Some coworkers are just God sent. You make best friends, you fall in love, you meet your idols, you find your team players to climb up that long career ladder with. They make your lunch breaks less lonely, meetings funnier and deadlines… well, the deadlines are the same no matter what.
But sometimes your coworkers are just the opposite. They make doing your job harder than it already is, and everything in between way less enjoyable. If you are dealing with a coworker like that, let me tell you, you are not the only one. There are millions of people out there handling the most annoying, irrational, or even plain evil colleagues because… well, because it's what you’re supposed to do, right?
So if you're too tired to deal with this on your own, this post compiled by Bored Panda is a safe place to vent and talk about hard things. Pull your seat closer and scroll through the stories about coworkers from hell by sharing your own experiences in the comments below!
And when you're done, more stories about difficult coworkers await in our previous features here and here.
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All Of My Coworkers Agreed To Dress Up As Smurfs For Halloween. I'm The Only One To Go Through With It
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
Yesterday This Guy Put Ghost Pepper Popcorn In Our Industrial Microwave At Work For Over 5 Minutes. The Office Was Filled With Black Smoke Burning People's Eyes
No one could breathe. He basically maced the building. We were moved to the other end so we could keep working.
Bored Panda spoke with Christine Mitterbauer, a licensed and ICF-approved career coach and serial entrepreneur who shared some great insights on dealing with difficult coworkers. So pull your seat closer.
Mitterbauer said that “it’s important that you stand your ground and don’t let yourself be intimidated by difficult coworkers, whether they’re negative, talking down to you, or making your work difficult in any other way.”
“Of course, you can try to interact as little as possible with the coworker, but that isn’t always possible,” the career coach added. Moreover, a great skill to practice is becoming better at having difficult conversations, she said.
As A Practical Joke, Some Co-Workers Wrapped My Office In Foil. In The Process, My 30" LCD Monitor Was Accidentally Turned On, And It Boiled Itself
Here's what it looked like when I unwrapped it
I really hate such blatant waste of resources. The monitor, the tin foil
My Coworkers Have A Sick Sense Of Humor
My Coworker Lied To My Boss That I Could Cover His Shift
When dealing with difficult coworkers, always focus on the behavior you would like to address and which is bothering you, and never go down the road of stating negative traits or characteristics about that person, Mitterbauer argues.
“Stick to negative behavior as that’s more objective and can more easily be verified by everyone involved. Practice exactly what you want to say beforehand, and consider getting other allies on board as well. Sometimes it is necessary to involve management, but it’s often better to only do this once you can demonstrate to the manager what you yourself have attempted to tackle the issue,” she explained.
I Work At A Place Where At The End Of Shifts We Split The Tips Evenly Between The 2-3 People That Work
We had more than 50$ of tips today and my coworker had to leave about 10 minutes early. She ended up taking all but ~2.50$ and management won't do anything about it.
Someone Brought This To The Office Potluck
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
Most people have had coworkers they don’t get along with, Mitterbauer continues, but she says there’s a difference between not being great friends and them making your working life miserable. “When their behavior starts affecting your work and/or you are thinking about this issue in your free time, possibly dreading going to work the next day, that’s when it becomes an issue.”
Coworker Announced That She And Her SO Are Finally Pregnant, I Got Her A Box Of Pastries To Celebrate And When I The Party Was About To Start I Open The Fridge At Work And See This
My Coworker Put Straight Printer Ink In One Of My Gloves At Work. This Will Take A Week Or Two Minimum To Come Off
Apparently Someone Has Been Munching My Donuts And It Was Supposed To Be For My Kids After Work
This looks very, very intentional. Like someone doesn't like you. Pay attention that your belongings aren't moved; who knows what else they might do. 😱
The fact that this happens not just in the workplace but in schools as well just shows you that these are the people those kids grow up and turn into. I remember being in school and having multiple stuff stolen when we would switch classes because some kid would stick their hand into my desk and steal whatever they could grab and it didn't change or get stopped ( even though my mom talked to the teacher) until another kid had his stuff stolen and then it was stopped.
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at least steal a whole donut, not a bite of each, that's just being nasty
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I would probably leave it, with a note saying "Whoever ate this, keep it, knowing you took my child's after school snack for the next week."
Narcissists don't care who it's for and won't feel bad either way. Bring doughnuts made with dogshit next time. You'll be the one laughing 🤣
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Someone might think it's funny. IN HIGHSCHOOL. The fact that this happened in an office just make me sick.
Sadly, high school students don't magically transform into adults in time for their first job. 😔
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I question the validity of the story, you would have to be possessed by the devil to do something like this.
They probably were possessed by the devil then
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First of all I would have never left it out. Every way I went the box would have went with me if I had a locker it would be inside the locker if I had a desk will be inside the drawer you can't count on adults to not be idiots
I had a student bring me 2 huge bags of M & M's, and I just stuck them in one of my drawers. Went to grab a bag, gone. Looked at my 8 1/2 month pregnant best friend who had the decency to look guilty. I was not going to fight a very miserable pregnant woman. Plus she replaced them.
Should bring in another dozen donuts and spike them with Habanero to sauce or some other hot sauce or put a lot of salt on them. Should teach them not to eat other people's food.
I say find out who did it, introduce them to your kids they stole from (maybe even grab a few extra kids, heh) and have them publicly confront them, and ask them to replace their donuts. Are there cameras in whatever room you kept them in?
Buy more. Write: Do not touch on the box. Liberally coat in Carolina Reaper oil.
Smash each one into the a**hats hair and clothing while making the biggest scene possible to set an example for the rest of the a**hats watching to a. Not mess with my kids and their food and to b. Never touch or steal my stuff ever again. Narcissistic bullies deserve to be humiliated and put in their place, teach this dumbass a lesson!!
Seriously. One bite of each donut. How entitled .use that person have been to do this.
Did they know the donuts were for your kids. This is some low sh**.
Everyone in my office/ factory/ plant would hear about this! And when the culprit was found there would be repercussions!
Put a BIG NOTE in RED thst this is personal & for your kids after work INSIDE & OUT. They may not have been aware. If they were, post a note thst you had SPIT ON THE DOUGHNUTS
It’s sad that you have to put things like this at your desk or leave them in your car to keep others out.
I'd be making an announcement calling whoever did it asshats! & Letting them know it was for your kids. Also the next lot you bring in will be "fixed" to find them. Leave it for a few months then bring some that have blue dye in them. You'll soon find them.
This is crazy! That person needs professional help. Someone in your office is not sane. Watch your back
Looks malicious to me..don't understand why someone would just take a nite out of all of them?? Maybe they are mad you did not offer any??? Freaks😟😳
This doesn't sound believable... Or I have just never encountered such an a**hole who would do it.
I'd honestly get fired over this. I'm going out tossing one bite donuts everywhere
That happened to me. I was at a meeting and I had a basket of tomatoes. I put the basket on the table to keep it out of the reach of a toddle. The mother was there. I told her not to put it on the floor. When I came back up,, the baby had taken a bite out of each one. I gave that woman hell. She acted as if it was my fault. BTW, it was a big table, in no was was it interfering with her. She had to get out of her seat, walk over, pick up the basket and put it on the floor.
Sick sh**heads! No respect for others property!! They should pay you back for it!!
Someone would have a choice go get another box containing the same selection and bring it to my house or get a serious a$$ whoopin'
I would be so angry. And it looks like real mouth marks and not a fork to steal a bite. The big question is why are your kids' donuts at work in the first place. If they have to be kept at work, put them where you store your purse. They do not need to be refrigerated.
How freaking rude!! That person would be paying for my kids box of donuts and would get a stern tongue lashing from me
Ok, I feel like it's alwsys me being the AH or Capt.Obvious here, but I need things to maje sense. Why would you bring these into your job and if you did bring them to work, why were they left in a place exposed enough for someone to take a bite out of every one and place it back perfectly in the box? There are definitely people annoying enough to do this, but there also definitely people hard up enough for attention to make things like this up..
I swear. People need to quit bringing food to work. Or use a decoy or something. People have no boundaries. Bring a box of donuts with filled ghost pepper jelly. That will teach them. I want to see some revenge. Something that will keep the co workers guessing so they are too scared to steal food
Do you think that you may have been deliberately targeted by some miscreant?
that’s awful. I wouldn’t mind if someone took one or two but ONE BITE OUT OF EACH. please no.
I would hunt that person down and force them to eat all the donuts. What kind of a*****e does this?
Wowwww...someone thought they were being funny but are just an a*****e.
Came Back To Work So See This Prominently Displayed In A Coworker’s Cube
Coworkers Not Cleaning Their Hands Before Using The Oven Mitts
This Is How My Coworker Avoids Taking Out His Garbage
I Won A $5 Bet Against My Coworker. I Came Into The Work This Morning To Find This On My Desk. Thanks, Brad
My Colleague Drove With Me In My Company Vehicle. She Left This Piece Of Gum On The Door
Tell her she left something in the car or return it by smashing it in the middle of her forehead, but then you'd have to find a way to extract it.
Coworker Didn't Know How To Take A Screenshot And Decided To Photocopy The Phone
My Colleague's Desktop
And then they complain to the IT staff about how slow their computer is.
My Coworker Never Shuts Sharpies All The Way And Wonders Why They Dry Out
My Coworker Hasn’t Washed Their Coffee Mug In Years
So Remember My Coworker's Coffee Mug From A Few Weeks Back. Here's The Keyboard
My Coworker Decided To Put Two Kinds Of Candies Together
Coworkers Keep Stealing My Stapler At Work. I've Made It Clear It's Not To Leave My Desk
Coworker Hit My Car And Acted As If She Didn't Know Who Hit It
I Think My Coworker Doesn't Like Sharing Anymore
maybe YOU'RE the a*****e coworker if you think you can just go through your coworker's snacks to the point where they have to write notes to keep you out.
My Colleagues, Everyone
While Looking For A File In My Coworker's Drawer, I Found This. Thing
My New Coworker's Company Rental Car
Coworkers Replacing The Paper Towel Roll
Found At The Communal Coffee Pot At My Corporate Office
This Is At My Work. She Does This Every Single Day
Coworker Walks Around The Office Barefoot
Coworker Forgot Something In His Work Truck
My Coworker Eats His Pickles Like A Psychopath
A Coffee Pot That I Discovered In A Coworker's Office. Wonder What The Inside Is Like At This Point
AURGH!!!!! Please tell me this was a lockdown-related accident...
My Coworker Has Been Complaining About Lack Of Available Space On Her Work Computer
The Side Of My Coworkers Desk Where They Leave Dead Skin And Nail Clippings
The Way My Coworkers Cut This Cake
My Coworker Stocks The Coolers At My Work, And His Dandruff Is On Every Single Can
Someone Cut The Tops Off The Cinnamon Crunch Bagels At The Office
When You Are Off For Christmas But Your Colleagues Have To “Work”
My Colleagues Marked My Lost Safety Goggles With Permanent Marker
Just go over the writing with a dry wipe marker and then wipe with a paper towel. Comes straight off
When Your Coworker Tries To Take Two Pallets Down At A Time With A Forklift
Someone broke one box of beer. It smelled awful. I can't even begin to imagine how terrible it must smell here
A Coworker Tried To Sharpen My Good Kitchen Knifes With An Angle Grinder
My Coworker Made Sour Cream And Onion Pringles Cake. Oh God Why
The Interior Of A Coworker's Truck. Just The Tip Of The Iceberg With This Gentleman
Office Mates Chair
My Coworker Needs Her Office Grocery Privileges Taken Away
The Way My Coworker Eats Sushi
Note: this post originally had 113 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
The straight up theft irritates me. If you didn't pay for it then you can't have it unless someone says you can have it. You're actually making it harder for people to pay their bills.
So many of these hurtful "pranks" indicate an extremely unhealthy work environment, with people taking out their despair and hatefulness on their colleagues. Management should take this very seriously and remove these people from the workplace. The human capacity for revenge and retribution is unlimited...these behaviors will spread.
Then again, it may be one of the ways these people choose to lighten up the atmosphere in their stressful work environments. I've found it helpful to avoid assuming the worst of a situation.
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Yup. This list made me mad. That many people sucking is kinda depressing.. considering it's just a drop in the bucket.
The only good thing that came with pandemics was the privilege to work from home. People sucks. Passive-agressive children and pigs like these ones, specially.
The gross cars and personal hygiene issues almost made me puke.... I'm not super a**l about cleanliness, but COME ON
There should be a special place in Hell for some of these people!
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thank you so much! I didn't realise there were usernames and so now I will reread this post and others from now on! again, thanks!!
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there was once at work someone in the UK didnt want a B day party due to panic attacks when surprise, they did anyways the worker sued them for almost half a million and won.
There was this time I was working in an office and they did a practical joke, covering all my stuff in plastic wrap and tape. When I arrived I just sat there, doing nothing. They were laughing their asses off, but I was just there sitting on my plastic-wrapped chair. Then the manager comes in, laughs for a while, looks at me and says "aren't you gonna take the plastic off?" And I said "are you gonna pay me for the extra task not described in my contract?" Everyone got quiet, then he ordered my coworkers to clean the mess and apologize. I left the job the next day.
Just wait until Generation Z and Alpha take over....total stupid chaos
Or all the kids who were homeschooled by day drinkers--
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The first one reminds me of n incident that happened to a friend of mine. It's near Halloween and she was told to come in to work in costume. She was the only one who came in costume, a popular and cute anime character, she was given an exemplary award while in costume, also got a best in costume award because the boss was actually serious about how everyone should have came in costume.
Some of it is stupid, etc., but when you have a co-worker who does something like some of these CONSTANTLY, every damned day, even after being told not to - yeah, people have a right to be "affronted".
Load More Replies... The straight up theft irritates me. If you didn't pay for it then you can't have it unless someone says you can have it. You're actually making it harder for people to pay their bills.
So many of these hurtful "pranks" indicate an extremely unhealthy work environment, with people taking out their despair and hatefulness on their colleagues. Management should take this very seriously and remove these people from the workplace. The human capacity for revenge and retribution is unlimited...these behaviors will spread.
Then again, it may be one of the ways these people choose to lighten up the atmosphere in their stressful work environments. I've found it helpful to avoid assuming the worst of a situation.
Load More Replies... Yup. This list made me mad. That many people sucking is kinda depressing.. considering it's just a drop in the bucket.
The only good thing that came with pandemics was the privilege to work from home. People sucks. Passive-agressive children and pigs like these ones, specially.
The gross cars and personal hygiene issues almost made me puke.... I'm not super a**l about cleanliness, but COME ON
There should be a special place in Hell for some of these people!
Load More Replies... thank you so much! I didn't realise there were usernames and so now I will reread this post and others from now on! again, thanks!!
Load More Replies... there was once at work someone in the UK didnt want a B day party due to panic attacks when surprise, they did anyways the worker sued them for almost half a million and won.
There was this time I was working in an office and they did a practical joke, covering all my stuff in plastic wrap and tape. When I arrived I just sat there, doing nothing. They were laughing their asses off, but I was just there sitting on my plastic-wrapped chair. Then the manager comes in, laughs for a while, looks at me and says "aren't you gonna take the plastic off?" And I said "are you gonna pay me for the extra task not described in my contract?" Everyone got quiet, then he ordered my coworkers to clean the mess and apologize. I left the job the next day.
Just wait until Generation Z and Alpha take over....total stupid chaos
Or all the kids who were homeschooled by day drinkers--
Load More Replies... The first one reminds me of n incident that happened to a friend of mine. It's near Halloween and she was told to come in to work in costume. She was the only one who came in costume, a popular and cute anime character, she was given an exemplary award while in costume, also got a best in costume award because the boss was actually serious about how everyone should have came in costume.
Some of it is stupid, etc., but when you have a co-worker who does something like some of these CONSTANTLY, every damned day, even after being told not to - yeah, people have a right to be "affronted".
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