Ever notice that bullies have a way of making themselves out to be the victim? It’s the same in any setting, at any age.

See how this worker’s defence tactic may have worked against her in the office.

AITA My coworker sabotaging me at work

I’m in a small marketing team at work, and there’s this one coworker, Sarah, who’s been somehow sabotaging me since I started leading a project six months ago.

It started small. She’d forget” to cc me on client emails I needed, or take credit for ideas I pitched in meetings. I let it be at first because I didn’t want to be that person stirring drama in our tight knit office.

It kept happening and even got worse.

But last week it escalated. During a big presentation to the director, Sarah interrupted me three times with “Helpful” corrections that were just nitpicks, making me look unprepared.

I powered through, but afterward, I heard from a mutual friend that she was texting the group chat saying I “bombed it” and “wasn’t cut out for leading.”

That stung, especially since the director loved the pitch.

I was fuming but tried to handle it maturely.

After work, I asked if we could chat privately in the break room. I kept it calm.

She put Sarah in her place.

“Hey Sarah, I’ve noticed some tension, and the interruptions today felt personal. If there’s an issue with how I’m handling things, let’s talk it out directly instead of the side comments.”

She got defensive right away, accused me of being paranoid, and said I was “threatening her job by bringing it up. She even teared up and walked away, muttering about how I was bullying her.

Now the whole team’s whispering. Some think I overreacted and cornered her and others say she had it coming.

My boss pulled me in for a casual check in, and I mentioned the pattern without throwing her under the bus fully, but I worry I escalated things unnecessarily.

Was I too direct? Should I have just ignored it? AITA?

Here is what people are saying.

I’m glad someone suggested this.

Oh, I love this.

It’s amazing how bullies fall apart when confronted.

I’d pay see video of this.

It’s true. Classic narcissism.

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.

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.