OP, a 28-year-old single woman without children, lives alone and works for an internal auditing company in the logistics division. Her job involves shadowing workers in various industries to improve efficiency. The team has flexible work hours, thanks to a supportive manager and team leader. However, a female coworker in her 30s consistently avoids challenging tasks, citing pregnancy, maternity leave, vacations, or sickness. Despite having unlimited paid time off (PTO) with a doctor’s note, she frequently dumps her workload on others. With a large auditing project approaching, the coworker asked OP to swap duties, claiming childcare expenses outweigh her pay. OP declined, prompting criticism from coworkers who believe OP lacks empathy for working mothers.
Despite pushback, OP stands firm in her decision, refusing to enable her coworker’s behavior. She believes her coworker’s childcare responsibilities are not her responsibility, leading to tension among the team. OP seeks reassurance on whether she’s in the wrong for declining to swap duties.
Scroll down below to read the story in OP’s own words.
1. A Redditor is frustrated with her coworker who frequently claims pregnancy or childcare responsibilities to avoid work obligations.
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2. OP, a 28-year-old single woman, works in logistics auditing, shadowing workers to improve efficiency for an internal auditing company.
via Reddit
3. OP’s team benefits from flexible work hours under supportive leadership. However, a coworker consistently avoids work, relying on excuses like pregnancy or sickness.
via Reddit
4. OP’s coworker consistently avoids demanding tasks by claiming pregnancy, maternity leave, vacations, or sickness, often dumping work on others.
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5. For the first time, OP’s coworker isn’t pregnant or on leave. With an upcoming audit in another city, OP stays back to analyze data.
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6. OP’s coworker asked to switch duties, citing childcare responsibilities. OP declined, prompting guilt-tripping about childcare costs, to which OP responded firmly.
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7. Now, OP’s coworker is sulking, and some colleagues suggest OP lacks empathy for working moms. OP wonders if she’s in the wrong. AITA?
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Now that you have read the story, it’s time for you to see what Redditors had to say about this. Read till the end to see what are other people’s opinions on this. Don’t forget to share your own opinion at the end of this article.
8. OP’s coworker needs to take responsibility for her choices instead of expecting others to cover for her.
9. It’s unfair for OP’s coworker to expect special treatment just because she’s a parent.
10. OP shouldn’t be guilt-tripped into accommodating her coworker’s personal responsibilities
11. It’s not OP’s responsibility to solve her coworker’s childcare issues.
12. Being a parent doesn’t excuse shirking responsibilities at work.
13. OP’s coworker needs to find a better balance between work and family life.
14. It’s commendable that OP refuses to enable her coworker’s behavior.
15. Work responsibilities should be prioritized regardless of personal circumstances.
16. It’s inappropriate for coworkers to criticize OP for setting boundaries.
17. OP’s coworker needs to handle her personal affairs without relying on colleagues to bail her out
18. It’s unfair for OP to be burdened with extra work due to her coworker’s choices.
19. Personal responsibilities shouldn’t interfere with professional obligations.
20. OP shouldn’t feel obligated to sacrifice her own time and resources for her coworker’s sake.
What are your thoughts on this story? What would you do, or how would you react if you were in OP’s position? You know that your feedback means a lot to us; therefore, we want you to share your thoughts in the comment section below. For more such articles, keep visiting Defused. Have a nice day!
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“Happy birthday to my baby Morena she’s turning 17 years ! Send us a wish.”
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