# 28. Passive-Aggressive Coworkers: How to Handle the Person Who Never Says What They Mean Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602/28-passive-aggressive-coworkers-how-to-handle-the-person-who-never-says-what-they-mean Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602/28-passive-aggressive-coworkers-how-to-handle-the-person-who-never-says-what-they-mean.md Podcast: [Workplace Therapy with Dr. Abby Medcalf](https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602) Published: 2026-05-27T23:00:36+00:00 Episode link: https://abbymedcalf.com/passive-aggressive-coworkers Audio file: https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/13bc5606-c229-4e2d-972e-44a162f0bfe1/stream.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602/episodes/28-passive-aggressive-coworkers-how-to-handle-the-person-who-never-says-what-they-mean Duration seconds: 1685 ## Resource They said, "Fine." But it wasn't fine. You can tell by the way they said it, the email they copied three people on for no apparent reason, the "just checking in" that was actually a pointed reminder, the compliment that somehow left you feeling worse than an insult would have. Passive-aggressive behavior at work is one of the most maddening dynamics to deal with because it's designed to be deniable. There's nothing you can point to directly, and yet the message is loud and clear. Today I'm going to tell you what's actually driving this behavior, why it gets under your skin the way it does, and exactly how to respond without getting pulled into their game. Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/passive-aggressive-coworkers Download The Passive-Aggressive Response Guide: https://abbymedcalf.com/passive-aggressive-guide Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack . You'll get... ✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes ✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations ✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby _________ Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week! https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ 👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries 👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook 👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book ____________________________ Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602/episodes/28-passive-aggressive-coworkers-how-to-handle-the-person-who-never-says-what-they-mean/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-therapy-with-dr-abby-medcalf-7529602/28-passive-aggressive-coworkers-how-to-handle-the-person-who-never-says-what-they-mean.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.