A worker says a boss forced them to apologize to a lying customer, and 6 months later their anonymous feedback cost him a promotion

Recently, a former furniture shop employee took to the offmychest community on Reddit to share how the team dealt with a boss who had personally thrown them under the bus. The Redditor, IntrepidTrainer4607, set up their story in the title, stating, “My boss made me apologize to a customer who was lying. I got my revenge 6 months later”

They wrote that one day, a customer “claimed I’d promised him a free delivery and assembly service.” In the post, they wrote that their manager made them apologize, despite knowing that the customer was lying, since “he’d been standing right next to me during the sale.” Allegedly, the boss told them, “sometimes you just have to accept being wrong.”

The Redditor shared that six months later, the manager applied for a regional position, and that as a part of the process, the company collected anonymous feedback from the employees. They wrote that they took the opportunity and shared a detailed account of the incident, and included testimonies of other situations with their colleagues. The Redditor wrote, “He didn’t get the promotion,” and came back “absolutely furious,” demanding to know who had complained about him. 

The manager allegedly pushed for open communication

“The funniest part is that he gathered us all together afterward and gave a speech about how people should communicate directly instead of going behind each other’s backs,” the Redditor wrote. “I wanted so badly to tell him that sometimes you just have to accept being wrong.”

According to Fast Company, nearly half of professionals surveyed by OfficeTeam have worked for unreasonable bosses who tried to make them look bad on the job. The piece notes that documenting the situation is a smart move, as it will serve as a record and help with defense. They also recommend understanding the manager’s personality to understand if the situation is a one-off or more likely to happen. After that, the employee should rely on allies and HR to resolve the issue. 

Reddit loved the story. In fact, one user noted, “I wouldn’t say you got revenge. I would say you got justice! Two different things.” Others were amused that the manager tried to make a speech pushing for open communication “after getting called out for his own behavior.” Some users even noted that the manager’s attempt to identify the whistleblower is “a perfect example of why he shouldn’t be promoted period.”

Others responded with humor and praise. One Redditor wrote, “OP goes scorched earth and I am McLoving this! Good for you!” Among them were users who believed the original poster should have followed through on their final inclinations, writing, “I’ll tell him for you, if you would let me.” They followed it up with an even more audacious suggestion: “shall you have me call him a F****face? I gladly shall, if you please.” 

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the manager’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from IntrepidTrainer4607’s Reddit post.