I Poisoned a Whole Workplace

I told one lie about a senior colleague and let it circulate. I said they’d been investigated before and framed it as concern. That was enough. Trust collapsed across the department and people started protecting themselves. Decisions slowed, alliances formed, and suspicion became normal. The person eventually left under pressure, but the damage stayed. Promotions stalled, cooperation died, and morale never recovered. I watched it happen and never corrected the story. One sentence gave me leverage for years because no one wanted to be the one caught believing the wrong thing.