Employee tries to take coworker's job by taking over her tasks, coworker complains to manager, who fires both of them: 'We got the same prize'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 16, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

Is one job not enough for you that you must have your coworker's job too?

Having coworkers or teammates at your job sometimes means that you have to do some of their jobs for them. All it takes is for them to take one sick day, and you find yourself over at their desk, completing deadlines and tasks that could not have waited for their return.

Even if it's not really part of your job, it is generally part of the job to help out when it's needed.

While most people would avoid at all costs doing coworkers' tasks, the employee in the story below was trying to do as much of her coworker's job as possible. While they were hired on the same day, each was hired for a different role, and they weren't supposed to have much overlap. However, as the days went by, one employee kept on trying to take the other's job. She would tell other colleagues that the other employee was too busy, and would insist on taking on tasks that were meant for the coworker, until everyone simply started coming to her for tasks that were not under her job description. Meanwhile, the coworker found herself with less to do and a lot more free time because of that. 

When the coworker realized that the other employee was after her job, she turned to management, but they were no help. So, instead of fighting the system, this employee decided to use the free time to her own benefit. While someone else was overworking themselves for doing the job of two, she was starting her own business, polishing up her portfolio, and enjoying being paid for a stress-free job. 

Eventually, management decided not only to fire one of the two employees, but they actually fired both of them at the same time. And you can guess which one of them took the news better…

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  • 01
    Two young female employees working side by side
    via Getty Images

    Two young female employees working side by side

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

  • 02

    Colleague gradually started taking more and more of my work... and we got the same prize!

    dysfunctional I work for a rather international organisation. A cloud of incompetent leadership and financial crisis has been looming over our heads for a few years and the general feeling is that nobody -except directors- is really safe in their positions.
    via lil-papaia
  • 03
    For context, I am in Europe (born here) and we have labour laws that forbid sudden terminations for no reason, but there are always tricks up the CEOs' sleeves.
    via lil-papaia
  • 04
    My colleague, Freja (from the US), and I were hired more or less at the same time to work for the same department but with different focuses based on our backgrounds. We are both women in our early 30s, and got a similar deal: temporary contracts.
    via lil-papaia
  • 05
    She is very nice and kind and I really like her outside the office, but she brings in a work mindset that has been annoying to say the least. She was hired for strategy & writing, I was hired for branding & content creation. At
    via lil-papaia
  • 06
    the beginning, everything went well and we were both doing - and surviving- our jobs, but gradually, she began telling other colleagues that I was very busy and therefore she could do x,y and z. I wasn't really that busy.
    via lil-papaia
  • 07
    She framed it as a way of "helping me", and started taking on content creation projects which would take her 3x the amount of time they would take me (and for a mid result).
    via lil-papaia
  • 08
    Woman on a call while sitting in office room with other employees
    via Getty Images

    Woman on a call while sitting in office room with other employees.

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

  • 09
    Over time, some of my core tasks became hers automatically, other colleagues got into the habit of approaching her directly about them and she was working overtime, when sick, during weekends... to fulfil them. She
    via lil-papaia
  • 10
    also became the go-to person for tedious projects after hours, dealing with directors and impossible people. Meanwhile, I raised the issue a couple of times with her, with our manager, with our director... but being the
    via lil-papaia
  • 11
    dysfunctional organisation that it is, it kinda fell through the cracks and left me rather demotivated and just generally annoyed. After I accepted it, I started using the extra time to:
    via lil-papaia
  • 12
    1. Start projects that were purely creative and fun at work. I loved them and they make for a nice portfolio. 2. Start my own business at home.
    via lil-papaia
  • 13
    3. Enjoy an environment where all my colleagues assume I have strict boundaries and never expect me to be available after 5pm or on weekends. (We do have quite a stark difference
    via lil-papaia
  • 14
    between EU workers and US ones, might be a work mindset thing, but the US born are the ones struggling the most to set boundaries at work).
    via lil-papaia
  • 15
    I always believed that company loyalty is a one-way traffic lane; they want me until they don't need me anymore, and that's why, for me, it will always be "just a job". I care fiercely about my personal life, health and goals. So this set-up has worked well enough for me the past couple of years.
    via lil-papaia
  • 16
    Now, the ironic part. We are approaching the end of our temporary contracts and guess what... both of us are being dismissed! We got a letter stating that for financial reasons, no temporary contracts will be renewed past this year.
    via lil-papaia
  • 17
    So, even though I was frustrated for a while that she would be actively trying to absorb my job in hopes of being the one who stays, I am finally very happy with my situation; I will get to focus on my growing business and I am reassured that my mindset is serving me well.
    via lil-papaia
  • 18
    I hope the best for her and that she can find a job where she feels secure enough that she doesn't have the need to overdo it.
    via lil-papaia
  • 19
    Thanks for staying for the storytime. I'd love to hear your stories too!
    via lil-papaia

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management getting fired boss content employee fired manager job work coworkers colleague workplace
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