To be secretly fuming about my colleague ruining the early finish today for everyone?

i may have assumed it was a male manager because they weren't managing well, it may have been a mis-type.
Shocking, someone made a minor mistake. Why do you want to imply it’s an issue on my side that women can’t be managers?
I was interested in how the manager (whether male of female) could have handled things better.

Maybe it depends what the job is? I work in NHS and none of that ever happens because we have to provide a service. If you work in a business you could do that I guess though it maybe wouldn’t be the most successful business.

Still at least neither of us have to put up with the “if you leave at 5pm on the dot instead of working unpaid overtime or wash your cup on company time or don’t arrive 5 mins early to boot up your computer so it’s ready to go by nine then your a bad employee” bollocks I’ve seen talked about on here over the years.

I dont agree that it is punishing everyone. I've worked in the public sector where there are quiet little perks, but you keep your head down, down crow about them because there aren't rules to take them. As soon as people start talking about them outloud they disappear because they aren't officially there.

If you all pack-up quietly from the office and go home and no one notices, fine. If someone is making a big song and dance about it and a service user hears and then wonders why your shut, or another department hears and wonders why they havent got the same it all causes trouble.

Shes been saying it outloud, I bet theres a little worry that she has brought it to the attention of the wrong person, so manager hasn't wanted to be caught out.

Theres no way manager wanted to be there either

I mean this is not true at all / I’ve worked in many many offices over the years and always go home at lunch

husband too and most of my friends, my parents

in fact it’s been years since anyone has even been in the office at Xmas Eve you just sort of check in at home and keep
am eye on emails then by lunch your told to see you after Xmas by management by email at some point.

its pretty standard loads of places.

Going around checking peoples work individually, letting them go at separate points once their necessary work was done

Well I don’t think not allowing people to think they’re entitled to leave early is power tripping tbh. Most places will treat you like that.,

Right? She was quite literally told to be professional! Managing anyone is hard. Dealing with a large team when someone is obnoxious or over familiar makes it harder and can lead to people feeling like they’re your friend. Of course you would like to be friends but it can lead to some immature people pushing professional boundaries and then others’ start to mirror that and before you know it you’re not taken seriously. Sometimes you have to flex your muscles a bit to make sure you are regarded as in charge and will not tolerate nonsense. This person was actually challenging authority and no one was entitled to an early finish so it’s an easy win for the manager really. A reminder to be professional and do as asked but also nothing was taken away that was a given anyway. No brainier for the manager I should think.

They did and she continued to be a twat.

I don’t see why the manager acted like a school teacher though. They should’ve taken her aside and spoken to her about remaining professional.

Nonsense. I used to work in the public sector and arses were handed on occasion.

I would put the blame on the colleague as she crapped it up for everyone. Remember there are many jobs where there’s no possibility of an early finish and many people who are required to work over Christmas.

Please do share your wisdom.

Your manager is treating you like children - I couldn’t work somewhere like that

Completely agree.

I’m not defending the colleague but the manager is ridiculous. And I’d be surprised if this was the only example of her being a complete twat.

It public sector. The culture means nobody gets their arse handing to them, or any tough talk conversations.

So many people have no work ethic or real understanding of work.
If the manager had let everyone go early except for the colleague who did FA they'd most likely have a grievance on their hands come New Year and then have to explain to highers up why they let people go early in the first place.

The colleague could complain all she likes, not doing what she is employed to do is a sackable offence.

She's a dick sure enough but the manager should have weeded her out a long time ago if she has done this sort of thing before.

If she can't tell the difference between entitlement and something gifted, she is thick enough to be of little to no use anyway.

I don’t blame the manager tbh. If I were your colleague I’d be expecting to get my arse handed to me after Christmas.

Colleague has probably messed it up for future yrs too now but putting it on the radar so to speak. I'd be well annoyed. I'm guessing she will be v unpopular in the office now so she better not expect any favours from anyone come January 😆

Same, sheesh it's like being back in school all being punished for the one kid who can't behave! 🙄
Doesn't sound a very nice place to work.

Where do you work where management don't manage?
Are you really claiming that, if you ran a business, and an employee did FA all day and were demanding to leave early, which was not guaranteed, you would be "aw, what's she like, she's done nothing all day and thinks she can leave at lunchtime. OK, off you go."
The only mistake the manager made was not making the lazy one stay and letting everything else leave early.

Yes. That is correct. Well done.

The reason for it has been explained multiple times by the OP.

The OP has stated that the manager is female.

Startling, I know.