Slacker coworker lightheartedly jokes about never completing job duties, employee seriously agrees and coworker explodes: ‘"You have issues!"’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
May 8, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

You probably have that one coworker—you know the one—who you wonder hasn't been fired yet. They don't seem to do anything but utilize their 9-5 for manicures, catching up with friends, and cooking a three-course meal in the office break room. Even still, you find yourself a bit envious. Their ability to go completely undetected by higher-ups is likely a virtuous gift given to them by the slacker gods themselves. In a certain way, they're artists. However, you are not, which means you're doing all of the work they fail to complete. This is when your admiration turns to envy, then to complete anger. It's time that someone calls them out.

In this next story, a slacker coworker seems too self-aware. She knows she doesn't do anything, but has the nerve to complain when other colleagues give her a taste of her own medicine. After a long time of dealing with her, the employee who posted this story seriously agreed with the joke she made on her behalf. The argument that ensues is deflection at its finest. Scroll to read.

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  • The poster explains that this coworker has always been like this; slacking off was her work ethic, which is to say that she has none. Expecting others to pick up the slack around you, repeatedly, just means you aren't doing anything at all. When the employee calls them out (which technically, the coworker invited), she refuses to actually acknowledge her repeated behavior.

  • "Once the managers leave... [She is] sleeping, FaceTiming guys, leaving everything she was supposed to do to the next person."
    via Toa Heftiba For Unsplash+

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

  • "AITA for commenting on my coworker’s work ethic?"

    I won't give too much detail, but I work with somebody who often works shifts with me, just in a different department. With the nature of our job, though, we still work "together" multiple days a week.
    via Yahdunnow
  • One thing that has come to everyone's attention is that this specific coworker consistently shows up late, sleeps on the job, and disregard her daily duties as an employee in her position. This
    via Yahdunnow
  • creates a higher workload on the next person who comes in and has to completely pick up her slack, often disrupting what they already have to do upon first
    via Yahdunnow
  • clocking in. I don't appreciate this work ethic, and nobody else does, either. Complaints have been made, talks with management have been had, the
    via Yahdunnow
  • only thing that hadn't happened is HR coming in to consult this worker for her behaviors. So, essentially, she got a slap on the wrist, and when managers are on
    via Yahdunnow
  • site, she does her job. Once the managers leave, or if they don't show up, she's back on her bulls Sleeping, FaceTiming guys, leaving everything she was supposed to do up to the next person.
    via Yahdunnow
  • Cheezburger Image 10502824704
    via Murat for Unsplash

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

  • One of her duties is taking trash out in the lobby of our establishment. She came in complaining that the person before her didn't take the trash
    via Yahdunnow
  • out, and even cracked a joke that "this must be how I make everyone else feel." She was going on and on about how much it's ked to be in that same
    via Yahdunnow
  • position. At one point she mentioned, "it really s ks having to clean up the mess of the person before me," and I chimed in and said "yeah... doesn't feel very good, does it?"
    via Yahdunnow
  • She started to deflect what I had said before she walked away exclaiming that I have "issues." Any time I opened my mouth in rebuttal, she would shrug it off and interrupt me to tell me "you have issues! You just have issues!"
    via Yahdunnow
  • I feel like what I said was valid. She makes these decisions constantly, and when she's called out on them, she deflects and makes excuses. It's really
    via Yahdunnow
  • annoying, and it's s ks for the other workers in her department because they actually want to work here, and they do their job correctly. I'm curious how other people look at this, though. AITA for saying what I said?
    via Yahdunnow
  • tessm NTA. She's projecting hard. If she can't handle a taste of her own medicine, maybe she should stop dishing it out. The fact that she immediately went to "you have issues" instead of acknowledging her own behavior says everything. Classic deflection-people like that hate being held accountable.
    via t***essm***_
  • Honestly, someone needed to say it. If management won't step up, calling her out in the moment might be the only way to make her realize (or at least pretend to care) how much of a burden she's being. Just because she's comfortable slacking doesn't mean everyone else should suffer in silence. Keep calling it out- maybe she'll eventually get the hint or HR will finally do something...
    via t***essm***_
  • LioraEve NTA. She made the joke, you just held up the mirror. If she doesn't like the truth, maybe she should start doing her job.
    via LioraEve
  • barryburgh Take a pic of her sleeping and print and sent to HR and manager anonymously!
    via barryburgh
  • ScarletNotThatOne NTA. You have every right to comment, because her behavior affects you.
    via ScarletNotThatOne

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