I asked him, “So why take mine?” and he said, “Because I still have to work the afternoon. I was getting dizzy…” Every dollar went to his wife’s care and his grandson. So he stopped feeding himself.
I told him to keep the lunch. Next week, I packed two. Told one coworker.
She told another. Within a month, food quietly appeared in the fridge on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No announcements.
Just containers with Dave’s name on sticky notes. Last spring, Dave’s grandson visited. He’d finished trade school.
He brought banana bread and said: “Thanks for feeding my grandpa so he could feed me.” Half the room had no idea what he meant. The ones who knew just smiled.
- My colleague, let’s call her Melissa, and I were up for the same promotion. I was preparing for the interview when I realized that not only had my files vanished but my laptop crashed as well.
I almost missed my interview when the invite disappeared. I was certain Melissa had something to do with it and was prepared to lodge a complaint with HR. But before I could, she knocked on my door and said, “Your hard drive was failing.
I recovered your files from the backup server.” She handed me a USB drive. The woman I’d suspected for weeks had spent her night saving my work. I got the promotion.
A week later, I found out her mom was in hospice. She’d been working late because going home meant waiting alone for the worst phone call of her life. She never asked for sympathy.
She just quietly helped the person who blamed her for everything. When a new position opened, I recommended her. She got it.
We’ve never talked about that night. But every year on the anniversary of her mom’s passing, I leave coffee on her desk. Some thank-yous don’t need words.
- My boss at my previous org was my biggest cheerleader.
Celebrated the victories, coached me through the tougher times. I reached the summit of what I could achieve at this org, so when I admitted that I would be searching for a new role, he actively supported and encouraged my growth. He gave me a stellar reference and cheered with me when I landed my new role.
I still get a text every 3-6 months or so, checking in. Managers like that are one in a million. ©
- When I was a shy 16yo and applying for an apprenticeship, the old gruff bloke interviewing me decided to give me a go. Years later I found out he had to fight the other managers to give me a chance.
They wanted the other kid who was more outgoing. They ended up putting us both on, outgoing kid quit 6 months later and I stayed on for 15 years. When the old gruff boss retired, he wrote me a recommendation letter that I still have to this day.
The kind words he wrote about my development and work ethic and the fact he wanted me to succeed has stayed with me always. We stayed in touch. He had a stroke a couple of years after retiring so I would go round to mow his lawns and clean gutters and listen to his yarns etc.
We are still in touch. He is turning 80 next week, and I’m now 35, and we have a lovely friendship still. ©
- My manager, Karen, was a nightmare! She micromanaged everything.
Once she even made me redo reports until late at night. I thought she hated me and almost quit. When she said she was leaving, I was so relieved.
But before she left she gave me a folder. Inside I found every report she’d made me redo—with annotations. Every correction, every late night, every revision documented as training.
Her note said: ” I have lung cancer. I knew I wasn’t going to be here to mentor you through your first year. So I crammed it into three months.
You’re ready now.” She died eight months later. I’m a manager now. I keep that folder in my desk.
When I have to push my team hard, I remember that sometimes tough love is just love in a hurry.
- Went on a trip last year and when I got back from my week away, the team asked how it all was. I was miserably sick the entire trip so was a bit bummed out but not unhappy to be back at work. Since I have young kids I had no sick leave to spare so was just going to have to live with the letdown of a holiday.
My CEO called me straight away and said, ‘I’m gifting you your whole holidays worth of leave back. Please plan to do something nice again. You deserve it…and take today for good measure.
It’s now my last week working here which has me thinking back on moments like that and how grateful I am to have worked here. ©
- My beautiful colleague, Natalie, gave me her washing machine because she was “upgrading.” She never admitted it but I think she upgraded a little earlier than she needed to so she could gift me her one. I had spoken about how hard it was moving out with nothing and how I was struggling and she knew this would be a big help. She even got her husband to deliver it and made sure it was all connected.
Something that may have been easy for her really helped improve my life. ©
- Two ladies I worked with barely knew me but after realising my bday was coming went out late at night to buy ingredients and stayed up to make me a cake. We weren’t even that close so that was really nice. They made me a pirate cake. ©
- Had a HR manager who I absolutely credit with saving my son’s life.
I was pregnant and having multiple panic attacks a day due to my working environment/direct manager. She investigated, immediately moved my role so I could work away from the stress and when she decided that she didn’t want work for the organisation anymore, she left, but continued to come in to see through my complaint and issues and assisted me to get approved for early maternity leave before she severed ties completely. ©
- A guy I work with worked as a cook before changing professions entirely. He made a list of everyone’s birthdays and will make them their favourite cake on that day.
Taking time to know what someone likes and celebrate them is elite behaviour. ©
These stories of fantastic colleagues are definitely heartwarming but on the other side of the coin, here are stories about 13 coworkers from hell who deserve their own HR file.
