction by giving them attention. Unfortunately, these acts rarely disappear and most often escalate in time into more serious matters.” Dr. McIntyre told Bored Panda.
As the story showed, these issues could prove costly, likely leading to deeper resentment. Unfortunately, the company had to resort to tactics that stoked the fire because the situation had already gotten out of hand.
Dr. McIntyre says one way for leaders to address such an issue is to listen objectively to understand. The goal should be to understand the context and perspectives of all parties involved, then identify mutually beneficial options for resolution.
Perhaps everyone was adamant on getting rid of Tim, and they were willing to go to such lengths (pooling money for the buyout) to make it happen. The author mentioned there could be a possible downside for the company, but it was likely a necessary step for everyone else’s benefit.
Most people in the comments were delighted by the turn of events, but some had their questions
