Employee gets removed from role without warning — gets the last laugh when team struggles to keep with tasks

In a Reddit post from October 19, u/chihuahua-apologist shared how their manager removed them from an important role at the lab without prior notice, only to end up needing their help to fix the fallout. In the post that gained 7.4k upvotes, the employee explained how their manager reassigned them without any discussion. "I do lab management for a lab," they wrote. "My background is not in the subject studied in this lab, but I know the bare minimum, and it doesn’t get in the way of my job. I worked very hard to get where I am and have become integral to the lab."

The employee had been handling documentation and cryogenic storage for several months before a meeting was held with everyone except them. Afterward, a colleague told them that their role had been given to someone "more knowledgeable on the subject." The change followed an accusation from another scientist who blamed them for ruining an experiment — something the employee denied doing. The manager didn’t verify the claim or discuss it with them directly. "Obviously, this is hurtful and unprofessional of my manager to not speak to me before this. My manager has still not spoken to me to officially remove me from this role," the post read. 

Situations like this highlight the importance of healthy communication and clear direction in the workplace. A study published in the American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation by Hazel L. Llenado and Lyndon A. Quines found that poor working conditions, including unclear job expectations and lack of acknowledgment, can damage both employee accountability and overall organizational health. The researchers noted that when employees don’t have clarity or recognition, their sense of responsibility drops, and it affects how well the organization functions. That loss of accountability often shows up through mistakes, delays, or breakdowns in teamwork.

By the end of that same day, the situation came full circle. "I received a message from the new, untrained person in this role, asking me to do it for them," the post said. "They needed it done soon so another scientist wouldn’t have to stay past 6 p.m." The employee replied, "I’ll get back to you," and left it there. The task wasn’t done, and the scientist had to stay several hours later. "Didn’t fix the situation," they added, "but it felt nice."

The post resonated with many users who shared similar workplace stories. u/hymie0 wrote, "My wife went through something very similar. She was a STEM HS math/science teacher... The STEM department cut her and the school moved her to Social Studies. Now she’s a math teacher at a completely different school. ‘But you’ll still help at our STEM events, right?’" u/Jacgaur commented, "That is crappy of the manager to not talk to you and especially since a rando asked you to do it. Love your petty revenge. I also work in a lab environment and have heard of drama like this before."

u/TxEvis added, "Get evidence of it not being your fault. And sit on it until they fire you using that as a reason. File a wrongful termination lawsuit and ask for your last job site back... Look for another job ASAP." u/-crucible- wrote, "It really sucks when you’re in an environment where someone else’s piece of paper means they’re always right and you don’t need to be asked for your side of things."

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