I’ve started joking that I might be accidentally cursed or something, because people at work seem to vanish shortly after getting on my bad side.
The weird part is I’m not confrontational at all. I don’t report people, start drama, or even talk about them to coworkers. I mostly keep to myself and do my job. But somehow the timing keeps becoming suspicious.
One coworker kept absolutely destroying the bathroom every day. I’m talking mysterious streaks appearing on the toilet seat multiple times throughout the shift. I eventually figured out who it was because every time the bathroom situation got worse, she was the only person who had just been in there. I never said anything to anyone because honestly… what was I even supposed to say? Two weeks later she suddenly stopped showing up.
Then there was another woman who worked in a very entry-level position. Completely unprovoked, she decided to be rude to me almost every interaction we had. I didn’t argue back or complain about her. Three days later, gone.
The parking situation at my workplace made me start noticing the pattern more seriously.
Nobody has assigned spots, but everyone unofficially claims one and people usually respect it unless the office is unusually packed. There are two entrances to the building: a main entrance everybody can use and another side entrance with restricted access that only a handful of employees have access to, including me.
Even though I could use the side entrance, I normally go through the main one because it’s closer to my work area. I picked a spot near the restricted-access side anyway because it’s tucked away and next to an unused disabled parking space, which gives me extra room to unload all the heavy equipment and bags I bring in daily.
I’d parked there consistently for over a year without issues.
Then one coworker suddenly decided she wanted that exact spot. She took it twice in the same week, even though there were plenty of other spaces available. So after that, I started coming in earlier than usual just to beat her to it every morning.
I managed to reclaim my spot for about a week straight.
And then she disappeared from work entirely.
The one that really bothered me, though, was a guy I privately nicknamed “Mr. Eye Contact.” He was one of those overly pushy extroverts who seemed offended if someone wasn’t matching his energy level 24/7. Twice he invaded my personal space because he thought I wasn’t acknowledging him enthusiastically enough during conversations.
After that, I made it a point to avoid him and gave him the coldest stare imaginable anytime he hovered around me. He also had this habit of weirdly staring at me in the parking lot after work while sitting around waiting for his wife to pick him up.
Two weeks later, fired.
At this point I don’t even know what to think anymore because logically I know these situations probably had nothing to do with me. But the timing is so consistently weird that it’s become an inside joke in my own head that if I quietly dislike someone long enough, the universe handles the rest.
