Boss admits she intentionally gave one employee extra work to test how they cope, while her coworker, Sue, slacks and leaves them handling whole project alone

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Etai Eshet • Editor
Mar 11, 2026 6:00 AM EDT

A big project is allegedly shared between two people, but somehow only one spine was holding the whole thing up. On paper, the responsibilities are split. In practice, coworker Sue hoards information and vanishes from email chains and quietly leaves landmines that only explode when she is off, and someone else has to clean up the mess

Managers taking credit for work they didn't do is nothing new, managers trying to put a spin on bad decisions is also as old as corporate America, but you gotta admit that a manager who just boasts her own incompetence as purposeful is a unique take on how to manage people.

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  • Overhead view of a stressed office worker leaning back at her desk with hands on her head in a mostly empty open office workspace.
    via Roman Samborskyi

  • Raising to my manager I’m struggling with work load and their response “I’ve intentionally given you more responsibilities to see how you’d cope”

    Working on a major project with colleague Sue; we share the same responsibilities. Sue often withholds information and does not copy me or our manager into emails.
    via diddlypie

  • Meetings tell the same story. Two names on the slide yet only one person actually speaking. Questions flow to the reliable one by default. The project slowly tilts in one direction until the unofficial lead is the one who never got a title bump just a permanent headache.

  • When Sue is off and hasn't communicated updates, I'm left to resolve the resulting issues. I've asked my manager several times to clearly split responsibilities, but she has told me to resolve it directly with Sue.
    via diddlypie

  • Management’s contribution is mostly downhill slalom level avoidance. Clear division of duties gets requested and the answer is talk to Sue. Concerns about performance are met with she is difficult and might leave. Translation losing a weak link is scarier than confronting a broken system so better to sacrifice the person currently keeping everything afloat.

  • Sue rarely contributes in meetings, so questions are usually directed to me and I've ended up managing most of the project.
    via diddlypie

  • So Boss suggests Sue take the lead. Five minutes later Sue is on the phone asking what she is supposed to do. That becomes the theme. Constant hand holding dressed up as collaboration while the other person quietly covers both the project and the backlog Sue is dropping behind her like confetti.

  • Overhead view of an office worker raising her hands in frustration while sitting alone at a desk in a mostly empty open-plan office.
    via Roman Samborskyi

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

  • When the second phase began, my manager suggested Sue take the lead, but Sue immediately called me afterwards asking what she was supposed to do, which happens frequently.
    via diddlypie
  • My manager has acknowledged that Sue struggles in meetings and can be difficult to work with but said she's reluctant to address this in case Sue leaves the business.
    via diddlypie
  • Two weeks later, my manager said she couldn't raise concerns with Sue because Sue had raised issues about me, and again told me to sort it out with her myself.
    via diddlypie

  • When the workload finally becomes too much and support is requested the manager suddenly develops selective amnesia. Issues they previously acknowledged are now a surprise. The solution offered is more unpaid management. Write detailed instructions. Tell Sue exactly what to do. Do not let her work alone because she might make mistakes. So responsibility goes up while authority stays exactly at zero.

  • I've since tried to improve things by setting up regular calls, sending clear instructions, and improving communication.
    via diddlypie
  • Despite this, Sue still relies on me for support on most tasks and has fallen behind on her day- to-day work, which I've had to pick up ahead of an audit.
    via diddlypie
  • When I asked my manager for support, she said she wasn't aware of these issues despite previously acknowledging them.
    via diddlypie
  • She suggested I create detailed working instructions for Sue, although she said this should technically be shared across the team.
    via diddlypie
  • I've explained that I'm overwhelmed, but was told I should tell Sue exactly what to do and cannot leave her to manage tasks alone due to the risk of errors.
    via diddlypie

  • It's classic non-promotion. All the expectations of a lead role none of the power and definitely none of the pay. The manager gets a convenient buffer. Sue keeps a job she is not really doing. The only person actually holding the project together is also the one being tested to see how much weight they can carry before something breaks and spoiler it will not be the manager’s calendar.

  • As a result, I feel I'm managing both the project and Sue's workload without the authority or support, when task delegation and role clarity should come from my manager.
    via diddlypie
  • Ready_Anything4661 I don't understand why your boss would be sad about Sue leaving... it seems like that would help. Regardless, you should start looking for a new job.
    via diddlypie
  • diddlypie Original Poster's Reply Before I joined the team, Sue would make sure all audits were passed. But with the recent one I led, I had to request up to date info 30 mins before to avoid a non conformance. Also raised to Sue that some things were 4 months overdue and she just changed the dates. I've left previous roles for this issue with managers before
    via diddlypie
  • FRELNCER Feel what you want to feel. But unless you can go to your manager's manager and get things changed, this is now the job. :/
    via diddlypie
  • diddlypie Original Poster's Reply Would you be happy to manage your co-worker and take on additional project tasks? I don't see how it's fair?
    via diddlypie
  • Rekltpzyxm Just so you know, this is not what good managers do. But you probably knew that.
    via diddlypie
  • Dear-Appeal-7007 FRELNCER is right you need to stand up for yourself, accept this is the way it is or get another job. Fair is irrelevant, ops mananager is taking advantage and she's letting them
    via diddlypie
  • nikyrlo Be sure to email everything. Phone conversation? Reiterate in email and bcc your personal emsil.
    via diddlypie

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management workplace discussion employment issues boss workplace-stories hr coworkers colleague
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