Dealing with Workload Imbalance: Am I Wrong for Setting Boundaries with Pregnant Colleague?
AITA for refusing to accommodate my pregnant colleague's increasing work demands, sparking a debate among coworkers on balancing empathy with professional expectations?
A 28-year-old woman at a small tech startup thought she was being a good teammate when her colleague announced she was pregnant. At first, it was the kind of situation everyone understands, support her, help where you can, keep things moving.
But then Jess, 33, started delegating more and more work onto OP, telling her she could not handle the workload due to pregnancy. OP kept taking it on, staying late to finish Jess’s projects while Jess left early for prenatal appointments or rest at home, until it stopped feeling like teamwork and started feeling like a takeover.
When Jess asked her to cover a crucial client presentation the next day because she was “feeling tired,” OP finally drew a line.
Original Post
I (28F) work at a small tech startup where everyone wears multiple hats. Recently, my colleague, let's call her Jess (33F), announced she's pregnant.
Of course, we were all happy for her, but things quickly changed at work. Jess started delegating tasks to me, claiming she couldn't handle the workload due to her pregnancy.
At first, I was understanding and took on extra work to help her out. However, weeks passed, and Jess began expecting me to cover for her constantly.
I found myself staying late to finish her projects while she left early for prenatal appointments or to rest at home. It felt unfair, especially when my own responsibilities were piling up.
What started as a gesture of goodwill turned into me being taken advantage of. One day, Jess asked me to take over a crucial client presentation scheduled for the next day because she was feeling tired.
That was the last straw for me. I told her I couldn't keep covering for her and that she needed to manage her workload better, pregnancy notwithstanding.
Jess was visibly upset and accused me of being unsupportive during her pregnancy. She even hinted that I was being heartless for not understanding her situation.
The tension at work is palpable now. Some of our colleagues side with Jess, citing pregnancy as a valid reason for her decreased performance.
Others agree with me, saying that pregnancy doesn't excuse shifting excessive work onto someone else. I feel torn between being empathetic towards Jess's pregnancy and standing my ground on work expectations.
So AITA?
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It’s also like the AITA debate where OP asked a coworker for help during pregnancy, and coworkers argued over workload boundaries.
Is It Wrong to Ask a Coworker for Help During Pregnancy?
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OP was sympathetic at first, then the “can’t handle it” emails turned into Jess constantly handing off projects and expecting OP to absorb the fallout.
The real tension hit when Jess left early for prenatal appointments, while OP stayed late to finish Jess’s work, and their own responsibilities quietly piled up.
Once Jess asked OP to take over a crucial client presentation scheduled for the next day, the goodwill ran out and OP said no.
Now the office is split, with some coworkers calling OP unsupportive for setting boundaries, and others backing her that pregnancy is not an excuse to dump excess work on one person.
What do you think about this situation? Let us know in the comments.
Nobody wants to keep saving the day for the same coworker who keeps handing off her workload.
Still stuck between helping and boundaries, read what happened when someone refused to cover a pregnant coworker missing deadlines. Should I Keep Covering for My Pregnant Coworker Missing Deadlines?
