30+ Former Bullies Share the Real Reasons Why They Bullied

Former Bullies Share the Real Reasons Why They Bullied

Many bullies never change. They grow up and continue to be bullies in the workplace or at home, never learning the error of their ways. However, some bullies realize at some point that what they’re doing is wrong. From trouble at home to just being a stereotypical jock, these former bullies are opening up and sharing the real reasons why they used to bully — & how they’ve changed since.

Seeing From Their Perspective

It’s a common stereotype that kids who are “nerdy” or “geeky” are the ones who will end up getting bullied. They’re the kids who would supposedly prefer to stay home playing video games than deal with people.

Seeing From Their Perspective

It’s pretty sad that this guy didn’t ever stop to think about the effect the things he thought were funny had on other people until his coworkers basically forced him to face it. Better late than never, we guess.

From Mean Girl to Humiliated

We all get comfortable in our day-to-day environment, especially if we feel like we’re someone on top. So when we’re broken out of that bubble, it can be really jarring, like this girl experienced.

From Mean Girl to Humiliated

While it’s better for people to come to conclusions that what they’re doing is wrong on their own, sometimes it takes someone doing the same thing to them for them to realize how horrible they’re being. At least she changed after that.

Passing on the Pain

People who are going through some form of abuse tend to respond in two ways — they either vow to never treat others the way they’re being treated, or they treat others poorly to try to deal with their own pain.

Passing on the Pain

With younger people, the latter is pretty common, but it sounds like this person had good friends who stood up to them and helped them see the light. Being grumpy and being a bully are very different things.

Value in Existence

When we’re feeling hopeless, it can be hard to recognize that the way we behave and treat others does have an impact on them. It’s easy to feel like we’re unimportant and invisible, even though it isn’t true.

Value in Existence

The line, “Bullies are hurting and that’s why they bully” is kind of problematic. Lots of people in the world are hurting and don’t use it as an excuse to hurt those around them. The bully’s victims are allowed to feel frustrated.

Just Like Dad

The lucky people in the world have parents who they look up to and wish to emulate. The sad reality is that many aren’t so lucky, and have parents who bully them or are difficult to be around.

Just Like Dad

It’s only natural to start acting like the people we spend time with every day, and it takes a lot of emotional strength to recognize that we don’t like the person we’ve become. Hopefully, both this person and their dad have changed for the better.

Taking Stress Out on Others

You may be wondering why exactly people take out their anger and frustration on other people if it has nothing to do with them. It’s called “displacement,” and people often do it because they can’t address the situation causing the anger in the first place.

Taking Stress Out on Others

Whatever was causing this person to struggle mentally at such a young age must have been really difficult, but it’s good to hear that they’re doing so much better now. Good friends and therapy can change everything.

Dealing With a Hard Home Life

Displacement is a defense mechanism, and a very common cause of it at a young age is difficulties at home. Children often have no control over finances or parental arguments or other home life problems.

Dealing With a Hard Home Life

Kids in these environments aren’t usually taught healthy ways of coping with emotions. This person managed to avoid turning into a bitter adult displacing their anger, and that’s a big step towards not remaining a bully.

Ignoring the School Bully

One of the best things that children can do when another kid is being a bully is to ignore them. Often bullying is a form of attention-seeking, so taking away that attention takes away their power.

Ignoring the School Bully

These kids did exactly the right thing by ignoring this bully, and it worked. It sounds like she only changed because she lost all the attention, but at least she changed. People don’t have to stay mean forever.

A Sobering Moment

When it comes to bullying at young ages, sometimes it boils down to not understanding that people don’t enjoy the same things we do. Lots of kids like “rough and tumble” play, but it’s easy for it to go too far.

A Sobering Moment

There’s no better way to deter bad behavior than for our friends to share their negative opinions of us. Sobering is the perfect word for it, and this friend may have saved them from going down a bad path.

Fearing the Bigger, Badder Bully

Imagine that scene in a TV show or movie where someone is being a bully, only for an even bigger bully to come along and put them in their place. Well, it turns out it does happen in real life.

Fearing the Bigger, Badder Bully

It’s not ideal that this person only stopped bullying because they were afraid of people bigger than them, because their change didn’t really come from actually caring about how they affected other people. They don’t exactly sound repentant.

Growing Up and Maturing

Many bullies don’t seem to think much about the way that they treat others until they’re actually confronted by the victims. Growing older doesn’t always make you wiser, despite how the saying goes.

Growing Up and Maturing

Bullies should never expect this kind of compassion from their victims, let alone expect to become friends with them, so this person should feel incredibly blessed that their victim was so forgiving. Being angry and cruel doesn’t get you anywhere.

Do More Harm Than Good

There’s an art to giving genuine, heartfelt apologies to those we’ve wronged. Our motivations are very important when it comes to deciding whether to say sorry or not.

Do More Harm Than Good

Does this person genuinely want to apologize to own up to their actions, or do they only want to apologize to make themselves feel better? They did the right thing by not reaching out and potentially bringing up painful memories for the victim.

Meeting All Those Years Later

Sure, we’d all like to think that every bully has a big realization that the way they treated others was horrible and that their actions were wrong. But that doesn’t always happen, no matter how much we wish that it did.

Meeting All Those Years Later

How much older were they when they met again? How did this girl seriously never consider the impact her actions may have had on others in all of that time? Perhaps she hadn’t actually changed that much after all.

Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses

If there’s anything that can make growing up even harder, it’s dealing with an undiagnosed mental illness. It makes us question our decision-making and why we treat those around us the way that we do.

Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses

The best part of this is where they say, “Some can’t forget or forgive, and that is OK, too.” They’ve done their part in apologizing for their mistakes, and they also accept that they can’t control how others feel. It’s definitely a sign of maturity.

Struggling to Accept Oneself

Teenagers are going through a lot of developmental and social changes, and it makes life for them really hard. What can add to that difficulty is struggling with recognizing or accepting one’s orientation, like this person did.

Struggling to Accept Oneself

This person was lucky to find a more supportive group of friends who helped them see the flaws in themselves in order to start treating other people with more respect. It sounds like they’ve moved on, but hopefully, they’ve apologized to those who deserve one.

Just Wanted a Friend

Humans have this weird tendency to bond over things that they don’t like. Often it’s people talking too loudly on the phone or smacking their food, but sometimes it’s more serious, like classmates or coworkers, and things can get nasty.

Just Wanted a Friend

This school and mom did everything right. They approached the children and talked through the issue with them, making them realize why what they were doing was problematic and how bullying can happen even if it isn’t physical.

Only Making Things Worse

Being resistant to change is actually a perfectly normal thing. In fact, we’re basically hardwired that way. Our amygdalas see change as a threat and literally make us afraid of it, making change hard to accept.

Only Making Things Worse

It sounds like this guy really needed some new friends or to talk through his issues with “John.” It’s pretty uncool, though, that he only apologized after finding out “Noah” had a bad life, as if that were the only reason he deserved an apology.

Best Friend Is a Bully

We’ve all heard of taking one’s anger out on other people. We tend to do this with family members or close friends, because we feel like they can take it and they won’t get upset or leave us.

Best Friend Is a Bully

That’s a pretty unfair way of thinking, though, and this person’s friend definitely didn’t deserve to get bullied by someone who is supposed to be looking out for them and supporting them. Apologies at least help a little.

It Doesn’t Stop With High School

People have a bad habit of acting like bullying only happens in middle and high school, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Plenty of bullies go on to bully in college, at home, and in the workplace.

It Doesn’t Stop With High School

Then, there are the bullies that develop later in life, like this girl. It sounds like she had a lot of pent-up anger from her younger days. It also goes to show that her friends weren’t real friends and only enjoyed making fun of other people together.

Low on the Food Chain

When people do things that they know are wrong, they often go into defense mode and try to justify their actions. This is a phenomenon that these bullying stories have all demonstrated clearly.

Low on the Food Chain

Sure, his realization didn’t come until later, but at least he eventually realized that there was no excuse and that ultimately he was the problem. That’s really the only way to grow and become a better person after being a bully.

If That’s Not Karma

Struggling socially doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll become a bully, but people who have a hard time connecting to others often end up turning to mean jokes or pranks to try and make others laugh.

If That’s Not Karma

While only bullying one person is still being a bully, it’s also kind of sad that this person feels they deserve to suffer their whole life with no friends because of what they did in school. People can– and do– change.

Fear in a Friend’s Eyes

The eyes are incredibly expressive. There’s a reason they call them “the windows to the soul.” You can learn a lot about how a person is feeling from paying attention to their eyes, including if they’re afraid.

Fear in a Friend’s Eyes

This is a bit confusing. If the friend had fear in their eyes over them raising their hand, does that mean they were hitting their friends? And how would being more quiet fix that? Maybe this person needs to do some more reflecting.

From Bully to Outcast

High school reunions are one of those things that are better in theory than in practice. They tend to stir up bad memories, especially for people who see their former bully at the reunion.

From Bully to Outcast

It’s honestly surprising that this person chose to go to the reunion after knowing they bullied their classmates. It’s not surprising that their former classmates reacted the way that they did, as they likely weren’t very happy to see them.

Some Serious Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance happens in situations where people hold conflicting beliefs or act in conflicting ways. A perfect example of this is people who are both bullied and are a bully themselves. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Some Serious Cognitive Dissonance

Sure, children aren’t fully developed mentally and emotionally, but if you have classmates making you feel horrible, why would you do it to others at the exact same time? Why would you want to pass on that pain?

Simply Got Bored

We would all like to think that all former bullies had some big awakening moment when they realize how horrible they’ve been and make a vow to become a better person. But, that’s not always what happens.

Simply Got Bored

Oftentimes, they simply get bored, like this person did. Sure, it’s not exactly a spiritual awakening, but at least it made them stop hurting others. One has to hope that those people eventually learned to be a bit more empathetic.

Modeling After a Parental Bully

Your parents are supposed to be the ones who love and support you no matter what, but unfortunately, some children aren’t so lucky. They end up having their bully at home, not at school.

Modeling After a Parental Bully

Parental bullying can be anything from calling children stupid or ugly to much more serious abuse issues, and it’s common for kids to model that behavior. This person recognizing that they didn’t want to continue the cycle was a huge win for their well-being.

Dealing With the Trauma

While it’s not an excuse, there’s no denying that many people who bully others are dealing with some sort of trauma of their own and are taking their pain out on those around them.

Dealing With the Trauma

The only way to grow past it is to confront the trauma, so it’s good that this person was able to do that and recognize that their earlier behavior was wrong. “Treat others how you want to be treated” should really be everyone’s mantra.

A Scary Outburst

Being bullied takes a serious mental toll on the victims, and many of them are pushed to the point of snapping. Whether it’s yelling, fighting back, or something worse, no one ever wants to see someone pushed that far.

A Scary Outburst

It’s rare to see multiple bullies collectively agree that what they’re doing is wrong, but one has to wonder if the teachers noticed anything going on before this outburst.

Help, Don’t Hurt

Getting angry and lashing out at people is a natural reaction to traumatic experiences. It takes a lot more willpower and empathy to channel it into being kinder and more open-minded with others.

Help, Don’t Hurt

This person clearly grew up a lot, and the way they reflected on their behavior was very mature and healthy. They’re also exactly right — it’s so much easier to relate to others’ experiences and support them in order to receive kindness in return.

Pushed to Tears

We’ve already established that bullying often happens in a parent-child relationship, but it’s pretty common among siblings and cousins as well. If anything, it’s more common because they’re closer in age and going through similar things.

Pushed to Tears

It’s good that this person is treating their cousin better, but it’s a bit weird to be bragging about giving him money. You can’t buy someone’s forgiveness no matter how much you want to, so hopefully it’s truly selfless financial support for a loved one.

Words Will Always Hurt Me

There are a lot of ways to bully someone. It isn’t always like in the movies where a big kid is beating up on a smaller one while a circle of children stands around them and watches. It’s often much more subtle and frequent than that.

Words Will Always Hurt Me

The saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is a blatant lie. Words hurt a lot, but at least this person has realized that and is (hopefully) no longer passing on that hurt to others.

Aggressive Males With Southern Bravado

There’s a lot of pressure on men to act a certain way. They shouldn’t express feelings other than anger. They should never show vulnerability. They should always give off a macho, tough guy vibe, and if they don’t, then they’re not manly.

Aggressive Males With Southern Bravado

The thing is, that’s toxic masculinity, and it’s just not natural for men to be angry and rude all of the time. It takes years to learn those behaviors, so of course it takes years to undo them, but it sounds like this guy is on the right track.

Bullied in the Same Way

Do you know that saying, “Don’t dish it if you can’t take it”? Well, a lot of people who tell mean jokes or bully others are emotionally incapable of someone doing the same to them, and that’s because no one should be doing that to each other at all.

Bullied in the Same Way

This is another case of someone only learning their lesson once the bullying got turned around on them. It’s not ideal as the change was externally motivated, but they’ve started actively trying to engage in more positive behaviors by helping others, which is huge.

Time for Major Self Reflection

Sometimes, friend groups have that one toxic friend. They’re negative, they make mean jokes, and they’re often even subtly bullying other members of the group. If said toxic friend is lucky, their friends will confront them about their behavior.

Time for Major Self Reflection

They’re lucky because instead of kicking them out of the group, their friends care enough to try and help them see the error of their ways. It sounds like this person was very receptive to their criticism and is genuinely trying to change.

Holding a Pointless Grudge

Women express themselves differently. There are terms to describe them, like “girly girl” and “tomboy,” but no form of being a woman is any better than another. People just have different tastes.

Holding a Pointless Grudge

Despite what she would like to think, teasing and humiliating someone did indeed make her a mean girl. It’s pretty clear that she never had a bullying breakthrough since she only talks about how she was affected and not the girl she bullied.

Difference Between Fear and Respect

Doing what someone wants because you fear them and doing what they want because you respect them are two very different things. Gaining someone’s respect is much healthier and also much more effective in the long run.

Difference Between Fear and Respect

We aren’t sure what triggered this person’s understanding of how those two things are different, but it’s good that they did. It’s sad that they clearly dealt with these issues at home from their own dad.

Focus on the Positive

Being shy can be tough in a world that seems to be aimed at outgoing people, and it can lead to a lot of insecurities from feeling like those around you misunderstand you and don’t meet your needs.

Focus on the Positive

This person saw a problem, and they decided to make up for their bad behavior by becoming a positive light in others’ lives instead of a negative one. If that isn’t a reformed bully, what is?

Just a Bad Person

As humans, it’s only natural for us to search for explanations for why people behave the way that they do, especially if it’s negative behavior. But what if some people have no explanation; what if they’re simply just… bad?

Just a Bad Person

It must be hard to accept that you just weren’t a nice person. It’s always easier when there’s a reason because then there’s something to fix or address. Hopefully, they treat others with kindness now, though.

A Reformed Mean Girl

Most forms of bullying and abuse come from needing to feel powerful. Whatever the reason, the people doing these things are looking for a way to feel stronger and feel control.

A Reformed Mean Girl

The fact that she shows guilt means that despite her enjoying the feeling of power over others, her sense of empathy has since grown stronger and she recognizes that it was wrong. Teenagers can be really cruel to each other.

A Lack of Awareness

Some people really struggle to understand social cues. They don’t know what’s funny versus what crosses a line, or they struggle to relate to others in what others consider a normal way.

A Lack of Awareness

The “apparently they took it seriously” kind of makes it sound like this former bully is dismissing the fact that they hurt others with the things that they said. Hopefully, they’ve since learned that insults are never funny.

A Completely Different Person Now

If you speak to most people in a position of helping others, like therapists or social workers, many will tell you that they got into the profession because they went through something themselves and want to help others.

A Completely Different Person Now

You wouldn’t think of a bully becoming a psychologist who helps those who have been abused, but it makes sense in a way. If anyone knows the signs to look for, it’s someone who used to do those things themselves.

Little Exposure to Healthy Interaction

We’ve already seen how toxic masculinity can affect men, but what if you’re four brothers in the same household? Chances are you’re not going to have healthy interactions with each other, and that’s what happened to this guy.

Little Exposure to Healthy Interaction

Sometimes, we don’t question things until someone gives us a reason to question them — and for this guy, it was those few random people who confronted him on his behavior. One has to wonder if he has a healthier relationship with his brothers now.

Taking Credit Wrongly

Sometimes apologies aren’t very sincere. People often apologize to make themselves feel better, not because they are genuinely remorseful for their actions. That’s why you often hear people talk about authentic apologies.

Taking Credit Wrongly

It’s kind of messed up that this guy is basically taking credit for the girl overcoming problems that may have been caused by his bullying. It sounds like he only wanted to apologize to take credit for her being a good person.

Kids Don’t Know Better

Children in elementary school are going through a lot of major cognitive and emotional developmental changes, which is why teachers often start seeing problematic behavior in late elementary school. Thankfully, many show up and step in.

Kids Don’t Know Better

At this age, it’s easy to understand that the kids don’t know better. Children can have a hard time being empathetic, and it’s great that this teacher didn’t shame him, but rather had a genuine conversation with him. It clearly made an impact.

Trying to Survive High School

A lot of bullies like to claim that they became a bully in order to survive school, but that seems like a bit of an excuse. Many people get through high school without treating others badly.

Trying to Survive High School

The thing this person doesn’t seem to realize is that they became a bully to avoid getting picked on, yet this bad friend was still bullying them on a daily basis, so they didn’t avoid being bullied themselves in the end.

30+ People That Had Bosses Who Are Real-Life Versions of Michael Scott From “The Office”

These Bosses Are Seriously Real-Life Versions of Michael Scott

When the U.S. adaptation of The Office first premiered in 2005, it took the American entertainment industry by storm. It wasn’t long before people of all ages were quoting each episode, dressing up like the characters for Halloween, or rewatching the whole series over and over again. Some people might have taken their love of The Office a little too far, though. According to these Reddit stories, bosses like Michael Scott really do exist in real life. Keep scrolling to see for yourselves…

Congratulations!

We’ll admit that this next story is cringey… quite cringey indeed. But, we’re not sure it holds the same level of cringe that season six’s “The Delivery” does.

Congratulations!

We’re referring to one moment in particular — Michael walks into the delivery room without knocking and sees Pam’s exposed lower body as she’s giving birth. Naturally, Michael was mortified. But, we’re not entirely sure this OP’s boss ever was. In fact, we think his wife was mortified enough for both of them.

Kidnapping Drills

We’ve already mentioned Dwight’s surprise fire drill. While this wasn’t necessarily planned by Michael himself, we couldn’t help but think of that chaotic scene when we read this post about kidnapping drills. But, aside from that, another episode that came to mind is “Happy Hour”.

Kidnapping Drills

Michael completes 25 push-ups (and one girl push-up) and challenges the office employees to do 26 push-ups of their own, offering those who do permission to go home early. Most of the office tries and fails, but Stanley remains dedicated to the task and completes the goal!

Handy-Dandy Translator

Is it just us or does this post describe Pam Beesly and Michael Scott’s relationship to a tee? Throughout the series, viewers see the dynamic between the two shift and evolve but one thing remains constant — Pam having to translate Michael’s speeches to the rest of the office staff.

Handy-Dandy Translator

From the sounds of it, this OP is the Pam Beesly of her own office considering that she knew the golden hamster wheel actually meant a golden raffle cage.

Work the Room More

Naturally, this post reminds us of the 16th episode of the third season — “Phyllis’ Wedding”. In order to ensure six weeks off for her honeymoon, Phyllis asks Michael to push her father’s wheelchair down the aisle at her wedding.

Work the Room More

Initially eager to participate, Michael considers himself the “father of the bride” in his own twisted way. And because Michael is Michael, he becomes upset when Phyllis’ father “upstages” him by walking the last few steps down the aisle to his daughter.

The Dundies

Well, it sounds like this OP’s father really does have the real-life Michael Scott for a boss. Not only would Michael comment on how hot one of his employees is, but he’d also hold an award ceremony for everyone in the office — oh wait… he did both.

The Dundies

“The Dundies” is the first episode of the second season in which Michael remixes the song “O.P.P.” and embarrasses Ryan Howard by awarding him “The Hottest in the Office.”

Color Graph

Well, if this isn’t something that Michael Scott has done at some point throughout the series, he certainly would do it. After all, he has a very special way of getting under everyone’s skin, which is why he has little time to work.

Color Graph

According to Jim Halpert’s graph of how Michael spends his time — 80% is spent distracting others, 19% is all about procrastinating, and 1% is dedicated to critical thinking. From the sounds of it, this OP’s boss has taken some inspiration from the graph.

You Had One Job!

Any fan of The Office knows that the conference room is the hub of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. It’s home to dozens of holiday parties and birthday celebrations (thanks to the party planning committee), awkward seminars, CPR classes gone rogue, and countless pointless meetings.

You Had One Job!

Michael Scott of The Office has been known for his outlandish comments and kooky beliefs, so it really doesn’t surprise us that the OP’s boss has some theories of his own — to the point that he interrupts meetings and doesn’t do his job properly.

”How the Turn Tables”

“Well, well, well… how the turn tables.” This time, though, it’s in reference to the fact that this OP had a female version of Michael Scott as a boss. And while this specific scenario may have never happened in The Office, we can definitely imagine it.

”How the Turn Tables”

Michael would totally have Pam — or Erin — order a mannequin to put on display. The only difference is that he wouldn’t dress it up as his daughter but rather his girlfriend. Because ya know, he’s weird like that.

”Try My Cookie-Cookie”

If we didn’t know any better, we’d say that this OP’s boss is actually Steve Carell dressed up as his character, Michael Scott. After all, Michael has a reputation for saying some pretty offensive and insulting things — does anyone remember “Diversity Day,” the second episode of season one?

”Try My Cookie-Cookie”

During a diversity seminar, Michael delivers a racist impression of an Indian person to Kelly Kapoor. Naturally, Kelly takes offense to the stereotype and rightfully slaps Michael in the face.

Scranton — The Electric City

This OP’s boss undeniably has the same annoying tendencies that Michael Scott does. Aside from the weird Chewbacca noises and incessant usage of the voice-to-text feature, let’s just take a second to focus on the fact that he references old hip-hop song lyrics. Hello, people! Does anyone remember “Straight Outta Scranton”?!

Scranton — The Electric City

In “The Merger,” Scranton absorbs the Stamford branch. In an attempt to make his new employees feel comfortable, Michael — along with the help of Dwight — writes and shoots a welcome song, which is a parody of N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton.”

Catch-22

Unsurprisingly, this next post reminds us of the many phrases that Michael Scott botched throughout the series. From “migraine worker” instead of the correct “migrant worker”, to telling David Wallace to call him “ASAP as possible”, Michael is the king of misusing and/or mangling phrases.

Catch-22

This post specifically brings us back to season two’s “The Fight” in which Michael uses the term ‘catch-22’ incorrectly after hearing Ryan use it.

Spidey-Senses

Well, this is wildly inappropriate office behavior. Then again, so is Michael Scott — and all the real-life versions of him.

Spidey-Senses

While we can understand and respect the fact that this boss wants his employees to look sharp, there was really no reason for him to drop his pants in front of poor Paul here. If we didn’t know any better, we’d say that this manager just wanted to show off his Spiderman undies.

Workplace Bullying

Throughout the series, viewers saw the employees of Dunder Mifflin gather into the conference room for many seminars about anti-bullying, and no thanks to Michael Scott himself. Toby Flenderson, the branch’s H.R. Manager — and Michael’s arch-nemesis — would usually run these meetings… well, until they’d be interrupted by Michael’s shenanigans.

Workplace Bullying

In any case, it looks like this OP’s boss took Toby’s place by running his own meeting about name-calling. According to the OP, though, no one had ever called the boss a “ginger”. Perhaps he was just grasping at straws?

Pomegranate Hunt

You may think that this is as funny as this post gets, but you’d be wrong. According to the OP, they never ended up finding a pomegranate. They even checked a particular gas station but they, too, didn’t have any pomegranates because they weren’t in season at that point.

Pomegranate Hunt

When the poster returned to the office, though, their boss was eating a Subway sandwich. He seemed to have forgotten that he had even sent the OP on this mission — a very Michael Scott thing to do.

Improvised Comedy Gold

After reading this post, we might as well have been watching the third season premiere of The Office, “Gay Witch Hunt”. During this episode, Michael discovers employee Oscar Martinez is gay and ends up outting him to the entire office.

Improvised Comedy Gold

Naturally, no one in the office makes a big deal about it… except for Michael. Fun fact that some of you may not know — the scene in which Michael and Oscar hesitantly share a kiss wasn’t actually scripted and was, in fact, an improvised moment courtesy of Steve Carell.

”Yo Soy Cancun”

If you’re a fan of The Office, then this post probably reminds you of the episode entitled “Michael Learns Spanish”, in which Michael tries a rather unorthodox approach to learning Spanish to prepare for his trip to Cancun.

”Yo Soy Cancun”

Sure, he wasn’t necessarily learning the language to be able to communicate with an employee, but he was interacting with his employees in Spanish — or trying to, at least. Let’s just hope that the OP’s boss didn’t fill his office with genitalia-covered post-it notes in order to learn how to use the feminine and masculine nouns.

Loud Noises!

This specific incident might not have been an episode of The Office, but anyone who knows the show has seen Michael Scott throw some fits.

Loud Noises!

From his iconic “NO, G-D! PLEASE NO! NOOOOOOOOOO” when realizing that Toby had returned to Dunder Mifflin after having moved back from Costa Rica, to screaming at everyone to stay calm during Dwight’s surprise fire drill, Michael has certainly made his voice heard. Still, it sounds like this OP’s boss has a bit more of a temper than our beloved Mike.

”I Have to Be Liked”

Alright, people. Anyone who claims that they’re a Jim probably isn’t a Jim. Jim is cool, calm, and collected — meaning that he really has nothing to prove to anyone.

”I Have to Be Liked”

This OP deeply believes that their boss actually resembles Michael Scott, to the point that they even included a quote from the first episode of season four, “Fun Run”. If that is indeed the mantra that the OP’s boss lives by, then he probably is the real-life version of the PA branch manager that we’ve all grown to love.

Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me

Leave it to someone oblivious to find a rotting banana in their bag after leaving it in there for weeks on end. Michael Scott may have not done this specifically but he’s certainly as unobservant as this OP’s boss and so, we can understand why this person wrote this post, to begin with.

Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me

The best (or worst) part about this whole thing is that, in true Michael-esque fashion, the boss then tried to deny that the fruit flies were because of him. Well, how else would they have gotten there?

Same Same But Different

Usually, when you cover someone’s shift, you’re supposed to get paid for the hours that you work. We guess that because the OP was covering for their employer and not some co-worker, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage.

Same Same But Different

The head honcho first offered the OP $50 to cover his shift. Then, rather than giving the OP the cash that was promised, “Michael” here handed over a comic book that he claims is worth $50. Hmmm, something sounds a little fishy.

What in Tarnation?!

Alright, we’d understand this boss’ freak-out had he not purchased everything himself. But, considering that he did buy everything and proceeded to stuff it all inside a closet, we can’t help but shake our heads.

What in Tarnation?!

This OP’s boss sounds like he’s very forgetful. Does that remind you of anyone in particular? Ding, ding, ding! That’s right — Michael Scott!

The Dwight to My Michael

Not only does our beloved Michael seem like he’s losing it at times, but we can also totally see him spending so much time in the sauna that he ends up passing out. And who better to rescue him than his trusty sidekick, Dwight Schrute?

The Dwight to My Michael

We guess that makes this OP’s brother the Dwight of his company. But, nothing really gets us as much as the fact that Mrs. Michael Scott wants the street to be swept once a week.

Character Description?

If we didn’t know any better, we’d say that this is the actual character description of Michael Scott from the original script.

Character Description?

Everything from his wisecrack jokes to relying heavily on his employees, and even reading people’s resumes aloud so he can laugh at their previous job experience — this just screams Michael Scott. Alas, it is not a character description but rather a real story told by a Reddit user who actually had this boss.

Divorce Party

While Michael Scott may have never gotten a divorce, viewers definitely did get a good look at his tumultuous relationship with none other than Jan Levinson (played by Melora Hardin).

Divorce Party

It’s safe to say that Michael and Jan had a chaotic, on-and-off fling that was complicated by Michael’s stupidity and Jan’s mood swings. And if anyone remembers season four’s “Dinner Party”, then you’ll agree that their violent breakup might as well have been a divorce.

Play Along

We don’t know about you guys but after reading this story, we had to think of Nellie Bertram (portrayed by Catherine Tate). She first appears as a guest star in the seventh season, where she interviews for the Regional Manager position at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch.

Play Along

She’s displayed as a crass, rude, irrational, and professionally/socially inept woman — basically a female version of Michael Scott. In any event, we can totally imagine Nellie spinning around in a new outfit, and fishing for compliments.

The Roast of Michael Scott

Hmmm, this story sounds oddly familiar. Does anyone remember “The Roast of Michael Scott,” when Darryl (played by Craig Robinson) calls Michael out for not knowing the name of one of the other warehouse guys?

The Roast of Michael Scott

His name is Michael, also! Naturally, because our Michael Scott is who he is, he screams out “Jefferson” when Darryl asks what the warehouse guy’s name is. We wonder if the OP has ever seen this episode. If he has, we sure hope he showed it to his boss.

Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe, or Pizza by Alfredo?

This definitely sounds like a Michael Scott move. Let’s just hope this OP’s boss didn’t kidnap the pizza delivery boy as Michael did during season four’s “Launch Party”. Don’t remember?

Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe, or Pizza by Alfredo?

We’ll recap (spoiler alert) — Angela plans a launch party of the new Dunder Mifflin Infinity website, which Michael then scraps to plan his own party. He ends up ordering pizza from the wrong restaurant. When the pizza arrives and the pizza delivery guy doesn’t honor Michael’s coupon, he decides to hold the teenaged delivery boy hostage.

That’s What She Said

How many times did Michael Scott say “that’s what she said” throughout the series? Don’t worry — we counted. Michael uses the joke 44 times, and that’s not including the times other characters have used the phrase. Now, this joke has caused plenty of issues in Michael’s life, as he was reported for harassment.

That’s What She Said

So, basically, this OP’s boss shouldn’t just dismiss claims about one of the partners doing the same thing. Men don’t say things like that unless they lack a moral compass, and this OP shouldn’t have to take it as a compliment.

Focus, Michael!

Leave it to Michael Scott — or a Michael Scott-esque person — to get distracted by shiny candy wrappers. On the one hand, it has to be pretty frustrating for all the employees in the office to put up with these kinds of interruptions, especially if they’re in the middle of an important meeting.

Focus, Michael!

On the other hand, though, it’s a perfect way to deflect your boss’ attention when they’re busy yelling at you and your colleagues.

Jim May Be on to Something

This isn’t the first time that we’ve spoken about Michael’s color chart, and it probably won’t be the last — ya know, considering that most of the bosses on this list take after the King of Procrastination himself! Take this guy, for instance.

Jim May Be on to Something

During this OP’s time on the job, their boss spent his days doing nothing besides wandering around the office (19% procrastinating) and making conversation (80% distracting others)… all whilst the Dwight Schrute of the company did the heavy lifting. Sounds about right.

Check!

Whether or not you’re a stickler for organization, there’s no denying that checklists can play an integral role in how productive your day turns out to be. Being able to complete a task and check it off your list of things to do is easily one of the best feelings.

Check!

Even so, it’s hard to understand why this OP’s boss placed such an emphasis on the checklist his employees were using. Perhaps your staff would perform differently if they had a better manager…

Old Man Michael Scott

So, basically, what this OP is really telling us is that her boss is the future, 70-year-old version of Michael Scott. And we all know that the older and older Michael gets, the crazier he becomes.

Old Man Michael Scott

This could explain why this OP’s boss claimed that he invented Apple computers before Steve Jobs, held a knife-throwing contest, and came to the office wearing nothing but leopard print underwear and a pink cowboy hat.

The Best of Michael

Now, just because the other stories on this list are quite shocking doesn’t mean that people can’t also have good experiences with Michael Scott-like bosses! Take this OP, for instance.

The Best of Michael

They worked for a manager that genuinely cared about his employees’ well-being — which is not something you come across all too often. From the sounds of it, this OP and his co-workers only got the best of Michael Scott whilst being able to avoid the worst of him.

Stayin’ Alive

We’ll just say it — Michael Scott doesn’t belong anywhere near patients of any kind. After all, he couldn’t even pass the CPR class that he arranged for the office after Stanley suffered a heart attack. Anyway, even though the ‘big man’ in this story isn’t actually Michael Scott and is indeed a licensed dentist, something just doesn’t feel right.

Stayin’ Alive

Perhaps it’s the fact that this so-called dentist sent a patient home after pretending that their tooth had healed itself. And why? So he could have an hour of free time to throw the ball around.

Vroom, Vroom

It goes without saying that different countries have their own set of road rules. Even so, if this OP’s boss didn’t know how to drive in Germany, then he probably doesn’t know how to drive at all. Perhaps he’s originally from the UK?

Vroom, Vroom

Still, all you need to know in this case is to drive on the opposite of the road. Anyway, we’re not entirely sure how he hit eight cars! All we do know is that we’re not surprised that this boss tried to write his accident off on the company. Michael, is that you?

I’ve Got it Covered

In many companies, employees are expected to climb the ladder until they’ve reached a desirable managerial position. Now, even if this may have been the case for this OP’s boss, it’s obviously been a while since he’s had to step back into the shoes of one of his employees.

I’ve Got it Covered

And that’s okay — sometimes you just need to refresh your memory! But, when you’ve failed to help one customer after 30 minutes, perhaps you should let your trusty staff member step in…

Just Spread False Gossip

Like many of the other items on this list, Michael Scott may have not done these specific things per se, but he may as well have. Does the first episode of the sixth season — “Gossip” — ring a bell?

Just Spread False Gossip

Michael literally spreads a rumor that Stanley is having an affair before spreading a series of other false rumors to try to convince everyone that the original wasn’t true. No, it wasn’t a rumor about a hookup with some underage employee, but it still sounds like this OP’s boss is the epitome of Michael Scott.

Too Self-Aware

Yep — clearly we’ve got Michael Scott right here considering that he can’t even spell his first name right!

Too Self-Aware

But still, even if this OP cannot believe that his company made him a manager, he’s far too self-aware and owns up to his lack of knowledge… so much so that he can’t possibly be the Michael Scott of his company. We mean, our beloved Mike is the least self-aware person we know.

Keep Your Employees Happy

Well, that meeting escalated quickly, wouldn’t you guys say? After all, it all started with a small complaint and ended with a highly vivid threat. We hate to say it but this OP’s boss is bordering along the lines of crazy… and not Michael Scott crazy.

Keep Your Employees Happy

It’s no wonder why the OP considers this to be one of their worst job experiences ever. Here’s a message for all you employers and managers out there — the happier your employees are, the better life will be for everyone. Their mental well-being is so important and we can’t stress that enough!

Not Even Funny

We all know someone that lacks complete self-awareness, whether or not they’re our boss. Unfortunately, this OP had the real-life version of Michael Scott as a manager — and not in a funny way.

Not Even Funny

Not only did he make outwardly insulting jokes to put down the OP but he also stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. There’s no need for your unsolicited advice, rude names, or persistence to stay inside the country when you know full-well what your employee’s goals are.

What’s the Cloud?

Like it or not, people, but times are constantly changing. With the continuing advancement of technology comes endless social media platforms.

What’s the Cloud?

So, it goes without saying that this OP’s boss should have hopped on board and welcomed the internet with open arms. We have no idea whether or not the business ended up closing, being that the OP worked there back in 2012. But, let’s hope that this old-school boss has since changed his ways if his company is still up and running.

Safety Training

What better way to connect this post to Michael Scott than to discuss a season three episode called “Safety Training.” In the episode, Michael attempts to prove that life in an office is just as dangerous as the warehouse after Darryl injures himself and hounds Michael about it.

Safety Training

Eventually, Michael ends up on the roof of the building, where he then tries to show that depression caused by office life can lead to desperate and even fatal circumstances. We don’t know what’s worse — this or the active shooter idea that the OP’s boss came up with.

Nailed It!

What the…? Anyone capable of shooting themselves in the leg with a nail gun should not be anywhere near this kind of equipment. How did the OP’s boss even wind up where he did, in that kind of position?

Nailed It!

What makes this even worse is the fact that the OP clearly has more experience with these types of tools than his so-called boss does. From the sounds of it, though, this OP didn’t stick around to work for the rookie but was rather reminiscing about the days where he had Michael Scott as a boss.

Crossing a Line

Let’s be real — harassment in the workplace is not uncommon, as sad as that is. More often than not, though, you usually hear about a male in power harassing a female employee that works below him.

Crossing a Line

In this turn of events, the OP’s female boss would shamelessly harass her subordinate any chance she got. And while we can’t even count the ways and times that Michael has been inappropriate in the workplace, we’re not sure he was ever this bad…

#MeToo

Here we go again with yet another boss who refuses to change with the times. Sure — we have to give him credit for holding a discourse about an extremely significant current event but perhaps he should learn the correct lingo before he starts discussing a matter.

#MeToo

Whether or not someone corrected him, we’re just glad that this happened during a staff meeting rather than at a student assembly.