Finding a workplace where you feel comfortable, respected, and proud of your accomplishments can take years, especially when landing a position at a particular company has been a long-standing personal goal. But what happens when a strained family relationship threatens to follow you into the one place where you finally feel established? One woman is facing this uncomfortable dilemma after discovering that her mother-in-law is considering applying for an opening at the company where she works.
Having already gone low-contact with her MIL because of their difficult relationship, she is worried that sharing a workplace could create unnecessary tension and jeopardize the professional relationships she has worked hard to build. Although she understands her mother-in-law needs employment after being fired, the timing feels suspicious, especially because her MIL previously wanted to join the same company but never got an interview.
My Mother-In-Law Recently Discovered An Open Position At The Company Where I Work, And Now I Am Worried That The One Place I Finally Built For Myself Is About To Become Another Source Of Family Stress
Unfortunately, My Relationship With My MIL Has Been Difficult Enough That I Have Already Gone Low Contact With Her, Quietly Creating Distance Because I No Longer Want To Deal With Unnecessary Drama
I Hate Saying That It Feels Like My MIL Wants To Be Me, Because I Know How Strange And Uncomfortable That Sounds, But I Have Been Noticing A Pattern Where Things I Do Seem To Become Things She Wants To Do As Well
My MIL Wanted To Get Into The Same Company Too, But She Could Not Even Secure An Interview, And Now That I Am Working Here, She Suddenly Has A Reason To Consider Applying Again
I Know That The Company Is Large, And She Would Be Working In A Different Department, So There Is A Good Chance We Would Not Run Into Each Other Every Day Or Even Very Often
Ten Days After My MIL First Asked My Husband Whether I Would Be Upset About Her Applying To My Company, I Finally Decided I Needed To Find Out What She Had Actually Done
Her Response Was Surprisingly Simple: She Had Not Applied For The Job Because It Was Only Part-Time, And She Needed Something Full-Time Instead
Time to see how Reddit weighs in on this drama.
According to the update, the mother-in-law never applied because the position was part-time, while she needed full-time employment. On the surface, that explanation makes perfect sense: if the role did not meet her requirements, there was no reason to pursue it. However, the woman could not help wondering why her MIL had raised the possibility so dramatically in the first place, especially when she had specifically asked her son whether his wife would be upset.
To the woman, it now seemed possible that her MIL had been testing her son’s reaction rather than seriously considering the position. Of course, there is no definitive proof that this was her intention, and the part-time schedule may genuinely have been the only issue. Still, the update offers a different perspective on the original concern. Was this simply a job opportunity that did not fit, or was there more behind the conversation than anyone initially realized?
