Employee procrastinates all day then works until 7, judges coworker for leaving at 5: 'Must be nice to leave on time'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Sep 27, 2026 9:45 AM EDT

His lack of productivity was not her problem.

Motivation can sometimes be difficult to come by in the workplace, and it is an issue that most of us have dealt with at one point or another. While most employees would prefer to get all their tasks done in time and never get stressed about meeting a deadline, that isn't always going to be the reality. Sometimes we have slow days or other things get in the way. It can't always be helped.

However, a lot of the time, we have nobody but ourselves to blame when we are behind at work. Perhaps we really don't want to do something, and so we try to ignore it until the last minute, or we go off on an interesting tangent that is of no help to our productivity. In these situations, the most important thing we can do is take ownership of our mistake and do our best to rectify it in the hours that we have remaining. While burnout is a nasty thing that we want to avoid, it can easily creep up on us if we don't timekeep effectively. Organization really is the key to being successful in all kinds of work.

*_{An employee strokes his chin while working on a laptop in the evening. Model representation.}*

An employee with a 9-to-5 office job was getting irritated by her colleague's behavior and how it was affecting her. She always tried to get her work done within normal hours, and so she was usually packing up to go home by 5. In contrast, he would spend much of his day procrastinating and getting distracted, meaning that he had to work into the evening to finish his tasks.

As a result, he often made resentful comments when his coworker had finished work. She wanted a way to clap back at him that exposed his resentment for what it was.

*_{An employee leans against the glass door of an office, checking her phone. Models for explanatory purposes only.}*

What’s the best response to a coworker who says "Must be nice to leave at 5"?

_{quen_damsel}

I work a standard 9 to 5. I do my job, finish my work, and log off on time.
I have a coworker who constantly stays until 7 PM, mostly because he spends half the morning watching YouTube and chatting, then panics at 4:30 PM.
Every time I shut my laptop at 5, he says out loud: "Must be nice to actually leave on time."
I usually just ignore it, but I’m tired of the passive-aggressive guilt trip. What’s a clean comeback that shuts him up without getting HR involved?

*_{An employee works on his laptop in the evening. Photo is a representation of scenes.}*

That's what happens when you get your work done during the day.

_Ok-Heron8017

Must be nice to watch YouTube all morning.

_{Top-Drawing-821}

"Yeah, my secret is to work harder, not longer."

_{Jimboanonymous}

I work from 5am- 3pm, so Im pretty much one of the first ones to go home.
My coworkers who come in later are CONSTANTLY asking around "what time do you go home? You at 3?".
And when they know I do, they always give me some sob story about how they have to stay until 5 or 8.
I literally just smile and continue doing my job.
Its like some kind of competitive jealousy.

_{Equal_Push_565}

Sounds like they’re basically stealing overtime - unless they’re salaried. If so “It must be nice to milk the clock”

_prxmtymnd

*_{An employee leans against the glass door of an office, crossing her arms. Picture does not depict real parties.}*

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Employee procrastinates all day then works until 7, judges coworker for leaving at 5: 'Must be nice to leave on time'

His lack of productivity was not her problem.

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