Not direct co-workers of mine, but a group of people I semi-regularly hang out with who all work at the same hospital:
Part 1 -
CW1: I can't save at the moment. My rent is already over half my salary!
CW2: Then why do you live in such an expensive place?!
CW1: Well, I have cats that I want to give sufficient space (fair enough) plus it's harder to find a rental with a cat.
CW2: But you have a whole house, couldn't you take a flatmate for the 2nd bedroom?
CW1: I've had a bad experience with a flatmate before so I prefer living alone.
Part 2 -
Me: But still, after your rent there's $800 left, where does that go?
CW1: Well, taking care of the cats. And I spend a lot on food too.
Me: Like, how much? Just trying to help you here as it sounds like you're stressed about money..
CW1: Like $50/week?
Me: That's double my spend..
CW1: But I eat vegetarian! It's more expensive
Me: So do I..
It kept on going like this.. all of that while consuming fancy $5 special beers in a bar. Note: our salaries are low so saving $50/month on groceries would already be a huge deal for her. I genuinely wanted to help her as she sounded stressed about money, but she kept coming up with excuses on why she couldn't go to a cheaper gym, eat cheaper food, get a cheaper house or whatever expense I mentioned.
She plays a good game of YesBut!
YesBut is also a strategy to make sure that the player gets exactly what s/he wants at someone else's expense.
A skilled YesBut player has an unreasonable goal. It doesn't matter what the goal is: maybe it's to live rent-free in someone else's home, or maybe it's to enjoy a higher standard of living than the player's productivity and income justify. The game requires two people: the YesBut player, and the designated "rescuer". It frequently takes months or even years to come to fruition.
The game works like this: the player systematically paints himself or herself into a corner by rejecting anything less than the unreasonable goal, and then creates an objectively predictable crisis. The player keeps it up until a crisis occurs, and the designated rescuer (possibly you) has no choice except to provide the unreasonable goal, or allow the player to experience something truly terrible such as homelessness or bankruptcy. It's a manipulation play that gradually builds up a relationship between the player and the rescuer. Here's an example.
Player: Can I move in with you?
Rescuer: No. You trash the place and let junkies in. Move in with that friend you think so highly of.
Player: Yes, but she does illegal drugs and wants me to do them too!
Rescuer: That's the lifestyle you like, though. You love being around druggies. What about your auntie?
Player: Yes, but she's asking me to pay rent!
Rescuer: So move in with your boyfriend.
Player: Yes, but I've got an order of protection because of the domestic.
Rescuer: So move in with your older brother who's willing to let you stay there in exchange for housework.
Player: Yes, but one of his friends stole everything out of my room!
Rescuer: All right. Here's the contact information of someone who's renting out a room. It's along a major bus route, it's within your budget, it's a clean drug-free household, and you can afford it based on your income.
Player: Yes, but I don't want to live with someone I don't know.
Rescuer: The people you know are mostly low-lifes.
Player: Yes, but I can't afford an apartment on my own.
Rescuer: Sell your car and take the bus to work.
Player: Yes, but I need my car and anyway it's in the shop.
Rescuer: I tell you what. You find someone who's a responsible roommate, so that the two of you earn enough money to qualify for an apartment, and I'll give you the first month's rent and the damage deposit up to $X.
Player: Yes, but I'd rather use the $X for car repairs.
(time passes)
Player: Waaah! The money is all gone and I have nowhere to live! Can I move in with you?
Rescuer: Better go where you'll be able to work your way through. You're going to have to learn to be decent to somebody. Your brother offered to put you up.
(a week later)
Player: I got in a fight with my brother and I'm going to be homeless! Can I move in with you?
The player gets chance after chance to improve his or her situation, but turns up his or her nose at every possible solution except the one his or her heart is set on.