‘Useless’ coworker accidentally deletes 15+ hours of employee's work when she finally decides to do her job: ‘I’m stuck having to redo everything’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Apr 8, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Do you have that one coworker who you watch do nothing during the workday, mess up when they actually decide to do their job (which isn't often), and the boss still loves them somehow? You've likely dealt with a colleague like this at least once in your life, and that's because underqualified employees exist everywhere in the workforce. If you have one on your team, it'll turn into a sour reflection of your work ethic, even though you know you're a top performer in your company. When you have a "useless" slacker on your team, all it takes is one big mess-up for you to open your eyes to just how much your coworker has impacted your work life.

In this next story, an employee is left frustrated after their clearly underqualified coworker deletes over 15 hours of completed work from a project their team was working on. The employee proceeds to explain how "useless" their coworker is in every capacity and is now going to their boss to light a fire under her. Scroll to read.

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  • If 15 hours of an urgent project you're working on were deleted, what would be your first reaction? Of course, you'd probably be in disbelief, possibly in the bargaining phase for a few minutes. Then, when it sets in, you'll try with everything in you not to jump across your desk and give your inept coworker a piece of your mind. But you expected them to mess up at some point, didn't you? They never were able to to anything on their own, and your instructions constantly fell upon deaf ears. It's time to go to the big boss, me thinks.

  • Cheezburger Image 10491178496
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Rant: the most useless coworker I ever had deleted 15+ hours of my work"

    TL;DR: My coworker, who's been unhelpful and always unavailable, deleted over 15 hours of work today. I've been asking her for help for two months, but today, when she finally showed up, she managed to wipe out everything.
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • I've been dealing with the most useless coworker for months now, and I'm finally at my wit's end. She's always late, never available, and has no idea how to
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • necessary do the job or use the software. For two months, I've been trying to get her to come in and help me and my other coworker with the work, but she's just not reliable.
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • Today, I was sick and couldn't help her when she finally showed up. She managed to delete a whole project that took over 15
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • hours to complete by me and my other coworker. We're on a huge deadline, and I didn't want to leave things to the last minute, but now I'm stuck having to redo everything.
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • elete Delete Delete Delete Delete De Delete Delete te Delete De Delete Delete Delete te Delete Delete Dele
    via Valeria Nikitina For Unsplash+
  • I repeatedly asked her to call me on the computer and share her screen so I could help her, but after 15 minutes of waiting, I ended up calling her on her
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • phone. And still, nothing got resolved. She just said she doesn't know how to use the software, so she won't be able to redo the work she lost. I'm so frustrated right now, and I don't know what to do.
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • And yes I did have a backup but I'll still have multiple hours of work to redo as I'm super busy and stressed about the deadline.
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • brownsdragon How does she have this job? What is your boss doing? Have you told them what's up?
    via brownsdragon
  • Responsible_Pop_5350 idk!!! but I think we'll be removing her from this project, and I hope my higher up agree because it's pretty much already done, work is just impossible
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • Federal_Pickles Coworkers like yours help ensure I have a job. But dang, I feel your pain. The backups are never the same as your working copy.
    via Federal_Pickles
  • johnfro5829 Sounds like weaponized incompetence to me
    via johnfro5829
  • Jedivulcangirl I would document everything and pass along the info with all the background info to the higher ups. What is she even doing in a job that she clearly isn't qualified for? If you can't use the software, are late and are unreliable I'm genuinely confused about how she is still employed with this company
    via Jedivulcangirl
  • Responsible_Pop_5350 I'm also genuinely confused. She has come in to work before, but only when my other colleague and I are already there. She often seems unsure of what to do or how to help, so she just waits for us to finish our tasks. If I need assistance, I have to explain every detail to her, and even then, she quickly forgets what I've told her. While not everything I do is technical, she never offers any suggestions or takes initiative...
    via Responsible_Pop_5350
  • Existing-Bug-2258 Report to management, refuse to support and get on with your own job and make sure you feedback to management the timescales are moving to the right because two of you are doing the work of three. Hold that line.
    via Existing-Bug-2258
  • aclf555 This is weaponized incompetence at its best. I suggest you document everything, preferably getting her reluctance to help in writing from her, and share it with your manager. Or clearly assign a task to this person and if she doesn't do it, leave it. undone so the manager can see it too. Otherwise you're also setting the precedent that you'll do their work for them if they just drag their feet.
    via aclf555

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terrible coworkers antiwork workplace-stories work stories job work coworkers reddit story entitled people karma workplace reddit thread Reddit coworker entitled people in the workplace
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