Colleague Insults My Children & I Make Sure the Consequences Are Grave

The calmness of a small workplace was unexpectedly disrupted as tensions flared between a longstanding employee and a newly hired colleague. The startling incident came to pass after a casual conversation took an unsettling turn, leaving the longstanding employee grappling with an unexpected and disturbing series of events.

On January 30, 2024, an anonymous female poster turned to the "AITA" subreddit to share her story. She had worked at a small, local business for almost 12 years, with about eight employees and ongoing staffing shortages. Approximately three weeks prior, the company hired a woman in her 50s, whom the Original Poster (OP) referred to as "Karen."

Initially grateful for the job, Karen shared that her husband was unemployed due to a car accident, and their home faced foreclosure. She explained she had struggled to find employment for months due to her lack of work history, having been a "stay-at-home wife" without children.

At first, Karen and OP got along very well. However, the relationship took a turn for the worse a week before OP posted her story online. Karen, who mentioned having five dogs, ignited the conflict when OP expressed her dislike for dogs and her inability to have one as a pet.

The following day, OP approached her boss, presented the evidence, and issued an ultimatum: either fire Karen immediately, or she would resign due to an unwillingness to share a workplace with her.

Despite clarifying that she liked other people's dogs, Karen perceived the comment as a personal affront. She turned away and avoided any interaction for the remainder of the shift. The situation escalated when OP's phone became inundated with Facebook notifications from Karen, who wasn't a friend on the platform.

To her dismay, Karen proceeded to "laugh, reacting" to every public picture of OP's kids posted as tagged photos. The situation reached a distressing low when Karen commented under a photo of OP's youngest child (a four-month-old), saying, "[Ew], you don't like dogs but you like these ugly things? 🤮🤮"

Within a mere 30 seconds, another comment followed on a photo of OP's 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, deeming them "gross." OP took swift action, capturing screenshots of Karen's offensive behavior and subsequently blocking her.

The following day, OP approached her boss, presented the evidence, and issued an ultimatum: either fire Karen immediately, or she would resign due to an unwillingness to share a workplace with her.

Fate took an unexpected turn when Karen coincidentally walked into the boss's office during this confrontation. Without hesitation, the boss instructed Karen to collect her belongings and leave, pointing to the incriminating screenshots as the reason.

In response, Karen berated OP, expressed disbelief at being terminated, emphasized her desperate financial situation, and accused OP of undue sensitivity. OP sought perspective from the online community, asking if she was in the wrong for her actions.

OP's story resonated with many netizens, who unanimously declared her "NTA." One user wrote, "Uh ooo consequences… too bad so sad NTA [sic].” A second user expressed, "NTA. She harassed you. Taking shots at your kids is beyond unacceptable." A third person echoed their sentiment, "Yep. That type of behavior is unforgivable."

"NTA. I suspect that someone who's surprised that harassment will get her fired is the kind of person that's hard to hire. I doubt her lack of employment history had much to do with her financial woes," noted another person.

"I think you hit the nail on the head here," added another user. "Exactly. Your actions, and your boss's response, were the only appropriate actions in this situation. Good on you," said a different user.

Another user pointed out, "That's crossing a line, the toothpaste cannot be put back in the tube. Somewhere in this woman's minuscule brain, she had to have known that. Stalk a co-worker's FB if you must, but don't leave vicious comments under photos. That's unhinged."

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you support OP's stance, or do you feel she went a little too far in teaching her colleague a lesson? How would you handle things if you were in OP's place?

Click here to read another story about a woman who wondered if she was wrong for standing up to her mother-in-law for making insulting comments.