Working from home doesn’t mean there is no work to do.
Yes, a person can sit in the skivvies and run a board meeting.
But the board meeting is important business.
A lot of people don’t seem to realize this, so they treat work-from-home people as retirees.
Redditor IAmNotLindseyNaegle wanted to discuss her experience and get some feedback, so naturally, she came to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subreddit.
She asked:
“AITA for locking myself in my office when we have company?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“I, 36 F[emale], took in my mother during the pandemic after some medical issues. “
“I never made her move out after.”
“It works for us, she has her own bedroom and bathroom, we share other spaces, and I work from home most of the time so I can look after her.”
“My stepdad died about a decade ago, and she was lonely.”
“It made sense for us.”
“As mentioned, I work from home most of the time, and a lot of times I’m in some kind of Teams meeting or call (yes, even those that could be emails, but that’s not important).”
“So I don’t really have time for chitchat during office hours.”
“My mom’s sister, aka my aunt, tends to drop by unannounced to visit with my mom.”
“Which I don’t really mind, but she has a tendency to step into my office without knocking while I’m working and start talking to me about her neighbor’s sister’s kid who did bla bla bla.”
“I’ve more than once explained to her that I’m working and or I’m on a call and I can’t really chat right now.”
“But she just keeps talking like nothing happened.”
“Today, she actually announced to my mom she was coming over.”
“I reminded my mom to tell her I’m working and on calls and can’t be disturbed, and my mom agreed she would tell her not to bother me.”
“But just to be safe, I locked my office door so she couldn’t walk in.”
“Despite my mom telling her, she came upstairs and tried to open the door.”
“When it didn’t open, she started knocking and calling out, ‘Hello, it’s me, open up.'”
“I didn’t respond at first as I was on a call with a client, but she kept banging on the door so loudly I ended up having to put the client on hold.”
“I told her, without opening the door, that I was on a call and could not talk right now, and my aunt left in a huff. “
“Now she’s bombarding my mom with texts about how rude I was for locking myself in my office knowing I was having company.”
The OP was left to wonder:
“So AITA?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed in on some options to the question AITA:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Many Redditors declared that OP was NOT the A**hole.
“NTA. You didn’t have company.”
“Your mother did, and it was while you were working.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” ~ UteLawyer
“NTA, keep your door locked.”
“Rinse. Repeat.”
“Maybe she’ll finally get the hint. If she doesn’t, tell your mom she needs to meet her sister somewhere else.”
“She can’t come to the house while you’re working.” ~Interesting_Novel997
“I think OP needs to remind her mom that her sister is jeopardizing OP’s livelihood, which is giving both OP and her mom a place to live.”
“And if OP really wanted to get serious, tell her mom that if she can’t keep her sister under control, she will have to keep both of them out of her house because OP will not be losing her job because of this.” ~ SugarCrisp7
“And this is the moment to stand your ground. “
“‘You are mom’s guest.'”
“‘I had to tell my boss why some crazy lady was pounding on my office door.'”
“‘I was so embarrassed!'”
“‘Are you TRYING to get me fired?'”
“‘Are you going to support us when I run out of savings!'”
“‘Why do you hate me!!!'”
“‘Do you go to other people’s work and make scenes?'”
“‘What is wrong with you?'”
“Escalate the drama on your end, and maybe she will finally recognize the boundary.”
“If not, at least all the family will see “what harm could visiting for a minute” do.” ~ Mysterious-Wish8398
“Of course, NTA.”
“Both your mom and aunt are being rude, irrational, and entitled. It’s your space – put your foot down and tell your mom that your aunt is not allowed to visit during working hours if she can’t be respectful.” ~ Allaboutbird
“To make it clear that your house is also your workplace, advise your aunt that she has two choices.”
“The first option is to respect that you are not available and not to be disturbed during your work hours.”
“The second option is that your aunt is not allowed in the house uninvited, and your mother is not allowed to invite her in during work hours.” ~ Rye_One_
“I hate this with a vengeance.”
“I work from home almost 90% of the time.”
“I work more hours than I would if I went into the office.”
“And somehow everyone around me just feels like I am available every second of the day.”
“They don’t understand I can’t talk on the phone, run an errand for them (looking at you, mom), or clean the house somewhere in between.”
“I can’t wait for this attitude to change, but I won’t hold my breath.” ~ Synn1982
“Maybe you should remind your mother that if you lose your job because of all of the interruptions, you won’t be able to pay the rent or buy groceries.”
“If you can’t pay the rent, she will become homeless.”
“Alternatively, if they miss each other so much… mom can move in with sister and you can have your privacy back.” ~ Childless_Catlady42
“NTA. It’s time to remind your mom that daytime company is her company.”
“Thus, it is her responsibility to keep them quietly entertained and out of your workspace.”
“Otherwise, Mom will have to entertain Auntie at night or outside of the house.” ~ EmploymentOk1421
“NTA. You have explained that you are at work and not to disturb you, so the only rude person is your Aunt.”
“You closed your door and locked it, but that didn’t work. “
“Like a 4-year-old at the bathroom door screaming Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma…”
“‘Would you be rude to put a giant poster on the door?'”
“Auntie, in case you have forgotten.”
“DO NOT DISTURB ME I AM AT WORK!!!”
“The only other thing to do is tell your mom that Auntie CAN NOT VISIT during work hours.” ~ catskilkid
“Absolutely NTA, no doubt about that.”
“Many people of let’s say the older generation do not take work from home seriously at all, and barge in all the time.”
“Even if you had not been working, she was visiting your mum, not you.”
“You are not obliged to socialise with other people’s guests and visitors, period.”
“The fact that she was disturbing you during your working hours is just a cherry on top.”
“I would prohibit her from visiting YOUR house during YOUR working hours.”
“If they want to socialize, they can go to a café.” ~ Separate_Avocado5964
“NTA: Put a baby gate with a difficult latch at the bottom of the stairs, and that’ll keep her out.”
“Just kidding… kind of.”
“If your aunt wants to talk with you so much, then she should ask if she can come over when you are done with work.”
“You are NTA for creating a firm boundary to protect your work hours.” ~ HowlPen
“NTA. Your mother simply should not have guests during working hours if they can’t behave.”
“Tell your aunt to get a job so you can badger HER.” ~ Professional_Rock776
“NTA, but you need to have a sit-down with your Mom.”
“She needs to understand that she is responsible for her guests while you’re working.”
“You are the provider, and her sister’s actions make you look unprofessional and can compromise that stability.”
“No guest, Aunt or otherwise, should be upstairs, period, let alone when you’re working.”
“You need to make your Mom understand how serious this is. Why?”
“Because if your Mom respected your W[ork] F[rom] H[ome] job, she wouldn’t be letting your Aunt compromise you like that.”
“Employers take WFH seriously; your Mom needs to as well.”
“The minute she heard your Aunt knocking, she should’ve hightailed it upstairs and read her sister the riot act.” ~ Reasonable-Bad-769
“NTA. I think it’s time to implement a rule that Aunt is no longer allowed to visit during work hours.”
“If she wants to visit with your Mom, then they can go elsewhere together, or she can wait until after work hours.”
“You need to be firm with her since she cannot seem to grasp the concept of work.”
“Furthermore, you do not have company.”
The company is invited over and does not go over frequently.”
“She’s just family, not a guest at this point.”
“She needs to stay away for some time and only visit once in a while if she wants guest/company treatment.”
“She needs to give you and your mother an opportunity to miss her.” ~ Foreverforgettable
“NTA. Dear auntie’s visitation privileges need to be revoked.”
“It’s your home, it’s your job, and she has absolutely zero respect for you.” ~ ToxicShockFFXIV
“You know what’s rude?”
“Constantly ignoring someone’s extremely reasonable boundaries in their own home.”
“Tell your mom you’re not speaking to your aunt until she apologizes for being so rude.”
“Then attach your aunt’s head explode. NTA.” ~ Barjack521
“NTA. You weren’t having company, your mom was.”
“If your aunt can’t respect your wishes, she should not be allowed to come over during business hours.” ~ RandomReddit9791
Your house, your rules, OP.
Your aunt is completely out of line.
You had to stick up for yourself.
Reddit is with you.
It’s great to hear you have support and have found a solution.
Good Luck.