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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

129 replies

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 19:21

I work in the public sector and apparently it’s an unwritten rule that if work is quiet and there’s no emergencies, we get an early finish from the office. We were warned by other colleagues that this is by no means guaranteed. It’s an arrangement between the managers and the staff.

One colleague this morning swans in and starts talking about how happy she is to finish at lunchtime today. Nothing mentioned by the managers, just her decision. The manager immediately side eyes her and says it’s not a guarantee.

All morning she craps on about it to the point that the manager says “if you sit down and do your work we’ll see, and get off your phone”. Said colleague refuses, keeps going on and by lunch the manager says that unfortunately we won’t be leaving early, because of this colleague.

We’re all pretty annoyed by that point but this colleague is now going about the office whinging about the fact that we didn’t get to go early, but it was her fault.

Now I know this is pretty crappy management by the manager, but AIBU to be pretty fuming about the colleague not just sitting down and doing her work?!

OP posts:
Theslummymummy · 25/12/2025 00:13

So your manager has punished everyone for one colleague's actions?

WanderleyWagon · 24/12/2025 23:44

Maybe I'm against the run of play, but I don't think the manager was completely out of line, if the consequence of colleague messing about was that work didn't actually get done. Isn't that a case of natural consequences?

Letting the colleague get away with it and go early would kind of be endorsing more people half-arsing it on Christmas Eves in future. Colleague sounds like she was being a twit.

Sounds like it would have been better if the manager actually managed that employee in the moment, as in, what are your goals for today? what tasks have you on your plate, how long will they take to do? How many of them have you managed to do? oh dear, you've done feck all so looks like we're not in a position to close early.

Not sure how feasible that would be in this workplace though.

SleepingStandingUp · 24/12/2025 23:43

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 19:29

I just don’t see that the colleague was right either. She took the piss massively today, sitting and talking about how annoyed she was to be there, when she had the option to book it as leave and chose not to

agree op. I used to work somewhere where it was pretty guaranteed you'd finish at lunch, but not odfiic9. if you booked it off, you booked a full day. if it was quiet you just tidied up or chilled, but like a grown up, not a petulant teenager or over hyped kid

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 23:43

Brownbananaspot · 24/12/2025 23:41

Oh definitely. I wouldn't be surprised if they leave for the private sector shortly too...

Shame they messed up OP, I hope you get a relaxing Xmas now regardless. 😁

Tonight has been wonderful! Slightly jaded by the fact that my cousin apparently popped round with their brand new baby who id have met if we had been able to go at 12, but such as life! I hope you have a great one!

OP posts:
Brownbananaspot · 24/12/2025 23:41

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 23:39

Yes, it’s their first. To be honest I hope they’re feeling a right idiot tonight and a lot of regret.

Oh definitely. I wouldn't be surprised if they leave for the private sector shortly too...

Shame they messed up OP, I hope you get a relaxing Xmas now regardless. 😁

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 23:39

Brownbananaspot · 24/12/2025 23:38

I think you're flogging a dead horse here OP, it's very clear that a lot of posters don't understand how public sector usually works at Xmas.

We have a 'gentlemans agreement' at my public sector job too. Anybody still in the office ((as I was today) usually gets the nod from a councillor who comes in to do the rounds and wish us all a good Xmas. Today we got really lucky it was one of the nicer ones and the nod came at 12:30.

It's never an expectation to leave early on Xmas eve. Your colleague made a huge mistake going on about it. Is it their first Xmas in the public sector? They won't make that mistake again!

Yes, it’s their first. To be honest I hope they’re feeling a right idiot tonight and a lot of regret.

OP posts:
Brownbananaspot · 24/12/2025 23:38

I think you're flogging a dead horse here OP, it's very clear that a lot of posters don't understand how public sector usually works at Xmas.

We have a 'gentlemans agreement' at my public sector job too. Anybody still in the office ((as I was today) usually gets the nod from a councillor who comes in to do the rounds and wish us all a good Xmas. Today we got really lucky it was one of the nicer ones and the nod came at 12:30.

It's never an expectation to leave early on Xmas eve. Your colleague made a huge mistake going on about it. Is it their first Xmas in the public sector? They won't make that mistake again!

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 23:20

TwinklySquid · 24/12/2025 23:15

So one persons behaviour ruined it for everyone? Does her lack of work make everyone else’s hard work disappear?

You are angry at the wrong person

I don’t know how else I can spell it out.

In the past, management have allowed staff to leave at 12. It’s not a guarantee and our contracted hours on Christmas Eve are until 5. This year new starters were informed about this informal agreement and were told it isn’t guaranteed. One person ruined it by acting like a onob.

OP posts:
TwinklySquid · 24/12/2025 23:15

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 21:30

But the early day isn’t a guarantee.

It’s not as if our contract says “you’ll finish at 12 on Christmas Eve” and she made us stay late because of this person. It’s a tradition in the team as a thank you for working hard, but she decided that she wasn’t willing to do it this year because of that behaviour which I understand. She would need to justify it to her superiors if needed and I guess she didn’t want to

So one persons behaviour ruined it for everyone? Does her lack of work make everyone else’s hard work disappear?

You are angry at the wrong person

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 22:13

IMustDoMoreExercise · 24/12/2025 22:09

Your colleague sounds very childish. Does she think that she is at school?

How old is she and is she usually like this?

She’s mid 20’s but yes, she acts very immature.

OP posts:
felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 22:12

OnTheBoardwalk · 24/12/2025 22:07

The manager didn't punish anyone, they just didn't reward anyone either.

this. My contract is 40 hours a week billed. Letting 12 people leave early is a loss of 48 billed hours. On a day rate that’s a lot of money

yes it’s usually a thing but can’t be relied on. I took half a days hol today as I needed to do things this afternoon. I didn’t want to take the chance of having to work

Your manager did absolutely nothing wrong and you were all put in a shit position by you dick head colleague

I chose not to use my leave for it because I wanted to go on holiday and fully accept that it was my choice but I just found the behaviour of my colleague so irritating. She unilaterally decided she was done with work

OP posts:
usedtobeaylis · 24/12/2025 22:10

YANBU but the managers are the actual villains.

IMustDoMoreExercise · 24/12/2025 22:09

Your colleague sounds very childish. Does she think that she is at school?

How old is she and is she usually like this?

OnTheBoardwalk · 24/12/2025 22:07

The manager didn't punish anyone, they just didn't reward anyone either.

this. My contract is 40 hours a week billed. Letting 12 people leave early is a loss of 48 billed hours. On a day rate that’s a lot of money

yes it’s usually a thing but can’t be relied on. I took half a days hol today as I needed to do things this afternoon. I didn’t want to take the chance of having to work

Your manager did absolutely nothing wrong and you were all put in a shit position by you dick head colleague

whynotwhatknot · 24/12/2025 22:02

she sat there like a child moaning-its all on her

she should get discplined for being on her phone

IidentifyastheGrinch · 24/12/2025 22:01

hatgirl · 24/12/2025 21:53

Why?

And what training would cover this?

People management obviously.
There were multiple ways to have avoided pissing the whole team off.

Wellretired · 24/12/2025 21:58

I was a manager at public service and while I was often happy to let people go early on Christmas Eve I had to stay behind until the end and cover. To do this I had to trust the staff, ie that they had done their work and there were no emergencies in the pipeline that I didn't know about and couldn't handle. If she wasnt trustworthy in thst way I can see why the manager eouldnt be willing to fo the cover. Though as I got more experienced and confident I did let people go on an individual basis rather than a blanket whole office.

Anactor · 24/12/2025 21:53

TableRunners · 24/12/2025 20:11

I am so sorry that we are not paying for you to have an early finish today.

“It’s a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every 25th December”

E. Scrooge

hatgirl · 24/12/2025 21:53

IidentifyastheGrinch · 24/12/2025 21:50

Your manager sounds like they need more training

Why?

And what training would cover this?

IidentifyastheGrinch · 24/12/2025 21:50

Your manager sounds like they need more training

RessicaJabbit · 24/12/2025 21:49

This reply has been deleted

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felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 21:46

MossAndLeaves · 24/12/2025 21:42

If people dont want to they can generally book it off, people who dont have that privilege generally are in roles which you cant "not work" for such as care work, emergency services and similar.

Yes unfortunately our office can’t close for the whole two weeks everyone else seems to get off. We had to make decisions about who worked the non-bank holiday days. But we all had a chance to argue why we wanted days off.

OP posts:
MossAndLeaves · 24/12/2025 21:42

ToKittyornottoKitty · 24/12/2025 19:36

I didn’t say colleague was right, I said both were equally wrong. But it’s Christmas Eve, nobody wants to work properly on Christmas Eve

If people dont want to they can generally book it off, people who dont have that privilege generally are in roles which you cant "not work" for such as care work, emergency services and similar.

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 21:30

TwinklySquid · 24/12/2025 21:29

But she took away everyone’s early day because of one person.

But the early day isn’t a guarantee.

It’s not as if our contract says “you’ll finish at 12 on Christmas Eve” and she made us stay late because of this person. It’s a tradition in the team as a thank you for working hard, but she decided that she wasn’t willing to do it this year because of that behaviour which I understand. She would need to justify it to her superiors if needed and I guess she didn’t want to

OP posts:
TwinklySquid · 24/12/2025 21:29

felixnavidad · 24/12/2025 20:46

Talking, not working, sitting scrolling on her phone, loudly complaining that she was being made to stay. To me it feels like could be disciplined but I’m not a manager!

But she took away everyone’s early day because of one person.

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