35 “What Were They Thinking?” Coworker Stories That Will Blow Your Mind

We had a secretary who microwaved eggs and canned tuna for breakfast every day. No joke, the smell was like a crime against noses. Seriously, who does that?

On my third day, my manager dumped actual trash on my desk to remind me to take out the trash. Problem was, that wasn’t even in my job description. Surprise!

One kitchen coworker was a decimal point disaster. Instead of 1.00kg of flour, he grabbed 100kg. Yep, that’s a lot of dough.

We hired a cook who seemed great at first. Then food started disappearing. Turns out he was adding phantom 30% tips on EVERY credit card sale and stealing cash. Fired. Then he tried to break in after hours. Yikes.

This teacher just sat at his desk all year. Kids did whatever they wanted. He told awful jokes and was terrible with students. Then he got caught with an inappropriate phone pic. Bye bye, lazy dude.

Worked with a guy who googled everyone and shouted out details - like sale prices - at meetings. Privacy? What’s that?

One coworker had this annoying habit: whenever they passed by, they’d squeeze my shoulder. Every. Single. Time. Nope, tapping or calling the name is way better, buddy.

Had a coworker who couldn’t stop trash-talking everyone. She turned the whole office toxic and made people quit. Drama much?

Worked retail with a guy who hit the gym before work but never showered. Stink alert! Plus, he bossed everyone - especially his girlfriend - and wouldn’t let her get a haircut without his say-so. Classic toxic dude.

There's a lady who creates tiny problems just to 'save' everyone. Instead of fixing things quickly, she makes a mountain out of a molehill so she can be the office hero.

My coworker asked me to cash her paycheck since I was new and clueless about the process. Later, I got called in and accused of stealing. Turns out she’d stolen from several people that day - and I was just the innocent pawn.

My old supervisor told me not to think and just do things her way - even if it was wrong - and not to ask questions because I should already know. Fun times.

A secretary got hired who refused to touch a computer. Yeah, in 2023, that was a real thing. Shocking, right?

We had this girl who was picky about everything and loud to fake working. She even “accidentally” stole others’ tips. Sketchy much?

My old supervisor was so nice she couldn’t be bossy. She’d nervously laugh at everything and end up being passive-aggressive, which annoyed everyone. No wonder she wasn’t popular.

First job ever, and this middle-aged guy lived in his car. He’d pick at his face nonstop and kept asking if we needed rides home. Major creepy vibes - he got fired eventually.

She could answer a yes/no question in ten minutes flat. But since she knew a lot, management loved her. The rest of us? Not so much.

She’d come in and act like the world’s worst traffic jam ever happened just to get attention. Then she'd complain loudly about leaving early while everyone else was actually working.

He nailed the interview but everything he made was wrong because he couldn't measure anything. Showed up late, smelled bad, didn’t clean, and when you tried to teach him, he just gave sad puppy eyes.

The one coworker who talks non-stop - even when you’re rocking earphones. Nope, can’t get a minute’s peace.

He wouldn’t do any real work in the lab - just designed one simple experiment but never did it. Picked fights, ignored messes, and got fired. Basically a big kid with a PhD.

Turns every story into a wild saga about them. Nobody wants to listen, so I just avoid eye contact and tune out.

When I was an intern, this old lady would gossip nonstop, trying to frame others whenever she messed up. Plus, she refused to learn basic computer tricks. Not the brightest bulb.

This girl fully believed she was a mermaid. Get mad at her? She’d call you discriminatory against mermaids. No joke.

My manager’s sarcasm was more mean than funny. Told her it hurt my feelings, asked for less. She said, 'Then I’ll probably just not talk to you.' And that’s exactly what happened.

There’s a guy at work who tries to convert everyone to his religion daily. Super annoying, zero chill.

Everyone agrees she’s crazy. Went a whole month talking only to men. Her mood swings are wild - one minute fine, next minute meltdown. Babysitting her felt like a part-time job.

Worked with a girl who’d flop on the floor playing on her phone and occasionally scream curses about her boyfriend - right in front of customers. She got fired, surprise surprise.

Met a girl who seriously believed the earth was flat and wouldn’t stop going on about it. Flat out crazy.

Three-person team: me, awesome dude, and this terrible girl fresh out of college. She acted like she was smarter than everyone and always one-upped others - even about coffee orders. Messed up constantly but cried when corrected. She lasted nearly 4 years!

Worked with a guy who’d sometimes show up, then had a second job and called in sick a lot. He complained management didn’t want to work with him - even when they made shifts just for him.

HR manager had zero training, was passive-aggressive and incompetent. Called me resistant and not a team player when I tried to keep clients safe. I quit and hired a lawyer. Drama.

Coworker who ate lunch by pulling out giant freezer bags of lettuce and half a gallon of ranch, then eating it with a long fork. Full makeup and boots to match, too.

My coworker tracks everything I do, pops into every meeting, and quizzes me like I report to him. Not mean, just irritating. Teamwork? Maybe not.

My retail boss had to chime in during every customer convo, even if he was already helping someone else. He'd 'help' me on the till by telling me every button to press - even after 5 years.