Factory employee rejects coworkers' invitation to hang out after work 10+ times, gets angry when they stop inviting her to hang out: 'You guys never invite me to anything. I'm always the one left out.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Aug 6, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

We all have different levels of closeness with our friends. I have some friends that I see multiple times a week, others I see at least once a month, and a handful that I never really hang out with one-on-one. It's perfectly normal to realize after a couple of times hanging out with somebody that you don't particularly want to hang out with them again. They might be a fun person to have around in group settings, but you don't have enough to talk about to facilitate hanging out for multiple hours and sustaining a conversation the whole time. 

Many people are hesitant to tell an acquaintance, "Hey, I don't want to hang out with you," when asked. Instead, they just reject the offer again and again, hoping the other person will take the hint. After all, they probably haven't had a headache every single time they were asked to hang out.

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  • 01

    AITA for not inviting my coworker to group outings and telling her to grow up when she complained about not being invited?

    So I'm a 28-year-old guy and I work in a pork factory. Every now and then, maybe once or twice a month, a bunch of us will go out for drinks, dinner, or some kind of outing just to unwind. Our work doesn't really do anything for us
    via u/International-Fig780

  • The woman in this story has told her coworkers time and time again that she is not interested in hanging out with them outside of work. When they stopped inviting her to hang out outside of work, she became distraught and claimed they were creating a hostile work environment. 

  • 02
    besides a BBQ every six months. No Christmas parties or anything. They just hand out a free leg of ham for Christmas but honestly, I'm not complaining. I love ham.
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10539083008
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • 04
    Anyway, there's one co-worker we've stopped inviting to these outings let's call her Jess (not her real name). The reason? Every time we invited her, she'd always say no. And after hearing "nah, I'm not coming" like ten times in a row, we just stopped asking. It wasn't malicious. It just felt like she wasn't
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 05
    interested, and we didn't want to keep bugging her. That said, we have noticed when we are out that she likes to post on Facebook about how she's lonely and that no one ever wants to hang out with her, which kinda felt like a dig at us.
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 06
    Last week, a few of us were talking at lunch about our latest outing dinner at a new Thai place. Jess overheard us and immediately started sulking. Then she blurts out, "You guys never invite me to anything. I'm always the one left out."
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10539077632
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • 08
    I rolled my eyes and tried to explain. "Jess, we stopped inviting you because you always say no. We figured you weren't interested."
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 09
    But she kept going on about how it was "mean" and "exclusionary," and accused us of purposely leaving her out.
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 10
    So finally, I said, "Look, if you say no every single time, don't act surprised when people stop asking. It's not personal, Jess it's just common sense Grow up."
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10539083264
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • 12
    After I said that, she looked like she was about to cry, then ran off to the women's bathroom. Some of my co-workers said I was too harsh. Others thought I was right to call her out. But I don't know what to feel was I thej.
    via u/International-Fig780
  • 13
    RaistlinWar48 You said the quiet thing out loud. NTA, but gonna get some pushback from the drama crowd.
    via u/RaistlinWar48
  • 14
    Frequent Couple5498 No push back here. NTA, she kept saying no. When someone continues to say no to things, it does start to feel like you are bugging them if you continue to ask. So you stop asking. And ,her Facebook post after saying no. Did she want them to beg her to come out with them?
    via u/Frequent_Couple5498
  • 15
    Jess is gonna be the wife who tells her husband no birthday or anniversary gifts then get mad at him and cry he doesn't love her because he didn't buy her a gift. She does need to grow up. No one has time for Jess games.
    via u/Frequent_Couple5498
  • 16
    BestConfidence 1560 And truthfully, I probably just stopped inviting her after the fifth time she said no. My wife and I have had new people in our neighborhood that we've invited to dinner and many of them come and we built solid friendships
    via u/BestConfidence1560
  • 17
    with them. But one couple kept finding reasons to decline and so we figured that they just weren't very social and we stopped asking them. OP - you said that right thing. She told you guys she didn't want togo out with you 10 separate times, we would all have done the same thing
    via u/BestConfidence1560
  • 18
    Far_Satisfaction_365 NTA. Your comment pretty much just called it like it is. She never accepted your invites to join in. Once you stopped asking, she turned it into an opportunity to play the victim card, making it look like she was intentionally being left out, all for sympathy. It's even possible that she's made posts in the past about being left out of everything, even back when you were still inviting her, or at least griping to family or non work friends about it.
    via u/Far_Satisfaction_365
  • 19
    MiezMiez4ever This is exactly how it went down in a friends group of mine... One of them pretty much abandoned us once she got with her bf. We invited her every time, she declined every time. The ONE time a few of us got together (on super short notice) we didn't ask her and when she found out she was super p ed we hadn't invited her lol.
    via u/MiezMiez4ever
  • 20
    Mrchameleon_dec NTJ. She just wanted to be catered to and wants the performative invite. I have absolutely no problem with your reaction nor your response.
    via u/Mrchameleon_dec
  • 21
    Miss_Bobbiedoll I used to see friends out on social media and wonder why they never invited me and then I realized it's because I never want to go out. LOL I'm not mad at them at all. NTJ
    via u/Miss_Bobbiedoll
  • 22
    bmw5986 NTA. I generally have a 3 strike rule. I will invite you 3 times to hang out then im done. It doesn't matter what the reason or excuse was. You want in after that, then its on you to ask about plans. From there, I need to see you make the effort at least 3 times. If Jess is lonely, thats on her. She sounds like a lot of effort snd drama.
    via u/bmw5986
  • 23
    3bag So invite her to the next outing. This way she can't take it to HR that you're creating hostility.
    via u/3bag
  • 24
    Corfiz74 The best way to avoid conflict or any accusations of excluding anyone would be if they just posted the date/location of the outings on the company notice board as an open invitation, then anyone who wants to could attend, and they would avoid any awkwardness or accusation of creating a hostile environment by accidentally (or purposefully) not inviting someone.
    via u/Corfiz74
  • 25
    Shadow4summer She can't take this to HR. It has nothing to do with the company. It's social time and the company cannot dictate this.
    via u/Shadow4summer
  • 26
    Quirky-Flight-9812 She can go to HR. They won't do anything and she'll be wasting everyone's time, but she can go.
    via u/Quirky-Flight-9812

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terrible coworkers employee work coworkers friends factory coworker bestie employees karen coworker workplace entitled coworker entitled people hanging out
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