Worker got scapegoated for boss' costly mistake, so he embarrassed him with screenshot proof in front of everyone

Blaming someone else for your fault reflects poor accountability. When this Reddit user (u/Katiehart2019) was falsely accused publicly for an error made by their boss, they decided not to let it slide. The worker cleverly fought back to prove their innocence, and now the boss insists on solving the issue "privately."  Sharing the ordeal on Reddit on November 8, the post has received huge support from online users.

u/Katiehart2019 works at a manufacturing plant where they are required to operate a machine that loads glasses, washes them, and sends them down the line. However, one must not let broken glass enter the washer; hence, the 'broken glass detector' is always switched on by default. One time, her boss switched off the detector, which went unnoticed until a piece of broken glass got inside the washer and caused expensive damage. When the operations manager expressed his disappointment, the boss decided to flip the tables on the employee and blame them for the mishap. But they were not about to let this slide. As their boss had pinpointed them as the scapegoat in the team's public chat, the employee simply tagged him back and uploaded proof. "To turn off the detector, you need to log in, and we keep logs of it. I was able to get proof he did it and screenshotted it in our Teams channel." 

Soon after exposing their boss, the employee was met with criticism from one of their co-workers, who felt it was a rude gesture, insisting that they should have messaged the ops manager directly. "Was I wrong?" asks u/Katiehart2019. A 2019 study by PLOS One explored how people respond to individuals who either take responsibility for their mistakes or deflect blame onto others. The study noted that blaming someone else for one's own failures is a common face-saving strategy, particularly among senior authorities or public figures. When faced with scrutiny, the boss immediately shifted the blame to his employee without taking accountability for his mistake, which shows poor working skills overall.

Soon after the post went viral, many users supported the employee's choice to expose the boss. u/Ecnalg8899 wrote, "If he blamed you publicly, expose his lie publicly. Unfortunately, you can be right and still be punished. You should watch your back and be extra careful in the next few weeks. He's likely to look for any mistake you make and create a big stink over it in retribution." u/Khanati03 commented, "That happened to my mom at her manufacturing job and she got fired for it, since she didn't speak up. This was after 20 years and after them sending her to school for management. Her manager threw her under the bus. It wasn't unprofessional, it was job protecting." u/JakobWulfind shared, "If you're being used as a scapegoat for a serious error, the time for professionalism is long past."

More on Scoop Upworthy

Man posts intriguing story of how the company he worked at for 14 years tried to frame him

Overworked employee finally quits after being falsely accused by boss of 'sabotaging' the company

Employee gets reported to HR over pettiest reasons ever: Mismatched socks and not mingling enough