Dear Prudence,
I can’t believe I’m stuck in this nightmare. My coworker “Gretel”, who’s 31 and well-paid, behaves like she’s still in high school, and I’m 18, paid an entry-level salary (i.e. scraps) and left with the crushing burden of running this entire department. It’s beyond infuriating.
Every single day is a circus act with her. She stumbles into meetings, clueless and unprepared, as if she’s just stumbled out of bed. And when it comes to projects, she’s not just ineffective—she’s actively undermining everything. I’ve tried to help, offering guidance and support, but she twists every piece of advice into an attack. Whenever I point out a simple mistake—something any competent person could fix in seconds—she explodes into a dramatic meltdown. Tears, accusations, and a full-blown pity party ensue. It’s clear she thrives on the drama and the attention, not on actually doing her job. She’s clearly in over her head, desperately clinging to this position while she drowns in incompetence. But I’m not here to save her; I’m trying to keep this department from sinking, and she’s the massive leak.
How much longer can I endure this? How much more of her incompetence and emotional theatrics can I tolerate before it drives me to the brink of insanity? I’m beginning to wonder if I should be the one to step aside before I lose my mind entirely. What would you do?
—Office Hero