That One Co-Worker

At some point in our careers, we’ve had a job where there was at least one person we didn’t enjoy working with. Either it was because of their personality, work ethic, or they were just a big-time Karen. A person who thinks they can mistreat others for their own convenience, cause trouble for no apparent reason, and overall a no-fun zone. You tried your best to either ignore the person or make light of the situation, but no matter what you did, there was no seeing eye to eye. Does anyone come to mind? Well for “Sky,” she had one person that did.
We thought Karens as customers were bad, just imagine a Karen as a coworker. After the constant threats, mistreatment, and terrible behavior, Sky had reached her breaking point. She decided it was time for revenge and when the opportunity approached, she didn’t hold back in ruining this Karen’s life. Was Sky in the right?
Let’s get into this work drama!
~
Katie

Many moons ago, when CD shops were still a thing, Sky worked at this one called, “Records Tower.” She absolutely enjoyed every aspect of the job except for one thing, or should she say, one person. Her name was “Katie.” She also worked there, and it seemed like her only responsibility was to make Sky’s work life miserable. Sky tried to avoid her at work, but Katie made it almost impossible. She would deliberately oppress Sky any chance she got. It got so bad that Sky finally went to a manager about the incidents between the two, which only got passed along to Katie. The next time they were scheduled together, Katie and another co-worker cornered her in the backroom and threatened to beat her up if Sky snitched on her again. It only got worse when Katie got promoted to manager.
When she was the only manager on duty, she would ignore Sky’s requests for a manager or help. She even got the whole store against her. When there would be a busy line, everyone would chill in the back with Katie, letting Sky handle the chaos and, of course, ignoring her “I need help in the front” requests. If that didn’t suck already, Katie would make little comments to Sky like if she caught her ever alone, then she would beat her up. It was hands-down a toxic work environment for her, so she decided it was time to go. The job wasn’t worth her safety. However, before her departure, she made one last formal complaint against Katie, which this time got into the hands of Human Resources.
As headquarters investigated more on Katie, they uncovered the truth. No, it wasn’t Sky’s harassment claims, but the truth between Katie and the assistant manager. Both were in a secret affair together. Since dating was against the company’s policy, she had to be relocated to another store, but it wasn’t too long before she quit. Apparently, she didn’t like it there. Maybe because she didn’t have anyone else to bully there.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be the last she heard of Katie.
~
Work Gossip

A few months later, Sky got a new gig at “Defunct Bookstore.” It was a breath of fresh air without the constant threats and negativity. Everything was going pretty well until she had to make a phone call to another Defunct Bookstore at a different location. And can you guess who answered? If you guessed Katie, then you are 100 percent right. Once she became fully aware that both of them work at the same establishment, then Katie went back to her old vicious ways.
The only time Sky had to call that other store was for customers, but that didn’t stop Katie from being unprofessional. She would hang up on Sky or leave her on hold forever. This started causing trouble for Sky since it now looked like she wasn’t doing her job in helping the customers when in reality, Katie wouldn’t let her. Not wanting history to repeat itself, Sky had enough. So when the opportunity approached for payback, she took it.
After six months of Katie’s shenanigans, Sky realized Katie was no longer answering the phones. By no means was she complaining, but she was curious the reason why. Did they finally fire her? Did they finally realize she was the one to blame for not helping customers when Sky would call? Or was she having another secret affair with the manager? Well, just like many other workplaces, gossip traveled fast between both locations. And the most recent gossip was that Katie got into a car accident.
She made it out alive but suffered a severe back injury. According to what she told management, “she couldn’t stand more than ten minutes at a time without excruciating pain.” And because she used the American Medical Leave Act, she was put on medical leave. The company didn’t want to hire a new person since they knew she would be back, but the problem was, they didn’t know when. It had been a few months, and the store was clearly short-handed. The manager at that store was beyond annoyed, but there wasn’t anything he could do or was there? Little did he know, Sky would soon relieve his headache by just pure coincidence.
One night, Sky decided to go out with friends to play pool. That was when she ran into a former co-worker, “Josh,” from Records Tower.
Josh: “Man, too bad you weren’t here last night! It would have been a reunion! Katie and the assistant manager were here playing pool!”
Sky: “Katie was playing pool?”
Josh: “Oh yeah. They come in every Wednesday night!”
Sky: “Really. That’s interesting. Every Wednesday huh? How long has this been going on?”
What he would say next determined Sky’s next move. And no, she wasn’t talking about pool, but Katie’s fate at Defunct Bookstore.
~
Payback

Josh: “A few months now.”
A few months?! How could that be since she apparently “couldn’t stand more than ten minutes at a time without excruciating pain?” And anyone who has played pool can agree it would be almost impossible to play in that type of circumstance. So she could do all that standing and bending, but not work her shifts? As Sky was thinking more about how sleazy Katie was, a lightbulb all of a sudden went off in her head. This was the perfect opportunity for payback. For all the times Katie had made her life miserable, bullying her, being the reason she quit her job at Tower Records and getting in trouble at her current job, it was about time she got a dose of karma.
The very next day, Sky woke up and chose revenge. She got ready and made her way to the Defunct Bookstore, but it wasn’t hers she was driving to, it was actually the one Katie worked at. Once she walked in, she wasted no time filling the manager in on what she heard the night before. He could see it for himself if he went to the pool house next Wednesday night, she suggested. He never confirmed if he was, but all Sky knew was that by next Thursday, word got out that Katie was fired. Sky felt relieved, no more Katie, or so she thought.
After a shift, Sky ran into Katie and one of her minions. Again, Katie being Katie, she tried to intimate Sky, but this time she wasn’t having it. She walked away from the situation, knowing it wouldn’t end well. By the time she was pulling out of the parking lot, she realized they were following her. She was on her way home but knew that wasn’t a choice anymore, she didn’t want her to know where she lived. Katie was crazy; Sky heard the story about how when Katie’s ‘assistant manager’ boyfriend broke up with her, she tried to burn his house down. So trying to not have that happen, Sky had a bright idea. As they were following her, she made a call to the police and a detour to the station. Katie or her friend failed to realize that Sky led them straight to the police, who were waiting for them. They gave her an ultimatum: leave Sky alone or get arrested. Let’s just say, since that day, Sky never had another altercation with Katie again.
Now thinking back, was Sky in the wrong for getting Katie fired and then almost getting her arrested? Some Redditors chimed in with their own perspective of the situation.
~
Thoughts From The Internet

“The best part about this is that she [Katie] knows she lost this battle and has to live with that,” one commenter pointed out. Another commented, “Heck yeah! I normally hate snitches but in this case, she [Sky] was absolutely right!” The majority of the comments would agree Sky was not in the wrong, Katie had it coming her way. A few comments mentioned, “karma is a stinker.”
Other commenters were also furious Katie would lie about her injury and still go forth with the medical leave. One commented, “Hopefully, they [book store] went after her for fraud.” Another commented, “Insurance fraud and stalking are big no-nos. Hope the law reamed her good.” Not only what she did was wrong, but also unlawful. The internet hopes karma bites her in the butt with that too.
Surprisingly, there were quite of people who couldn’t believe Katie followed Sky to the police station. One commented, “When she [Sky] led them into the police station, I couldn’t believe they followed her into the parking lot of a police station while stalking. Humanities’ stupidity has impressed me yet again.” Another commenter was impressed by Sky’s quick thinking and commented, “Good job on leading them anywhere, but home. The cops being a nice choice. I’ve read stories about people being followed, and, going home.”
Overall, the internet was not a fan of Katie, nor was they on her side. There were a lot of comments calling Katie a “Karen.” No doubt she was.
~
Was She In The Wrong?

After reading this story, I agree that Sky was not in the wrong. Katie was a big-time bully, or in other words, a Karen. She thought she could intimate Sky without any repercussions because she didn’t think Sky would fight back. I mean, everyone has their breaking point, what did Katie expect? That Sky was just going to let her threaten her forever?
I was impressed with Sky’s scheme. She definitely was at the right place at the right time when she came across Josh. If it wasn’t for him, the scheme would never happened. However, for her to spill it all to Katie’s manager was really bold of her. Since the last time she spoke to a manager about Katie, she got cornered in the back room. I was glad to see she got a backbone, especially when she was approached by Katie and her friend. I mean wow! She literally drove them to the police station. Katie was such an idiot for that one. She deserved every ounce of this revenge. She was a terrible employee, coworker, and human being. I’m glad the cops scared the living out of her.
I just don’t understand how someone could feel so entitled that they can treat a person like that, especially someone who clearly did nothing to them. Was it jealousy? Was it boredom? Or was it just because she was a Karen? Either way, I hope she learned her lesson that karma is real and maybe she’ll think twice before harassing people.
Now that you know how others feel about this situation, do you think Sky was in the wrong?
~