Does your colleague sleep while you pick up their slack, take your precious snacks without asking, or give constant comments on how rough you look? If you ticked any of these boxes, I hate to break it to you, but you may be in the presence of a terrible coworker. While the majority of the workforce tries to get along well with everyone else and avoid being an inconvenience, there is the small part that possesses a unique talent for draining the patience and energy of others.
The Bored Panda team gathered a whole list of such colleagues below to show just how frustrating, irrational, or plain evil people we work with can get. They might even make you appreciate the colleagues you already have, which is definitely a win in our books.
While you’re busy scrolling, don’t forget to check out a conversation with Connie Kurczewski, aesthetic practice consultant and strategic business advisor at Elevated Practice, leadership coach Robina Bhasin at RMB Leadership & Talent Strategy Consulting, and corporate culture and employee relations expert Josh Hart, who kindly agreed to share a few tips on how to deal with difficult colleagues.
#1 The Way My Colleague Leaves Their Chair In The Middle Of The Pathway Each Time They Leave Their Desk
Image credits: drummerboy2749
#2 Coworkers Brought Binoculars To Work To Look On Young Beach Goers Today
Image credits: good_interiors
#3 Started A Timer Right When My Coworker Left For Her 15 Min Break And Stopped It When She Came Back. What Should I Do? It’s Not Fair I Only Take 15 Mins
Image credits: Odd-Maintenance-8973
Kickresume’s 2024 survey has found that 85% of people have dealt with an annoying coworker, which means that almost everyone has had the displeasure of coming across the workplace vampire that drains energy and patience by being an inconvenience. What I would like to know, though, is how the lucky 15% were never faced with a frustrating colleague. Please, e-mail me your secret! Just kidding… Or am I?
58% of those who have worked with despairing coworkers said that their behavior affects their productivity, and only 13% can stay focused on their tasks despite what’s happening in their environment.
#4 Coworker Bought Me A Box Of Chocolates For Christmas – One Missing And The Rest Were Mouldy
Image credits: umbrellasplash
#5 Coworkers Ate All My Chimichangas And Left The Empty Package In The Freezer. I Didn’t Even Have One
Image credits: DangeresqueIII
#6 I Let My Colleague Borrow My Laptop Charger For A Meeting. This Is How He Returned It
When I mentioned it to him, he told me it was “clearly an accident” and said I can “easily buy another one.”
Image credits: CowboyLikeMemes
The survey also found the top five types that make employees’ blood boil the most:
- Credit stealer (33%)
- Micromanager (32%)
- Chronic complainer (30%)
- Personal space intruder (30%)
- Lunch thief (27%)
#7 Coworker Getting Paid To Sleep While I Work For 2
Image credits: mdk106
#8 Brought This Pie To An Office Potluck. My Coworker Sliced It Like This And Took From The Middle
Image credits: Heggers_1
#9 My Coworker Always Leaves The Microwave Door Open
Image credits: reddit.com
“Toxic behavior is not always loud or obvious. More often, it shows up in subtle, persistent ways. Dismissiveness, passive-aggressive remarks, gossip, taking credit for someone else’s work, and creating unnecessary conflict all break down trust,” says Connie Kurczewski, aesthetic practice consultant and strategic business advisor at Elevated Practice.
“One pattern I see often is what some refer to as “learned helplessness” or “intentional incompetence.” It happens when someone constantly avoids responsibility and expects others to compensate. It might not seem disruptive at first, but over time, it quietly drains momentum and morale from the team.”
#10 My Colleague Had To Clean Something And Then Proceeded To Pour The Dirty Water Down The Sink Without Cleaning It
Image credits: Dr_Swag_
#11 Watched My Coworker’s Cats For Two Weeks, We Agreed On A ~$50 LEGO Set As My Payment. All I Got Was A Keychain
Image credits: GoatsWithWigs
#12 My Coworker Eats All My Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches, And Leaves The Empty Box
Image credits: reddit.com
Other unacceptable behaviors that experts observe in the workplace include bullying, leaving people out of important updates, and spreading rumors.
“An example of toxic behavior in the workplace is if one colleague intentionally sabotages another through dishonesty or speaking disparagingly about them, attacking their character behind their back with the intention of damaging their reputation,” adds leadership coach Robina Bhasin at RMB Leadership & Talent Strategy Consulting.
“Another example is an employee who is permitted to be abusive toward others simply because of the power, prestige, or position they hold. Senior leaders are aware of the toxic behavior but simply look the other way, unwilling to address it with the person because they fear upsetting them,” she says.
#13 My Coworker’s Mini-Fridge
My coworker thought that our cleaning lady was responsible for maintaining his mini-fridge, so he never threw away old food, cleaned it, or opened it for months. I went to put something in there for him and the stench knocked me back. Yes, it’s all mold and bug corpses.
Image credits: FawltyT0wers
#14 Coworker Keeps Avoiding To Pay Me Back After She Conveniently Forgot Her Wallet At Dinner
A few weeks ago I decided to grab some dinner with a coworker. I rarely if ever go out to eat as its so expensive these days but I finally decided to treat myself one night. My coworker ordered appetizers for herself, multiple drinks, a larger dinner and even dessert. When it came time to pay we were each going to just pay for our food but she conveniently forgot her wallet and just kinda sat there staring at me. I’m an awkward person and I really didn’t want to even cover her food in the moment because it was more than I could even afford but it was such a weird situation and she promised to pay me back so to just end the evening I covered her bill expecting to get reimbursed. Now that was weeks ago and she keep posting on insta and snapchat about going out to fancy restaurants or weekend trips but she always has an excuse when I ask to be paid back. I BARELY make a livable wage and being in the red because of her has caused me so much anxiety, I feel like such an idiot.
Image credits: reveal_time_bfedit
#15 My Co Workers Tea Cup, He Refuses To Wash It Because “It’s Perfectly Seasoned” (We Drink Tea With Milk In My Country!!)
Image credits: BupidStastard
“These kinds of actions can bring down the mood at work. They make people less productive, increase how often employees leave, and can even damage the company’s reputation. Plus, dealing with this kind of negativity day in and day out can take a toll on everyone’s mental health,” explains corporate culture and employee relations expert Josh Hart.
“When this kind of behavior goes unchecked, it impacts the whole team,” agrees Kurczewski. “Communication breaks down, resentment builds, and even your best people start to pull back. This often leads to lower morale, high turnover, and a noticeable drop in performance. In service-centered businesses, the first signs usually appear in the client experience. I have seen how one person’s unaddressed behavior quietly shifted an entire team dynamic. These situations rarely fix themselves.”
“Furthermore, when employees do not feel psychologically safe in the workplace, they are less likely to notify colleagues and senior leadership about mistakes that have been made and less willing to ask questions or share their ideas if they diverge from those of senior leaders,” says Bhasin. “This can have devastating consequences for the company’s product/service and significantly stifle innovation and growth potential over time.”
#16 Coworker Ate My Food
This morning a friend bought me breakfast and a fancy coffee, which is a treat, as I am a poor. I kinda had a bum day and wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t eat more than two bites. I taped it closed and wrote my name/date on it, as that’s just what I do with personal items in the work fridge. Anywho, as the day progresses I just feel ho hum so I wrote a message to my boss asking if I could finish my tasks the following day and head out early. They didn’t mind and so I go home and lay down.
Sometimes towards the end of my nap I received a text message from the closer asking if they could eat my food. I replied about 40 mins after the message was received. I feel terrible for being peeved but I was looking forward to having it tomorrow anyway… rant over. There’s no issue really because they offered to replace it but I won’t accept because I know this person struggles financially just as I do…
Image credits: PresentationPutrid
#17 Coworker Started A Literal Dumpster Fire
Image credits: OkGroup4765
#18 My Colleagues Have A “Not My Job” Attitude To Changing The Bins
Image credits: TasBlue
The workplace culture experts also explained why workers might display unacceptable behaviors towards colleagues. “In most cases, it comes down to one of two things. Either the person lacks the self-awareness or emotional maturity to recognize how their behavior affects others, or leadership has not set clear expectations or followed through when needed,” Kurczewski suggests.
“Stress and insecurity can absolutely play a role, but they do not excuse behavior that undermines the team. When the culture of an organization is unclear or inconsistent, people will push boundaries. And when there is no accountability, those boundaries eventually disappear.”
#19 How My Domestic Colleagues Leave The Vacuum And Extension Cable At Work. It Takes Me Nearly 10 Minutes To Untangle It All. I Have Told Them Multiple Times To Put It All Away Tidy
Image credits: PeachyFuzz94
#20 My Mom Confronted Her Coworker About How She Parked On Top Of Her Car. She’s Claiming Not Only Is There Space Between, But Was “Being Attacked” From Being Confronted And Has Been Bullying Her Since
Her Other Coworker, Who Is Friends With This One, Claims There Is Space Between Too.
Image credits: hayhaydavila
#21 I Keep A Pack Of Gum On My Cubicle At Work. Tried To Grab A Piece And I Discover This… I Hate My Coworkers
Image credits: maidafossetta
Of course, addressing such colleagues’ toxic behaviors can be tricky, but it’s crucial to talk about it with the person who is causing the trouble directly, says Hart. “It’s important to be clear about what’s bothering you and how it affects your work. Setting clear boundaries and getting support from HR or a mentor can also help. And keep track of any incidents, just in case you need to show a pattern of behavior to someone higher up,” he says.
#22 Coworker Decided To Sample Every Doughnut
Image credits: reddit.com
#23 Coworker Spam Called Me 26 Times To Pick Up His Shift For The Course Of 3 Hours… This Was Not The First Time
For context I closed last night so I don’t get out until 2:30am. I woke up to his messages at 4am asking to take his shift at 8am and I thought he would get the hint if i ignored it pretended to be asleep. Apparently not. Coworker has done this many times before (this time somehow managed to find my phone number and email and spam me there). I had to turn off my phone to get a goodnight sleep.
Image credits: Homefrynick
#24 Coworker Sweetly Left Me A Plant On My Only Chair
Image credits: Anchovieee
“You want to start by observing patterns and writing things down,” seconds Kurczewski. “It is easier to have a productive conversation when you can point to specific examples. If you are a peer, speak up respectfully and directly. Be clear about what is not working. If you are a leader, do not wait. The longer you let it go, the more damage it causes. One of the most common mistakes I see is avoiding difficult conversations. But those conversations are what protect the culture, the team, and ultimately the business.”
#25 The Only Toilet This Morning In My Office
Image credits: Mr-Nyan
#26 My Colleague Is Blocking My Office Waste Bin With His Empty Pizza Box Almost Every Day. He Know I Hate Him For That So He Made Upgrade
Image credits: Thaifox
#27 “Concerned” Coworker Keeps Telling Me I Look Like Sh*t
Image credits: sarattaras
Meanwhile, Bhasin advises trying to understand where the person is coming from, except in situations where an employee has been abusive toward other employees.
“With this insight, I help them deepen their self-awareness and see the impact of their actions on others. With this greater self-awareness, the employee often chooses a path of self-improvement to build more positive relationships with colleagues. And if they are not willing to make changes, there is a separate conversation about their future in the company that needs to happen.”
#28 Coworker Asked Me If I Got Her Note That A Customers Order Needed Canceled. This Was The Note…
Image credits: Skwellington
#29 My Coworker Uses The Accessible Stall To “Stretch Out Her Legs”
Image credits: AbsentmindedAuthor
#30 It’s Always A Pleasure To Realize That Your Coworkers Don’t Know How To Close A Box Properly… Right When You’re Ready To Go Home
Image credits: reddit.com
Lastly, Hart notes, “Creating a workplace where everyone feels respected and valued can prevent a lot of these issues from starting in the first place. Encouraging everyone to give regular feedback, training employees on how to communicate effectively, and recognizing when people treat each other well can make a big difference in building a positive work environment.”
#31 My Coworker Is Constantly Cold And Instead Of Just Turning The AC Down, She Turns The Heat On Until Everyone Is Sweating
Image credits: ObiWangKeBloMe
#32 All Of My Coworkers And Bosses Have Been Calling Me By The Wrong Name For Nearly A Year, Despite Me Telling Them I Dont Like Them Calling Me That
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#33 This Is The Only Fridge At Work. There Are Shelves For Lunch Boxes But They Fill The Fridge With These
Image credits: DogOfTheArmy
#34 Surprised My Girlfriend With Baked Goods And Flowers Before She Went To Work, And Her Coworkers Ate Them All
Unprompted, straight up just snagged them from her area and ate them.
Image credits: Limp_Rent2784
#35 I’ve Had This Rubber Band Ball For 6 Years, Carefully Preserving Its Shape By Removing One Band At A Time. I Let A Colleague Borrow It For One Day, And She Destroyed It
Image credits: MerMadeMeDoIt
#36 Coworkers Misspelled My Name And Got Me A Cake I Can’t Eat On My Birthday
Image credits: ConsistentMarch7406
#37 I’ve Been On Medical Leave From Work Since Being Diagnosed With A Rare Form Of Cancer. None Of My Coworkers Have Reached Out To Me At All, Until Just Now
Also, I literally was their “boss”.
Image credits: I_Bite_Back
#38 The Printer Can Hold An Entire Ream Of Paper. So Why Don’t My Coworkers Fill The Empty Tray With The Entire Ream Of Paper?
Image credits: NapalmBreakfast
#39 Coworkers Make Each Other Valentines And I’m The Literally The Only One In My 12 Person Office That Didn’t Have One Made For Them. Some People Even Have Multiple… Awkward
Image credits: bradygoeskel
#40 This Is Supposed To Be Cleaned Every Night By My Coworker With 15 Years Of Experience Running His Own Coffee Shop
Nothing has been scrubbed since last weekend (the last time I worked at the coffee bar).
Image credits: moonwtr
#41 This Knife Blade Was 15 Days Old. Still Factory Sharp, When I Handed It To A Coworker Who Wanted To Borrow My Pliers. He Had It For 15 Mins
Image credits: theitguy52
#42 My Coworker “Locked” Me In The Porta Potty And Then Went To Lunch
That’s solid copper wire from electrical cable. He got me good! Plotting my revenge now…
Image credits: TheAtlasComplex
#43 My Coworker Told Me That Everyone Dressed Up At My Office. Now I’m The Only Person Dressed Like Captain Kirk Amongst Khakis And Polo Shirts
Image credits: DukeMaximum
#44 My Colleague Hogging All The Angle Grinders Cuz He Can’t Be Bothered To Change Out A Single Disk
Image credits: Gaming_with_Hui
#45 Out Of Dishwasher Detergent, Coworker Decided To Use Dishwashing Liquid
Image credits: Mortivoreeee
#46 Coworker Thinks I’m A Charity Case
Image credits: Maleficent_Dot6954
#47 Coworker Feels The Need To Share Everything On A Company Wide Channel. Here Is Today’s Latest Un-Requested Update
Image credits: ChiefHat
#48 The Way My Coworker Put The Anti-Theft Tag On All Of The New Stock
Image credits: Stommp
#49 Coworker Sick All Week, Won’t Go Home
Image credits: kimberlyrose616
#50 Gave A Coworker My Screwdriver (Not The Work’s) To Use For Literally A Day And This Is How It Came Back
Image credits: Substantial-Title-25
#51 Coworker Keeps Inserting Herself In My Personal Life
Image credits: spyne98
#52 Coworker Of Mine Braided The Cords So I Can’t Tell Which Cord Leads To Which
Image credits: Sufficient_Gain_1164
#53 Coworker Keeps Telling Me That I’m Autistic
Image credits: reddit.com
#54 My Coworkers Like To Follow My Boss Around And Have Fun Conversation So They Can Get Paid To Do Absolutely Nothing
Image credits: Christochat
#55 I Left My Lunch At My Desk For 10 Minutes And Came Back To This. Pretty Sure My Perpetually Drunk Coworker Is Responsible
Image credits: reddit.com
#56 Coworker Talking To Me About Temporarily Not Having A Car, I Tried Being Optimistic And He Drastically Changed The Subject
Image credits: reddit.com
#57 Did The Mistake Of Calling My Coworker Bro
Image credits: No-Good-5707
#58 This Is How My Colleagues Left Their Office Space (Not Only Did They Throw Away Food, But They Didn’t Bother Leaving Me Any)
Image credits: Significant_Tea_8538
#59 I Started Keeping Track Of My Coworker’s Questions. Needless To Say, I Spend Most Of My Day Repeating Myself
Image credits: jjlew080
#60 One Of My Coworkers Forwards All His Spam Newsletters To The Entire Office. Unsubscribing Isn’t An Option Because They’re Addressed To Him
Image credits: reddit.com
#61 Just Yesterday I Bought New Sneakers. And Today A Colleague Splattered Them With Printer Ink
Image credits: ajiath666
#62 My Coworker Drove The Truck Against A Bridge, And Now The Back Won’t Open
Image credits: Yonder_Bot
#63 Boomer Coworker Makes Sexist Comment Then Gets Hurt At My Reply
So, I walk into the break room at work today to fill up my water bottle – well, actually, my partner’s water bottle – because I’m trying to stay hydrated, and I just want to chill for my break. While I’m filling the bottle, this old coworker (like 60-70 years old), who I barely even know, strolls up and says, “Nice bottle, girl,” then snorts at his own lame joke.
I have hearing issues, so I didn’t even catch what he said at first. But this guy decides to tap me on the shoulder and repeat his dusty attempt at humor. I’m confused, so I look at him and ask, “What are you talking about?” He laughs again and says, “Your bottle, that’s a girl’s bottle.”
I ask, “What makes it a girl’s bottle?” And, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, he replies, “Well, it’s pink.” So, still playing dumb, I say, “It’s actually pink and blue, but why does it being pink make it a girl’s bottle?” By now, his laughing has stopped, and he’s looking at me like I’m clueless. He says, “Well, pink is a girl’s color.”
I hit him back with, “That’s totally subjective. Sure, it’s got pink on it, but it also has blue. Does that cancel out the pink? Also, I’m a man, and I own the bottle, so wouldn’t that make it a man’s bottle?”
He snaps, “It’s still a girl’s bottle.” So I reply, “That’s strange because I own the bottle and use he/him pronouns.” Of course, that sets him off. He starts ranting, “Of course, you and your generation want to rewrite science. No s**t you use those – you’re a guy!”
I just respond calmly, “Then why are you calling me a girl? Seems like you’re the one trying to put a spin on things.” Before he can even get another word in, I screw the cap back on the bottle, turn, and walk out. He’s left standing there, red-faced and muttering to himself, while I’m already out of the door laughing. When in doubt buzzword it out!
Image credits: RyGuydarider
#64 I Let A Colleague Borrow One Of My Favorite Books, And It Was Returned To Me With The Pages Written On And Stuffed With Sticky Notes
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#65 The Way My Colleague Opened The Pack Of Gum I Just Bought
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#66 Coworker Threatened To Go To Hr For “Food Shaming”
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#67 Coworker Got Into My Bag And Used My Body Spray
Image credits: DangerousRanger21
#68 I Have A New Coworker And They Flip The Toilet Roll Every Single Time They Use The Bathroom
Image credits: Enoisa
#69 My Coworker Said She’s Water My Plant While I Worked From Home. Stopped In To Do Some Quick Mailing And Found My Poor Plant Dying
Image credits: reddit.com
#70 Coworker Left A Transmission On The Floor Overnight And Didn’t Drain It Before Leaving. Nearly Busted Me
Image credits: qwertgoat548
#71 My Colleague Thought This Was Funny. “Kurt” In Keyboard
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#72 This Is Why I Don’t Like To Give Coworkers My Number
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#73 A Colleague Said They Had A Bookcase I Can Take. I Drove Round And This Is It
They didn’t mention it was tiny, nor did they mention its for kids. He never teases or trolls. I took it to be polite but it’ll go straight to charity shop.
Image credits: sKullsHavezzz
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