Lazy coworker gives employee the silent treatment after they tell their supervisor about her slacker behavior, then demands the employee take 4 of her shifts: ‘I refuse to do anything for her’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Feb 19, 2026 10:00 AM EST

It's always, "Rules for thee, but not for me."

You can play all your cards right. Befriend the mean one at work, never complain when a colleague asks you for assistance, and be a semi-doormat for higher-ups. Even still, you'll always get the short end of the stick. This is partly because you already allow yourself to, but also because everyone wants to take and nobody wants to give. At the end of the day, it's important that you not only look out for yourself in the workplace, but also look out for yourself in your own headspace. If the coworker you trusted now treats you like dirt on the bottom of their shoe for a childish reason, let them. When they need you most, you will be nowhere to be found. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

The story below features two employees, one of whom is a bit of a slacker. The other employee decides to vocalize this to their supervisor, who then speaks to their colleague to settle the slacker issue. Instead of taking the criticism politely, they choose to give the employee the silent treatment. When the employee tries to apologize for whatever they may have done to sour the relationship, the colleague doesn't want to hear it. That is, until they need four of their shifts covered.

Unfortunately for the colleague, the world doesn't resume spinning simply because she said so. The employee wants nothing to do with her, and that includes helping her navigate shift coverage. Even when the colleague tries to rekindle the work friendship, the employee refuses to bend a knee to her childish, manipulative ways. Scroll below to read about the aftermath. What would you do in either position?

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  • A hotel receptionist in uniform looks at her computer on her desk.
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    A hotel receptionist in uniform looks at her computer on her desk.

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

  • "Switch shifts with you after you have refused to speak with me after months? No."

    Let me preface this by saying this coworker, whom I will call Jane (Fake Name), and I have had issues for nearly a year in the two years I've worked at my place of employment, a hotel.
    via RinaFrost
  • We were cool for the first year and called each other the other's work wife. The situation started when my supervisor left for vacation for a month and left me and two other coworkers to work mornings, afternoons, and evenings together.
    via RinaFrost
  • It was manageable as none of us called off but in the month my supervisor was gone my former work bestie majorly screwed up a bunch of third party reservations by wiping the cards.
    via RinaFrost
  • Instead of noticing and calling the companies immediately she left them be and they were only noticed the next day when I would come in.
    via RinaFrost
  • For a week I spent at least half my shifts calling the third parties to get the cards.
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  • I eventually caught up and fixed the reservations and just mentioned it to her. She said she would be more careful but still did it repeatedly.
    via RinaFrost
  • When my supervisor returned I mentioned it to him, figuring he would just tell her to be more careful.
    via RinaFrost
  • I don't know what was said or if he even talked to her but for the next while she would refuse to talk to me.
    via RinaFrost
  • At first I thought she was just having a bad few days but after two weeks I approached her and asked what was wrong.
    via RinaFrost
  • She said she was mad at me. When I ask what I did she said she would tell me when she calmed down but that there were several reasons.
    via RinaFrost
  • At this point I want to mention I do have a dis lity that makes it hard for me to pick up on social cues and that sometimes my tone can come across as b hy.
    via RinaFrost
  • I work hard to make sure my filter catches it but it sometimes fail. I have told my coworkers to please talk tell me when I slip up and I will apologize or to tell my supervisor and I will work harder to be better.
    via RinaFrost
  • I have taken accountability immediately on the few times people have said something. Two weeks after she told me she was mad I finally approached her to see if she was ready to talk.
    via RinaFrost
  • She said she didn't want anything to do with me. I said okay, apologized for whatever I did, which I think part of it was I went to our supervisor or it could have been how I spoke to her at some point but I honestly do not know, and that I would only do the shift pass along.
    via RinaFrost
  • There would be absolutely no small talk. For the next four months she kept true to her word.
    via RinaFrost
  • She would not even acknowledge when I passed along the information. Eventually, I became anxious that something would happen and that she would say I didn't pass along the information when I did.
    via RinaFrost
  • I went to my supervisor again and explained what had been going on and that I really didn't want to bring it up as I didn't want to get in trouble but I would just appreciate if he could ask my coworker to simply nod her head when I pass along the shift information so that I could be sure she heard me.
    via RinaFrost
  • I got scolded for waiting so long to bring it up but that was the extend of it.
    via RinaFrost
  • After that Jane did start to nod during the few times she relieved me from my shifts but my supervisor avoided scheduling our shifts to overlap if possible.
    via RinaFrost
  • Now to present day after seven months of her only nodding at me passing along shift informs she suddenly texts me asking me to take four of her shifts.
    via RinaFrost
  • I didn't open the texts so she didn't see I read it as refuse to do anything for her.
    via RinaFrost
  • I simply texted another coworker, Rose, about it and I think she ended up taking Jane's shifts.
    via RinaFrost
  • A female employee waits in the lobby of a hotel.
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    A female employee waits in the lobby of a hotel.

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

  • Today was one of the few days where Jane and I's shifts overlapped and she cornered me as I was leaving to ask why I wouldn't take her shifts or talk to her.
    via RinaFrost
  • I simply told her that the extent of our relationship is passing along shift information. She said we could be friends again.
    via RinaFrost
  • I point blank told her that it was not possible anymore as I had multiple times tried to communicate with her to try and get over the issues she has with me.
    via RinaFrost
  • I've asked what it was I did wrong, apologized despite not knowing explicitly what it is I did.
    via RinaFrost
  • She told me that I was making things worse and that I should just forget all of it and she would too.
    via RinaFrost
  • I simply told her to have a nice night and let my supervisor know. I want to quit at this point but I don't want to give her the satisfaction of driving me out.
    via RinaFrost
  • I think she is going to be fired soon anyways as I hear from Rose that she has started causing trouble for her and the night auditors.
    via RinaFrost

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terrible coworkers workplace-stories entitlement work coworkers entitled people karma
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