33-year-old project coordinator refuses to let 26-year-old coworker take credit for her work anymore: 'I stopped CC’ing her on everything'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 16, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

There is a key difference between helping your inexperienced coworker out and letting them take credit for all your hard work.

This situation was not the 33-year-old author's first rodeo.

She had been working as a project coordinator at the same company for several years now and had earned a reputation for being excellent at what she does. Clearly, her younger and far more inexperienced new coworker, who was 26 at the time, put two and two together and realized that this was the right person to learn from on the job.

However, what could have been a productive and mutually beneficial mentor-mentee relationship ended up becoming a toxic one. Quickly, the 33-year-old began to question what was in it for her as she started to notice how her coworker was repeatedly taking credit for work and ideas that were not hers. 

Sometimes, it's worth it to give younger employees the benefit of the doubt, but once this became a perpetual pattern, the author saw no other solution outside of cutting off the 26-year-old's access to her work. Now, she had to use her own skills and abilities to do her own job. What a concept!

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  • Two young businesswomen working on their computers alongside one another.
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  • We should note that a good mentor-mentee relationship involves an exchange of ideas. Yes, that means even the mentee can teach their mentor a thing or two on occasion. Some mentees need to learn the hard way that handholding is not going to get you far in life, especially in a professional context. As hard as it might have been for the 26-year-old, it's for the best that she learn to act according to her own instincts.

  • "[Am I wrong] for not helping my coworker 'prove' she’s actually doing her job after she kept taking credit for mine?"

    I (33F) work as a project coordinator. My coworker "Jamie" (26F) joined last year and immediately started attaching her name to everything I do. If I sent
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  • out reports, she'd forward them to management with, "Here's the update I compiled." If I presented an idea, she'd echo it like it was hers.
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  • Our manager once said, "You two make a great team," which stung because it's mostly me doing the heavy lifting.
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  • A few months ago, I stopped CC'ing her on everything. I just did my work quietly. Suddenly, upper management noticed Jamie's output dropped big time. They started asking her to provide her own deliverables.
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  • Now Jamie's panicking. She came to me begging to "back her up" by saying we split the work 50/50. I told her I won't lie, I'll just tell the truth.
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  • She got emotional and said I'm "ruining her reputation" and "gatekeeping knowledge."
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  • Our mutual friends at work think I could "be kinder" since she's still learning. But I'm tired of being invisible so she can look competent. AITA for refusing to cover for her?
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  • Cheeky Meatballs 6h ago. . NTA dude, not by a long shot. You gotta stand up for yourself. Easy for others to say "be kinder", it ain't their credit being stolen. Jimbo's gotta learn to swim without your help, else she's set for a lifetime of mooching off others' work. 110% back you on this one, mate!
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  • An... . 6h ago Edited 6h ago She shouldn't be taking your work as hers, this only comes at your expense. You're making it right by not letting her continue with this.
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  • Funny how she says your "gatekeeping" when you're no longer forwarding your work. Absolutely NTA
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  • Two young businesswomen working on their computers alongside one another.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Blocked-Author 6h ago Gatekeeping knowledge? Not a chance. Tell her she is more than welcome to do 50% of the work and you will be happy to give the credit she is due.
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  • Live-Teacher6188 6h ago . people love to call it "mentorship" when they actually mean "do my work so I look smart."
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  • . HappySummerBre... • 5h ago Colleagues are not friends. You are both paid for various skills plus your time.
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  • Present-Chemist-... • 5h ago Gatekeeping knowledge? They have no interest in learning they have interest in cruising in the row boat as you alone row. NTA, they're no different than the jerk in the group projects in school. We all have work Jamie, cut her off.
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  • NoContribution9322 5h ago She's been there for a year, she's not learning, she's leeching off of you and getting paid the same NTA
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  • Two young businesswomen working on their computers alongside one another.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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terrible coworkers aita workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work coworkers Office company toxic-work-environment
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