She Never Realized Her Biggest Obstacle Was Herself

I unwittingly take a job that was hotly contested by many of the people that already worked there.

After a few months of proving myself, many of those who’ve been cold to me come around, seeing what I can do, and accept that I was a better choice.

I eventually make many friends in that company — all but one person.

Before I was hired, [Coworker] thought that the job was hers; she had been here the longest, and in her mind, she was the glue that held the team together. Actually, most of her job is administrative, helping out here and there.

She takes this out on me, being cold and distant, not passing on or withholding information, and criticising my decisions. She takes delight in going to my boss and complaining about anything she can. These complaints are mostly untrue and I just provide evidence that completely shows I am in the right. But [Coworker] thinks she is winning some sort of game.

One thing she does “get” me on was my USB stick. I bought my own and use it for work, not realising that in the company policy, this is deemed a security risk. 

Little does she know that this will be the start of her own downfall.

I talk to my boss about the USB drive.

Boss: “It’s an old policy that doesn’t really apply anymore. In fact, most of the management team, including me, uses a personal USB stick out of necessity on our old systems. I don’t feel right disciplining you about this.”

Then, he goes to the IT manager.

Boss: “I need you to write both [My Name] and myself an exemption so that we’ll be in the clear until the policy is changed.”

I go back to my desk, pretending nothing happened. I make a bit of a show of taking out my USB and placing it on my desk where [Coworker] can see.

After a busy day, I return to my desk to find the USB missing. I know where I left it, and I haven’t used it since. Someone must have moved it. I panic; it has over forty hours of work on it with no way to recover it. In desperation, I ask the team. They haven’t been in the office all day; only [Coworker] has and she has gone home for the afternoon. 

Stealing seems a bit far-fetched, even for her, so with the team’s help, I turn the office over twice before going back to my boss. He gets the maintenance team to open her desk, and sitting on top is my USB. I plug it in to prove it is mine and maintenance closes her drawer.

With all the interruptions, I end up finishing two hours late. As I leave, I’m surprised to see my boss’s light still on.

The next day, [Coworker] is in on time — not unusual — but an hour later, my boss asks us to come into the office and explains that [Coworker] is currently off work and no one is to contact her. 

It turns out that the USB was last in a long line of issues since not getting the job. She had started to complain about everyone and her work was getting worse. When she was brought in to human resources this morning, she lied about everything, complained, and blamed it all on others, ultimately leaving the company no other option but to let her go.