'AITA for ratting out my assistant/colleague and getting her fired to save my own job?'

Attempting to ruin someone else's career will more often than not lead to personal and professional setbacks.

A 30-year-old project manager recently found himself in a dicey situation when a 39-year-old colleague attempted to sabotage his career by sending incorrect emails using his credentials.

However, her plan backfired when the project manager uncovered the truth and took action.

A 30-year-old man shares struggles after being promoted to project manager

Reddit user "Nubmuffin" recently shared a post on the "Am I the A**hole" forum with the title, "AITA for ratting out my assistant/colleague and getting her fired to save my own job?" The 30-year-old man started his post by admitting, "I know how it sounds, but please read before you judge." 

He went on to explain his work background, saying, "I've (30M) worked at my current employer for 3 years. Last year (March 2020) I received a promotion to Project Manager. In the beginning everything went well."

However, his troubles began, as he explained, "But in the last month I've been getting more and more negative feedback. I did not understand what was going on or why people were becoming so negative about me. I was losing clients and several colleagues were really upset with me." 

Struggling with the situation, he said, "I was at a loss. I started talking to my manager and my department head about following courses, getting monthly feedback to perform better . I just wanted to live up to the promotion I received. I felt like I was failing."

Man finds reason behind his struggles after a colleague confronted him

The turning point came when a colleague, a 27-year-old woman confronted him. "Then a friend/colleague (27F) of mine came to me angry and demanded that I apologise for what I said. I was really confused and asked her why she was so upset with me. She explained she received an e-mail where I was basically blaming her for the issues that I was dealing with. This was an e-mail a client forwarded her. I was at a loss and explained I never send out an e-mail like that," he wrote.

The man was baffled and asked to see the email, "She did and it had my name, my send address and everything seemed like it was from me, but I never send it. Then it clicked with me. My assistant (39F) has access to my e-mail and has the ability to send as me. She's also the ONLY one that has these rights. I was flabbergasted and so much started to make sense."

He went on to investigate further, saying, "I did. I checked all her sent mail on her pc (while she was out for lunch) and saw dozens of e-mails send as if it was me. An e-mail, still open on her screen, showed my e-mail address and a written message to clients with missinformation, passive aggressiveness and straight up lies.These were send out under MY NAME."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he said, "I made screenshots and send them to myself, then went to my manager and the head of the department. They....were....pissed. She was fired that same day. I was relieved and all my colleagues were informed."

Despite feeling justified in his actions, the man expressed confusion over the backlash he received: "I thought I was completely in the right here, but some people at work are complaining that I violated company policy for snooping on her PC and violating her privacy."

He shared the support he received from his office, saying, "My boss and direct colleagues have my back, but the people that knew her (she has worked there since 2011 and I've only been here since 2018) say I went to far. Apparently she's a single mother with 2 kids and needed this job." 

He went on to explain why he felt justified in his actions, adding, "I also need this job and she was more than willing to sacrifice me for her benefit, I don't see how I could be in the wrong for defending myself. Maybe I'm just to close to the situation to see it? Did I go to far by going on her PC?"

He questioned, "AITA for snooping on my assistants PC and with it breaking a privacy policy of the company, to prove she was sabotaging me and getting her fired while saving my own job?"

Project manager has a happy ending after an hour-long meeting

The project manager then provided an update on the situation, saying, "Update: They just let me know they are holding a meeting to clarify what exactly happened. They were catching on to the people that weren't happy about her being fired and they want to quell any issues before they start taking root. I'll update again once the meeting is over."

After the meeting, he shared a second update: "Meeting took about an 1,5 hour and after that I was in and out of talks with colleagues and other people. It was properly explained what she was doing and has done to me and the company."

He described, "The attitude towards me noticeably changed in a positive direction, with a lot of people apologizing to me and explaining they've known her for years, were friends and could not imagine she actually did something like this."

He expressed his satisfaction with how things were handled, saying, "Honestly, I’m happy it ended up this way. HR and my boss really had my back and took proactive steps to prevent any lingering negativity. I can’t say enough good things about them."

He then shared his plans moving forward: "I've requested some time off, which was approved and I'll be home for a week starting next week. Per my request/advice they are also going to revise (or at least look at) the company policy regarding access to other people's e-mails and other security issues I've noticed. It'll probably be the last update for now, I might make an update post if anything significant happens. Thank you all again."

Internet backs project manager whose career almost got ruined

After reading about the struggles of a man who was nearly sabotaged by a colleague, the Internet has come down hard on the woman who tried to destroy his career.

One user wrote, "NTA. She was trying to screw over your career through lies and deceptions and you caught her and she received the correct punishment for her actions." 

The second user commented, "Exactly. She wasn’t just getting you fired. She was destroying your entire career. Those idiots defending her - ask them if they’d have been happy if she was trying to sabotage their career and livelihood. NTA." 

A person shared, "NTA. And please do not let your next assistant be able to send emails under your email again unless they auto cc to your real email. I’d just mix it period though." 

Another user wrote, "Exactly! She was committing fraud (pretending to be OP without his knowledge or consent), using company resources (computer, network, etc), and got caught. She & her friends are pissed that she is now experiencing the consequences of her actions. OP is 100% NTA."

One more supported original poster, "If even you broke rules to discover this unjustice, I'd say you were in the right... maybe I'm wrong in that thinking/since it wouldn't hold up in court, but I'd stand beside you. Def NTA." 

The last user added, "NTA, she got what she deserved. Who cares she worked there longer and is a single mother of two. If she so needs the job, then she should've taken into account possible scenarios her actions would lead to. This was one of them. Why should people pity someone for the situations they themselves put themselves into???"

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