Entitled Coworker Goes Off The Rails After Working Mom Stops Bringing Him Free Lunches

This poor mom has to deal with the consequences of being generous to the wrong person.

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• February 16, 2024

Our narrator (Original Poster) had a coworker who battled with demons and wrestled with mental health issues.

Now, OP was a whiz in the kitchen. Her meticulously crafted lunches could make anyone's mouth water. Her coworker had been paying compliments, so she decided to pack him a portion of his own.

It wasn’t anything—just leftovers, mostly. But his face lit up like a Christmas tree, and he made a huge deal out of it. Apparently, he didn’t cook or have any family to cook for him, so the gesture really warmed his heart. If only OP knew she’d opened Pandora's box with that one thoughtful gesture.

The coworker’s gratitude soon morphed into entitlement, with his mood going haywire on days OP didn’t bring him anything. We’re talking, yelling, throwing a fit, and being awful to OP generally.

On the days that she did bring him lunch, he didn’t even show gratitude anymore. The situation soon spiraled out of control with more insistent demands, sharper criticisms, and louder tantrums—this was not what OP signed up for.

The pressure of scrambling around for what to bring him was too much, so OP stopped altogether. He went ballistic and took to blaming OP for his weight loss.

The whole thing was crazy, but weirdly enough, OP did feel guilty after she stopped bringing him food. Her sister, who was a therapist, confirmed alcoholics were frequently starving, so he needed the nutrition.

In her words, the ‘Christian’ thing to do would be to continue. Was it so horrible that she didn’t want to?

The story in detail

A bit of background

Unfortunately, OP is now regretting bringing food for her co-worker. Apparently, anytime she fails to bring him anything, he becomes aggressive towards her

OP put her foot down and didn’t pack him any food for two weeks. However, her co-worker got more aggressive

While OP’s sister feels she should pack him their leftovers at home, OP doesn’t feel he deserves anything due to his rude behavior

Here’s what Netizens had to say:

When you give in to violent demands, be ready to be met with more violent demands

“NTA. Call you supervisor and HR immediately.”

“Talk to your supervisor. It doesn't matter what mental issues he has. No one should be harassing you at work.”

“Don’t interact with him if possible. Stray cats keep coming around if you put food out for them.”

“Mental health issues or not, the way he is treating you is unacceptable. Stay firm in your decision, it is the right one.”

“NTA. He’s treating you like an abusive alcoholic treats their spouse. He’s bullying you into doing what he wants.”

This is a reminder that while kindness is a virtue, boundaries are equally important. After all, you can't pour from an empty teapot. 

Redditors agreed OP wasn’t wrong and even urged her to let go of the guilt. Succumbing to any more of his demands was only going to fuel the fire. After all, even the kindest souls need to have their limits.

What do you think about this story? We’d love to get your thoughts in the comments.

Jesse