Even when you have the best intentions, it seems like the universe is out to get you and make your life hell for no apparent reason. You want to help someone struggling or solve a difficult situation, and the smallest action turns into a game of dominoes. The dominoes topple until something gets ruined irreversibly, and it feels like it’s all your fault.
Reddit user u/OutrageousPrice9800 details a similar situation where everything came tumbling down because of one small mistake that was made with good intentions in mind. They lost their job, their best friend, and, potentially, their home.
More info: Reddit
Navigating workplace relationships is difficult enough, especially when your best friend is the CEO
Image credits: Helsinki Hacklab Lab Camera (not the actual photo)
The Reddit user starts the story by saying that their best friend, boss, and CEO of the company they were working in took two months off for a mental health crisis
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
Image credits: Joel Bez (not the actual photo)
OP was working in a small nonprofit advocacy group of five people. One of their coworkers was their best friend and also the CEO of the company. She decided to take a break because of a mental health crisis, with no end in sight. For two months, OP picked up the slack for her, working through a mental crisis of their own as she was being stalked online. The CEO would flake on plans at the very last minute, “even though she knows I'm autistic, and that stuff sends me into a meltdown.”
The company began going under without its CEO, with the Vice President and CFO wanting to resign. OP wanted for the CEO to come into work for one day to sign over her CEO powers to them and another coworker, so they could get the company back on its feet. So they arranged a meeting with the CEO.
This meeting was one of the biggest breaking moments of the story. Having come in, the CEO started by saying that she was in a severe mental health crisis. The crisis was supposed to be private, and she had begged OP not to tell anyone, as OP is a mandated reporter. OP was then blamed for bullying her into returning to work before she was ready. She further said that no one had reached out to her.
During those two months, OP covered for their CEO best friend, all while dealing with own their problems and trying to help her
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
The CEO refused their help, flaked on any and all plans they had, and things at the company started falling apart
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
Image credits: Porapak Apichodilok (not the actual photo)
OP mentioned that they were particularly hurt because of these remarks, as they had reached out frequently by calling and texting but would always be given the cold shoulder by the CEO. Later in the evening, they received a text from the CEO about how they had supposedly done nothing to help her during her mental health crisis. They say that the text was “vile” and that they were pretty scared by this point. Without realizing what they were doing, the OP took a screenshot of the messages and posted them to a work group, which included the CEO’s boyfriend.
She soon found out about this and started texting OP again, telling them how horrible they are and that she didn’t want to have anything to do with them ever again.
After this, the CEO called the President of the Board of Directors and told them that her team had failed her in her mental health crisis and violated HIPAA. OP hadn’t violated HIPAA, which is an act that exists to prevent the disclosure of sensitive health information. Even so, the company was dissolved after this came to light.
OP says, multiple times, how much they regret failing their friend in a mental health crisis, and that they should never have sent the screenshot. They also mention that they simply didn't know what they were doing wrong and what they could do further, emphasizing that they are autistic.
For this article, Bored Panda reached out to the story's author to get further input from them about the situation. When asked whether they have come into contact after the events told in their post, OP said that their friend has not contacted them since and that they’ve blocked each other on every form of contact. OP has also blocked the friend’s boyfriend.
OP further emphasized how guilty they feel after it all, saying that “I feel as though I failed her,” but further mentions that they know that they did everything they could.
When asked for advice for people in similar situations, OP said: “Don't mix business and friendship. Let business be business, and friendship be friendship. Oh, and, also, things can always get worse.” Perhaps OP’s story will inspire people to be more cautious at work, leaving everything related to work behind right after the closing hour.
The rest of OP's team tried reaching out to the CEO, too, with no luck, and they continued to cover for her at work
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
People started resigning from the company, so OP tried calling their friend for her to come in and sign over her CEO powers to OP and another coworker
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
According to an article by Business News Daily, having friends at the workplace can boost worker morale and improve productivity, all the while lowering workplace stress and making day-to-day work more pleasant. Nevertheless, although the benefits of workplace relationships are many, one should still keep in mind that if an office friendship goes sour, it may have the opposite effect of decreasing productivity, creating tension which may even rub off on coworkers unrelated to the friendship.
Having friends in the workplace can have a significant effect on employees, says a survey by JobSage. The survey wanted to explore workplace dynamics, so they surveyed more than 1200 Americans with experience in different industries. Their findings show that 95% of them said that having a friend at work makes them happier, with 76% indicating that work friends make them more creative and 74% saying that having friends helps increase their productivity. Furthermore, 92% of these respondents said that friendships at work impact their willingness to stay at a company.
When the CEO came in, she said that OP was a bully and broke her trust by telling others about her mental health crisis and that no one had reached out to her when in reality, many people had
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
After their meeting, the CEO texted OP about how they had done nothing to help her in her mental health crisis, and OP screenshotted it in a moment of panic
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
It's still important to monitor these relationships, finding a fine balance between professionalism and friendship. Once again, Business News Daily has some advice for people who want to do just that. You should make sure that you don't overshare information about yourself with your coworkers - even your friends. There is a lot of gossip in the office, and you wouldn't want sensitive personal information to make the rounds around the office.
It's also very important to set boundaries in the office, as a friendship with someone may net you accusations of bias and unprofessionalism. Close relationships may also inspire gossip from others around the office, so it's important to set boundaries and expectations which are professional and consistent.
You should also consider that the workplace friendship dynamic is very different from others. For example, your work friend probably won't be someone you can tell all your secrets and entrust your life to. Enjoy the relationships that you have without letting them get out of hand. This friendship dynamic may also turn into a rivalry, so be sure that the competition is healthy rather than toxic.
Finally, you should also be wary of trash-talking your management. Complaining about the boss isn't something unusual, as long as you keep it respectful, as it may come back to bite you far harder than you expect.
OP had sent the screenshot to a work group with the CEO's boyfriend, who promptly found out about it and started calling them horrible and cutting OP out of her life
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
This incident caused the President of the Board of Directors to dissolve the company as they had failed the CEO, making OP lose both their best friend and their job
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
OP says they feel very guilty and accept full responsibility for their actions, being lost and directionless on what to do next
Image credits: OutrageousPrice9800
In the comments, OP said that they will attempt to rebuild their life but will hold themself accountable even if the comments say that they're not at fault
OP's post received more than 4 thousand likes and almost 700 hundred comments, with lots of commenters saying that OP was not at fault for any of the happenings at the office besides sending the screenshot. They place the blame on the CEO best friend, as she used OP as a scapegoat, gaslit them, and was overall incompetent for her behavior detailed throughout the story. What are your thoughts about this story? Have you had similar work experiences that suddenly came crashing down? Please share them in the comments!
Image credits: Andrew Neel (not the actual photo)