Coworker takes credit for employee's project in front of whole department, employee proves he's lying, leading to coworker's removal from project: ‘I started keeping receipts’

Why do any of the work when you can take credit for the hard work of someone else?

Wanting to prove your worth at work is great, and a testament to how worthy employees are in the workplace. Obviously, an employer would want to retain employees who go above and beyond on projects, rather than someone who barely even does the bare minimum. But even if you are an employee who belongs in the former group, that still does not guarantee you the acknowledgement or appreciation of your employer, because even if you do all the hard work, they do not necessarily see it, or even credit it to you. 

The question is, how can one prove that they are responsible for a job well done, and how do they keep others from taking credit for it?

When this employee was put on a big project with a new client, they knew they would give their all to ensure this project was successful, and they did. For months, they spent every single day on the job working on the strategy, the decks, the presentation; everything was being cared for. Then, on the day of the client presentation, the director, for some reason, credited the project's success to a different coworker, who didn't lift a finger to help build the project. And this coworker, to the hardworking employee's surprise, had no issues accepting the praises and taking the credit all to himself.

Instead of confronting the director and coworker on the spot, or even accepting their fate, this employee decided to play the long game. After the presentation, they went home and began gathering evidence to show they were responsible for the project and that the credit for its success belonged to them. They had every email, every Slack message, and every draft to prove that the coworker did nothing.

When another big project came to be, the director's first instinct was to give it to the undeserving coworker, but this time, the employee came prepared to prove that the coworker is not the right man for the job. Scroll down to read how the director reacted to these claims.