'If you can’t do it my way, don’t do it at all': Boss reprimands obnoxious coworker over not being a team player after employee maliciously complies with her demands

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  • "Coworker said 'If you can’t do it my way, don’t do it at all.' So I didn’t."

    Two female coworkers sitting at a table with laptops. One stares at the other.
  • This happened at my last job. where teamwork was let's just say, hit or miss. I had one coworker who was notoriously controlling whenever we had to collaborate. No matter what the task was, she insisted it be done
  • her exact way down to the font on a spreadsheet or the order of bullet points in a report. If I tried to suggest a shortcut or a different method, she'd cut me off with, No that's not how it's supposed to be done.
  • One day during a particularly frustrating exchange, she looked me de d in the eye and said, "If you can't do it my way, then don't do it at all." Fine, message received. So the next time we had
  • a joint assignment, instead of fighting her over every detail, I simply didn't do it. I worked on my other tasks and left hers completely untouched. And the deadline rolled around and nothing had been submitted. Our boss called us in to ask what happened, clearly annoyed.
  • I just repeated her own words back, word for word: She told me if I couldn't do it her way, not to do it at all. So I didn't. The look on her face was priceless. She tried to backpedal, but the boss wasn't having it. He told her
  • teamwork meant compromise and if her attitude was holding projects back then maybe she shouldn't be leading them. After
  • that she toned it down a lot still picky but nowhere near as bad. Sometimes the best compliance is just taking people literally.
  • Two female coworkers sitting at a table with a laptop, working on a project.
  • RealUltimatePapo · 3h ago • People with attitudes like that don't realise how horrible they are... until reality slaps them in the face like a wet fish Hopefully she behaves herself from now on
  • MonCappy 3h ago That could've backfired on you, but I'm glad it didn't. Being that controlling is eventually going to bite you in the a and it looks like your coworker finally lost a chunk of hers. Probably kept sitting awkwardly for months after.
  • - Fun-Helicopter-22... 2h ago She told me if I couldn't do it her way, not to do it at all This it the correct way of doing things in teams.
  • I had a coworker which just discarded working code and implemented OWN fragments here and there.
  • As result - project got spots which nor me not him could fix - he did not learn my code, I cannot understand his logic.
  • If you feel that you are "very special", that yours ideas "are better than others" - just find solo projects, because working in team will be hard.
  • Cocoa Almonds Rock 3h ago . Good job!! I'm glad your manager backed you up.
  • Phyllis_Tine ⚫ 2h ago. Take people at their word. It saves so much time and energy. Be direct.
  • montybo2 20m ago I trained a new person who joined our team. I showed her exactly how i did this and that and at the end i said "This is the best way I found to do this. If you find a
  • way that's better/easier for you, do it like that. This is your work now so i encourage you to find shortcuts to make it smoother."
  • Work is a collaborative effort. My way or the highway people have no business in business.

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