'I don’t need to be babysat': Project coordinator gets told to stop reminding supervisor about overdue tasks, only to be reprimanded when supervisor misses a deadline

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
May 19, 2025 7:00 AM EDT

No one likes feeling like they are being babysat in their own jobs, and no one likes the feeling of babysitting others at their jobs. These people are adults, and should be able to do the job they were hired to do without having someone breathing down their necks. However, these people are also human, and sometimes humans forget things and make mistakes, and having an extra set of eyes ensuring the job gets done can be beneficial, or at the very least, harmless.

Still, the feeling of being babysat at work depends on how others react to the idea of having someone else helping them at the job. If they let their ego lead the way, they will probably quickly resent said 'babysitter'. But if they set their ego aside and come to an understanding that everyone is there to ensure the job is being done in the best and most efficient way possible, no one will feel like either a baby or a babysitter.

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  • That is the realization the supervisor in the story below came to after accusing their project coordinator of babysitting. He thought he could remember all his tasks on his own, but quickly understood the importance of the project coordinator's job, and never complained about it again.

    Keep scrolling to read the full story.

  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10506743552
    via kate_sept2004

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

  • 02

    Supervisor told me to stop reminding him about overdue task, so I stopped and he missed a deadline.

    I work as a project coordinator. Basically I just keep track of what everyone's supposed to be doing and make sure nothing falls through the
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 03
    cracks. My supervisor (we call him James) is fine at pretending he's on top of stuff... but the dude forgets everything unless someone's reminding him.
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 04
    So I usually give him heads up when things are due. Like last week, I said "hey just a reminder, that report's due Friday." He looks at me and goes,
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 05
    "I don't need to be babysat. I know what's on my list" Alright then, you got it. So I keep my mouth shut. No reminders, no check-ins. I let
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 06
    him be the expert. Friday comes, nothing. Monday morning, he's suddenly in panic mode cuz the director is asking where the h I the report is, he turns to me like
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 07
    "Why didn't you remind me?" I just said, "You told me not to" Now he thanks me every time I send a reminder lol. I guess we're back to babysitting, but at least he asked nicely.
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10506743808
    via kate_sept2004

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

  • 09
    PAUL_DNAP That was a perfectly applied MC - you're not babysitting him, you're a project coordinator trying to coordinate the project
    via PAUL_DNAP
  • 10
    by making sure all the sub tasks are coming along nicely. A good coordinator will always send out a "hey it's due next week!".
    via PAUL_DNAP
  • 11
    Obvious_Time_1243 OP Totally agree, coordinating isn't micromanaging, it's making sure things don't goo off the rails, just doing my job.
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 12
    observer46064 Good job. Perhaps now he will value his team.
    via observer46064
  • 13
    Obvious_Time_1243 OP Honestly, I'm just glad he finally sees the value in the reminders. Makes the job smoother for both of us now.
    via Obvious_Time_1243
  • 14
    mrteas_nz You only babysit a baby... Otherwise it's just helping a co-worker. He's learned and matured (the hard way lol)
    via mrteas_nz
  • 15
    RealUltimatePapo "Hey boss, I-" "I know, I know! Don't remind me!" allllrightythen.gif
    via RealUltimatePapo
  • 16
    PN_Guin Glad you managed to successfully train your supervisor.
    via PN_Guin
  • 17
    Boo-bot-not Create event in email app, tag person. Now it's stuck to their calendar too
    via Boo-bot-not
  • 18
    SleepingGnomeZZZ I learned a long time ago to always say "Thank you for the reminder" even if I already knew it. This is because I know there will be times I don't remember and I want them to continue to remind me. Otherwise, it will be like this scenario and no reminder means trouble.
    via SleepingGnomeZZZ

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job malicious compliance tales-from-the-workplace reddit story project supervisor overworked-employees workplace Reddit company task
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