20-year-old yells at 64-year-old assembly line coworker for disrespecting her on the job: 'She told my team lead that I was “intentionally causing her to panic"'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Aug 1, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

What do you do when you work with someone you don't gel with? 

When you work with someone, you might have to compromise on things. You can't agree on everything, and nor should you. But you have to set aside your differences in order to make things happen, and this isn't always easy. Collaboration requires friction, and friction isn't always comfortable. You might have to set aside some of your beliefs in order to go with the flow, and this can be a hard fact to swallow. But this is part of what it takes to have a relationship with the working world. You have to learn how to work and collaborate with multiple kinds of people, not just the ones that are easy to get along with. The worker in this story realized that was true when they started working with a new person, and realized just what they were being put through. 

There are all sorts of challenges we come across in the workplace, and this story was one of them. It can be hard not to lose your patience or temper in these moments when you're being challenged. You don't want to end up saying something you regret, but sometimes this is hard to avoid. It was for this worker who found herself snapping at her coworker after months of frustration. 

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  • A female worker in a warehouse looks at something on the shelf
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The people in this photo are models

    A female worker in a warehouse looks at something on the shelf

  • Am I in the wrong for yelling at my work partner?

    I (20F) and my work partner (64F) have been working together for the past six months on a production line. My partner works in the back loading the channels, and I work in the front taking the channels off the machine and loading them onto the conveyor.
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  • At the beginning, she told me she suffers from vertigo, which is why she never works in the front. Lately, it feels like she has been questioning the way I work in the front. She has even run in front of me to take pieces off the machine and hang them herself.
    via Peppermintbailey
  • At times, she lets the machines run dry and slows down the conveyor, even though we have to produce a certain number of channels per hour to prevent the machine from shutting off. This has been happening for the past three weeks. Eventually, I yelled, "For a woman who can't work in the front, you sure do like to run in front of me and the pieces off."
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  • There is no good way to go about things like this when you have a bad attitude. It's all about attitude, and you have to make sure your heart is in the right place before going through anything else. The person in this story had growing frustrations and hesitations about the person they were working with, and didn't want to get sucked into their vortex. But what ended up happening stirred up even more angst for everyone involved. What are you supposed to do when you're faced with a coworker who doesn't hold up their end of the bargain? Keep reading to see what happened here and decide what you think.

  • She is now refusing to keep the machines full and told my team lead that I was "intentionally causing her to panic."
    via Peppermintbailey
  • nooneimporntant NTA. Sure, shouting not good but otherwise I totally understand how annoying that gets! You both have a job to do, and should focus on what you need to do and if there are issues and she won't communicate like an
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  • adult, I would personally grab someone higher and have a conversation about it. I would apologize for shouting and then explain everything calmly and express how her doing thing. x affects your work, and the whole shifts/days performance.
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  • A worker in a warehouse looks at plans in front of her
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Subjects are models.

    A worker in a warehouse looks at plans in front of her

  • Repulsive_Tone_2484 NTA. Speak to a supervisor about her behaviour.
    via Peppermintbailey
  • lebleudesreves Maybe you should have talked to the manager about it instead of yelling at people. Now she turned the situation at her advantage....
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  • starsol3 NTA. Yelling wasn't ideal, but after weeks of her undermining you and then refusing to do her own part of the job, it's understandable that you snapped.
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  • Suzy 196658 Have a real conversation with your supervisor and explain what is going on. Perhaps it's time for a new work partner! Personally, I hate being micromanaged and this woman needs to focus on her own work and not yours!! NTA
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  • PurpleEmotional1401 ESH, her for obvious reasons and you because you could have tried speaking in a normal tone of voice first, then discuss it sensibly with your supervisor if that didn't work.
    via Peppermintbailey

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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