I got some grief today because I refused to accommodate a coworker who keeps dumping on me. He either pretends not to know or refuses to learn an aspect of his job. He will conveniently walk away and leave me standing there to do his work. Everybody knows I am efficient and capable and so I often become the default for other people’s work. I get tired of it. Today I walked away first and made a clear statement that he should know how to do this task because I have already shown him. This is something our company trains us to do. He’s had more than a year to learn it. It was never even my responsibility in the first place to show him. He is lazy.

I’m really frustrated because in my job if you set clear boundaries and you refuse to be dumped on... you are viewed as a trouble maker. I guess I just have to sit with the uncomfortable feelings that come when you set a boundary. If you throw a rock into a pond, you’re gonna make ripples.