Office drama rarely stays contained once HR gets involved.

After a single joke was wildly misinterpreted, one production worker found himself blamed as the source of a rumor mill he didn’t start.

So when HR demanded he apologize, they didn’t expect him to send it to the entire company.

Keep reading for the full story!

HR doesn’t like me.

Way back in the winter of 2006/2007, a classmate got a promotion at work, so a dozen or so of us night-shift production folks went out to celebrate that Thursday (payday).

This included two of his supervisors that we got along with (important for later).

Of course, with most of us being in our early 20s, we drank until the bar closed and then split off to keep drinking.

Here’s where things got a little messy.

Five of us went back to his place. Three of us were classmates, #4 was a fellow tech from my line, and #5 was a production tester from his line.

My classmates were getting hands-on with #5, so I drove #4 home sometime around 5 a.m.

So he made what he thought was an innocent joke.

That Sunday, I made a comment to classmate #2 that “usually you take them for supper first” while I was on that line.

It was overheard by a couple of the people that had joined us. That comment was the only one I made (also important for later).

Turns out, this joke got back to HR.

A couple of weeks went by, and I was sent by my line manager to go see HR in the middle of my shift.

It was a semi-expected meeting, based on what I had heard going around.

I spent close to an hour getting grilled and told HR exactly what I saw and said, as well as mentioning his supervisors that were there.

Rumors had been swirling and HR was working hard to squash them.

I found out two things. Folks had been spreading rumors for two weeks, and she was underage for the bar.

Essentially, people were calling her a very active lady.

HR required me to send an apology email out because they decided I was “the source”.

Oh boy, did I send an email out.

It didn’t take long for HR to wish they never mentioned it.

I CC’d the entire company, stating what I saw and that I was only apologizing for my original comment that “usually you buy them supper first,” but not for what it had snowballed into, as I hadn’t even said it more than once.

I also stated that her own supervisors should have known she was underage.

HR is forced to step in again for damage control.

Funny enough, HR sent an email out the next day telling people not to spread rumors.

She left a week or so later.

Now HR seems afraid of him.

I was promoted in July 2007, and there was still no mention of that email or event when I was promoted again in 2009, and again in 2010.

My exit interview also made no mention of it in 2010.

HR never did have another meeting with me, even though I know there were other complaints about me.

Almost like they didn’t want another company-wide email going out.

HR managed to make this problem even worse.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

Workplace relationships can quickly get out of hand.

This user thinks this employee could have very well gotten fired for sending an email like this.

Maybe this wasn’t an issue that should have been handled by HR at all.

After the stunt he pulled, HR pretty much never messed with him again.

Malicious compliance for the win!

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.