Passive Aggressive Office Notes That Will Spice Up Your Day

Ashley - June 9, 2023

Photo: reddit.com

Dealing with office politics can make any worker dread returning to their cubicle, but with the right mindset, any day can easily be transformed into a source of spicy entertainment. It’s important to get down to business and be serious at work, but there’s no reason why you can’t have a little fun at the office! That’s why so many people have taken to writing these hilarious and passive-aggressive office notes. From sandwich thieves to inconsiderate parking spot hogs, someone at the office always needs a reminder about how their behavior impacts others. Rather than confront them directly, try leaving them an anonymous note that expresses your dissatisfaction! Here are some of the best office notes we’ve found scattered across the internet. Hopefully, you get a laugh out of these and a little inspiration.

No Office Romance

Sharing a lunch room with a large group of people always leads to some disagreements. Someone in this office left a nice note reminding their fellow workers to date the food cans for safety reasons. The person who wrote the second note wanted to make a play on their choice of words and wrote back that the food cans only think of them as a friend. You definitely don’t want to mix work and romance, so this cheeky note almost definitely got a laugh out of the person who left the original note. It is important to date your food cans, though, so hopefully they changed their ways after this interaction!

NEXT >>

The Printer Is Bob Marley

Most office workers will agree that their equipment is never fully functional. Copiers and printers are always breaking down, and it can be frustrating when you’re struggling to get your work done. Someone in this office was clearly tired of dealing with the printer constantly jamming, so they decided to give the printer some personality. They (ironically) printed out this note and taped it to the printer to let everyone know that the printer’s new name was “Bob Marley.” Why? Because it’s always jamming!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

No More Singing!

It’s impossible to get through a day without hearing someone make a pop culture reference. Whether people are referencing a popular tv show or a new movie, you’re likely to hear about it until the fanfare dies down. After the release of Frozen, this office apparently experienced a breakout of people singing the popular songs from the movie. Anyone who had kids was probably forced to watch this movie a few dozen times, so they had no choice other than to sing the songs to keep them from being stuck in their heads. You know your workers are struggling to stop thinking about this movie when you need to keep a record of how many days it’s been since the last person broke into song!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Don’t Tap The Glass

We all know not to touch the glass when visiting zoos and aquariums. You don’t want to startle the sensitive creatures inside, but this office apparently has some highly sensitive workers. A person walked passed the IT department in their office and immediately had to take a picture of this sign. The sign warns people not to tap on the glass or else the IT workers will cry. Violently. Also, the sign recommends singing “Ave Maria” while entering slowly to avoid upsetting the sensitive workers. Can we put this on our door too?

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Getting Philosophical In Here

An office isn’t the place where you’d typically expect to have deep, philosophical questions thrown at you, but this office is the exception. A printer was moved temporarily into this room, and one of the workers attached a sign to let others know that it would only be there for a short while. Someone in the office took this as the perfect opportunity to pose an intense metaphysical question. They left a sticky note that reads, “In the grand scheme of things, aren’t we all?” We hope people already had their morning coffee before they came across that note!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

New Office Trend

We’ve arrived at a note left by a food thief! Normally, you see passive-aggressive notes left by the victim of a food thief, but this person wanted to boldly emphasize their desire to eat other people’s foods. The meme they taped to the fridge reads, “Strange new trends at the office. People putting names on food in the company fridge. Today I had a tuna sandwich named Kevin.” It sounds like poor Kevin is the victim of a very bold food thief! Hopefully, he finds a way to protect his tuna sandwich in the future.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

We Are Already Disturbed

Teachers are always encouraging their students to come forward with any questions or concerns. Sometimes, students feel awkward about approaching their teacher outside of class, and this teacher wanted to make sure his students always felt comfortable coming to him. He posted a note on his office door that read, “We are already disturbed… please come in.” That’s one way to put your students at ease! Where was this teacher when we were in school?

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Snooty Font Police

It’s not uncommon for a worker to request their door is left closed. Most people just need to let their coworkers know and their wishes will be respected, but other times, it’s helpful to post a note. However, someone in this office took offense to the font in the original note. The snooty font police posted a note underneath the original that says, “Please don’t use Comic Sans. We are a Fortune 500 company- not a lemonade stand.” The person who left the second note sounds a little uptight. The original person should respond with another note written in Comic Sans, just to get on the snotty font police’s nerves!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

A Mother’s Love

No matter how old her children get, a mother can’t help but love her children. Part of that love involves a deep desire to take care of her children, even when they’ve moved out and gotten their own space. One loving mom stopped by her adult child’s apartment and ended up cleaning their dirty dishes for them. Before she left, she made sure to leave them a passive-aggressive note that they would be sure to notice. She’s clearly experienced in the delicate art of dropping a mom guilt trip on her kids. We bet she got a phone call as soon as her kid got home!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

A Great Sense Of Humor

There’s nothing worse than heading into the office bathroom and seeing someone’s business left behind. Sometimes it’s helpful to post a little note reminding everyone to make sure they flush when they’re done. Most people would ignore the note, but this office is clearly filled with people who have a great sense of humor. Taking the note literally, everyone who used the bathroom began leaving a checkmark on the note when they were done. This is a level of hilarious passive aggression we should all aspire to achieve.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Why Are There Two?

It’s important to have working equipment in the office, and especially in the lunch room. Everyone needs to eat, and workers will get tired of cold sandwiches really quickly. Having a couple of microwaves in the break room sounds like a great idea until you have to post a note explaining that only one can be used at a time. If this is the case, they probably should have just put one microwave in the room. One of the office employees responded to the note by saying, “Why are there two?!” It’s a reasonable question. We wonder if anyone ever removed the second microwave.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

The Most Childish Response

Do you remember playing on the playground as a kid and having a screaming match with the other kids? One kid screams, “Don’t touch me!” while the others stand around and get as close to them as possible without actually touching them. This office appears to have a similar situation going on, but instead of a bunch of kids, it’s a reindeer mug and a group of adults. Someone posted a note reminding their coworkers not to touch their mug. The coworkers responded by taking a picture of each of them touching the mug and posting that along with a note that says, “We can’t help it. It’s so beautiful.” It’s pretty childish but also hilarious. Hopefully, the owner of the mug got a laugh out of this!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

The Great Coffee Debate

Rarely do we get to see such a fine example of office debates, but this note exchange is a hilarious example of how intensely people will defend their opinions in the office. But it’s all in good fun, of course! This exchange goes back and forth about whether strong or weak coffee is better. Working in an office, you know everyone here has a strong coffee preference. It’s what helps them get through their day and be productive! We love the humor and intensity of these office notes.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

I Will Consume Your Soul

When you work in an office, you can expect some of your supplies to get taken by your coworkers and never returned. Pens are the most frequent victims of this behavior. Many people probably think it’s fine because pens are inexpensive and easy to replace, but it can definitely get annoying to replace your pens constantly. One office worker decided to put an end to the pen thievery with a very unique threat. He posted a note that said, “If you don’t put my pens back I will consume your soul. Thanks for understanding.” It’s the “thanks for understanding” part that really made us crack up!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

That Was Unexpected

Most of the passive-aggressive notes we’ve come across are more funny than mean, but this one instantly made the situation awkward. A worker casually left a note in the break room mentioning that they missed the ice machine they used to have. Someone left another sticky note underneath that says, “Remember when we used to confront and resolve our issues rather than passive-aggressively posting sticky notes? Pepperidge Farm remembers.” Yikes, that was a little too intense. Clearly, the second note poster needs to chill out a little. Perhaps an ice machine would help with that!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Can’t Step Away For 10 Minutes

There’s always one person in an office that becomes the go-to person for everyone else. It’s usually someone older who has been with the company for a long time and can happily answer any question you have. Chaos reigns when this person leaves their office for even a short time. One such worker attempted to step away from his office for ten minutes and even posted a note saying they could be found at reception. When they returned, they found multiple notes left by their coworkers, wondering where they are and stating that they miss them. It might seem a little overbearing, but at least this person knows they’re well-liked by their coworkers!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

For The Office Rat

There is something about having your food stolen that really grinds people’s gears. We’ve all heard about the classic revenge stories of people making sandwiches with strange ingredients to call out and embarrass the thief, but some people prefer to take a more direct approach. One worker brought in a chicken leg and left it in the break room, along with a very intense note. The note explains the chicken leg is just for the office rat. If the person who’s been stealing food actually eats this, they clearly have no shame! Hopefully, they got the point and stopped stealing people’s food after this.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Holding The Pen Hostage

Here is yet another example of what happens when someone steals their coworker’s office supplies. An email went around this office one day explaining that a pen was taken and asking the thief to return it to its rightful owner. The following day, this message appeared in the break room. It’s a ransom note! The pen thief is demanding $50 from the owner before they return the pen. The owner must follow the kidnappers’ instructions to the letter if they want their precious pen returned. This is one way to spice up your monotonous day at the office.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

It’s Special Ice

The summer months can be brutal for workers, even if an office has decent air conditioning. It’s nice to grab a drink from the break room and add a few ice cubes to cool off during a heatwave, and most people aren’t too picky about their ice. However, one coworker brought some ice from home and left a note requesting his coworkers not touch his ice. One of his coworkers responded with their own note, saying, “You are very strange!” It is a little strange to bring your own ice to the office every day, but maybe this person made special ice with a little lemon water or something.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Dishes Don’t Do Themselves

One of the downsides of enjoying meals in an office lunchroom is having to deal with everyone else’s dirty dishes. No one wants to do their coworker’s dishes, and it’s super annoying to have to clean an entire sink full of dishes just to rinse out your mug after using it. One worker decided to give his coworkers a helpful reminder by posting a note on top of the sink that says, “Dishes don’t do themselves!” If only dishes did do themselves! It seems like doing dishes is a never-ending chore at work and at home. Maybe offices should invest in a good dishwasher for their break rooms!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

A Community Complaint Board

One office refrigerator became a community complaint board when a food thief struck the office. People began posting sticky notes complaining about their food getting stolen. One person’s yogurt even got stolen eight times! That’s pretty ridiculous. Rather than feeling ashamed of his actions, the food thief make a bold move. He posted his own sticky note on the fridge that reads, “Please put new food in fridge. Getting bored of the same old stuff.” That person needs to put their audacity back where they found it and start bringing in their own food!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

That Escalated Quickly

The easiest way to inform everyone in the office of a policy change is by posting a note, right? Well, this person tried to let everyone know to stop putting thumbtacks in the wall, but they were immediately called out when someone posted a sticky note on their sign with a question mark pointing to the thumbtacks used to hold up the sign. The situation quickly escalated from there and ended with a declaration that there were no more purple stick notes allowed in the office. We bet everyone in the office was watching and waiting to see what would be posted next!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Sorry, Not Sorry

Newsrooms are notorious for being go-go-go 24/7. People have to eat, but the resulting smell is something that this worker clearly didn’t want to deal with anymore. They posted a passive-aggressive note asking everyone to throw away their food in the hallway trash so the newsroom would stop smelling like day-old ketchup all the time. It’s not an unreasonable request, but apparently, someone in this office took offense. They wrote the word, “sorry” on the note, but they used ketchup to write it! That’s going to start to stink up the place pretty quickly. The original note leaver was probably forced to take down his note. We wonder how he responded to the ketchup lover’s antics.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Debbie Is The Food Thief

Most people who steal their coworkers’ food are pretty sneaky about it. Often, it’s nearly impossible to catch someone sneaking another person’s food, especially if they’re careful about it. However, some people simply have no shame and will take anyone’s food to the fridge whenever they feel like it. Clearly, Debbie’s reputation in this office proceeds her. Everyone who brings food to leave in the fridge posts a note on top saying, “Not Debbie’s.” We wonder if this actually stopped Debbie from eating other people’s food or if she merely got a chuckle tearing these notes off as she continued to munch on someone else’s tuna sandwich.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

A Savage Response

When people truly want to remain anonymous, they know better than to leave handwritten notes or anything that can be traced back to them. One office posted a note reminding everyone that meals were bought and brought in by employees for themselves. If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t eat it! A truly savage food thief left the perfect response. Using letters cut from magazines, they left a note that said, “Your toaster strudel was delicious.” We can just hear their deranged laughter as they created this note. The people in this office better watch themselves around this person!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Beautiful Sarcasm

Sarcastic humor is an acquired taste that you either vibe well with or you don’t. Some people are driven crazy by this sense of humor, but we can appreciate it in this instance. Someone posted a note saying that their office had gone zero days without sarcasm. Unfortunately for the note poster, they spelled the word sarcasm wrong. This prompted the perfect response underneath- “Nice spelling!!” We wonder if the person who posted this note threw it out and replaced it with one that’s spelled correctly.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Now, We’re Tempted

Telling people not to do something often has the opposite response. The person who posted the original note was trying to give his coworkers a friendly warning about not using the microwave, although they didn’t explain why. We can only assume the microwave was broken, but without a specific reason for why they can’t use the microwave, everyone became even more tempted to do exactly what they were told not to do. Someone added these helpful illustrated notes to explain exactly what happens when you tell people not to do something. Maybe next time the original note leaver will simply place an out-of-order sign on the microwave.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Is Your Name Dave?

Most people will put their name on a sticky note to reserve their food in a company fridge, but that doesn’t always work out as intended. One office worker brought in a few bottles of delicious green tea. He put a strip of paper across the bottles that say, “Is your name Dave?” That’s kind of a passive-aggressive way of identifying the drinks are yours, and it totally backfired in this case. Someone else in the office named Dave left a sticky note next to the teas that said, “Yes, my name is Dave! Thanks for the free drink! Daves 4 life!” You should probably make sure no one else shares your name before you try this method!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

A Little Entitled

Keeping your food separate from others is understandable, but most people simply write their name on a sticky note, attach it to their lunch, and leave it at that. One person felt the need to reserve an entire drawer in this refrigerator just for themselves. They made sure to specify on the note that this drawer contains food just for them and no one else. One of their coworkers was obviously bothered by the strong sense of entitlement Elaine felt and decided to leave a note on the drawer next to hers, stating that everything else in the fridge belongs to everyone else. Lunches in this office must be a bit awkward!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Nice Try, Redbull Guy

When most people take something that doesn’t belong to them out of the office refrigerator, they try to be sneaky about it. They’ll either try to take something that they think will go unnoticed, or they’ll simply take whatever it is and throw away the wrapper without saying anything. The Redbull thief in this office made a bold move and actually created a Redbull can with paper and pen to replace the one they took. Maybe the original Redbull owner got a laugh out of it and wasn’t too mad. But Redbulls are expensive, so there better be five bucks in that roll of paper!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

They Have A Hand Washing Problem

Having a drawer full of communal spoons is a great idea for offices that struggle with people leaving their utensils at home or not doing the dishes. However, it can create a hygiene problem if the workers refuse to wash their hands before reaching in and grabbing a spoon. This office had to put out not one but two notes reminding workers to use the spoon scoop rather than their hands when grabbing a spoon. It seems a bit too much, but we suppose it’s better than dealing with a germy draw full of spoons!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

RIP Cricket

Most offices have some janitorial or housekeeping staff to keep the carpets vacuumed and the dust out of sight. But every once in a while, housekeeping will miss something crucial, and it creates the perfect opportunity for bored office workers to add a little fun to their day. This person’s office had housekeeping come in nightly, but one morning they discovered a dead cricket in the corner that was left behind. The situation snowballed into a full-blown memorial for the deceased cricket. We wonder how housekeeping felt about this memorial when they arrived later that night!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

The Ultimate Way To Quit

Quitting a job is never easy, especially when you’ve worked in the same place for a long time. You develop relationships with your coworkers, and sometimes leaving the company feels like you’re leaving people that rely on you. Many people will bring in cards for their coworkers when they quit, or they’ll have a little going-away party with a nice cake. The cake usually will say something like, “Good luck!” or “We’ll miss you!” But this person brought in their own cake that simply says, “I’m leaving. Sorry for your loss.” We can’t help but cackle at the delicious passive-aggressive displayed on this cake.

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Stop Breaking The Printer

People often get frustrated when equipment around the office doesn’t work properly. Printers are a frequent target of this office rage, especially when you’re on a deadline and desperately need to print something. While many workers have learned to deal with this annoyance, others struggle to control their rage. Clearly, someone started spamming the print button pretty hard on this printer to cause the type of damage seen in the photo. A fellow worker stepped in with some sarcastic advice. They left a note that said, “If you push it harder, it will print faster.” Hopefully, they get someone in to fix that printer quickly before any of the other office equipment gets a taste of this person’s rage!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

With Great Fragrance Comes Great Responsibility

No one wants to deal with the overwhelming scent of fragrance while trying to use the bathroom. While it’s helpful for offices to have some Febreze or other air freshener on hand, it can also create an issue where people are spraying way too much. Apparently, someone in this office was getting a little air freshener happy, and a coworker decided to give them a little advice via this note. It reads, “I’m powerful, please spray lightly.” And then there’s a picture of a spider with the phrase, “With great fragrance comes great responsibility” underneath. It definitely made us laugh, and hopefully, it made the air freshener enthusiast spray with a more gentle hand!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Don’t Spoil The Milk

Most people know that milk spoils very quickly. The only way to prevent this is to keep it in the fridge with the door fully closed. After leaving a note informing the rest of their office of this, one worker returned to find this hilarious and passive-aggressive note attached to theirs. Someone drew a carton of milk with sunglasses that said, “My dad buys me anything I want.” That’s not the type of spoiled the original note leaver meant, which makes it a hilarious response!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Differing Priorities

This note posted on the OP’s office door is pretty simple. They request that people remember to close the door all the way so Rusty (who we assume is an office cat) doesn’t get out. Of course, people couldn’t help themselves and immediately started adding their own two cents onto the note. They mentioned that the door should stay closed to prevent the ac and Jay from escaping. Is Jay another cat? We love this type of silly, chaotic energy in the office. It’s the perfect way to break up a monotonous workday and have a little fun!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Too Rude

When someone in the office brings in a treat for everyone to enjoy, most people are grateful. However, there are always those outliers who see a kind gesture and decide that this is the perfect time to implement some well-placed chaos. A kind office worker brought in this delicious carrot cake for everyone to enjoy, but only a couple of slices were taken when this cake hater struck. Someone cut a piece right out of the middle of the cake and left a sticky note that says, “I do what I want.” This is just too rude!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Brian Is Not A Dishwasher

Finally, an office with a dishwasher! You’d think this would solve the problem of overflowing dirty dishes in the sink, but apparently, it doesn’t. Brian got fed up with his coworkers never cleaning their own dishes and decided to take a stand. He posted this note to remind his coworkers that the white machine with buttons on it is the dishwasher, not the balding middle-aged white man. We hope his coworkers started using the dishwasher after this note was posted!

<< Previous

NEXT >>

Please Do Better

We get it- no one enjoys washing dishes. But it’s a necessary part of life, and not doing your dishes can create an uncomfortable atmosphere at the office. We can’t imagine how disgusted this person must have been to discover visibly dirty and greasy dishes sitting in the clean rack right next to their clean dishes. It’s no wonder they decided to leave such a passive-aggressive note! But, hey, at least they said please!

<< Previous

Must Read

We Don’t Know How People Used To Live In These Historic Homes

Monica Gray - February 10, 2024

Vintage Items Inside Of Your Parents’ Home That’s Worth A Fortune

Lindsey - December 14, 2023

Terrible Home & Life Habits That Are Harming The Wildlife Around You

Monica Gray - December 6, 2023