Workplace tensions can make or break a team’s dynamics, especially when someone new comes in.

In this case, an outsider came into their workplace and took a well-earned prize from another employee and things got tense.

Check out what happened…

The boss says it, so it must happen

Years and years ago, my father worked in a fairly large abattoir. It was the main source of employment in town, and employed hundreds of locals.

Everyone knew everyone, so when an outsider gets sent in to shake things up, you just know that trouble is going to ensue.

Especially when my father, as the union leader, knew how to stir things up.

Anyway, there had been an in-company competition, which one of the workers had won a couple of tickets to some sporting event.

The competition had happened before the outsider came into the anatomies, but the prize was awarded after.

Winners were even told that if the event was on a rostered day for them, they would get that day, and the following day, off with pay.

Everything should have been fine…

So it comes up to the week of the event. The employee happens to be chatting about the event to friends, when the outsider overhears.

The outsider turns around and says that the employee can’t have the day off. Employee wants to know why, outsider says it is because he didn’t put in for time off.

Employee says that he didn’t have to, explains the competition and prize, outsider says he doesn’t care, the employee did not follow procedure, so he can’t go.

The employee mentions it to my father, and my father hatches a plan.

He had a great idea…

He goes through the policies and procedures manual, and notes that ALL employees of the parent company, regardless of whether they are management or normal employees, had to adhere to certain food safety regulations, including attending a course.

Failure to do so could warrant fines by the health department.

Now my father knew that every staff member at the abattoir was compliant, but he wasn’t sure about the outsider.

So he contacted a friend in the parent company’s HR department, and lo and behold, the outsider was not compliant.

My father didn’t mention anything to the outsider, but he did to the health department.

For the next three months, the health department made “surprise” visits to the abattoir on about seven occasions, and the abattoir passed with flying colours… except for the outsider.

The parent company got a copy of each report from the health department, but the abattoir never did.

But my father would get a heads up.

So for three months the company was getting fined because of the outsider.

The high-ups noticed…

The company bosses came to the abattoir for a meeting with the manager, outsider, my father, and a couple of other essential personnel.

They covered everything, and then went into the fines.

For someone who was so heavy on procedure and policies, the outsider had nothing to say.

And then my father brought up the competition, and the outsider started to go on about policies.

Company management had heard enough, and promptly transferred the outsider to another division.

They gave the employee a bonus for not being able to use the prize.

Let’s dive into the comments…

This commenter makes a great point…

Another Reddit user points out the pettiness.

Other commenters noticed the contradictions.

And this user thought the story was overall dramatic!

Well, it seems like everyone got what they deserved in the end.

Which is honestly saying something.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.