r/OfficePolitics

Hey everyone, I currently at a new job with a coworker that pushes back on most things I ask her to do, even when it clearly falls within her role.

There are many examples , one of them is that She constantly complains about not getting enough notifications or visibility on projects. To solve that, I built out a whole ticket system and asked her to start submitting tickets to me so she’d be properly looped in and informed. Her response? Submitting tickets isn’t her job either.

So she wants the information but won’t take the one step that would get it to her. And on top of all that, she talks to me like she’s my manager and tries to push work on me, even though we’re peers.

Has anyone has similar experiences? How you handled it?

How would you handle this?

I've been waiting for a long time for a promotion or a salary increase, but it's become very clear that there's no hope for that in this place. This call with my manager was truly the straw that broke the camel's back, and it solidified my decision.

I'm now seriously planning to look for a new job at another company that truly values its team members and pays good salaries.

I work in post-sales for a tech company. Last week, we had a handover call for a new client. The client was stressed because they had a massive, immovable migration deadline for the following week.
On the call, our pre-sales engineer (let’s call him A) explicitly promised the client he would write up a step-by-step technical playbook with specific API calls so they could execute the migration over the weekend. The client was relieved. After the call A drops a >20-page document into our internal chat and tags me and another colleague saying we should review it cause it’s generated by AI and he didn't go through all details.

I was upset cause he made a promise to the client, couldn't be bothered to actually write it, and tried to pass off a huge pages of unverified AI generation as my problem. If I send unreviewed technical instructions to a client and their weekend migration fails, it would me me taking liability.

I didn't argue with him A in the chat. Instead, I sent my follow up mail, attached my slides, CC'd A, and wrote: "Regarding the doc, A will follow up with you directly". I also messsaged A that I assigned the task to him via mail.

Then I shut my laptop and enjoyed my long weekend. A was upset and complained in the internal team chat that I shouldn't commit him to things without asking and tried to argue that playbooks are a post-sales deliverable. In the end A sent the doc to the client. Now I have to face A next week. He is clearly annoyed that I forced his hand via a client-facing email. I know it was a ruthless move, but I prioritised the client's deadline and tried to protect my team from absorbing his technical debt.

Did I play this right, or did I cross a line by using the client email to force him to do his job? How would you handle the internal politics with him moving forward?

Swiss, 40yo, PhD dropout who ended up in the pharma industry 10 years ago. Got consistently very good performance reviews, but wasnt asked ONCE to accept a role in management.

Got laid off 3 months ago and decided to study office politics. The more I read about it, the more I want to establish a street gang and rob banks and trains, because if I have to compromise on ethics, why not go all the way instead of pussying around in major corporations?

This is something I’ve noticed over time.

It feels like workplace dress standards have shifted a lot, especially toward comfort and personal choice.

Which makes sense in theory.

But at the same time, people don’t always behave as professionally as policies assume they will.

In team environments, you still hear comments, jokes, or conversations that aren’t exactly aligned with that ideal — even if people are more careful about when and where they say them.

I’m not saying what people should or shouldn’t wear, but it does make me wonder if there’s a gap between how workplaces are designed to function and how people actually behave in reality.

Curious how others see this… especially in different industries

We had a duplicate issue caused by a transformation bug on a transaction key field. I fixed the logic, cleaned the duplicates, and totals reconciled, so the issue was considered resolved.
Later, I found additional duplicates caused by a broader weakness in the business key design. My fix also didn’t account for historical records already stored under the old format, so future source updates could still create duplicates.
In hindsight, I should have done deeper historical validation after the first fix.
How would you communicate this to management while taking ownership without sounding overly defensive?

25F UK

****EDIT****

I can’t call before the email because they’re technically out of office until next week. Meaning their work phones will be off and I don’t have their personal phone numbers. They advised that they will have access to emails on their phones for work related emergencies, so I either email them today, or have to wait until they’re back in the office on Monday, at which point that will be the day before the director planned to take me for congratulations drinks….

—————-

I’m honestly in a really awkward position and would really appreciate some outside opinions.

I’ve worked at my current company since 2024 in what originally started as a fairly standard admin/operations role. Over time, management found out I also had a strong background in graphic design and creative work outside of my job, so they started involving me in projects here and there. Fast forward two years and I’ve basically become the company’s sole in-house creative person on top of my original role. I now handle internal documents, educational resources, branding, social media, marketing materials, onboarding content, presentations, portal redesigns etc. alongside my actual day job.

A few weeks ago I had conversations with management about how much my role had evolved, and they agreed. They gave me a pay rise, changed my title to include “Creative Specialist”, and made it very clear they saw me as a big part of the company’s future. I was genuinely very grateful and happy about it.

Here’s where things get complicated, as competition unexpectedly I was approached by another company last week. I wasn’t actively job hunting. They basically headhunted me after seeing my work. I interviewed, and tomorrow they’re sending me a contract for a significantly better opportunity with an astronomically higher salary in a senior creative-focused role that realistically aligns far more with the direction my career has naturally gone in.

The timing genuinely could not be worse. My management team are all currently away together at a conference, and I’ve just been made aware that one of the directors had already planned work drinks next week specifically to congratulate me on my promotion/pay rise and discuss future projects and bigger plans for me within the company.

I feel absolutely awful. I genuinely care about these people a lot and have a very close relationship with management compared to most workplaces I’ve been in. I know resigning is normal, but emotionally this feels horrible because I know they’ve invested a lot into me recently and were actively planning around me staying long term.

The issue is that as tomorrow I will have the contract officially in front of me, I don’t want to delay telling them. Operationally it will massively impact planning, projects, workload etc., and waiting until they’re back next week almost feels worse and less respectful somehow.

Would it be acceptable/professional to send a very thoughtful resignation email while they’re away, explaining that I intended to do it face to face but didn’t want to delay telling them once everything became official? I’d obviously still have conversations with them afterwards.

Or is resigning by email in this situation still considered bad/unprofessional?

TIA, sincerely,

An over-thinker.

I (23F) have been at this office job for almost two years. 25F and 29F joined my sales team almost 9 months ago. 25F was really sweet and bubbly, but I could already tell she was very fake from the start (she's a friend of a friend's friend in uni and a lottttt of people warned me she was a "snake"). I still gave her a chance, because she never directly wronged me before. We formed a larger coworker friend group of 4 girls and 6 guys that I've been with for the past 7 months now.

I noticed small jabs made to me by 25F throughout my time knowing her. Sarcastic comments about me being "manager's pet" or how I'm "soooo important" now that I was sitting in more upper management meetings. What made it worse was that my manager (35F) recently gave me a small promotion, going from an "assistant" title to "specialist" title with more duties. 35F would also praise me very openly in front of the team, while I always stayed humble about it because I truly don't think I did anything amazing. I just give my usual "I'm just happy to be useful" or "I still have a long way to catch up to [senior coworkers I look up to]'s level" as to not ruffle any feathers.

Since that moment, I noticed 25F and 29F getting much closer to each other. I had an inkling they had something against me. They'd purposely initiate outside hangouts with the other coworkers without telling me, they'd bring souvenirs for everyone except me because they assumed I don't like trinkets (huh????), they'd whisper to each other while I was presenting in meetings, etc. I think the rest of our group were oblivious to all of this since they act so sweet to me in front of them.

Mind you, the entire time I was still so friendly with them. I'd treat them out to free coffee, gift them snacks, essentially do their projects for them, etc. No matter how much kindness I extended, I was still getting weird energy. I couldn't prove anything at this point, and my mental health started to spiral. I kept asking myself "Am I that unloveable? No matter how nice I am, people keep icing me out? Is there something wrong with me?" My therapist recommended I set up boundaries, so I slowly skipped breaks/lunches with them.

Even my decision to protect my peace brought on more issues. Can I catch a f*cking break??? Don't those girls want me gone? I guess not, because in my absence, the oblivious coworkers joked about me being "too busy with my real friends to hangout with coworkers anymore". The cherry on the cake is 25F would feign "concern", texting in the groupchat "Awww OP you're not joining us for lunch today? If anything's up you can always talk to me *cute eyes emoji*" THE AUDACITY OF THIS TWO FACED SNAKE.

Anyways I got confirmation that 29F was talking sh*t to 25F about me. She kept implying that I got it easy since I'm manager's pet, and how she hates that I just accept it. To be clear, I worked my butt off to get where I am. Meanwhile those two got in trouble for using chatgpt to send client contracts with completely incorrect information...hmmm maybe that's the real reason why they don't get recognition from our manager, not because of any "favoritism" at play here.

I want to mend my relationship with the oblivious coworkers because I genuinely do connect with those people. It's just that they are being fed lies by 25F and 29F in my absence, that they are "mad" at me. How do I move forward with mending my relationship with them, while protecting myself from 25F and 29F. It's not like they are outright being mean, so it's hard to expose their subtle mean girl behavior.

After eleven months at my job, I've come to the inevitable conclusion that they hired the wrong person. I have 17 years of experience, a few certifications, and an MBA. The interviews went well, and on paper, it seemed like a perfect fit. But I was hired to oversee strategic partnerships and client relations, while what they really needed was a data scientist or a senior developer to solve complex technical problems. Every time a new project or issue comes up, my only real contribution is setting up calls with the actual technical experts. I'm basically a human scheduler.

My weekly check-ins with my manager have become very awkward. I never have any real progress to report. I've tried to suggest other projects where my experience would be more useful, but I'm told to stay in my lane and that I wasn't hired to do that.

I've started applying for other jobs, but the market is tough and the short time I've spent here isn't helping. So for now, I'm just trying to look busy. I take online courses, read our internal wikis, and constantly check the internal job board for any openings. It's gotten to the point where I bring in donuts every couple of weeks just to try and ease the awkwardness my presence creates. Honestly, I feel like an imposter stealing a salary.

My annual review is next month. Should I bring up the obvious mismatch first? Or should I wait for them to say something? Could I try to negotiate a resignation with some severance? Or should I just keep going until they let me go and see what they offer then? If you were in my shoes, what would you do in a situation like this?

I really don't have anyone to tell the story to but I've known my coworker for a few months. We used to work at a pediatric clinic that was overpacked and had a lot of drama with many different coworkers and it was annoying tbh. Anyways ever since I was moved into the front office to answer phone calls. (I'll call her Jessica f32) Jessica helped a few other coworkers and me (f21). I've become friends with her due to another close friend from high school. We would hang out together for lunch and talk about stuff, we all got along but ever since I was observing her, she'd get along with everyone. I really didn't like my job there because of how toxic it was and how one of the supervisors threatened my life because I got a new car. She was talking with the supervisor which made me feel uncomfortable and all. She'd complimented my appearance and my jewelry. I had a red Tory Burch bracelet that my mom gifted me and Jessica asked where I got it and that shed buy herself one.

since I found another job at an urgent care. I've made a mistake in bringing her into it. Its a new urgent care in a small town but she's been bragging about me to the manager and providers. I was barely new in the front office and was trying my best to verify insurance. Rudely, she would tell me how many mistakes she's noticed. How after procedures I forget a few things. Like I said everything was new for her and me, but she was setting a dominance in the field like she owns the place and wants to be a manager. Shed flirt with the manager even though he's a married man and an older man. Because of her complaining it made me look terrible, I'd try my best to improve and ask for help but she wasn't willing to help at all. I've asked if she could scan some patient information and she sent me a text saying "I'm no longer going to do your job. So don't ask for my help." I was confused because I didn't know what I did?

Now, she still complains about me and still wants me fired, I was almost about to get fired btw but I told the manager my part of the story. She's thrown tantrums and left unprofessionally, but let me work the 12-hour shift several times (I have no problem with it). She then complains about not having enough hours. I want to ask why she's bothered by me but I don't want to cause trouble or drama. Today we lost several pieces of our equipment and I've told her "Hey, we lost the key to our quest box" She replied, "I didn't lose it, so I don't know"

I never assumed she stole it, I've told several providers about the lost key just for a heads up. Our manager has a spare key but doesn't trust us anymore with it. I'm so confused why she is like this... I've told my parents about her behavior but it's been 9 months of her acting like this. Any advice, should I just ignore her? I honestly don't want to work with someone who has a grudge against me.

I always like to know the salary range from HR early in any discussion. Simple logic: No company hires someone without having a clear budget for that position.

A few days ago, a headhunter contacted me about a job opportunity. I was very interested, especially since it's the exact same type of work I'm doing now, but at a bigger and stronger company.

Naturally, she asked about my current salary. I held back and refused to tell her until she revealed the budget. I do this partly because she's not allowed to ask for it in my location, but more importantly, I know very well that I'm earning a very low salary in my current job; I accepted it primarily to gain specific experience.

After some back and forth, she finally stated the salary range. And it was truly more than double what I'm earning now. Then she pressed to know my current salary. As soon as she heard it, her exact words were: "That's a huge injustice." It was clear then that we both agreed I was earning much less than I should be.

When it came to my salary expectations, I asked for the highest figure in the budget she mentioned - or at least the middle. Her immediate response was: "That's completely unrealistic; the most you can expect is just a 25% increase."

So what should I do now?

A small note: This isn't a recruiter from the company itself; this is an independent headhunter.

Would it be inappropriate if I contacted the company directly?

Hi everyone,i lead a team of 2 people and for past 6 months another colleague of mine who is also leading a team of 2 is continuously negative feeding boss about myself and my team. She is super negative and my boss being very near to me in past but now she has moved him away from me.

She picks topic and play politics in every single matter. Before she joining our team , i was getting top projects and now she has moved myself and my whole team to bare minimum value projects.

Problem is that she is a girl so i don’t want to confront her. My boss being too much influenced by her ( I don’t know why). My boss told me that if I need main projects then go speak to her and convince her. This really pissed me off. My team is demotivated and continuously applying for jobs in other teams

Advice needed what should i do?

Flight: Should i move to another team?
Fight: Should I be part of this team and fight to get my team image back?

I work for a small company. We have roughly 30 employees at our plant. We have three plants between two states. Our laziest employee begged, cried, threatened to quit etc if she wasn’t promoted to a management role. We have a no phone policy and she stays on her phone the entire ten hour shift. Everyone sees it. All the employees complain about it. No one does anything about it. She comes up with excuses of being a “caregiver” in her home. When one of our longest employees got another job offer somewhere else and had put in his two week notice our company did offer him more compensation to stay and she took that and hounded in on it and started saying she wanted to be in management and would quit too. They didn’t give it to her at first. Actually, it took them over a month and a half to do anything. Her promotion is based on her inventory counts that I’ve helped her with countless times and so has others. But I’ve helped her more than any other employee here. I work three different positions within my company and although I was compensated for an extra role I took on, I was never offered anything in management although I have countless college credits and experience and she has none. I feel some kind of way about this because I do not feel like her new position was based on her own merit but rather professional blackmail. Maybe they are just trying to weed her out by giving her all this extra responsibility because she will have zero help with it. I don’t know. All of us employees are just shocked.

I work in the office of a large cleaning company. There are three managers, and I share an office with Manager #1.

For some time now, Manager #2, who is the kind of person that constantly makes fun of others, has also started mocking me in front of Manager #1.

One day, while I had my back turned, I could clearly hear them talking and making jokes about me. I was the target of the conversation (they did not talk directly, but by projection).
They usually do this about everyone, being that an employee or a customer or someone like a supplier.

What disappointed me the most was that Manager #1 went along with it.
Like He knew if for a long time, and was making fun of me in the back.
At the same time, I understand they’ve worked together for many years, so maybe that’s part of the reason.

Still, the whole situation makes me feel inadequate and uncomfortable. Now I feel like I’m being laughed at by two people I work with every day. The problem is that I currently don’t have another job opportunity lined up to cover for my cost of living. Also, apart from these two people, everyone else at work treats me normally, and it's a good job for me.

So what would be the best thing to do in this situation? I was thinking

1. Quit because of the lack of respect / possible workplace bullying

2. Ignore, make it pass like I have autism and I had not understood what they did say, for now, and quietly look for another job.

3. Talk to my boss, explain how this affects me, and set clear boundaries about what is and isn’t acceptable.

My main concern is that toxic people exist in almost every workplace, you know, so at the moment I’m leaning more toward option 3  but my doubt is that I could still have problems by working with them... But probably I could be relocated in a new room.

How would you handle this?

I just finished university a few weeks ago and found a really good entry-level job opportunity with an incredibly good salary - we're talking over $115,000 a year. I know an opportunity like this doesn't come every day, but I'm really in a dilemma. My grandmother, who lives outside the country, is not in good health at all, and I had promised her from my heart that I would go see her.

This is a big dilemma for me: on one hand, there's a chance to spend precious time with her, and I know this might be the only chance I get for a long time. On the other hand, there's the excitement of starting my career. Honestly, I'm lost. Any thoughts or advice?