Should I Confront a Coworker for Keeping My Bonus?

OP thought they were just doing a normal prep sweep before a management review, pulling up team awards and making sure everything looked right. Then they saw it, a bonus credit going to someone whose name is basically a typo away from theirs.

We’re talking “Pat E Pleta” versus “Pat E Pletta,” same vibe, different person. OP says this has happened at least five times, and they always returned the money they didn’t earn. The twist? This time, the other coworker took the payout and never said a word, even though OP claims they know it was their work.

Now OP is stuck deciding whether a polite email turns into petty drama, or finally puts the record straight.

Original Post

I’m not poor, not by any stretch of the imagination.  I am well off and small achievement awards and bonuses, while nice, won’t help me achieve my financial goals. In preparation for a management review, I was reviewing team awards.

I noticed someone with a name very similar to mine got credit (and a payout) for achievements that were actually mine. Think “Pat E Pleta” vs.

“Pat E Pletta.” This isn’t the first time this has happened. I’ve gotten at least five bonuses I didn’t earn and always returned them (I have a common name).

This person didn’t. They just took the money and ran.

I don’t need or want the money, but it annoys the s**t out of me that they didn’t do the right thing. Would I be the a*****e if I emailed them to ask why they kept quiet?

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This bonus mix-up with the similar names, “Pat E Pleta” vs “Pat E Pletta,” is similar to the siblings arguing over sharing their inheritance equally.

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OP isn’t chasing the money, but seeing “their” achievements credited to Pat E Pletta again would make anyone’s eye twitch.</p>

The fact that OP returned at least five wrong bonuses, while this coworker kept theirs, is the part that feels extra unfair.</p>

If OP emails to ask why the coworker stayed quiet, it could turn a bonus mix-up into a full-on workplace side quest.</p>

Meanwhile, the comments are already buzzing with that classic Reddit energy, because everyone has a strong opinion about who should confront who over Pat E Pleta paperwork.</p>

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

OP might not want the bonus, but they definitely want the truth to stop getting credited to the wrong Pat.

Before you confront your coworker, read what happened when an OP tried claiming an estranged father’s inheritance.