A key part of many jobs is coworker management. Even if you aren’t anybody’s boss, navigating those thorny office politics is a necessity and not an optional extra. None of us get it right all of the time, but it really pays to try. Nobody wants to get on the wrong side of HR. 

At the same time, this can be easier said than done. If you haven’t had an annoying colleague that you could happily cuss out, you haven’t lived. That being said, it’s better to not go that far even if they happen to push your buttons.

This is a boundary that one Redditor recently crossed after her pushy coworker insisted on knowing about her husband’s salary. Swearing at her when the woman wouldn’t let the issue go, she asked r/AmItheAsshole if she had gone too far. While some wholeheartedly agreed with her response, others were less impressed. It is possible to diffuse these situations without losing your temper.