Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

On work trip abroad. Colleague gone crazy

788 replies

Eastie77 · 08/05/2019 19:52

Just that really. I'm abroad for work, 2 days in a major European city with a client meeting tomorrow morning. I've travelled with a female colleague who, like me, has 2 young DC. When we found out about this trip she messaged me to say she was desperately looking forward to it as she needs a break from the DC and is run ragged juggling everything. I said I totally sympathised and she replied that we should use this trip as an opportunity to get rat arsed on the company's money. I just laughed.

Arrived at the airport this morning for our early flight to find she had already had downed 2 pints but was at least sober. She kicked up a fuss on the plane as there was no alcohol on sale - not massively but enough to embarrass me. Landed and she bought more alcohol and has generally been increasingly drunk, hyper and shrill since saying this is 'her time'. We arrived at the hotel at 3pm and were meant to go over our presentation for tomorrow but I've had zero input from her. I need her to contribute a bunch of slides and practice a demo of the technical solution we are meant to be presenting to the client but she is not playing ball and has just been propping up the bar. I'm stressed. It looks as if I will have to do her slides and I don't have enough knowledge so emailing colleagues back home. I don't want to speak to my manager about this. She is normally quite conscientiousSad

OP posts:
caramelinducedharikari · 08/05/2019 19:55

You need to speak to the manager OP.

EskeewdBeef · 08/05/2019 19:55

She'll already know what she's doing in the presentation, so don't go telling everyone back at the office that you're having to cover her part.

TheFaerieQueene · 08/05/2019 19:56

You have to cover yourself on this. If she is behaving like this and it could impact your reputation, you need to let it be known why.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Holidays
StillRunningWithScissors · 08/05/2019 19:56

You say you don't want to talk to your manager about this, but I think you need to.

Your colleague is behaving irresponsibly. It's not her time. It's a work trip.

She dropping you in it, and risking your companies relationship with the client.

Talk to your manager, hiding this will help no one.

StillRunningWithScissors · 08/05/2019 19:57

Damn typos...

BendydickCuminsnatch · 08/05/2019 19:57

It’s not ‘her time’, it’s work time Confused you should tell your manager! If you make it seem like you both did the work, you won’t get the credit you deserve for doing it all!

Paddingtonthebear · 08/05/2019 19:59

I’d speak to her now and give her the chance to pull herself together. Otherwise you need to contact your manager tonight. It’s not fair.

UCOinanOCG · 08/05/2019 20:02

If she doesn't get herself together by tomorrow then go and do what you can with the presentation. Give an excuse to your clients and say she has a stomach upset. Take it up with your boss when you get back to the UK.

Invisimamma · 08/05/2019 20:02

Speak to her now, ask her to run through the slides with you for tomorrow. If she doesn't help you then speak to manager.

You need to cover your own arse here and make sure this doesn't come back on you.

Original poster
Eastie77 · 08/05/2019 20:03

@EskeewdBeef no, that is the problem - she doesn't know. It is a very long presentation. She is supposed to provide slides that will be inserted at different points in the deck but she hasn't even sent them to me so I can't put them in the master deck. We need to work on the product demo together so we speak with one voice in front of the client.

It is both of our faults that this is so last minute but she is being a nightmare.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 08/05/2019 20:04

She is not on holiday and your reputation is going to suffer if you let her get away with this.

Contact your manager - YY to trying to drag her away from the bar and get her sobered up first. I would give this effort half an hour before contacting the manager.

If this turns out to be impossible, is there an administrative assistant or any other colleague who could support you from your workplace/send files, etc?

ForalltheSaints · 08/05/2019 20:06

Definitely contact your manager assuming they can be.

This is not your fault at all.

ThomasRichard · 08/05/2019 20:08

Are you more senior than her? If this was one of my team I’d be taking their work credit card off them, giving them a bollocking and telling them I’d see them at 7am for breakfast. If not, you can tell them what time you’ll meet with them for breakfast and a presentation run-through (early) and leave them to it. If she turns up to breakfast with her crap together then I’d forget about it, otherwise tell her to stay at the hotel enjoying her ‘me time’ and phone your manager to apprise them of the situation. Then go to the meeting, apologise that your colleague got food poisoning and had to stay in her room, and do the very best presentation you can.

BabyDueDecember2019 · 08/05/2019 20:11

I think you need to speak to your line manager. Her behaviour is very unprofessional

Original poster
Eastie77 · 08/05/2019 20:18

She is not falling down drunk but is very merry and really quite loud.

We work at the same level otherwise I would dearly love to take the company credit card from her. Unfortunately we are also in a country where alcohol is very cheap.

I have asked her to give me the USB with her slides on so I can at least try to create the deck myself and she is saying she will get it 'soon' - I'm worried she hasn't actually done them at all.

Reluctant to contact my manager as really don't want to drop her in it but I will if I have too. My teammates are discreet, if I message and ask them for help they will do it without causing a fuss so that is the better option.

OP posts:
EleanorReally · 08/05/2019 20:20

have you had a meal? have coffee

MidsomerBurgers · 08/05/2019 20:21

What ThomasRichard said.

Good luck with your presentation tomorrow.

ssd · 08/05/2019 20:23

Rotten situation for you op, I hope you tear a strip off her tomorrow.

VanillaCoconutDove · 08/05/2019 20:25

I’d be blunt with her now. Tell her she’s behaving completely unprofessionally and if she doesn’t buckle up and cooperate it will get fed back to management that she obstructed the prep for the whole purpose of the bloody trip.

Tell her she can choose to embarrass herself but you won’t let her embarrass you on the way.

BumbleBeee69 · 08/05/2019 20:27

I'd consider filming this idiot OP, purely for your own protection, if she starts calling you a Liar etc... Flowers

Paddingtonthebear · 08/05/2019 20:28

This ^^*

You are a mug if you cover for her, imagine if the client feedback is shit and then you get it in the neck from your boss! Stand up for yourself and tell her to sort herself out tonight and get the work done otherwise she’s on her own!

Fairenuff · 08/05/2019 20:29

Tell her to get it now.

TSSDNCOP · 08/05/2019 20:31

Yep this is a "look Sarah, we need to get this together now as o can't do it alone. At this rate I'll have to call Rebecca at the office and tell her we aren't ready to go in front of the client"

HappyLife21 · 08/05/2019 20:31

Bloody hell OP, you and I have different interpretations of crazy!

TheInebriati · 08/05/2019 20:32

Cya; get evidence and leave a paper trail. Email her and ask for the slides and commentary. Contact your boss.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.