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Some workplace threats carry real weight. Others seem to fold completely under the slightest scrutiny.

One employee in a leadership role at a small nonprofit was tired of his boss spending months threatening to write people up, using it as a go-to intimidation tactic against him and his team.

So when he finally sent written evidence of the pattern to HR, only to learn something he wasn’t expecting: the company doesn’t even have a write-up policy.

Suddenly, this boss had a lot less power than before.

Keep reading for the full story.

Found out from hr we don’t have a write up system

And my boss was lying about having the power to write us up. My company is a non-profit and we are small.

We are a solo entity. That is all I will say, but I am in leadership, and am below a manager who uses the threat of writing us up, CONSTANTLY.

But soon the employee learned these were all empty threats.

I sent my evidence in writing to HR, and have learned that we don’t have a write up policy. Like, we just don’t write people up.

We have PIPs, but that is it, and we barely use those.

Like, this guy just LIES.

Suddenly this employee has a whole new outlook.

Anyways, that was fun to learn, so the HR folks, when I expressed I feel intimidated and concerned for my job, thanked me for bringing my concerns to their attention.

My concerns are null and not relevant to my post, but it’s insane he used this tactic to intimidate me and my team.

Sounds like HR just lost a boatload of leverage.

Redditors are sure to get a kick out of this one.

When a person doesn’t have any real power, they often resort to making things up.

This user doesn’t think this boss will survive much longer at this job.

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Sometimes it’s all smoke and mirrors.

A manager who spends months threatening consequences that legally don’t exist isn’t managing a team, but practically running a fear campaign with zero actual authority behind it.

Apparently all it took was one well-placed inquiry to HR to topple this boss’ unfair regime.

Sometimes you just have to know the handbook better than the boss.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.