Employee insists on giving unwanted work to coworker, gets offended when told it's her responsibility: 'She never takes tasks from anyone else'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Dec 19, 2025 9:00 AM EST

One of the most important lessons of being an employee is to learn how to act your wage.

This is a piece of wisdom that can go both ways. On the one hand, it is all about knowing how to take adequate breaks and not stress yourself out too much over a position that is likely underpaid and under-resourced. On the other hand, it is the acknowledgement that there is a reason that you get that salary, and you need to put a reasonable amount of effort into earning it.

It is a delicate balance, and one that people frequently fall on the wrong side of. Nobody wants to be coworkers with someone who is so dedicated to slacking off that it starts to increase their workload. What is even worse is those who not only don't want to do their job, but also want to give themselves an authority that they don't have. Inevitably, this causes problems in a team, sooner or later.

 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • a professional woman wearing glasses sits with another professional woman and man, holding a folder
    via Vitaly Gariev

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

  • This is exactly the problem that one employee found themselves dealing with, after a colleague decided to designate them as the individual who would do all the work that she didn't want to do. She had developed a habit of giving them various tasks when she felt overwhelmed, although she was not a manager.

    The employee grew increasingly annoyed at this dynamic, so when she next left a large folder on their desk, they told her that they would not be taking on a workload that was hers. The coworker got upset and claimed that this was not good teamwork. They wanted to know if they had crossed a line.

  • Am I wrong for shutting down my coworker's habit of assigning me tasks that are not mine?

    At my office we have a coworker who loves delegating things even though she is not a manager. Anytime she is overwhelmed she walks by my desk and casually says things like can you finish this report or can you follow up
    via LimpUnderstanding671
  • with this client or can you rewrite this file. She phrases it in a way that makes it sound like teamwork but she never takes tasks from anyone else. It is always one direction toward me.
    via LimpUnderstanding671
  • a professional man and woman speak to another professional woman, while the man looks through a folder
    via Vitaly Gariev

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

  • Last week she placed a thick folder on my keyboard and said she needed me to complete it by the afternoon. I pushed it back toward her and told her I was not responsible for her workload. She said I was creating tension and that our department depends on cooperation. I said cooperation is not the same thing as her offloading everything onto me.
    via LimpUnderstanding671
  • She has been giving me cold stares ever since and told another coworker that I am undermining the office dynamic.
    via LimpUnderstanding671
  • papers and folders strewn across a black surface
    via Ngozi Ejionueme (Unsplash+)
  • garcmon Ahh, the entitled self-appointed manager. I've never understood how this happens, but I'm guessing bc it works until someone stops it. Well done, OP. If something comes up again, or she continues to make things awkward it's time to go to your supervisor or HR, via email and copy her if you'd like. That'll stop really quickly.
    via garcmon
  • Pinoybl "Do my work because I don't want to do it." "No." "You're really not going to do it." "No" "I'm complaining to everyone else you're lazy."
    via Pinoybl
  • TourmalinePhoenix Well, she's not wrong...you're undermining HER office dynamic!
    via TourmalinePhoenix
  • Perfect-Storm-t3 Good for you!! Now every time she stares at you just give her the sweetest smile. Now you're uplifting the office morale by putting on a happy face. NTJ
    via Perfect-Storm-t3
  • Icy_Cardiologist1620 I would have a conversation with your supervisor immediately. She sounds very manipulative and might manipulate you right out of your job.
    via Icy_Cardiologist1620
  • No_Limit7439 NTA. She's not your manager and physically dumping work on your keyboard is crazy. The Audacity
    via No_Limit7439
  • 831020 Make sure to inform your actual manager of this
    via 831020
  • MildLittlRain I have a coworker who did something similar; we're rotating on wearing a phone, and when it was her turn wearing it she always gave ut to ne and said we had to 'cooperate'. Cooperate for her meant giving other people her own tasks.
    via MildLittlRain
  • Annual_Government_80 She is a cheat, and a thief, she is stealing money from your employer by not doing her job. Start documenting everything and if you can remember things from the past record them too. Snakes like her will go to HR to report you, now she knows you are on to her BS.
    via Annual_Government_80
  • The_Implicationll You did the right thing,
    via The_ImplicationII

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

employee job work coworkers working teamwork entitled people
Scroll Down For The Next Article