Two-faced coworker constantly criticizes and condescends to new employee, while being incredibly friendly and kind to all other colleagues: ‘She’s everyone’s favorite… it gets harder to ignore’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Apr 10, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

We've all met the type of person who seems to have two personalities, saintly to the masses, devilish to you. But it's one thing when it's a friend of a friend or a distant relative and a totally different one when this person is a colleague. 

You can't just ignore it. It's like being in a workplace horror movie where everyone else sees rainbows and butterflies while you're left dodging passive-aggressive thorns disguised as feedback. 

Enter Jocelyn, a nurse whose management style is reminiscent of a drill sergeant crossed with a hall monitor. Sweet as the pastries in the break room to everyone else, but to you? A one-woman critique committee. 

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  • Workplace dynamics can be wild as it is, but throw in someone like Jocelyn, and suddenly, it’s a boot camp of side-eye and micromanagement. These people always save their condescension for an audience of one—you. To everyone else, they’re warm, approachable, and ready to bake brownies for team meetings. For you, it’s a play-by-play analysis of things like slamming doors or the correct way to touch a coffee machine, as though the fate of the business depends on it.

  • "I have a coworker who’s only mean to me….but insanely nice to everyone else"

    "I told the assistant manager and she couldn't believe it"
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I'm 3 weeks into a new job at a skincare clinic. I'm the receptionist staff/front desk with one other girl, an assistant manager, and my manager.
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  • We have three nurses who do the skincare treatments. One of the nurses, let's call her Jocelyn, has been weird with me since I started and I dread shifts with her.
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  • I learned pretty fast the ropes as my previous job had the same system. My manager and assistant manager have helped me out. My coworker who's the
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • other receptionist has been very patient and kind enough to pick me up for carpool to train me on how to open personally since I don't have a key yet.
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  • The two other nurses, let's call them Autumn and Mary, also very kind.
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  • Jocelyn was very nice to me at first but considering I was new, I was making mistakes. Not huge mistakes where it would affect
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • the nurses at all - just little things seem to set her off and she only says it when nobody is around.
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  • The doors are heavy and I went into the treatment room to give Jocelyn her current numbers. It slammed behind me pretty hard to my surprise. I quickly opened it and apologized.
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  • "Yeah - no need to slam the doors. It's loud and everyone can hear it."
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  • I told her it was an accident and apologized again. I went to the break room and we have a very fancy coffee machine in there.
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  • Jocelyn watched me as I struggled to use it and pressed the button. She sighed first then said
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  • "Just press the button once. Not 100 times or you'll break it."
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  • "Good to know - thanks for letting me know."
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  • "Yeah just be patient or it'll break."
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  • I laughed it off and joked "oh no, I wouldn't want to be known as the girl who broke this."
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  • In a serious tone she goes "Yeah we all paid for this before you got here so WE want it up and running." I haven't used the coffee machine since.
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  • These are some examples but it's constantly condescending and she's not my manager.
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  • "Don't have side conversations with a customer, close the door behind you, wipe this." And as an adult I just am getting fed up. -
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  • I didn't bring it up with my coworkers and she's everyone's favorite.
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  • Last night it was my first time closing alone and unfortunately Jocelyn had to supervise me closing. She's been there about 6 months and nurses work from opening to closing.
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  • I have closed with my coworkers but I never see them arm/disarm the alarm.
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  • When the last client left, I shut down the computer systems, turned off the music, emptied the trash into one bag, and charged all the electronics the next day.
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  • We close at 8 PM. Jocelyn had her bag ready and the big trash was ready to be taken to the big dumpster which is about a 1 minute walk.
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  • "Hey Jocelyn - can you wait here just 1 minute and I'll quickly toss the trash?"
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  • "You're supposed to take it as you lock the door behind you - everybody knows that."
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  • I grab my lunch box, my blazer, my purse, and this flipping trash bag with my hands full.
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  • I look at the alarm and its arrows. "Can I watch you disarm the alarm Jocelyn? I actually realized I've never watched anyone do it."
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  • "What do you mean? Haven't you closed so many times already? I've told the (managers name) how it's weird you're not already trained on closing."
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  • "I know how to close everything in the front but it's just the alarm I don't know." "You're supposed to do it all so you can learn and I'll just watch you."
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  • She watches me move these arrows around and it's not in alarm mode. She fiddles around - it's very obvious she doesn't know how to do it either. After 5- 6 swipes, she sets the alarm and sighs.
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  • I lock the door behind me, trash bag in hand with all my stuff and with my blazer, purse, lunch box, and trash bag - I head to the dumpster.
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  • I confided in the assistant manager today what a hard time Jocelyn gave me last night and she couldn't believe it.
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  • "She's literally the nicest person here - maybe she had an off day."
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  • It's constant side remarks and it gets harder to ignore it.
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management boss workplace-stories hr toxic-workplace manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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