Work is hard enough. You certainly don’t need office politics making it any more unpleasant than it already is. Still, some people make lousy coworkers and often there’s not much you can do about it, no matter how annoying they are.
One woman who was rudely told to shut up by a senior colleague was as shocked as the rest of her colleagues when it happened. Then she decided to have a bit of fun with it and turned to an online community to share her story.
More info: Reddit
Office politics can make work harder than it needs to be, but this woman got her revenge in the quietest way possible
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After an older colleague, who is loud herself, told her and her friend to shut up, the woman decided to maliciously comply
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She straight up refused to talk to the offending colleague unless the conversation was work related
Image credits: krakenimages.com / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The woman says her cranky colleague hates it, but she’s having fun with the whole selective silence situation
Image credits: Ryn_is_existing
As entertaining as it is, the woman tells readers she’s planning to have a one-on-one with her curmudgeonly coworker to try and get her to see reason
When OP got shushed mid-conversation by her entitled older coworker, she didn’t argue. Instead, she complied, extremely literally, and decided to go full silent treatment - but only toward the woman who rudely demanded it. And now? She’s loving it.
The woman who called her out was a 41-year-old lead tech with a reputation for being overly harsh and rude - to coworkers and patients alike. Ironically, she’s also one of the biggest talkers in the pharmacy. So now, when she tries to chat, OP coldly replies: “Is it about work?” If not, no dice.
Other coworkers were stunned by the original “quiet game” outburst, especially since no one else was bothered by the chatting. According to OP, patients even enjoy the upbeat atmosphere. That made the silence a brilliant little rebellion: polite, professional, and very annoying for the instigator.
Call it a spoonful of her own medicine, served cold and with precision. Petty? Maybe. Satisfying? Definitely. OP says she’s planning a one-on-one talk to try and resolve things peacefully. Until then, though, she’s setting boundaries the only way her curmudgeonly coworker seems to comprehend: total, deliberate silence. Game on.
OP’s malicious compliance is actually a common phenomenon employed by Gen Z and younger millennials. Rather than quitting or blowing up, they follow rules to the letter, but not the spirit. So, what’s the best way for OP to deal with her challenging coworker? We went looking for answers.
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
In her article for Indeed, Jamie Birt writes that knowing how to deal with a difficult coworker is a crucial life skill. According to Birt, working with challenging individuals can put your work at risk. Moreover, you may even feel pressured to compromise your principles to accommodate their negative behavior.
In her article for Harvard Business Review, Amy Gallo identifies three types of difficult coworkers and how best to deal with them. To cope with a pessimist, acknowledge their complaints, then reframe them, using their negative outlook as a positive tool.
To make peace with a passive-aggressive coworker, focus on the underlying message and not their behavior, and create a safe environment for an honest conversation. Finally, to handle a know-it-all, address interruptions, ask for specific facts, and model humility.
We’d say OP can definitely claim victory in this war of few words. Perhaps it’ll teach the offending coworker a well-deserved lesson in good manners. At the very least, it’s gotten under her skin.
Image credits: wayhomestudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda reached out to psychologist Dr. Tirrell De Gannes of the Thriving Center of Psychology to get his take on the situation.
When we asked him whether he thought OP is being passive-aggressive in her behavior towards her problematic senior colleague, or if her reaction is justified, he had this to say, "The two options are not mutually exclusive. The original poster is being justifiably passive aggressive. For the senior colleague, the response is a "be careful what you wish for" response and is totally justified given the comment,"
De Gannes continued, "People often lose sight of the fact that the impact your words have on others can be different than your intent. If the senior colleague is bothered by the reaction to her comment, it is her responsibility to undo the damage she's caused whether that be with an apology or a series of attempts to reconnect."
What would you do if you found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think she’s being petty, or is her coworker due for a little playful pushback? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers agreed that the cranky coworker is most definitely toxic and celebrated the original poster’s reaction to her condescending command
