Woman, 21, Says 'Patronizing' Coworker, 42, Acts Like He Is Her Boss — and She Thinks It Has to Do with Her Age

Mar. 15, 2025

A woman and a man arguing (stock image).Photo:Getty

Getty

A young woman says her older male coworker is causing issues for her at work — and she feels she is being singled out because of her age.

The 21-year-old turned toReddit’s “Am I the A——” forum, where she asked whether or not she is in the wrong to ignore a coworker who bosses her around, despite him not being her supervisor.

Detailing that she is a recess monitor at a school, the woman said she mostly likes her job, except for one “irking” 42-year-old coworker, whom she described as an “actual pain in the ass” that is “bossy and incredibly patronizing.”

Recalling an instance when they were both supervising the children at recess, the woman wrote that her coworker “demanded” she go clean up some lunch tables.

“Keep in mind, he is not my supervisor - just my fellow coworker,” she continued, “but I ignored him since I had already done it multiple times while he hasn’t even picked up a damn cleaning rag yet.”

After the children returned to their classrooms, the woman said her coworker “came up to me all pissy and said, ‘Why didn’t you clean those tables like I told you to?’ "

“I told him that I was occupied with something else and he has the audacity to say, ‘Well, I told you to do that so you should’ve just done it, Jesus,’ " she continued, adding that the man then “sneered” at her.

“He doesn’t treat our other coworkers like that, and I’m also the youngest out of all, so I don’t know if his dislike for me is part of that,” the woman questioned.

A playground (stock image).Getty

One person advised her, “If he ain’t your boss you don’t need to listen to him. But you shouldn’t endure or tolerate anything. Tell him to leave you alone and only interact for professional reason that doesn’t include bossing you around. If not talk to a higher up.”

Others agreed with the woman that age could had something to do with his demeanor, with one writing, “Make it clear you don’t work for him! He seems to think he’s your boss because he older?”

Another agreed, stating, “It sounds like he’s taking advantage of the fact that you’re younger and trying to assert authority he doesn’t have.”

“He has officially begun ignoring me which is the best outcome to me,” she concluded.

source: people.com