Employee gets called out by coworker who believes he only shows up on her floor to give her dirty looks: ‘Me and my partners in crime decided we are going to press this issue to the point of disruption’

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Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Sep 19, 2026 6:00 PM EDT

So the entire office should organise itself around Maureen's paranoia?

According to this story, that's the case. Some people are so lost in their own delusion that they will attribute any action to some secret agenda. Of course, I don't think we should all walk on eggshells because of people like this, but in this case, I think it's fair.

Maybe after this, Maureen will realize she isolated herself. Did she really think this was the best way to feel invited to a group? I think it is one of those strange cases of negative self-importance. The person feels relevant, like everyone is paying attention to them, but in a negative way, like thinking everyone is thinking about them. The truth is, most people don't even notice us, and that goes for most people. It's bittersweet to know we're not that important, but it's nonetheless freeing.

This act of malicious compliance, or how I like to call it, 'petty decency', might push Maureen to the brink of her own delusion, but I think it is for a good cause. Everyone at the office, and hopefully even she, will realize how ridiculous it is to organise breaks like that.

The other, more mature option would be to directly address this issue with Maureen. Maybe all she needs is to feel seen and to realize she is making a fuss over imagined scenarios, but her coworkers chose a funnier path; let's see where it gets them.

I believe paranoid folks like this deeply wish to be included, but it would take a bunch of positive leadership qualities to actually achieve that, and I assume her coworkers just want to have fun and keep not caring about her.

Do you think this problem will get bigger and bigger, or will Maureen finally come to terms with the truth that nobody cares that much?

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  • Cheezburger Image 10665009664
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Ok, game on

    Licensed media provided as editorial context



     

  • Nobody allowed unless you work on that team

    Years ago when I worked in an office setting I had a friend I would have lunch and breaks with. She was on the 2nd floor, I was on the 3rd so I'd go down the stairs, pop out a couple
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  • steps from her desk, and we'd walk together to the break/lunch room which was on the 2nd floor. One day Maureen decided that the reason I was on the 2nd floor was to give her dirty looks under the
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  • guise of picking up my friend for breaks and lunch. After all I could just go directly to the break/lunch room and wait there for my friend. For the record I'd never worked with Maureen, didn't know
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  • a thing about Maureen, and didn't care a single bit about Maureen. Maureen escalates this to the management who decided that only team members on that team
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  • should be in team areas. Memo emailed and its brought up on the team huddles. Huge deal about something that should have been nothing. Cool. Game on. Me and
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  • the partners in crime decided we are going to press this issue to the point of disruption. The stairs all exit into team areas so any time someone pops out the door a comment is made
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  • 'Hey you can't be here. You aren't a member of this team.' Someone walking by who stops to talk with a friend? 'Sorry but you aren't a team member. You can't be here.'
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  • We are relentless. It doesn't matter who it is. Everyone gets called out for non compliance. People are stopping before entering team areas and calling out to their smoking, lunch, break
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  • buddies to come and join them. Its a bit of a problem. since customer service calls are being taken by the teams. Everyone is waiting for elevators in the common hallway to go anywhere in the building.
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  • This all lasted exactly 3 days until the managers decided it was dumb and wasting everyone's time. I didn't expect them to back down as quickly as they did but yes total waste of everyone's time. Memo
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  • retracted and anyone could now walk anywhere. But being extremely petty people my friend and I rerouted our walk to and from the break/lunch room to walk directly by Maureen's desk from that
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  • point forward. Always stopped talking right as we got to her desk and faced forward only to resume talking once we passed.
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  • dadarkgtprince I hope y'all slow down a bit when walking past her desk, then resume normal speed
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  • Dripping Snarkasm "You know, Maureen, it's true what people say about you." Then just walk away and leave her to imagine which people it could and whatever it is they might have said.
    via Dripping_Snarkasm
  • Cheezburger Image 10665009408
    via Vitaly Gariev

    You can't be here if you're not a part of the team

    Model portrayal



     

  • Cheezburger Image 10665009920
    via Brooke Cagle

    Maureen feeling suspicious

    Not actual story subjects



     

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace malicious compliance work workplace malicious compliance reddit workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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