'You really can't win with her': Top Infuriating Coworker Stories of the Week (June 9, 2024)

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 9, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

Every office has an infuriating coworker, and they can really be the difference between a perfectly average day at work and the worst day of your life. 

This week, we have a variety of difficult team members that range from the entitled to the chaotic. The entitled ones tend to boss you around even when they are just slightly senior according to the company hierarchy. 

The chaotic ones, however, can be even worse, as these stories will show. Sometimes, you actually befriend your chaotic coworker, and you end up really liking them as a person. However, when they start to exhibit unhinged behavior at work, you begin to develop second-hand embarrassment for even being associated with them in any capacity. Then, you end up trying to distance yourself from your chaotic coworker, who has started to become branded as problematic, while maintaining the friendship outside of the office. Then, you learn that this is nearly impossible and that you either have to end the friendship entirely, draw boundaries, or one of you has to leave the company. I'm totally not speaking from personal experience (or am I?).

Keep scrolling below for this week's top infuriating coworker stories. When you're done, check out this post about a strict boss's bogus new policies.

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  • 01
    "Coworker dropped off her unwanted clothes in my cubicle"
    via TheStandingDesk
  • 02
    Coworker thinks she's getting $100K for a totaled Kia I have a coworker who got into a car accident last week. She was road raging and rear ended another driver, totaling her car and severely damaging the other car. She doesn't believe the police report, insisting she can't be at fault because the other driver "made her mad" so she had no choice but to tailgate them. That was delusional enough, but today she reached a whole new level.
    via u/HeWasBearFood
  • 03
    She was using a shared computer to look at new cars while at work today. So it was pretty easy to see what she was doing. I noticed she was looking at cars that are waaaaay more expensive than the car she totaled (2019 Kia Soul) and so I asked her if those were what she was looking to buy. She said yes.
    via u/HeWasBearFood
  • 04
    So naturally I asked "oh cool, so you must have a pretty decent amount for a down payment? Those are all upwards of $50K so you must have some cash to put down. That's great you can upgrade!" She looked at me like I was stupid and responded "no, I'm going to use my insurance payout to pay cash." My turn to look at her like she's dumb.
    via u/HeWasBearFood
  • 05
    "But you just said you don't have cash to put down. How will you pay cash for a BMW or Tesla if you only have the payout from your Kia?" To which she replied with this gem, while rolling her eyes at me. "Ummm, I have $100,000 of coverage so I'm just going to use some of that money to buy a nice car with cash." I questioned her more about that amount and she eventually told me she signed up for $100K of coverage for body damage.
    via u/HeWasBearFood
  • 06
    That's right. She thinks she's going to get a check for $100,000 on a totaled 5 year old Kia. Because her BODILY INJURY limit is $100K. She thinks Bodily Injury means the car's body. And that her insurance company is just going to cut a check for the limit and call it a day. Apparently several people in the office have told her that isn't what's going to happen but she doesn't believe anyone. I wish I could say she's young and naive. But she's over 40.
    via u/HeWasBearFood
  • 07
    Had to drop a coworker in the today, did not feel good My coworker is a great guy, but totally scatterbrained. You have the specifically tell him what you want, by when, then remind him to do it. If I didn't like the guy so much, I think I would find him totally infuriating.
    via u/worldworn
  • 08
    I've been working on something that needed to be presented last month, despite all my chasing, my coworker still didn't sent me the info. I took it on the chin with our boss and said that I was late, got a little bit of flack for it but not that much. He told me I needed it done first thing this morning.
    via u/worldworn
  • 09
    So I doubled down with my coworker set up a meeting and put everything in email, it's was crystal clear what he needed to do. Wouldn't even take that long. I got nothing sent over last week, and he decides to show up late today.
    via u/worldworn
  • 10
    I had no choice but to present what I had, and without being obvious I had to show the massive gap where his work should have been. Unsurprisingly I'm asked why I havn't finished, and I have to be truthful.
    via u/worldworn
  • 11
    My coworker, is kind of avoiding me. But did send over the info, after (I assume) he got chewed out by our boss. Really don't like to do it, but if you keep helping someone who can't prioritise you, even knowing you will get grief. Then you can't keep helping them.
    via u/worldworn
  • 12
    Co worker dropped off her unwanted clothes in my cubicle. My coworker late 50's women and I mid 20 women often talk about fashion and things of that nature were friendly but not THAT close. Recently she mentioned that she's bought clothes she no longer wants and that she would bring it in for me. I told her no thank you in various ways every time she's brought it up
    via u/One-Channel-7622
  • 13
    but today she brought in a bag and left it on my desk...... I'm confused, slightly offended and I don't want the clothes, just like I previously told her. What should I do?
    via u/One-Channel-7622
  • 14
    Boss says I need permission before planning a vacation I (25f) work at a local cafe. I have a boss who we will call Amy... she has major problems with needing to feel like she's in charge, even though all of us know that she is, and respect that she is. She gets very insecure when she feels like her authority is being threatened in anyway,
    via u/Cheesetouch123_
  • 15
    something as simple as asking a coworker how to do something while they're standing there instead of texting her. She also says we shouldn't be texting her at all unless it's an emergency so you really can't win with her.
    via u/Cheesetouch123_
  • 16
    I've worked here for almost 4ish years, and I am very good at my job (barista). Customers will compliment me to her, and she'll get angry with them and say something snarky like "well who do you think trained her?" Even though she didn't train me, but that's beside the point.
    via u/Cheesetouch123_
  • 17
    She's gone far enough to make one of our regulars so uncomfortable, he won't go back when she's there because of how she talked about me. Her newest rule for us, is that if we want to take a vacation in the future we need to ask her permission prior to booking for the vacation. Keep in mind, we don't get PTO, or
    via u/Cheesetouch123_
  • 18
    anything like that. So an example would be, if I wanted to go to Arizona for 4 days 6 months from now, I'd need to ask her permission first before booking my flight there. So I'd have to say like "Hey Amy, I want to go to Arizona in 6 months, is it okay if I book my flight?" Does this seem crazy or is it just me? We've always just done it where you can request the days off like 3 months in advance, because our schedules come out on a month to month basis.
    via u/Cheesetouch123_
  • 19
    EDIT: Wanted to add that she's the owner, we only have one person who has authority over us and it's her, I can't even make a complaint about her to anyone because she's the only owner, as it's a small business.
    via u/Cheesetouch123_

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terrible coworkers workplace-stories fired work stories toxic-workplace job work coworkers satisfying quitting story Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit company job interview interview toxic-work-environment
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