Worker Urged to Quit Job Over Colleague Always Asking for Help: 'I Am Done'

A frustrated employee has taken to Reddit to ask for advice after feeling taken advantage of at work. They have threatened to quit, saying they have "reached the limit."

In the post, user Boopadoopeedo, explained that their frustration with the job stems from a co-worker who often asks them for help. The colleague "then gives me the tasks they need help with when it's already overdue and the customer is p*****. Has happened multiple times. Have talked to coworker directly. Doesn't stop," the poster added.

A 2023 study from The American Institute of Stress found that 40 percent of workers in the U.S reported that their job was very or extremely stressful. A quarter of respondents named their job as the No. 1 stressor in the lives.

The poster explained that, when they mentioned the situation to their boss, their colleague got there first and minimized the situation. "Told boss that I will not be helping coworker anymore because I am done being put in that position. Unfortunately, coworker minimized the situation, boss believed it. Told me to continue assisting. I said thank you, I'm out." The poster added that their boss U-turned on the situation, asking them to stay.

The Redditor wrote that their spouse makes 10 times what they do, so money isn't an issue. In an update, they explained that their boss has agreed to implement change: "They're actually making changes; I don't have to help co-worker anymore; getting it all in writing; I'll be looking elsewhere in the meantime."

Peter Rahbar, employment attorney and founder of The Rahbar Group PLLC, told Newsweek about the workplace issue.

Rahbar said: "Good communication with your colleagues and managers is essential to preventing workplace disputes. Unfortunately, everyone in this scenario shares some fault for not communicating effectively.

"First, it seems that any substantial communication about the actual problem between these two colleagues did not happen until it was too late. While the author may have been trying to do the right thing by just doing the work of their co-worker, they were just covering up a problem that was obviously not getting better," Rahbar added.

"Second, it seems as if the co-worker needed help and was not getting it. If that was the case, they could have asked the author to help them to get the work done on time. Perhaps they could have also benefitted from training or even different assignments more suited to their skill set.

"Earlier communication from the author to their manager could have also led to one of these solutions," said Rahbar. "However, it was not the responsibility of the author to act on behalf of their colleague who should have sought help themselves.

"Lastly, what about the manager? If someone on their team was struggling, or refusing to do work, the manager should know about it and address the issue immediately. And the key strategy for identifying problems on a team is maintaining good, and regular, communications with all members of their team," Rahbar said.

"Here, the author came to the manager early on. This should have triggered a full examination of the issue at that time. Instead, they are now struggling to retain a key employee.

"The company's attempts to keep the author indicates that the company values the author's contribution," Rahbar concluded. "Hopefully, the author can see that, and everyone can work together to solve this problem. But the situation does provide a warning to companies: failure to recognize and deal with workplace disputes can, and often will, lead to the loss of your talented employees."

Users on Reddit praised the poster. JesusSaysItsOk said: "I'd back pedal myself into doing the bare minimum and see how much the company would put up with, then quit."

User bob_esponjas commented: "Why suffer? You said you don't need the job, so just quit. Find a job that you actually enjoy."

User whatisthis435879 wrote: "Since there is also no financial pressure, maybe negotiate your Staying Requirements. Coworker is not to ever ask for your help. You want a raise and a better title."

Newsweek has reached out to Boopadoopeedo via Reddit for comment.

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