Stories That Make Us Want To Quit | Reading Reddit Stories

- Hi, welcome to "Smosh Reads Reddit Stories.". I'm Shayne, and today's theme is coworkers. We've got some nightmare coworker stories, and I'm joined by two coworkers who are cool. (crew laughs). - Yes. - Yeah. Trevor and Angela are here. Thank you for joining me. - Thank you for having me. - Thank you for having me. - Even though I know, as your coworker, you didn't decide for me to be here. Someone higher up did. (crew laughs). - Right there. Emily. - I hear actually, through the grapevine,

that you specifically didn't want me here. - Yeah, I requested for you not to be here, but they were like, "No, he's the only one available right now.". And I was like (groans). - Damn. Out of our 30 cast members. (everyone laughs). I was the only one available. - 50 cast members. - 30 cast. - I feel like we have a very unique coworker situation. Right? - Yeah. - Being coworkers as like on camera like cast members. here at Smosh is such a weird coworker vibe, right? - I also feel like the word, like I would say, "Oh, I work with Trevor. "I work with Shayne.".

But the word coworker to me goes back. to like my survival jobs, which was like, oh, this is someone I like burn time with. while we try to like make money and keep it going. - Yeah, like we're friends in that setting alone. and then outside of that, I'm like, "Nah, I don't know you.". - It's weird that like being friends. is kind of part of our job here. - Yeah. - Like, our job is to get on camera. and like be chill and have fun, which adds like a pressure to it. Like, that's where it's a unique job. in that it's like, oh, we have to be cool with each other.

Thank God it works out. - But I will say the bond between coworkers. is one of my favorite. Like, and our bond, it doesn't really make sense. in that thing, but like-. - Our bond, we don't have that. - Doesn't really make sense. 'cause everything's fake and I don't really like you guys. But I mean, like, I'd say... (everyone laughs). But like coworkers, Amanda and I did some of these caterer characters once. for a TikTok I was making, and her and I, we like both like remembered that like, do you remember like when you're coworkers. with your survival jobs, you like go through (beep) war with them. - Yeah. - And you're like, "What's your name again?". (Trevor laughs).

Like, you don't even remember each other's names. - That's cool. - I remember her and I remember that, where it's like, I just feel like you like learn each other. much faster than a hang out, than like grabbing drinks. - 'Cause you're just like, you're in the thick of it. There's no time to think. You're moving, like when you're a hostess or a waiter. or something like that, you just gotta go. You're dealing with other people who suck. So you get used to that. I feel like I look at my dynamic. with like not the the actors here but like crew members. where we're doing completely different thing, but for us, I'm like, oh yeah, I guess I get a little bit more of that feeling,

and I'm still friends with everyone the same way. as I am with all the cast members. But it's interesting. But I never worked any jobs like that. - Oh yeah. - So I never had that real experience of it. - It's like going through the same bullshit with people. and you're the only outlet, you know? It's not like they can call someone and vent. It's like if someone does something stupid, like when I worked in the bakery, like they would just come like back into the kitchen. when I was like making croissants. and they'd just be like pissed off, and I'm like, "Tell me about it, man. "What's going on? "What's going on out there in the trenches?". - You were in "The Bear.". - There is something so specific.

about the coworker group text. - Yeah. - Compared to other group texts. where you're just like, you're just talking mad shit. You're nodding. I'm wondering if you're talking shit, Ollie. No, I'm kidding. - Yeah. Ollie, we're clocking it. All right, well let's get into some of these stories. about what people are doing to their coworkers, with their coworkers, the dynamics of coworkers. Because I feel like there's a bunch of unwritten rules. Like, what to do, what not to do. - Like, would you get married. and like do a prank on the internet? - Yeah. Like, would you do that?

Am I the asshole. for not buying tickets to the hot new live show series. "We're All Gonna Die"? I, 34 male, heard about this new live TTRPG experience. where players take the stage. to try to survive the impossibly dangerous town. of Maw Meadows. As players make decisions, their fates are determined. by pulling a wooden block from a block tower. If the tower falls, they die. Each of the seven episodes will feature new characters. And while each episode can be enjoyed as a standalone, each story reveals a little more about the mysteries.

that lie dormant in Maw Meadows. Episode one and two are already available to stream. right now at live.smosh.com. Episode three and four are a special double feature. premiering this week on September 19th and 20th. Should I get my virtual ticket now? Yes, OP, you should. I'm in the first episode, which is pretty cool, and I'll be in the next show on September 20th. Also, we got Jack Quaid on for episode two. The cast lineup for these shows is insane. How did we even get him? I mean, can I tell them that we got (beep).

and (beep). and (beep)? I can't? All right, am I the asshole? Whatever. Go to live.smosh.com to see all of our ticket packages. and stay to date on future shows. Back to some Reddit stories. Our first one's a confession. "I'm (beep) two of my coworkers at the same time. "Neither of them know about each other.". - Let's (beep) go. - All right, so there we go.

Bam. - It's awesome. - I feel like not maybe the best move to make, but one someone is doing. "Well, the title basically says it all. "But I just got out of a long-term relationship. "and have suddenly found myself receiving advances. "from more than a couple people. "Anyways, it just so happens. "that two of them are my coworkers. "I've been overly clear with both of them that I am single. "and in no way exclusive. "So it's not like there's any cheating going on. "But both of them are technically my supervisors. "So I'm getting preferred hours and easier shifts.

"The only thing is neither of them know I'm (beep) the other. "and they 100% do not get along.". - Oh! - Oh! - "Long story short, I might be a bitch, "but I'm having a great time.". (Angela laughs). - That's awesome. - What the hell, dude? - There's so many contexts. Like, I feel like when you hear a story like this, I gotta know what job they have. - Me too. I'm like, what's the funniest version of this? Like, masseuses? - Masseuses. - Like, there are jobs where this is like,

yeah, man, that's just how it is. Like, that flies. And then there are jobs where I'm like, this is a problem. - What's a job where you have multiple supervisors? - Like a restaurant, right? - And you're working shifts. Yeah, I guess it could be a restaurant. Funny. - I'd love it if they were just like an accountant. (crew laughs). - And it's just three of them. (everyone laughs). Or like a law firm. It's the two lawyers and then it's her. Or him. I don't know. I mean-. - That's so funny. It's the paralegal and the two partners. - Yeah. It's like, all right, this is how it goes. - New season of "Better Call Saul.".

- They sue each other. - But preferred hours, yeah, it's giving like a type of-. - Yeah, like service or like retail. - Yeah. - Something like that. - I do think this is a big HR violation. because it's supervisors and they're clearly showing her-. - Everything's a (beep) HR violation. (laughs). - It's like, okay, you're having sex with them, but then finding out like, oh, and now they're giving you preferred hours. and easier shifts. I'm like, that's not good. That feels to me like fireable. - Yeah. - Yeah.

- This is gonna end badly. We don't have an update, but it's gonna end badly. - Also, it's refreshing to see a Reddit post. that's just like, "Hey guys, I'm getting away with something. "I have clear communication, but it's awesome.". (everyone laughs). - Sick as hell. - Okay, but who gets fired when everyone finds out? Do all three of 'em? - The supervisors should be the one who get fired. - [Trevor] Yeah. - They are the in charge people. They're the one technically taking... I mean, I would think. I would assume. - Yeah. - I had weird service industry jobs. I didn't have anything like buy the book, like at a restaurant or a retail place.

Are you supposed to not date coworkers? - I think the issue is more muddy when it's a supervisor, when it's different levels. - Yeah, but like is it a rule? - It probably varies by company. But the problem. is that there's just this uncomfortable thing of like, if someone has power over the other person, then where it gets muddy is like, "Oh, well, I'll give you an easier...". Like, I think what they're avoiding, what they're trying to protect is a supervisor going, "Well, I'll give you an easier shift.

"if you have sex with me.". - Yeah. - Yeah. - Like, that's where it's muddy. - That's what you wanna protect. - And that's why it's kinda like this rule that's there. It's not like, "Hey, no having sex 'cause sex is bad.". - [Angela] Yeah. - But because it's like, we're not trying to-. - It's the other way. - They're trying to protect-. - [Angela] Yeah. - The people who are not in charge. from being taken advantage of. - Also though, like restaurants are like godless places. - Totally. - Like, anything goes in there. And I could see like if they have two supervisors. and it's a restaurant, honestly, the supervisors might not answer to anyone. other than like the owner of the restaurant. Like, I could see it just being a thing.

where they just get in a fight with each other. And then, I don't know, restaurants are crazy. - No, for sure. - Yeah, it's also a thing like with a lot of coworkers, it's kind of just like, you don't really hang out outside. So when are these two supervisors gonna be like, how's your personal life? You know what I mean? It feels like it's either one or the other. - Yeah. - And if they hate each other, yeah, then they're probably not talking too much. - What a dance though to pull where I'm like, you're sleeping with two who, you all work together. You're sleeping with these two people, so that means you have to meet up with them. at different times.

and you're trying to make them not know about the other. - You're Mrs. Doubtfiring it at the restaurant. - I'm like, that's just too stressful for me. I'm like, I could never. I couldn't handle that. (Trevor laughs). I couldn't do that. - I'm trying to think if I could. It seems like a scheduling nightmare. (everyone laughs). - That's kind of where I'm at. I'm like, morals be damned. I'm like, I can't schedule this. I can't handle this. - But it also is giving, like they got out of a big long-term relationship? - She's communicating clearly to them. - Yeah.

- She isn't cheating. She's single. And she's saying, "I'm seeing other people.". - And I'm like, sometimes you gotta heal from a breakup. in a really long-term relationship. and just kinda see the water. - Yeah. She's telling them, "Hey, I'm sleeping with other people. "I'm seeing other people.". But she's not telling them who the other people she's seeing. is their other supervisor. - And she's posting on Reddit like, "I did it!". (everyone laughs). - "Long story short, I might be a bitch, "but I'm having a great time.". It's like hey, that's the punchline or a tagline to a movie.

- Yeah. - Comments. "Usually the company only (beep) me.". Nice. Someone said, "Just a regular Tuesday night. "in the restaurant industry.". 5,000 up votes. Someone said, "OP's life is going to implode. "faster than the Titan submersible. "I can see why she got divorced.". Wow. - That person's never seen an episode of "Vanderpump.". - Yeah. OP only said they got out of a long-term relationship. We don't know if it was a divorce. And honestly, look, whether you like it or not, I feel like some people do pull this stuff off.

and they get away with it. - Yeah. - Especially it sounds like in the restaurant industry. that this is just kinda-. - Yeah. - A Tuesday. - Look at "Vanderpump.". Yeah. All of them. - Someone said, "The twist? It's a family business.". (crew laughs). - Kind of a dark twist. - Someone said, "At a place I used to work, "a girl was juggling two of our coworkers like that. "Neither were her supervisors though. "The guys found out about each other. "It ended with one of them getting arrested. "for showing up at her place in the middle of the night. "with a knife. "Good luck, OP.". Okay.

Reddit loves to be like, "You're gonna die. "You're gonna die because of this.". - She's like, "I have healthy communication. "I've told them both I can't be exclusive.". Someone's gonna have a knife. (beep). - You're gonna get stabbed. - You're gonna get stabbed, dude. Look, hey. - More power to her. (everyone laughs). I have no problem. - I like how there's a comment underneath. that just says, "Damn.". (everyone laughs). Damn, dude. Okay. - That's a good comment. - It is a good... Hey, it's something that really happened. - Damn.

- They're just saying, "Hey, this really happened.". And someone said, "Damn.". - It's refreshing the whole thing. (Shayne laughs). - Yeah, a little palate cleanser at the top. (everyone laughs). Today's episode of "Reddit Stories" is brought to you. by Hungry Root. It can be so difficult keeping up with errands. on a daily basis. I rarely have time to pick up groceries. because I'm here at Smosh filming right now. (chuckles). But seriously prioritizing eating healthy. and finding quality food can be tough.

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That's hungryroot.com/pitreddit, code PITREDDIT to get 40% off your first box. and a free item of your choice for life. Hungryroot.com/pitreddit, code PITREDDIT. Back to the show. All right, our next story comes from Am I The Asshole. "Am I the asshole for snapping at a coworker. "for being an obnoxious busy body when I dropped my coffee?". Okay. "Last week when I, 35-year-old man, "was walking back into work from my break,

"the lid popped off my large iced coffee. "and the entire drink spilled in the front doorway. "of my lab building. "I looked down, sighed, '(beep) me,'. "because I really needed the caffeine. "and started walking to the bathroom. "to grab some paper towels. "A friend, 24-year-old woman, from my lab was walking in. "at the same time. "and she also darted off to grab some paper towels. "But the second that I dropped it, "another older woman, 55-year-old woman, "from a different lab who was on her way out for the night, "started loudly yelling, 'OP, you need to clean that up,'. "in a condescending tone down a hallway of private offices.

"I kind of raised my eyebrow. "and kept walking to the mens' room. "to grab the paper towels. "But a couple seconds later when she got to the doorway, "she yelled, 'OP! "'OP, come back and clean this up right now!'. "And I turned around and yelled, 'With (beep) what, Kim? "'Did you want me to plop down and sit on it? "'I'm getting paper towels!'". (everyone laughs). - With (beep) what... - [Both] With (beep) what, Kim? (everyone laughs). - That's awesome. - I don't know why that reminds me of the Hbomberguy,

"Sell 'em to who, Ben? "(beep) Aquaman?". (everyone laughs). It's a thing. "She started yelling back, 'Oh yeah, well you better be,'. "but I cut her off and loudly said, 'Bye,' with a hand wave. "and all of the energy of (beep) right off to hell. "And she went on her way. "This was when my friend popped back out. "with some paper towels and asked, "'What the (beep) is her problem?'. "She laughed when I told her about the exchange. "and said it was wild behavior on her part. "But I still felt pretty embarrassed. "that I snapped at an older lady. "and childishly yelled 'bye' in a singsong tone.

"and waved her off. "Am I the asshole?". - No. - No. (crew laughs). No, dude. - "With (beep) what, Kim" is the funniest-. - With (beep) what, Kim? - You want me to sit on it? - You want me to sit on it? God damn it. - Okay. - We're building an alien in here, in this lab. - We're building an alien. (laughs). - We're building one. We found parts of an alien-. - Sorry, Kim. We have to hold curing cancer for another 15 minutes. - Yeah, while I clean up my coffee with my ass!

(everyone laughs). - Okay, I will say this. I have a personal relationship to this story, not to these people. - Because you work in a lab. - Yes 'cause I own a lab coat in my sketch bag. Okay, no, I spill a lot. And it does suck that when you make a mess. in front of a bunch of people, you have to leave. - You have to leave. - Yeah. - And then you hear like, "Oh yeah, Angela did that. "She's not here.". But I'm getting shit. Like, I get it.

I really get this story. Like, you're like, "I'm coming back.". - Yeah. - Yeah, it's tough. 'cause yeah, you do have to bounce to get things. - And I have before spilled so much. and it's happened to me I think twice. where I just kind of take my sweater and I'm like, "Sorry.". And I use my sleeve 'cause I'm just like, I just wanna fix it now. - I feel so bad when you spill something. and then someone else starts cleaning it up. and they're like, "No, no, don't worry about it. "I got it.". And then I'm just standing there. I'm like, "I feel like a piece of shit right now.". - You just kinda have to watch. - Don't you feel like a piece of if you just stand there. and you don't even help? - Yeah, well no, but it happened recently.

I like spilled my water bottle, but I was at like an event. Like, I was in a basketball tournament, and like production people came over. and were like cleaning it up. And I also had spilled it like all over myself, so I was kind of cleaning myself up too. But they're like, "No, we got it.". And there were like three people doing it. and I was just like, "I don't know what to do. "But I feel really awkward and I appreciate you.". - It is a very awkward moment. where you're just standing there. But usually I feel like when you spill something, there's like a lot of people around. It just always feels like that's the case. And so I guess you can loudly announce like, "Oh my god, I'm gonna go get paper towels.

"I'm going to get paper towels. "I'm not walking away from the spill.". - I'm fixing this. I'm not here, but I'm fixing this. - I'm gonna fix this. But in order to fix it, I have to leave really quick. - I love to like imagine the hallway's super (beep) long. Like, the bathroom's way down there, and he's just all the way down the hallway, "With (beep) what, Kim?". - Yeah. What's annoying about the the lady. is that she just immediately assumes the worst. - Yeah. - As opposed to going like, oh, like shit.

Like, oh, you're probably going to the bathroom to like-. - Yeah, which is kind of bizarre on her part to be like, would anyone, would any adult make a spill and just leave? I guess some people would. - Some people would. But it sounds like they know each other. - Not people in a lab. - They know each other. They know each other's names. - Yeah. - Like, it's not some stranger. - And she's like, "This again.". - Yeah. No, she just sounds, based on the one sentence we have of her, she sounds like the worst person ever. No, I'm just kidding. The verdict was not the asshole.

Comments. "Not the asshole. "Your coworker was acting like you were a child. "at the daycare she works at. "She deserved to get told off.". OP responded, "That was exactly how she said it. "My friend heard the first part. "and said it was crazy for her to talk like that. "to a grown adult.". Someone responded to that saying, "Look, honestly, it just sounds like she was. "at the end of a long shift. "and assumed you were walking away. "from your coffee spill forever, "leaving it for someone else to clean up. "But frankly, even if it was an honest mistake, "she assumed and made an ass out of, "well, just herself really.

"10 bucks says she either has a really useless husband. "or spends a lot of time on Am I The Asshole. "and constantly thinks the worst of everyone.". (Trevor laughs). God. - Which is what's happening to you. - That's what happens to me. Yeah. The useless husband. - Oh no, I meant the second 'cause you read a lot of Reddit. - Yeah, I know. - Oh, okay. - I don't have a husband. - I understand now. (crew laughs). Please, Trevor, speak just so we can move on. - Okay. (crew laughs). - Trevor, say something. - Do something!

- Dude, yeah, I mean, that's crazy. (Angela laughs). - I'm gonna be thinking about that one for a while. - Yeah. That one's gonna stick with me. - Someone said, "Ugh. "I mean, what did she expect you to clean it up with? "Your suit jacket? "How obnoxious. "Not the asshole, "and I'm sorry for the loss of your iced coffee. "I'd have probably said worse than that. "if my caffeine had been snatched that rudely from my lips.". Someone said, "Not the asshole. "Who does that to another adult?". Someone said, "Sometimes you just need to stand up for yourself. "to these people once for them to back down forever. "I worked with a similar busy body once, "and she was responsible for reviewing our admin reports.

"She had a bristly personality, "and a lot of people made complaints about her rude behavior. "to management. "I was walking in one winter morning, "and she spotted me heading down the corridor. "toward my desk. "She ran over and walked behind me telling me. "about what errors I had made in my paperwork. "This was a normal occurrence. "and I guess I just hit my limit that day. "I stopped and looked at her and said, "'Jesus Christ, can I take off my (beep) jacket first. "'before we start this shit?'. "She looked like I had slapped her in the face. "She was the sweetest person ever to me afterwards. "and would regularly stop by my desk just to chat.

"That one interaction changed our whole dynamic.". - It seems like a crazy outcome to that interaction. - Yeah. That's a crazy switch up. - Yeah. - I think some people just like... That comment makes it feel like maybe that person. wasn't trying to be, like that's just how they operate. That's the way they work. So like kind of being like, oh, I needed someone to tell me that this was coming off bad. to like adjust my behavior. - 'Cause I'm also thinking like,

if you spill, I can't believe I'm still talking about this. If you spill and then someone's like, "I'll get you paper towels,". and then you kind of just stand over your mess for a bit, and you're like, "Don't worry, someone's bringing paper towels.". - There's not like a great way to handle it. Like, it's always awkward. A spill is always awkward. - [Emily] You're acting like the mess cone. - Yeah, where you're like... - Yeah. - Oh, that's the worst- - Floor is wet. - That's the worst, yeah, when you spill something. and you're like, if anyone comes by, like you're just shouting like, "Hey, watch out for this if you come over here.". - Yeah. - Hey, there's a spill over here. - Yeah. A spill sucks.

Anyways, next story. Okay, our next one is a confession. "I used to eat my coworker's apple chips at work, "then tell him that I was allergic to apples. "so he wouldn't accuse me.". (everyone laughs). Wow. - That's so funny. - This is pretty-. - That's so funny. - God damn. - What a brilliant person. - What a brilliant, awful person.

- Actually, genius. - "Just to be clear, "this wasn't because I was particularly hungry. "It's because my coworker was an absolute asshole.". - Yes! (everyone laughs). Yes! That's even better! - That's so good. - That's awesome. - I don't even enjoy them. I actually hate eating them, but I do it. - I don't think apples should be chips. - I do it from malice. - He's like actually allergic to apples, still doing it. - "He was really creepy towards the girls in the office. "and always said some pretty weirdly racist shit.

"to our other coworker who was from Mexico.". All right, yeah, man, eat those apple chips. - Eat those (beep) chips! - Yeah, okay. - Eat 'em. - "He was just a crude, horribly annoying person. "who seemingly took enjoyment. "out of making everyone around him uncomfortable. "He was like a mix of Todd Packer from 'The Office'. "and Tony Soprano.". - Oof. - "He always brought these apple chips into work. "to eat for lunch, and occasionally I would go in, "take the apple chips and go to the nearby park. "and eat them for lunch. "He would go around asking everyone if they took the chips. "and would act all pissed off. "because he knew someone took them.

"Instead of just flat out telling him. "I'm allergic to apples, I put on a little show. "He was eating his chips two days. "before I started to take them. "and I asked if I could have one. "I took one and almost took a bite. "Then said, 'These aren't apple flavored, are they?'. "And he said they were. "Then I quickly put it back on the plate. "and went to go wash my hands and I said I was allergic.". - What a little show. - That's awesome. - "Much more believable than me just flat out telling him. "This went on for about two months. "I must have taken his chips like 10 times or so.". Whew. - That's so awesome. - [Shayne] Wow.

- Oh man. - I'm dying. - Yeah, you know, general rule. is you don't eat other people's food, but-. - Yeah. - They're being creepy and racist, I think you're allowed. - And like two wrongs don't make a right, but it is kind of funny. - It's extremely funny. - It's also so funny for him, what did it say? That he kept walking around going, "Did you eat my apple chips?". - Did you eat 'em? - Hey, bitch, did you eat my apple chips? - (beep). - Hey, did you eat my apple chips? - (beep). - Hey, bitch, did you eat-. - I guess that's my only thought in this is I'm like, okay, so this guy's awful.

Who's he gonna blame first? Are you actually making life worse. for some of the other coworkers? - Okay. Good thought. - That's my only thought is like, all right, you know he's racist, you know he's like sexist, you're not gonna be, as you've said, you're not gonna be the his culprit. - That's so true. - Is this gonna just make life harder for other coworkers? Is he gonna start being suspicious of them? - Yeah. And you're just washing your hands clean. - And you're fine. Something to consider. - This is like the most low stakes form. of like vigilante justice.

- Yeah. - Like, this guy is operating outside of the law. just taking apple chips. - 'Cause it's not even real chips. - Yeah. Stupid chips. - It's fruit. - It's like if Robin Hood stole apple chips. from rich people. - And everyone went, "We actually just want the real chips.". - They're just as much chips as like potato chips, so just so you know. - What do you mean by that? - Just like, I feel like we're talking shit on apple chips. and it's like-. - Yeah, 'cause I don't understand those. They're apples. They're not chips. - But well, they're potatoes. They're not chips. - I've never had an apple chip.

- I'm so sorry. One second, Trevor. So chips are potato chips. Okay? Right? So chips are potato chips-. - Well, chips actually, like in Britain, they're like fries. - Yeah, potatoes. So, right? - Potatoes. - They call 'em crisps. - Yeah. But chip, I believe chip is potato. So putting a little funny hat on it, putting a funny hat on a piece of apples, on a fruit and being like, here go play with the boys. No, you're not a chip, you're an apple.

- [Emily] An apple chip is basically dehydrated fruit. - That's dried fruit. - Is a chip not-. - But I think it comes in the shape and texture. - Yeah, it's a shape and texture thing. Like, when you're at a park, those are wood chips. - So if I'm the shape and texture of a bear, that doesn't make me a bear. - Okay, if you are the shape of a bear-. - If I'm the shape and texture-. - And you are furry. - If I was me. - Look, I'm not part of the gay community, but I feel like they have-. (everyone laughs). I feel like they've literally made that distinction.

Quite literally made that distinction. (everyone laughs). - We have to move on. - You made the worst possible comparison. I'm like, I think they do that. I think they say that. I think they literally say that. - We have to move on. - All right. (everyone laughs). Comments. "Modern problems require modern solutions.". Someone said, "How did this help at all. "with mitigating his shitty behavior?". - Yeah. - Someone said, "Thank you.

"You just reminded me just how much I love apple chips. "and I need to buy some.". - You added that comment. That's not a real comment. - No. - No one in their right mind would've said, "I need to remember to buy apple chips.". - "Just reminded me just how much I love apple chips. "and I need to buy some.". (Angela laughs). They sound delicious. I don't know what you're talking about. Okay, can I say something kind of like more serious. than this story is? But like, it is my problem with revenge where I'm like, that's cool you're doing this thing to him. It's cathartic. But I'm like, you're not making the situation better.

He's still racist and sexist and creepy. Like, is not the goal to try to eliminate that behavior. or get rid of him from this office. And now if all of those are exhausted. and there's nothing you can do, yeah, eat his apple chips. That's funny. But-. - And I think as an audience, like our initial like, yeah, when we heard he was a bad guy. is like our want for justice. when we're watching bad things happen. and people get away with them, we go like, oh... Like, I don't necessarily want harm on him,

but I want him to be held accountable. - Right. - And if I can't see that, then I'd rather him be minorly inconvenienced. as an audience member, but it's not right. - Yeah. It's not even a matter of like right and wrong, it's just like, it's not doing anything. Like, it's not in the long run going to fix anything. I think that's how I feel sometimes with Reddit stories. It's like, we love this like vengeance cathartic thing, but I'm like, all right, and then what happens? - Yeah. - And it's like, and now we're back to square one. And they're still bad and they're still doing their thing. - Well, it is doing something.

It's making me laugh. - It is making us laugh. - Exactly. That's why I like it in movies and stuff. Like, I like revenge, like in a story. But like in real life it is hard to-. - You're not doing anything, you're doing it for yourself just to feel some enjoyment. Slip some notes being like, "Hey, stop being racist.". - Maybe the apple chips are, it's like a long con plan. that eventually he's gonna blow up. - Yeah. - And have a freak out over the apple chips. that's gonna lead to him getting fired. - Fair. Maybe. But I also understand, I will say at the end of it all, I understand like watching someone be awful.

and get away with it, you're just like, "Come on.". Like, you wanna like equal things out. So it's like I'm gonna steal his food. Like, I understand. I understand where people are coming from. - I'm gonna steal his fruit. - Yeah. Okay. - It's fruit. - When I eat potato chips, I'm like, I'm enjoying this root. - Yeah, go for it, dude. You sound weird, but do that. (crew laughs). - Potatoes, it's a starch. - Apple chips are weird. - It's just a starch? It's not a root vegetable? - Is potato a root vegetable? I don't know.

I actually don't know. - What is it? It can't just be, it's not just starch. Like, what is it-. - It didn't grow from a starch. - What is it as a plant? - [Emily] Oh! It's a tuber. - It's a tuber. - Oh, it's a tuber. - It's a tuber. - [Shayne] Okay, it's a tuber. - What's that? - So I'm gonna say, "I'm enjoying this tuber right now,". as I'm eating-. - I'm enjoying a tuber. - As I'm eating chips. - Sucking down my tuber. - What the (beep) is a tuber? - We do say potato chips. Like, that is the long, so like-. - I know, but I-. - Anything is a chip. - I don't know. I'm gonna think on this. and have something to say in like 10 to 15 minutes. - You know, this one's gonna stick with me.

- [Shayne] Yeah. (Angela laughs). All right, our next story. This comes from Ask A Manager. Okay. "My coworker tickled another coworker, "and now there is chaos.". - Classic chaos. - We're having too much fun! - Classic. "My company has had a relatively informal, "somewhat relaxed working environment in the past. "where colleagues generally got along well. "and we had a decent time together, even while working hard. "Unfortunately that balance has recently been upended. "in the department I work in.

"Two weeks ago, my coworker Rachel kicked the power strip. "under the desk in her cubicle, so she slipped off her heels. "and crawled under to pop it back in.". - Oh no. - "The young woman in the cubicle behind her, Monica, "had a serious lapse in judgment at this point. "She knelt down and slipped an arm around Rachel's ankles. "when she was vulnerable and began tickling her feet.". (Trevor laughs). "It was an unusual moment to say the least, "and reactions ranged from amusement to mild horror.".

- Look at Scott. Scott's disgusted. - Scott's curling up into a ball. He's like... - I was envisioning like tickling like, "Ha ha ha.". Like, or whatever. But like, oh, someone-. - Got your legs! - Someone was like, "Yeah!". (everyone laughs). Oh! - If you're gonna go to tickle your coworker. and the feet are the first thing you go for-. - Yeah, you're now touching someone-. - That's somehow weirder. - You're touching someone's bare feet. (Angela screams). - Oh my god. Like, if you... You should never tickle a coworker.

But if the story was like, oh, you came up behind someone you know. and like kind of grab their midsection or something. - No! - I'm just saying, you should never do it, but that's less freaky to me than. while someone is on the ground going. and grabbing their foot. - Yeah, this is like, oh, they're in a vulnerable situation. where they're crawling under a desk. and you're grabbing them like a Stephen King monster. (everyone laughs). Like, holy shit, dude. - (growls) You're under the desk. What if when Dina lavved us, she was like, "Got your neck".

(everyone laughs). - God. - And here's the lav. (yells). - Tickle tickle. - (beep). "If you asked Monica, "she would say she only had a light hold. "to avoid getting kicked during a playful moment. "that went too far. "If you asked Rachel, "she'd say she was rendered largely immobile and humiliated. "I didn't have the best view, but it looked to me. "as though reality was closer to Rachel's side. "Our manager, Phoebe, rushed in after several seconds. "of laughing/shouting to break it up.

"It was a good thing she was there. "because I thought for sure. "that Rachel was going to slug Monica otherwise.". This person watches "Friends.". Rachel, Monica, Phoebe. - Okay, cool. - "Phoebe walked Monica to HR, "and we wondered if Monica was done for her. "Apparently they allowed her to remain with the company, "but told her she'd be dismissed. "if she put one toe out of line. "Heh.". That's what it says. It says, parentheses, "Heh.". - Heh. - "I don't know the details, "but I do know that Rachel was furious. "that the girl wasn't fired. "Since that point, she has done everything she can.

"to make Monica so unhappy that she feels compelled to quit. "From passive aggressive emails. "to trying to rally coworkers. "to petition management to let her go. "to bringing up the incident, as it's come to be called, "at every available opportunity. "As a result, Rachel is becoming difficult to work with. "and Monica is becoming a basket case. "It's gotten to the point where yesterday I talked to Monica. "because I felt sorry for her, "I'd heard her crying in the ladies room that morning, "only to have Rachel snarl at me later. "for trying to be friendly.

"I'm fairly certain that Phoebe knows what's happening, "but is hesitant to address the issue with Rachel. "since she was the original victim. "Phoebe is also rather hands off in management style, "so that isn't helping the situation. "The environment is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. "and our department being split. "on whether Monica should have been let go. "from the start hasn't helped. "And I can sense people starting to take sides. "Any advice would be appreciated.". Whoa. - That's crazy. - What a wild situation. This is so interesting.

(Angela laughs). 'Cause like I'm assuming for these managers, for these managers, it's like this is not a situation you're prepped for. - Yeah. - Like, HR is like, okay, like if someone like makes you uncomfortable, like does something like sexual or like flirts with you. or something, like those are lines. But it's like, okay, so I was crawling under my desk. and she grabbed me and tickled my feet. - This is, this is... - Oh, I'm sorry, what? Like, oh yeah, our coworker's a leprechaun, so... (everyone laughs). - Our coworker's Elmo. (everyone laughs). - This is Sesame Street.

- It's Sesame Street. My coworker's Elmo. Oh my gosh. I mean, yeah, because at the end of the day, I guess with tickling, there is no malintent, right? Like, you don't go to harm. - I need to see this. because she's saying it's more like what Rachel said. where she was rendered immobile. Like, grabbed the feet and was tickling. - What the (beep) was going on? (everyone laughs). - The way she described it. was like she put one arm around the feet. So I'm imagining she's like on the ground.

and she scoops her arm and then is grabbing her. - She headlocked her legs. - She headlocked her legs and is tickling her feet. - If this happens to me, I'm (beep) losing it. I'm running out of the building. - Imagine-. - She's like, "Hell yeah, brother!". - Imagine going home and being like, "How's your day at work, honey?". Like, ah, I got tickled. (crew laughs). - A lady grabbed my legs fully-. - In what world-. - [Shayne] And tickled me. - Do you see someone like, "Oh, I have to fix the outlet,".

and go, "There's my opportunity to grab her by the leg.". That's weird, dude. - I'm gonna start threatening people with that. Like, if Spencer's being an asshole, I'm gonna be like, "Bro, I'm gonna tickle you.". (everyone laughs). - That's gonna make you look so bad. - Pop those shoes off, I'm gonna tickle your feet. But it's like she had to take her... It's not a situation. where they were like laughing and playing. It was like, oh shit, like I knocked off the power. Let me take off my heels. And like, that's a very vulnerable situation. And I think it's hard for me to picture.

because we do such silly stuff on the regular here, right? - Not like that. - Well, no. But I'm like, this wasn't a silly situation. They're not performing. She's like, "I'm crawling under my cubicle.". She's probably not like wearing clothing. where she feels comfortable doing that, and then someone grabs and is tickling. I'm like, yeah, it kind of is fireable. Like, I'm like, the more I'm thinking about it, I'm like, yeah, I don't know how you reconcile this. without firing them. - How long do you think was the windup on this? Like, she looks over, sees the heels coming off,

and is it like a like a little like-. - You see Rachel foaming at the mouth? - Yeah. Or is it like she sees and she's like, "All right, finally"? - I finally got her. - How instant was it? - Monica was the tickler? Rachel was the one who got tickled. So Monica was the one who saw the feet. and was just like (yells). - Yeah. - And like had to tickle. - Okay, you're Monica in your new job interview. Oh, so I saw you were at Brother and Will's Accounting, and you left after two years. What was that? - Oh yeah, it was great. I had a great time there. I had left. It was just this little, you know, I took some steps.

that they disagreed with as a company and, you know-. - Creatively or? - Yeah, it was creative. (everyone laughs). - I don't think you should've been fired. (everyone laughs). - I think you're doing a great job. - Tickle, tickle. I tickled a coworker, so I had to leave. - Well, so what happened was my friend, she kicked off the power, and she had to take off her heels to crawl under her desk-. - So I tickled. - And so I... You know, I think in this industry, when we see opportunities we have to take 'em.

And so I scooped up her legs with one arm like a sailor. and I tickled 'em. You know, like Macho Man Randy Savage. (everyone laughs). And, you know, I got her. And then, you know, naturally there was some resentment there. - Like, how do you ever get hired again. if you got fired for tickling? - You just don't bring that up. - Calling up your previous, like your new company calling up as a reference. Like, so why did you end up like parting ways with her?

- She tickled the shit out of somebody. - She put someone's legs in a headlock and tickled her. - You wouldn't believe it, she was tickling everyone. - I do think it's one of those situations, I don't like to use this unless it's like really clear, if Monica was a dude, fired. Like full on like, so she needs to be fired the same way. and treated the same way 'cause that is a wild-. - Yeah. - That's a wild thing to do. And I think it's because it's tickling, we're being like, oh, it's tickling. - No, it's grabbing someone's body. - It's more like grabbing someone and like holding them.

I'm like, that's kind of like a very forceful move. - That's very invasive. - Very clearly Monica misread their relationship. and friendship, and it's just some of those things. where it's like, hey, man, at work, no matter how friendly you are with someone, there's ground rules, right? - Yeah. - And that's why like, I'm sure like, you know, romantic relationships in the workplace. and friendships in the workplace, it's like, hey, but you just keep those boundaries. - Yeah. - Just keep it like, hey, we're at work. We don't do that at work. - Yeah, even outside of work, I don't think you grab bodies. unless you have like full kind of-. - I don't think I've ever tickled my friends.

- I wanna go so far and be like, I think we should stop tickling children when they're born. so we stop tickling as a whole. - You think tickling should be done with? - Yeah. - I would love for someone in the comments. to tell me if their life was improved by tickling. because I can't think of anyone who was. - Yeah. - No. - That's a fair... Hey. - My brother used to tickle me. until I couldn't breathe and it was really scary. - Tickling I think is like-. - That sounds awful. I'm sorry that that happened to you. - Most of the times that I think of tickling. it is a form of bullying when you're a kid. - Yeah.

- Yeah, I do remember tickling my brother. and it was hella funny, but... (everyone laughs). - You're like, actually, wait a minute. - Actually I remember, I do remember doing that to him. - My brother would scream really high pitch, and it's really funny. (everyone laughs). - "TLDR the ask manager responded. "and here are the main points. "The manager doesn't know if it's a fireable offense, "especially if Monica's had no other problems in the past. "There needs to be a serious, "you cannot touch a coworker ever again. "and there will not be another warning conversation. "However, Phoebe, the manager, needs to sit down.

"and have a talk with Rachel. "and say that she understands her feelings, "but we have to keep a professional environment. "The reality is if Monica continues to work there, "they can't allow one employee to bully another. "Maybe moving desks will help the situation?". I've got a pitch. Not a real one, but I've got a funny one. If the manager comes in and goes, "Okay, this situation's (beep). "Monica, what the hell were you doing? "You grabbed Rachel and you tickled her. "That's not cool.". - Thought it would be funny. - Well, it's not cool, but here's the situation.

Rachel, you're allowed to tickle Monica at some point. and you do not have to give her warning at any point. - One surprise tickle. - So, Monica, watch your back. (crew laughs). When you least expect it- - One surprise tickle pass. - I don't know if I'll be able to focus on my work. - Well, you're gonna have to try. (everyone laughs). - Just standing over the cubicle wall, like looking down. - Like, every now and then Monica just turns. and just across the way just Rachel's just like...

And like lowers down. - She's like... - And then like (laughs). This is like nightmare fuel. But Monica's like in the bathroom, and all of a sudden she just sees like steps. like outside the stall. - No! - And they just stop, and then they just like move again. - Or they're big red shoes because it's Elmo. (everyone laughs). - A clown. She just comes to work dressed as a clown. - It's Elmo. Yeah. - Oh God. No, that's not a real solution. Okay. Comments. "I can't imagine ever wanting. "to touch my coworker's bare feet.

"Ew.". Someone said, "Monica should have known better. "Do not touch your coworkers like that. "But management well and truly (beep) up this entire thing. "from top down. "If Rachel ended up leaving soon after, "I'd have fully understood.". Someone said, "I'm trying to wrap my brain. "around why anyone would think, "even in the most relaxed, casual work environment, "that it would be okay to engage in a tickling moment. "with a coworker.". - No matter how casual we're talking. - Yeah. Someone said, "Management really dropped the ball here. "Either fire her, Monica, outright. "or apply some authority to manage the situation.". Yeah, it's certainly like,

their response makes you not feel safe. in that work environment. 'Cause like based on like how OP is writing this. and like the reactions from coworkers, I'm like, I think if I saw this I'd be like, oh, this was bad. I think like reading it and hearing tickling, it's hard for me not to associate it. with like me as a kid, like with tickling. - I think seeing it would scar me for life. - I'm like, I think I would not be able to function. And I'm also thinking of like all the insane shit. we do here at Smosh, nobody has ever tickled another person here at Smosh. - If it wouldn't fly here, then...

- If it's not flying here, it is not flying in a regular workplace. - I just, yeah, I can't imagine tickling another adult, let alone in the workplace. - Yeah. - I wouldn't be able to look them in the eyes. Like, I just like, ah. - I think it's like just the word tickle. - [Shayne] Yeah. (crew laughs). For sure. - It's the finger movement too. Like, the fact that this is the primary motion for tickle. - It really is like the creepiest things. that we societally like aren't looking down upon enough.

- It's kind of (beep) crazy. - Yeah. - It is, yeah. Update. Five months later. - Whoa. We get an update? - On the tickle? - On the tickle story. - This is (beep) rad. - "First and foremost, "I want to thank you for taking the time. "to craft a thoughtful response to my letter. "Monica, the tickler, left the company last week. "I don't know all the details, but I reached out. "and she said that she and management. "came to an understanding but wouldn't say more.

"and I didn't push. "She was a middle child in a large family. "that showed a lot of physical affection. "and tickling wasn't something vicious or mean. "as far as she was concerned. "And it was probably that background. "that contributed to her lack of judgment. "I won't make excuses for her actions, "but I really feel bad for her. "and hope she finds another position. "and that she can learn from her mistake. "instead of being punished for it further. "She is clearly an extrovert and feeling cut off from people. "and caught in an atmosphere of hostility. "and isolation really affected her,

"though how much pressure was from Rachel. "and how much, if any, came from higher ups I couldn't say. "I offered to have coffee and catch up, "and if she takes me up on that, "I might have more info in the future. "As for Rachel, once Monica was gone, "some of my coworkers expected her to gloat or strut around, "but she's been awfully subdued. "She doesn't talk much about anything except work, "even inconsequential things. "Perhaps that will change, "but it's as if she didn't know how to react. "when she got what she wanted. "As far as I know, our manager never confronted her, "though I won't swear to that.

"Things seem to be getting back to normal, otherwise. "Our boss brought some treats, "and we did a couple of fun group exercises, "and people have relaxed a bit. "Still I'm wary of how quickly. "things can get deeply uncomfortable. "Thank you again for your time and your advice.". - I'm sorry, but the beginning of that is so, like Monica, the tickler. It's like a "Dark Souls" boss. - Monica, the tickler. - It's like Molag, the Blood Thirsty. (everyone laughs). It's like Monica, the Tickler. - Monica, Tickler of Feet. (everyone laughs).

Oh God. - So Rachel was feeling weird when Monica left? - Yeah, it's just kinda like, oh wow, she's gone. - Yeah. - 'Cause you have to feel... I would assume no matter how justified it is, you have to feel weird that someone got fired. - And you kind of feel responsible, but you were just there. That's hard. - It's also tough, it's gotta be a weird situation. whether she left the company because of the situation. or she was fired or whatever, that it was a one time situation. - And it's just like that. - 'Cause like if someone's doing a pattern,

it's like, oh, this is who they are and they're doing this. and I- - She's a tickler. - I want them gone. But it's like this one time thing. It's gotta be like, I would feel, and I'm not saying this right or wrong, I would feel guilty. - No, for sure. - 'Cause I'm like, oh, this one time slip up, no matter how wild it was. But still it happened. It's like clearly the workplace can not get past it. - Yeah. - And then your boss is like, "I brought cookies.". - I brought cookies. Ha ha ha. Ah! (everyone laughs).

Man, what a... It's these situations that just ride the fence. on things you've never heard. - Wait, cookies? It's literally Sesame Street. - It is Sesame Street. - Cookie Monster, Elmo. - Cookie Monster, Elmo. - Well, it said treats, right? He brought a treat or something. I guess cookies. - Yeah. - Or like, I don't know, slices of apples. - I would love that. - Yeah. As a slice. - [Trevor] The Count. - Slice. Apple slices. - The Count. - The Count? - The Count, dude. Yeah. - Another one. Maybe it's an accounting firm.

- Our next story also comes from Ask A Manager. "My employees played a horrible prank on a coworker. "What do I do now?". - Okay. - "I'm writing seeking advice as to how I as a manager. "can handle the aftermath of a joke gone wrong. "The joke never should have been played in the first place, "but that ship has sailed. "I manage four reports. "and two of them made another think $50,000 had gone missing. "and she was being arrested for stealing it. "My other report was not involved at all.

"They went so far as to get one of their wives. "to pretend to be a police officer there for the arrest. "The one who was accused wept so hard she vomited. "She was adamant she didn't do it. "and asked to phone someone to go stay with her sick mother. "while she was in custody. "It was only then she was let in on the joke. "She has not returned since it happened. "and will not answer calls or letters. "I am furious. "Their joke was unacceptable. "And if I had known what they were planning, "I would've shut it down. "I don't have the power to fire them or I would've already.

"I have no clue what they were thinking. "They say it was intended to be hilarious, not mean. "I don't know of any trouble before this. "And all of my reports seem to get along. "The one they played the joke on has only worked here. "for a few months and is fresh outta school, "while my other three reports have worked here. "for anywhere between six to nine years. "and have all been on this team for over five years.". Oh my god. - That is so awful. Hey, we're gonna play a prank on you. where we ruin your life. - Yeah. We're gonna convince you that your life is ending.

- Impersonating a federal officer? - Yeah, that is a crime. They did commit a crime. - This is... - Hey, it's what we say on every episode. where we have a prank, what is a prank? What the hell is this and what's it for? Especially 'cause they don't even know him that well. Like, this is not, I'm like, okay, if you did it on like someone you've worked with. for five years-. - Yeah. - There's a little more like, oh, you understand each other, you understand their sense of humor. This is someone brand new and you all pulled a prank where-.

- That's so sad. - This is like hazing, you know? - It feels more like hazing. - Really extreme, awful, like, yeah. - It's also the, the thing where, you know, because you think it's real at first, it's like, okay, so she really legitimately experienced. being told that she embezzled $50,000. and is about to go to jail. Like, that's a real experience she has. Then she's told it's a prank, but in her brain that was still real. So she cried so hard she vomited. You can't just be like, "Oh, ha ha ha, you guys got me.".

It's like, no, your body's still going through that shock. - Yeah. No, I feel like especially, you gotta have a sense of maybe in the moment figuring out. that it's not 'cause I mean, they let it go on long enough. that she called someone to take care of her mother. - That's so sad. - At what stage of this prank are you-. - Do you go like, "Ha ha.". Like, what? When she barfs? Like, what do you... Or when she starts sobbing that much, I think you have to be like, "Okay, reading the room here, maybe we let her know.". - Yeah.

Someone did show up, the wife showed up for the arrest. And stealing $50,000, that's a felony, like a massive felony. You're not like talking like a small little crime. This isn't like, oh, you got a parking ticket, ha ha, psych. It's like, no, you're going to prison. Damn. - This isn't funny. - No. Most pranks aren't. We have not read a prank on this show. that I thought was funny. They've all been just, hey, an awful thing is happening to you.

- It's just not good. Like, what the (beep)? - It makes me like, oh my god, I can't imagine. 'cause it seems like, yeah, this is like her first job-. - Yeah. - Kind of in this industry, whatever. Like, very new. Probably very excited to be, you know-. - I'd rather have someone rip off my cowboy boots. and tickle my feet than be told that I've stolen $50,000. and the police are here to arrest me. - But honestly, at the end of the day... If you (beep) even make a joke about it. (everyone laughs).

- If you reach your hand out, I-. - Trevor, don't! - Oh no. Oh no. Oh, they're falling off. (everyone laughs). - But I'll say about the tickling and about this, it's not mutually fun for both parties. It's only fun for one. - Yeah. But like why are you getting enjoyment out of this? Like, why are you getting enjoyment. out of like telling someone their life is over? - How bored do you have to be at your freaking life. to make someone cry so hard they vomit. in the name of funny?

- It's a person you don't know that well too. - Go home. - Read a book. - Comments. "Yeah, I got the part where she was pleading for time. "to make arrangements for someone to take care of her mom. "and just lost it. "There aren't enough adjectives in the dictionary. "to cover this one, but I agree with every one. "that's been used in this thread. "This was vicious, heartless, sociopathic torture.". Someone said, "Impersonating a police officer is a class A misdemeanor. "in my state. "In some states, it's a felony. "Either way the fake officer could be subject to fines, "jail time, or both.

"Wonder if your team member's wife has some spare time, "a lot of cash, and a good lawyer. "because your former employee. "has at least two of those things.". Someone replied to that saying, "But the employee can't prosecute anyone. "for impersonation of an officer. "All she can do is make a police report. "But most jurisdictions I know. "would not prosecute someone for this.". Someone said, "Every time I think an office prank story can't be topped, "there's a new letter. "I used to think the guy. "who locked a coworker on a balcony was the worst. "This is like 1,000 times meaner than that. "I hope the OP can get rid of these people.

"and figure out how to do the right thing. "by the harmed employee. "Horrible.". The OP that's writing this as a manager. said they don't have the ability to fire these people, but they certainly have the ability to talk to someone. who has the ability to fire them or figure out something. 'cause this is so bad. that this employee is gonna be scarred forever. Update. One day later. "The incident had happened almost three weeks. "before I sent in my question. "Because there was speculation on the possible dynamics. "in several of the comments. "All three persons involved, "both pranksters and the prankee, are women.

"The pranksters are both in their late 20s. "and the prank is in her mid-30s. "One of the pranksters is the same ethnicity as me, "Chinese-American, "and the other prankster and the prankee are both white. "One of the pranksters is gay. "The other prankster and the prankee are not. "As far as I am aware, "myself and the three of them. "are all the same religion, Anglican.". - That's a lot of information. - Here's our addresses and our social security numbers. Clearly in the previous Reddit thread, people were probably asking for like, is there cause for discrimination?

Like, what's the dynamics? - Got it, got it. - So clearly that's not seeming to be pointing towards that. The only difference is prankee is new, slightly older. Other people have been working there for years. "My other report was on a two week vacation at the time, "and he had no knowledge of or part in the prank. "There were no other witnesses besides my three reports. "The wife who said they were a police officer. "there to arrest the employee. "was not wearing any kind of uniform. "and she didn't enter the building. "She was standing by her navy blue car. "outside the building on the public street. "The pranksters gestured to her out the window.

"when they told the prankee she was police. "and she gestured for the prankee to come outside. "She never spoke to the prankee.". So this prank happened in the office. Someone's wife drove to their place of work. to just stand outside. The amount of effort. - Like, get a hobby. - How does not a single person like sit down for a second. and be like, "Is this a good idea?". - Yeah. - We don't have to do this. We could have a normal-ass day. - Like, what if instead of driving to my workplace,

we got, I don't know, ice cream or something. - Dude, ice cream sounds awesome. - Your wife has the day off. Your wife is chilling. You're having her drive to your place of work. to stand there. - Your unemployed friend on a Tuesday. - Yeah. "Since she never dressed as. "or told anyone she was an officer, "there's no way she can be charged with impersonation. "The officers at the real police station I went to, "the lawyer I spoke to about this, "and the company lawyer looked at me like I had two heads. "when I brought up impersonation charges. "They all agreed what happened was awful,

"but the wife of the prankster did nothing illegal. "and the prankster pointing at her once. "and saying she was an officer also is not illegal. "The prankee was also never handcuffed, touched, "taken anywhere, or stopped from leaving. "So no crime was committed there. "as per the police and the lawyers. "My reports don't have access to money to steal, "making the theft allegation part of the prank baffling. "But I understand why the prankee was scared. "given how new she was to our workplace. "We don't deal with money in our work. "We work in the compensation and benefits section of HR.

"We tell employees what benefits. "and other compensations they're entitled to-". - They work in HR? - They work in HR, which does add a layer to this. - Rich! - "We do not have any parts in administering these benefits. "and we don't work with the books, accounts, or payroll. "All of that is done out of a different office. "My boss, the executive director, "and our legal division know what happened. "Multiple voicemails and letters to the prankee from me, "the director, and legal have gone unanswered, "and the letters were marked as return to sender.

"Her LinkedIn profile shows the job she had before. "and when she was in school, the school she went to, "and a current job that is with another company. "The company I work for is not mentioned. "on her profile anywhere, "and anyone from the company who tries to reach out. "is not responded to. "I have accepted she wants to be left alone, "and the company lawyer advised all contact attempts. "to cease. "The executive director's idea of disciplining my reports. "was to give them a talking to/lecture. "and to send a memo division-wide saying no pranks. "of any kind are permitted at work without giving context.

"since no one else knows what happened. "I am going to resign. "I wasn't sure at first, "but the more I found out about what happened, "the more angry I got. "I was also angry about not being able. "to fire the pranksters. "I promised my other report a good reference. "if he ever needs it because he didn't do anything. "I was not sure about resigning without another job offer, "but my girlfriend told me I would feel better if I did, "and we could make it work on her income until I found one. "So I've made the decision to leave. "I appreciate your answer to my question, Allison. "I'm grateful to you and see I am not wrong.

"to be angry at what happened. "Thanks so much.". - Wow. - Wow. So bad they're like, "I'm going.". Whew. But it is also, you see something that bad happen. and you see no action taken, you're like, well I'm not safe here. Like, if something bad happens to me at this job, I'm on my own, so I should get outta here. - Especially the people that report to you. You now have to like tell these people what to do. and like work with them on a regular basis. And it's like you just know that they're awful. Like, that they just did this awful thing.

and you're never gonna be able to look at them. without thinking of that. - Right. Oof. Wow. - I'm glad OP is even taking care of themselves. Like, it just like-. - Yeah. - Yeah, an environment like that's not good for you. - No. Well, dang, that's it. No more updates. Okay, time for our final story. Ooh. And this comes from Malicious Compliance. - Uh-oh. - Which I love. - I love some malicious compliance. - It's the best. "You demanded my entire team be at the office.

"for the 4th of July. "Fine, enjoy paying for the office party.". Hell yeah. - Okay. - Little warning upfront, if you haven't eaten, this story is going to make you hungry. - I haven't eaten. - I haven't eaten. - I haven't eaten. - Lunch is after this. - I was gonna say, what a crazy thing to read right before lunch. - "So this starts on Monday, the 13th of June. "As I receive an email from a VP not over in my department, "our bad VP, "I am told that my team will be required on the 4th.

"I politely tell them no, "that our team has been scheduled this day off. "and people already have plans. "My team is the IT team, and as many of you know, "the IT team gets shafted every time it can get shafted. "by any company. "So over the course of the week, "I let my team know what is happening. "I let them know I have been reaching out. "to higher ups to fix it. "I also tell them that if their plans are ruined, "I will make it right at work. "Over the course of three meetings, "it starts to look like things will not go my way. "In response, I sent an email to the CEO of the company.

"All of my higher ups knew I was going to do this. "and said I should do this as he's very family-oriented. "and that he would not allow anyone. "to work on a national holiday. "Well, he is on vacation in The Bahamas until the 6th. "But his assistant informed me he would look at this. "after he gets back. "Repeatedly slams head into desk. "So I tell everyone that it will be work from home. "and that we will be setting my cell phone. "as priority in the call routing, "meaning I would get most of the calls. "To be honest, I was expecting almost zero calls,

"especially since I was asked to send out a notification. "that IT support would cover the 4th of July. "I never sent that email out. "A day later I was given another outrage. "I was told in an email that my employees would be required. "to be at the office. "and no one was allowed to work from home. "They would be checking the door badge-ins. "to verify we were at the office. "I asked why in an email, and they said that they wanted. "to make sure no one was playing video games at work. "We normally work from home about two thirds of the week,

"and video game playing is a normal occurrence at work.". Hell yeah. - Us too. - Hey, been there. (crew laughs). - Hey, been there. - "So I walked into the person's office. "After a very long conversation. "where she was losing the logic war with me, "she told me that it's just IT. "You guys don't have lives.". - Dude. - She said that? - That's a vice president. - She said that? - Crazy. - The vice president told him, "It's just IT. "You guys don't have lives.". - What? - Wow. - "No, I'm not kidding you. "This is exactly what they told me. "I reported this to my VP who said,

"'I will take care of this. "'It likely won't be until after the 4th, so get creative.'. "I know this man well. "We have worked together a long time. "and 'get creative' is code for corporate (beep).". (Angela gasps). "I asked the person-". - He's like, "Light up.". (everyone laughs). - "I asked the person requiring us to be at the office. "if they cared if we had an office party. "They said no, as long as it did not interfere. "with the call flow. "They even suggested using my new company card. "to pay for it. "Go wild. "Pro tip, never tell me to go wild. "At this point, it was Tuesday the 21st.

"I let everyone know what's up, "but that I have something planned. "I asked who had things planned for that day. "Two people told me they were planning. "to shoot off fireworks with their family, "but the rest were planning barbecues with friends. "I write up an email to the VP over my department. "and the bad VP. "I tell them all that I let everyone know. "We all were expected to work until 8:00 PM Monday. "Per the conversation with the bad VP, "I will be having an office party as a sort of sorry. "to the guys and gals who got shafted by this decision. "The bad VP replied again. "'Thank you for your understanding.

"'Also, yes, I would expect an office party. "'if I had to work on the 4th of July as well.'". - Go (beep) yourself. - "'So go wild and enjoy your time. "'Use your new company credit card. "'if you need to cover a few expenses. "'Also, I should not have to remind you or anyone else, "'no fireworks or alcohol on company property.'. "So now it is time to tell you about my office. "See a while back, the IT team was moved. "from the main corp office. "and into a smaller building by itself. "It has a nice gaming break room, a decent sized gym, "and a full on drink bar,

"soft drinks, mind you, no alcohol at work. "Out back is a big patio that crosses county lines. "as soon as you cross a small creek, "a creek that just so happens to have a footbridge over it. "leading to an empty field. "I start making phone calls.". - Perfect for fireworks. - Perfect. - "Monday, June the 25th, "I call everyone into an hour early meeting that morning. "I explain to them all that I will be making it right. "I asked everyone to invite their friends. "and family to the office. "No supplies will need to be brought by anyone. "I tell them that this will be non-alcoholic, "but that I will be planning something for everyone.

"I told them to expect all food to be provided. "and they don't need to bring anything. "unless they want to bring some fireworks. "IE, they won't have to spend a dime. "The 4th comes, "and the entire day we did absolutely no work. "No tickets, no calls came in. "Well, seven calls did come in, "but from the same person, the bad VP. "She was calling to make sure we were manning the phones. "All of us were playing video games or watching movies. "6:00 PM rolls around. "and everyone was told that the food was ready. "People were expecting hot dogs, hamburgers, "maybe a bratwurst or two.

"What they got was a full on barbecue feast. "with pizza and other foods. "There was smoked brisket, spare ribs, smoked sausage, "smoked turkey, both kinds of tater salad, cole slaw, "green beans with bacon and onion, potatoes au gratin.". - Yes. The original potato chip. - "Pizza from two different places, "excellent hamburgers, and bratwurst hot dogs. "On the dessert side was cake, very good cookies, "four different kinds of pie, and about two pounds of fudge. "Families and friends started showing up. "at around 6:00 to 6:15-ish. "Some brought alcohol but I told them they would need.

"to leave that in their cars as I was not that crazy. "Some were not too happy about that, "but agreed as it was free dinner for random strangers. "So let me set the scene for you. "I am out there with all calls routed to my cell phone. "and everyone is just having a good time. "We have a ton of people there just enjoying the fun night, "chatting about random stuff, eating the food, "and occasionally lighting off some sparklers. "or throwing firecrackers into the stream. "It's not stocked and only one foot deep. "My VP, not the bad VP mind you. showed up with his family. "and brought some water balloons for the kids.

"and man children. "Around 8:30-ish it's getting dark. "and people wanna shoot off more than the simple sparklers. "and fireworks we had been using. "The VP over the IT department. "had everyone cross the footbridge over county line. "and off company property mind you, "and we set up a big wooden board using it as our launchpad. "We fired off what we had for an hour or two. "and sort of just hung out for a little while. "At around this time people were tired and ready to go home. "I told people to take home leftovers within reason. "We all clocked out at 8:00.

"and no one left until about 10:30 PM. "The bad VP did call once more. "while we were out back at the party. "It was 7:50 and she called asking for a status update. "My exact words were, "'Well, you were the only one to call us today. "'The rest of us are on the back patio. "'enjoying the 4th of July shindig.'. "She simply acted like my boss and said, "'As long as no alcohol or fireworks. "'are on company property, I do not care.'. "We ate roughly half of the food catered. "The rest was taken home. "A small group volunteered to stay behind to clean up, "including my VP. "We had a funny conversation about how this will make waves.

"with the bosses, but he said he had my back. "and asked how much this would cost. "I just gave him a sideways look which made him laugh. "Tuesday morning I submitted the expense report to my VP. "This email would inevitably make its way over to the bad VP. "and up the chain to the CIO of the company. "It would be a bad idea. "to give out the exact cost of the party mind you, "but I can tell you that because of this 4th of July party, "new rules were put into place. "Any expenses of over $4,000 or more must be approved.

"by the direct supervisor, VP over the department, "and the full expense report must be sent. "to the financial department for review after the fact.". - 4,000. Pretty good. - That's pretty good. - "Hint, the party cost over $6,000.". - Holy shit. And no alcohol? - "The barbecue was the most expensive part. "I did not order from a low or mid-tier place. "The place I order from has consistently been on the top 10. "in the DFW listing for the last 30 years.". - [Emily] That is Dallas Fort Worth. - Oh. It's Texas barbecue? - This is Texas barbecue.

- Oh! - "I ate at that place so much. "I made friends with the owner. "The best barbecue I've ever had. "The pies and cakes were custom made by a bakery, "and the cookies were made by a boutique cookie place. "I had 10 12 packs of Coke, Coke Zero, Dr. Pepper, "Dr. Pepper Zero, Pepsi, and Pepsi Zero. "I bought five pepperoni, five sausage, five cheese, "two Hawaiians, 55 tacos, 55 hotdogs, "and three cheeseburger pizzas from one place. "and nearly the same number from another place. "Excluding the cheeseburger ones, "I subbed out those for a different specialty pizza.

"from the other place. "The burgers were from an excellent burger place. "that did catering. "I know that owner well. "He brought his kids for the night of fun. "after he heard what was going to be happening. "He was also the one who brought the bratdogs. "as he recently added those to his menu.". - Wow. - "This was the most expensive office party. "in the history of the company. "The only things more expensive. "than this were some business meetings. "that the CEO rented private rooms. "in high-end restaurants for. "As for the CEO, he was outraged. "Not at the cost of the party, mind you.

"He knew that the party would not have been necessary. "if people had been allowed to go home. "He was outraged that IT was the only group required. "to work on that day. "When I submitted the log showing. "how we received no real phone calls, no service requests, "and that we basically watched movies/played video games. "during our shift, he had heard enough. "He apparently sent out a scathing email. "about work-life balance and the importance of our holidays. "to every upper management. "It was kind of funny as people wanted me to get in trouble. "for what I did, "but the reality is other departments.

"have done similar things in the past, "just not on the scale that IT did it. "The bad VP was admonished quite effectively. "and sent me an apology email. "I forwarded it to the team with a strong hint to not reply. "Then my VP let the CIO and the CEO. "know what the bad VP said. "'You guys don't have lives.'. "The bad VP did actually confirm. "she said it in a meeting with her EVP. "It did not go over well. "I have never heard people yelling in an office meeting. "like that before. "The CEO of the company came to our office.

"and yelled at her. "Not sure if she was fired, but she is not at work today. "In active directory she does not have the down arrow. "of death, so not 100% what happened to her. "I know she lost whatever clout she had at this company. "with her attitude. "If anything more happens, I will update. "But so far it looks like the fallout from this. "is that I caused a new rule to be put in place. "about how much you are allowed to spend at one time. "The bad VP may or may not be let go/forced to resign. "I know she got yelled at.

"Strangely, there is now no longer any pushback. "from my bid to get everyone back to working from home. "Edit, please stop asking me where the restaurants are. "I'm not doxing myself.". (everyone laughs). - Oh my god. Outstanding work. Outstanding. - That was a book. - Yeah. And you killed that. - Wait, so that kind of worked out well on all fronts. - Perfectly. - Yeah. That was, yeah, that was spectacular. - Kinda like zero consequences for that, which is pretty awesome. - This... And I mean, this does walk.

that revenge line we were talking about, right? Where you're like there is some revenge here. - Malicious compliance is this weird thing where it's like, all right, you're telling us to... This I kind of have no problem with 'cause I'm like-. - We're following the rules. - This VP clearly like, this is just fun for her. that she gets to have power over people. - Yeah. - Yeah. - The fact that she's calling seven times just to be like, "You're at work? "You guys are at work?" - Like, something's wrong. - Why do you care so much? - Checking the badge check-in, like logs-. - There's smoke where there's fire. Like, she's freaking out.

because she knows what she did was wrong. and she needs to make sure they are there for a reason. - This was a power trip. I don't know any other explanation. other than this is a power trip. - Yes. - Like, you're calling at 7:50 PM to get a status report. just to make sure they're still at work. when you know they've received no calls that day. I'm like, you just wanted to send them all day. - I'm like, what barbecue are you at, lady? - But no, like, I'm like, if I'm losing my 4th of July, we're throwing a (beep) party. - Yeah. - And we're following the rules. - This is being resourceful. - [Trevor] Yeah. - Six grand.

- Incredible. - Over six grand on the food and drinks alone. No alcohol. - I know that's a lot of soda. - Alcohol is where you like rack the prices up. - Yeah, the menu sounded a little bit like a MrBeast video. - Yeah. (everyone laughs). - 100 pizzas, 50-. - No, truly silly levels. It must have been a rager. - Yeah. There had to have been so many people there though. 'cause I mean how many, did it say how many people were like in the department? There was like... - I don't know, but they have their own building. - Yeah, they have their own building. and like a bunch of friends and family like being invited.

- Even the chefs bringing in their kids. Come on. That's awesome. - The fact that restaurants were like, "Whoa, we're going to this party.". - And then only eating half the food. - Yeah. - There had to have been so-. - Oh, Texas barbecue, man. - They're like, "What are you doing this July 4th?". I'm hanging out with a bunch of IT people. They party hard. - Yeah. And there's that not even alcohol there. - Yeah. - And it's gonna be a rager. - There's Pepsi Zero, Pepsi Diet, Diet Pepsi, Coke Zero, Vanilla Coke. - Comments.

"Can I work for you? "This is (beep) magical.". Someone said, "Everyone wants a day off. "to spend time with friends and family relaxing. "I'm in IT and spend most of my time on the computer. "at work and at home. "I still had the 4th of July off and spent the day hiking. "and just enjoying life to its fullest. "Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, full stop. "We all have lives outside of work. "Just because I enjoy video games doesn't make my time. "worth less than someone who enjoys watching football. "OP, mad respect for how you handled that.". Someone said, "This is how to be a manager. "Have your team's back. "I just wrote in my annual review how much it means to me.

"that my manager takes my physical. "and mental health seriously. "Tell him I can be reached by phone on vacation. "No, you cannot. "Direct anyone who bugs you to me. "Feeling burnt out from debugging assembly code. "and binary data files for most of the day. "Maybe you should take a walk for the rest of the day. "It's not good to be sitting too long, you know. "It genuinely makes me feel okay to say yes to new projects. "and to keep pushing and expanding my expertise. "I love my job and my manager is a huge part of that.". Yeah, I mean, the VP is a bad VP. not because they're just being a bad person,

but also they cost the company money. and they're absolutely killing like motivation. - Yeah. - Like, they're doing bad things by business standards too. - Yeah. And telling like, "Oh, IT people don't have lives.". Like, that's a crazy thing to say. - What do you expect to happen? - Yeah. - What do you expect to happen there? Your IT department is one that you need. to like be on their A game. - Yeah. - Yeah. Our IT team rocks. We have two people, Lopati and Tim. - They're the shit. - If they stopped working here, nothing would happen.

- The building would blow up. - The building would blow up. There is a bomb that they have to keep diffusing every day. (everyone laughs). - My favorite is when Tim's on set, and you're like, oh, there's a slide show in the programming. (everyone laughs). - Hell yeah. There's gonna be a transformer in this one. - Yeah. - Yeah, IT departments are huge for what we do. Anyways, that's it. - Crazy group of stories. - Dude, we should throw a $6,000 party.

- Okay. - I won't do it without alcohol. No, I'm kidding. (everyone laughs). - I don't care how much barbecue there is. There's no alcohol. - We need alcohol. - Not really a meat girl. - For Texas barbecue I don't need alcohol. If you tell me there's gonna be a bunch. of Texas barbecue somewhere, I'm like, "I'll show up.". - See, I'm like... - Have you had like genuine Texas barbecue? - I don't think so. - Oh, dude, it's a game changer. - Really? - It is a full game changer. I luckily... The last time I had Texas barbecue I was in Austin. and I was with Mythical Chef Josh.

- Yeah. - Oh, so that's - Was a crazy day. - He ordered everything on the menu. And he like, of course, like he orders everything. We eat everything. And then he is also like, "Oh yeah, the chef is letting us come back. "and check out the barbecue.". - Yeah, we like walked into the pit. - So cool. - There's this big tank just in there. - It was amazing. - [Angela] That's so cool. - No, it's truly like unlike anything. - Yeah. - It's the best. - That beef cheek. Oh my god. - You're eating things you've never heard of before. - The (beep) is a beef cheek? - That beef cheek burger. - You're just having stuff that you're like,

"I guess I'm gonna eat this," and it's delicious. - Oh, wow. - I can't explain it. - Well, tickle me fancied. - Yeah. I'm not gonna tickle you. - Tickle me fancy. - We're not gonna tickle each other, but... - Let's go to lunch. Yeah? - I'm ready for lunch now. I am hungry. And I think I want a Coke Zero. - Dude. I could go for a little Pepsi Max right now. - Whoa. - Max? What's Pepsi Max? - All right, Crystal Pepsis for everyone. - Crystal Pepsi. - Thank you both for being here.

- Thanks for having us. - Yeah. - Thanks for being good coworkers. - Yeah, thanks, and now I know that I'm not supposed. to tickle my coworkers, so this was educational. - Thank God we did this episode. - 'Cause I've thought about it. So I'm glad. I'm glad I didn't do it. - I was really close a couple times. - Yeah, well it's not gonna happen now, so don't worry. Don't stress. Thank you all for watching. Be kind to your coworkers. And we'll see you next Saturday. All right, goodbye.