Annoying things your work colleagues do all the time? #9

OwlHen · Feb 16, 2026

My annoying thing today is people using the kitchen as a meeting room for calls then getting annoyed at me for using the microwave because it's noisy

bottlewrapper · Feb 16, 2026

A member of my team has appointed himself 'AI expert'. Fair enough, it takes stuff off my plate, and the more efficient we are, the better. His productivity and technical understanding has always been crap, I just assumed he was lazy and will just become part of the next round of redundancies when they happen. He's perfectly nice, people like him, it will work itself out over time.

Now my boss has come to me because his AI use stats mean he's the top user in the company, but I haven't seen that he's produced anything to benefit the team. Essentially, he's AI'd his job away but hasn't shared any know how with anyone. He's quietly set up little AI projects and workflows to benefit him amd no one else.

And now I have to deal with it, because the big bosses are 'concerned'.

MediumLoad · Feb 16, 2026

jojida said:
We had a cyber attack attempt last week and a guide on how to avoid this in future was sent out. Management sent out then an (I think) obvious test of a "there has been a failed log in attempt, please access the link to confirm this" and one of our secretaries received this. She then got an email this morning to say that another secretary had received the same email, and that she'd sent it to all of the secretaries to tell everyone to "watch out for it". Surely that beats the objective of a phising email test? Silly people

One of our "So obviously a fake Phising attempt created by IT to make sure they are compliant" emails fooled hardly anyone. Err, apart from half the IT Department who clicked on it to see what it was.

Not that we were surprised, as our IT Department consistently scores highest on any "What don't you like about working here?" surveys.

April89 · Feb 18, 2026

I don’t know if it is a confidence problem for me, or if it’s the industry I work in, but wherever I work, it’s like a fight for colleagues to push themselves above everyone!
A senior ish staff member started with us this week, she was in the break room at the same time as me and another senior member walked in, looked her up and down and questioningly said - are you on your break? I just thought what’s it got to do with you?? You met her today, why are you trying to jostle for position, you aren’t in a place where she answers to you! The new staff member was actually in there as she was clearly upset and was waiting to speak to manager about her first day! I think I’m low in confidence and I possibly see things that I misconstrue but it seems to be such a regular occurrence that it can be just me!

DA Stella · Feb 20, 2026

There has got to be a special place in Hades for people who send me big projects to work on five minutes before I sign out for the day. On Friday.
Also, the one person who regularly cleaned the microwave and kitchen area is now working remotely full time. The microwave is absolutely filthy inside now.

Sketchy · Feb 21, 2026

I was hoping this would be a thing of the past but unfortunately I've witnessed it happening recently:

Some co-workers not making enough effort to make new-starts feel welcome - especially the younger new-starts. I'll never forget the first time I started work as a 16 yr-old. A couple of the older women (it was always the woman for some reason ... in their late 40s/50s) and thank God it was just a couple of them - were just horrible and seemed to resent having to show us what to do, etc, as we shadowed them to be trained. It was as though we were simply nothing but a great botheration for them.

This behaviour carried on into the canteen area if we dared to sit in one of their seats. How the hell were we to know whose names were engraved on which seats and tables?! This happened decades ago, but I've always remembered this and was determined to never make anyone else feel alienated.

But, as I say, I've seen it happen recently. And instead of management dealing with the curmudgeonly, moany old grumps who think they own the place because they've been there for years they simply place the newer ones with 'the friendlier staff' (management's words) to be trained.

Ivegone · Feb 21, 2026

Sketchy said:
I was hoping this would be a thing of the past but unfortunately I've witnessed it happening recently:

Some co-workers not making enough effort to make new-starts feel welcome - especially the younger new-starts. I'll never forget the first time I started work as a 16 yr-old. A couple of the older women (it was always the woman for some reason ... in their late 40s/50s) and thank God it was just a couple of them - were just horrible and seemed to resent having to show us what to do, etc, as we shadowed them to be trained. It was as though we were simply nothing but a great botheration for them.

This behaviour carried on into the canteen area if we dared to sit in one of their seats. How the hell were we to know whose names were engraved on which seats and tables?! This happened decades ago, but I've always remembered this and was determined to never make anyone else feel alienated.

But, as I say, I've seen it happen recently. And instead of management dealing with the curmudgeonly, moany old grumps who think they own the place because they've been there for years they simply place the newer ones with 'the friendlier staff' (management's words) to be trained.

I do this with new people I always make sure they get their breaks on time as well

ahkrin · Feb 21, 2026

Have to say when I started in the world of work it was always women in their 40s who took me under their wing and helped me navigate whose seat was whose and which of them would shank you over it.

TheDragonWithAFlagon · Feb 21, 2026

Trouble is for some of those women, they're being told to train somebody who is just as likely on more money than them, for no additional salary and will then see the new, shiny ones promoted over them because 'they want to progress' as though nobody over 30 has ever wanted to do that themselves.

It's hard to be enthusiastic when you're painstakingly explaining to somebody how to do something, answering every question nicely (if there are any, often they just sit there in silence), they go away and you don't see them again until there's some utter drivel complete with a few possessive apostrophes and confusing their, there and they're on the company website, only to see them getting employee of the century three weeks later because they made a poster in AI. Which also had the same spelling errors. And then they're suddenly barking orders at you as though they've been made your supervisor.

BoogleC · Feb 22, 2026

TheDragonWithAFlagon said:
Trouble is for some of those women, they're being told to train somebody who is just as likely on more money than them, for no additional salary and will then see the new, shiny ones promoted over them because 'they want to progress' as though nobody over 30 has ever wanted to do that themselves.

This reminds me of my first office job, a woman on a temporary contract was asked to train me, someone who had been offered the same job on a permanent contract, and would be replacing her. She was so kind to me and showed me the ropes, it wasn’t until afterwards I found out the situation and was mortified. But it must’ve been such a slap in the face being asked to train someone because you know the job so well but not valued enough to be retained by the company or rewarded

PaddyDomino · Feb 22, 2026

BoogleC said:
This reminds me of my first office job, a woman on a temporary contract was asked to train me, someone who had been offered the same job on a permanent contract, and would be replacing her. She was so kind to me and showed me the ropes, it wasn’t until afterwards I found out the situation and was mortified. But it must’ve been such a slap in the face being asked to train someone because you know the job so well but not valued enough to be retained by the company or rewarded

Had she applied for the permanent contract and been unsuccessful?
If so, that is indeed harsh of the management to expect her to train you in those circumstances!
Although there's nowt as quare as folk and nothing surprises me in a workplace!
I was in a situation once when I was working for a large workplace, with loads of departments, whereby my one year contract ended and I didn't want to renew it because the office was cliquey and I'd never fitted in, it was kind of mutual because the manager didn't like me and she was probably relieved that I was lucky enough to find another job in another department.
Anyway, I had a one week handover with my replacement, and she was very nice and I was happy to be leaving so I was very happy to be showing her the job.
One of my duties was to file staff contracts and lo and behold I had to file hers and spotted that her starting salary was way more than what I was earning
Obviously, it wasn't her fault and I didn't let it affect how I treated her but I really did feel I'd been taken for a fool by the manager and I did resent having to train the new person and she literally sitting there being paid more than me
I was so glad to get outta there, and luckily the department I moved to was much nicer but I've never forgotten how I felt that last week.

Rodneytrotter · Feb 22, 2026

PaddyDomino said:
Had she applied for the permanent contract and been unsuccessful?
If so, that is indeed harsh of the management to expect her to train you in those circumstances!
Although there's nowt as quare as folk and nothing surprises me in a workplace!
I was in a situation once when I was working for a large workplace, with loads of departments, whereby my one year contract ended and I didn't want to renew it because the office was cliquey and I'd never fitted in, it was kind of mutual because the manager didn't like me and she was probably relieved that I was lucky enough to find another job in another department.
Anyway, I had a one week handover with my replacement, and she was very nice and I was happy to be leaving so I was very happy to be showing her the job.
One of my duties was to file staff contracts and lo and behold I had to file hers and spotted that her starting salary was way more than what I was earning
Obviously, it wasn't her fault and I didn't let it affect how I treated her but I really did feel I'd been taken for a fool by the manager and I did resent having to train the new person and she literally sitting there being paid more than me
I was so glad to get outta there, and luckily the department I moved to was much nicer but I've never forgotten how I felt that last week.

Oh that's awful, did you mention the pay difference to anyone?

PaddyDomino · Feb 22, 2026

Rodneytrotter said:
Oh that's awful, did you mention the pay difference to anyone?

No I didn't, I figured it wasn't worth it as it was my last week there, and I didn't get along with the manager anyway, so I felt there was no point in having a palaver with her when I only had a few days left there.
Also, I kind of blamed myself for not having negotiated a better wage for myself when I started, in the way that my replacement must have done.
She was a few years older than me and she must have asked to be paid a couple of points higher up the salary scale, whereas I had just accepted the bottom of the scale when I was offered the job.

Greenfly125 · Feb 25, 2026

When you bring food in for an occasion and someone decides they only want half of something. I've not caught who it is. I brought in cookies and someone took half of one and left the other half in the bag - who is going to want the other half that someone has touched cream cakes, someone cut a cream donut in half, there was cream everywhere. Just take the whole thing and bin what you don't eat!

Samf2020 · Feb 25, 2026

Greenfly125 said:
When you bring food in for an occasion and someone decides they only want half of something. I've not caught who it is. I brought in cookies and someone took half of one and left the other half in the bag - who is going to want the other half that someone has touched cream cakes, someone cut a cream donut in half, there was cream everywhere. Just take the whole thing and bin what you don't eat!

They do that in my job. They do it to show they are so dainty they can only eat half of something.
I hate it because no one else can eat the bit left because your hands have been all over it.

Lola Ruby · Feb 25, 2026

I emailed person X yesterday asking for information that I need this week ideally to finish a piece of work. Not heard back yet (which is fine) but thought I could try emailing person Y too, who might have this info for me, in case X is off sick / busy. I included in my email that I had emailed person X initially (as I know they are the lead for the info I am after, so the best person to ask) but not heard back yet. This was only stated as a fact so person Y didn't come back with "have you emailed person X"

Person Y has responded "X really is the best person to ask and only works on XYZ days so I'm sure they were really busy today" CCing in person X, which I am sure they have done deliberately to make it look I am moaning about them when it wasn't intended that way? Absolutely no need.

Such a cunty move. Despise people being weird and passive aggressive over email at work

EvilJigglypuff · Feb 25, 2026

Colleague: can I call you?
Me: I’m in a meeting, I’ll let you know when I’m free
Colleague: OK
Me: I’m free now until 2 (I didnt call her as she was showing away)
Colleague: *rings me at 2:15 when I’m in my next meeting*

TheDragonWithAFlagon · Feb 25, 2026

Samf2020 said:
They do that in my job. They do it to show they are so dainty they can only eat half of something.
I hate it because no one else can eat the bit left because your hands have been all over it.

I worked in one place where the bits taken from doughnuts competitively decreased until there were 25 out of 30 of the fucking things with a 2cm sliver taken out of each one with filling mostly all over the boxes or plates. And fingerprints/nail impressions on the top of each, so nobody else was ever going to touch them but everybody could see that the group of teeny tinies all couldn't possibly manage more than a scrap of a fresh doughnut.

It would have been wasteful but fine had they taken an entire one each and thrown away the extra or shared amongst themselves, but no, it had to be seen.

christinaribena · Feb 26, 2026

I’ve mentioned this before but there’s a guy I work with who is constantly asking me to help him with something that he knows isn’t my responsibility (because I’ve told him this more than once) He’s now moved on to repeatedly asking me to escalate something for him

‘Can you escalate to this person because the customer is waiting?’ Why can’t you, it’s your case? Are you incapable of sending an email?

I mostly ignore him now until it suits me to reply. I am not your secretary!

qqwertyy · Feb 26, 2026

Just seen that someone who works for the same company and does the same role I do has given themselves a fancy title on LinkedIn which is technically accurate but ridiculous; like ‘head water, facilities, sewage and technology consultant’ if you were a self-employed plumber. Major eye roll.

Annoying things your work colleagues do all the time? #9

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