10 Coworkers Who Treat Every “No” Like a Negotiation

Many of us had that one annoying coworker no one could stand. They might’ve stolen your sandwich or talked behind your back. Either way, these people aren’t everybody’s cup of tea.

But, once they step over a line, things can become more frustrating. That brings us to these people who share that exact experience.

1.

My lunch kept disappearing, and I finally caught my pregnant coworker eating it. She said, “Sorry, pregnancy cravings. It won’t happen again!” Still, the thefts continued.

I went straight to HR. To my surprise, HR looked uneasy and said, “We’re aware of the situation, but she isn’t actually pregnant. She’s been faking it for medical leave and sympathy.” My jaw dropped.

I felt a weird mix of betrayal and pity. HR said they were handling it quietly, but they appreciated my report. A week later, my coworker was gone. Her desk was cleared, no goodbye note, nothing. And for the first time in weeks, my lunch was still there at noon.

2.

He spends more time complaining about the amount of work he has to do and how busy he is than actually doing the work.

Six hours of complaining, two hours of work, and he still misses deadlines and turns in nothing. © ContagiousCreature / Reddit

3.

My coworker was the classic mean girl. She was always talking about people behind their back and creating drama. She started a rumor that I was having an affair with the boss. She told everyone, “I saw them sneak off into the basement last night after I left.”

I warned her to stop. She acted dumb and said, “I would never say such a thing!” The next day, I found a termination letter on my desk. Shocked, I went straight to the boss, and he gave me an excuse that they had to let me go because the company is making some “structural changes.”

A few months after I left, I found out from a friend that that mean coworker was actually the one that had the affair with the boss, and she was trying to divert attention away from herself. She ended up losing her job and husband.

4.

I’m 29 years old and a manager. Carla is a part-time cashier in her 40s and thinks that her age gives her the right to act like she’s my boss. I like to think that I’m pretty chill and don’t ask for much.

But any time I ask her to do something, she treats it like a suggestion rather than an order from her direct supervisor. © cokegivesmehiccups / Reddit

5.

I work as a Math teacher at an elementary school. My coworkers and I absolutely can’t stand the English teacher. Her idea of education is watching movies and handing out coloring paper. She barely gives out any work.

So, when the students come to the rest of our classes that actually require work, they moan and mumble, complaining that the other teacher is more fun and that they hate Math. I talked with the teacher before telling her to stop, but she just smiled and said, “Books and worksheets won’t help kids learn anything, they need to be free!”

Long story short, she didn’t last till next semester thanks to a few parent complaints.

6.

I work with this woman who always feels the need to tell people that they are doing something the wrong way just because they are doing it differently than she usually does it. There’s about a hundred different ways to do certain tasks that will all lead to the same end result, but if you aren’t doing it HER way it’s wrong.

I think she just needs to feel important and feel like she has power over her coworkers even though she is no one’s boss. © DM_does_GB / Reddit

7.

There are a few. One is this chick, Claire. She is like 65-year-old, and she’s real cynical about men when talking to all the women in the office.

But she will also come stand at my desk (or some of the other guys) and talk until you have to basically tell her to leave. Like she will stand there while I take phone calls or talk to clients, just stand there and interject inappropriately until I’m like, “Claire, I have to have the office to myself now, sorry” or whatever.

She is basically a secretary for one of the other guys, but I have no idea what she actually does other than wander around and try to talk to people who are trying to work. © ChristopherRabbit / Reddit

8.

Well, this one coworker is really hairy to begin with — and it gets everywhere, all over the photo and video gear we try hard to maintain. He picks fights with us — he actually bit me the other day.

You can’t leave him around office supplies for long, because they disappear. And he makes an awful mess in the bathroom, I mean, it’s really bad.

I figured he’d get fired by now. We could easily get another assistant or intern. But it’s complicated, because he’s also our cat. © Aggyness / Reddit

9.

This woman at work where my husband and I are employed started flirting with my husband while I was on maternity leave. Everyone at work kept telling me about it, but my husband kept denying it until I returned.

Now, it’s obvious she has a crush on him. We sit next to her, and she constantly tries to get his attention right in front of me. He clearly doesn’t respond to her, but it’s still incredibly frustrating, and she only stays for overtime when he does. © Tita_1096 / Reddit

10.

My 40-something female coworker refers to herself as a “spoiled princess.” Over the last two weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out why the women’s restroom smells like wet dog and some other unclean feminine odor. Turns out: it was her!

Also, she spends at least 2 hours during the day on personal phone calls. She’s so bad about it that my bosses moved her office to be closer to a main area, so maybe she’d be embarrassed to have these personal calls. Nope. Still happening.

She makes constant mistakes/errors and has poor organization skills, and when called out for it: never takes responsibility. It is always someone else’s fault. Always. And she speaks to men in a fake babyish uptalk voice. Like nails on chalk. Says things like, “What I had told him was,” and “I have seen it.” © ThrowMeAway_Calgon / Reddit

Dealing with annoying coworkers is a tough aspect in any job, but maintaining professionalism, setting boundaries, and using effective communication is your best bet to minimize their impact on your work life. Here are more stories of drama in the workplace thanks to that one coworker.