10 Unprofessional employees: '[He's] hiding when there's work to do'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 10, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

These people couldn't wait to tell the tales of their least responsible coworkers ever. 

No matter how carefully those hiring managers do their due diligence, there are always going to be a few people hired who are just totally inept at their jobs. They might start off strong, but within a few weeks, they're slacking off, making everyone else's jobs harder. 

Some bad coworkers steal people's lunch from the office fridge. Others would rather hide than do a minute of work — and if you work in a physical kind of job, this will make your coworkers instantly turn on you. 

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  • Two women look bemused and annoyed at their coworker.
    via A.C.

    Two women look bemused and annoyed at their coworker. 

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

  • If you work in an office job, you'll be consistently stunned by how little actual work some people do. You can literally see if it they have those big computer monitors — they're shopping online, they're 2nd screening a Netflix special, they're emailing their friends. It makes you wonder what their KPIs are like, and if the bosses care that they're paying someone to do like, 11 minutes of work per 8 hour shift. 

    These people shared their interesting tales from a bevy of industries, not just office work. You truly never know what's going on with your coworkers, no matter how well you think you know them! And these people just couldn't help but bring their worst habits to the workplace. 

  • At least the entire workforce will regard him this way

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    At places like this, teamwork is so key… to disregard that is to prove that you don't deserve a spot on the team at all. 

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  • Whoops!

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  • Group of 5 coworkers gather around 1 laptop to solve a problem together.
    via Getty Images

    Group of 5 coworkers gather around 1 laptop to solve a problem together. 

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

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  • Feather716 I was working at Taco Bell during high school. 6 months after I turned 18, I was given keys and put in charge.
    via Feather716

  • This is incredible

    At midnight, on New Years Eve, I let the employees shot the sour cream grims out of the drive thru window.
    via Feather716

    Who would ever think to do such a thing, besides a fast-food worker with the soul of a creative? 

  • This is so incredibly awkward

    riarum I handed my notice in last week and sent a long email to my managers saying thank you for their support during the time I'd been there.
    via riarum

    This truly backfired, because now that manager looks like she can't control her emotions in a workplace setting, and because now everyone else she works with is going to be wondering if she's talking behind their backs, too. Not a great look! 

  • One of them replied back to the email talking ABOUT ME saying how she never thought I'd make it and how I'd timed it terribly and she was surprised I thought I could make travel plans etc. Basically ripping me to pieces.
    via riarum
  • Unfortunately she forgot to copy me out of the email & I saw the whole thing, as did my other 2 managers and their boss. It's made for a pretty awkward last month of work so far...
    via riarum
  • [deleted] Perhaps today. I test video games for a living and the we start at 10AM, but a new build of the game won't be here until 5PM, so my coworkers went home at lunch, got their guitars, and now they're just openly jamming out in the QA area.
    via [deleted]
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  • Georgeisthecoolest I was taking part in some office training and the trainers switched over between morning and afternoon. The morning guy was fine. Then, after the lunch break we were sat around waiting for the afternoon guy to come in. He was late - not massively. late but enough to make people wonder if he'd show.
    via Georgeisthecoolest

  • Sheesh

    When he came in he apologised profusely, sat down on the trainer's chair (making him the focus of all of us sat round in a semi- circle) mumbled some excuses, then proceeded to eat an enormous BLT sandwich as fast as he could, while panting and dropping bits out of it down onto his large shirt-button- straining belly.
    via Georgeisthecoolest
  • It was a disgusting, seemingly endless and very unprofessional few minutes of awkward silence, punctuated by heavy breathing and fast eating noises. Nobody learnt much that afternoon.
    via Georgeisthecoolest
  • Worker looks exasperated at coworker sitting across from her as they work on laptops.
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    Worker looks exasperated at coworker sitting across from her as they work on laptops.

  • Make it make sense!

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  • BromanJenkins Job I just left: I was moved into a cube with a guy who spent all day on Amazon looking at, boots, jeans with velcro zippers and hats. When he wasn't doing this he was sleeping at his desk.
    via BromanJenkins

  • That's pretty funny TBH

    Another guy decided to push the limits of the dress code and wore shorts to work one day. He was sent home.
    via BromanJenkins

    Who among us doesn't want to wear shorts to the office? 

  • In many corporate jobs, you could easily get away with this

    Job before that: Woman who had been with the company for 30 years just randomly decided that she could go home and walk her dogs at lunch every day. Problem was that she lived 20 minutes away. She had never done this at any point
    via BromanJenkins
  • in the past, just randomly decided to do it. She subsequently freaked out when the boss told her that it wasn't allowed.
    via BromanJenkins

    Not that she's in the right with that reaction, but I do understand why she might feel entitled to use her lunch hour at her own discretion! If she has an hour to herself, that's plenty of time to head home, scarf down a PB&J while the dog plays outside, and get back to the office before anyone misses her. 

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