When you have a bully at work, sometimes the most effective option to end it is to fight fire with fire.

The person in this story had ample opportunity to reciprocate.

Check out what happened when he got to see the results unfold in front of him.

Gaslighter hides my work, then his work disappears permanently

I worked with a guy, in a machine shop who would occasionally hide my work-piece, which is the object being worked on with tools, like in a factory.

If I stepped away from my bench, my work was sometimes gone when I came back.

It was clearly a game to this bully.

When questioned, his reply was: “I don’t know, What did you do with it ?”

After the first time, I would just wait for it to come back, trying not to give him the satisfaction of reacting.

After the third time, I decided he needed payback.

He liked to “Go out on business,” and it could be for one hour or three.

So I waited, for him to go out and leave a work piece on his bench and my patience was rewarded.

He goes out, I make his work piece disappear, never to be seen again.

He loved becoming a worthy adversary in the bully’s game.

It was easy to hide a small piece in one of those giant scrap bins. When he came back, he looked all over for it.

“Where is my piece?” he asked.

“I don’t know, what did you do with it?” I replied.

His work never came back and had to start over.

So he didn’t play that game any more.

Here’s what people are saying.

I don’t think it would be funny to me even once.

Your dad gave you some wise words! This is true in a lot of industries.

Pretty much. I don’t know why people mess with someone who can probably get you fired.

I wouldn’t push it. It sounds like this is the kind of person you don’t want to be angry. Move on.

I bet that’s a super long coffee break. Poor guy will have to work all the hours he gets paid.

Don’t mess around with someone’s paycheck!

Now back to work!

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.