‘I genuinely feel like I’m watching a real-life Mean Girls spinoff play out in real time’: Employee notices his colleagues are constantly aggressively gossiping about everyone else, and they are also doing it to each other

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2026 4:00 PM EDT

Can we be at the table and in the menu at the same time?

Let's get this out of the way: the movie Mean Girls is obviously inspired by real life, lol. Things like this go down in high school, but also at the workplace and in every place where there's a group of people. One has to be very careful because gossip is really seductive; one wants to feel part of a group, and sometimes, when a group is heavily reliant on gossip, one starts to take part in that gossip only to belong. It's only later that we realize that if every time someone leaves the table, the discussion becomes about them, then we might as well be the next topic of debate once we get up and go somewhere else. The question is, should we remain a passive spectator?

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  • a couple of women crossing her arms
    via SoyBreno

    The mean girls in question

    Subjects are models

  • This is why I avoid workplace friend groups

    I genuinely feel like I'm watching a real-life Mean Girls spinoff play out in real-time and honestly, the sheer level of hypocrisy is almost impressive.
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  • I've always kept my distance from this specific group of colleagues because their vibe was just off. Sure enough, my instincts were spot on.
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  • Whenever I'd hang out with one of them individually, they'd spend the entire time aggressively complaining or gossiping about someone else in their
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  • "squad." Then I'd talk to a different person from that same group and they'd do the exact same thing about another member.
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  • The peak comedy happened recently when they added me to their group chat. It is a literal salt mine. They nitpick
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  • absolutely everything and talk trash about everyone. But here's the most surreal part: none of them realize they are all doing it to each other.
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  • Every single member has stabbed another member in the back. Yet, in the group chat, they are constantly hyping each other up with the most
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  • group of women looking at someone an laughing
    via Adam Winger

    The coworkers gossiping about everyone

    Image is representative

  • intensely supportive energy. It's all, "I'm so proud of you!" or "You've got this" followed by a flood of heart emojis. It is wild being the silent,
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  • neutral observer who knows exactly what every single one of them has said about the others.
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  • It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion, except everyone on the train is smiling and handing out compliments.
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  • Needless to say, this is why I am staying firmly on the sidelines. If they're willing to shred the people they call their best friends,
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  • they'd absolutely do the same to me the second I leave the room. I'm perfectly content keeping my head down, staying quiet and watching the theater from a very safe distance.
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  • gold lettering on white wall saying 'meet me where the gossip is fresh'
    via Anastase Maragos

    The office deco

    Stock photo for illustrative purposes

  • Humble_Community_263 Top 1% Commenter It's always the ones spamming the heart emojis who are doing the absolute most behind everyone's back.
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  • shmartyparty You think they are not already sh talking you behind your back? Sounds very much like if you're not at the table then you're on the menu. If they are talking to you, no doubt they are talking about you. I hope you don't think you are an exception there.
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  • To gossip is one thing; I have to confess I’ve participated in it many times, and derived pleasure from it; but to be fake and send congratulations and heart emojis while secretly critiquing the person is another. I like to think there is some divine justice that sends karma to these types of people, but I’m never sure. What I’m positive about is that I don’t like to be that type of person, so I would, like this employee, also not participate. And I get it, acting like the hero and exposing the mean comments, or getting involved and trying to get everyone to start acting right might be a futile attempt. Sometimes we can’t fix everything that’s wrong; we just have to do our part and not participate in the drama.

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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