Burning bridges at work can feel satisfying in the moment, but the flames often have a way of catching up to you.

For one ex-colleague with a history of backstabbing, his scandalous past finally caught up to him at the worst possible moment.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

Revenge 9 months after being made redundant

So I worked in a technical support team based at a client site late in the 90s.

One of my colleagues (bit of a jerk, didn’t like sharing information) left our company and went to work directly for the client.

Okay, it happens.

Some months later, I had an interview to also work for the client.

They aced the interview, but that wasn’t enough to overcome blatant sabotage.

I absolutely aced the interviews (a whole day of various tasks with a dozen people) until it got to the final interview, where this ex-colleague was also asking questions.

I found out later that I did not get the job because the ex-colleague had said I asked too many questions at work.

Well, duh — yes, I am going to ask questions about specific issues if I know you know the answer instead of guessing.

There was more trouble ahead.

Anyway, some months later (it was early December), everyone turned up at the site as normal only to be called into a meeting with our boss, who must have flown in that morning, and the main client manager.

Within 10 minutes, we were escorted to our desks to collect personal belongings and escorted off site —made redundant on the spot.

Guess who was behind it?

It seems our ex-colleague had managed to cause enough issues and blame his old colleagues that the client (his new boss) canceled our support contract.

It took me three months to get a new job, and I had to work and live away from home during the week.

So imagine their surprise when an unexpected guest shows up at their new job!

A few months into this job, I saw the ex-colleague go into my manager’s office.

I wanted to punch him there and then.

But anyway, I waited until he was leaving and made sure to pass him and throw a quick “hi” as he was leaving.

He looked shocked.

But they weren’t going to let him get off scot-free.

After he left, I went into my manager’s office, and he confirmed he was interviewing him.

I asked if he had asked the ex-colleague why he left his previous job.

He said no (yeah, this boss was not too bright).

So they shared some very compromising information.

As it happens, I knew why the ex-colleague was sacked not long after the rest of us were made redundant.

He had been taking his secretary away on conferences, training courses, etc., that she had no business being at (yes, he was married).

This time, it was him who suffered professionally for his misdeeds.

So, in the end, the ex-colleague was not offered a role at the company.

In the end, I left the company after six months so I could work closer and be home every night.

But I will always be grateful to that company for giving me the opportunity to get one over on a guy who had got me made redundant.

Since I cost him financial hardship for a while longer as he did not get the job, I’m not so sure how petty this was — but it made me happy anyway.

It’s always great to see the underdog get a win.

What did Reddit think?

Is doing the right thing really petty?

Karma really did a lot of the heavy lifting here.

Maybe a little online revenge is needed too.

This commenter knows petty when they see it!

This story proves that exploiting shortcuts don’t always lead to long-term success.

When the past comes knocking, burning bridges just leaves you stranded!

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.