On work trip abroad. Colleague gone crazy

[Eastie77]

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 conscientious

People seem to be missing the point that OP's slides were done before travelling - she needed her colleague's slides (which she couldn't do and which never materialised) and to run through the presentation. Perfectly reasonable and achievable in the time they had.

OP is not some ill prepared last minute womble.

Management checking a presentation? You clearly haven’t a clue what you’re on about.

Not sure exactly what OP’s job is but it’s pretty normal for people to prepare the presentations they are going to present without supervision from their manager... especially if that’s a regular part of their job and they’re not an intern/new! Also really not weird to prepare a bit the day before client meeting and not noteworthy of the OP to have planned to finalise deck with colleague on a work day!

And let's remember that both were being paid by the company to do a job. One decided to spend that time getting pissed instead.

”No no, SDTG - the OP is a "B-word" - that's just your interpretation of it!”

I stand (well, sit) corrected, @ThumbWitchesAbroad!

Oh, so that’s why it’s called the Square Mile!

Does she need to travel to do her job, or will she just be left at home from now on.

I'm glad it went well.

“Compassion, like respect, is something that should be offered automatically, not something you have to "earn".”

I think you’ll find that most people see respect as something you need to earn!
And compassion can be lost through thoughtless and selfish behaviour.

Today I've realised that I'm that ruddy square I'm a cube.

Your boss should tear your colleague a new hole. Though they'd probably just stick a straw in it and seek out the nearest cocktail...

OP this thread is hot topic of the day with over 27000 views.

You ll be lucky if it isnt picked up in the media and you have posted alot of work details.

downcasteyes Thu 09-May-19 07:54:40

OR you could just sort the situation out by familiarising yourself with your colleague's area (surely not that hard since this is not a 'cosy public-sector academia situation' and therefore will not involve a difficult area of philosophy that requires years of reading to master - it's more likely to be basic facts and figures), nail the presentation, and fly home victorious.

Incredibly arrogant and snobby and attitude there, born of ignorance.

Outside of one certain highly complex area - philosophy apparently - all areas of expertise are completely fungible and there is nothing to stop any given individual from doing the dreary, mundane, unchallenging stuff that occupies someone else all day every day.

Jesus Christ there's a few on here who have such a low bar - wifework knows no bounds - apparently you have to babysit your colleagues too. 🤦‍♀️

Well done Eastie77 hope you managed to get some well deserved downtime - any chance your work can adjust the bonuses to reflect performance? Bloody hope so.

Glad it went well OP. You took initiative and handled the situation to minimise the impact of her actions.

Creatives that get shit faced, don't prepare and completely let the rest of their team down get fired.

It's nothing to do with gender - I take my work seriously and would expect the same treatment from anybody else if I deliberately fucked up/sabotaged something. And I'd get it.

Creatives that are successful and don't get fired are those who like to relax, but are completely prepared well in advance and keep that in check until after the gig. That first pint after you've nailed it tastes 1000 times better than any tipped down your throat beforehand. I might say I am going to wing it, but for me and most creative/musical/artistic people I know, that means we've done everything possible to prepare and considered possibilities/potential curveballs, giving us the freedom to adapt what we actually do at the time to suit the circumstances.

That's what being a professional creative means, not being the unreliable, unrehearsed and unprofessional Dickhead who everybody else has to try and compensate for.

I find myself increasingly pissed off with the sneery too-cool-for-school jeers about stuffy suits, and how creative types are so much more vital and interesting and worthwhile.

Tell you what, how's about one of those hot mess creative types operates on your child? No? Don't fancy someone who takes a "fuck it" approach operating on your baby? Does a stuffy suit type who takes their work seriously and is really diligent about their responsibilities seem a bit more appealing now?

Just fuck off. I am so tired of people judging those who do the grunt work, who are conscientious, who take pride in getting things done properly. They are your paramedics, your firefighters, your cleaners, your insurance claims handler, your payroll administrator, your nurses, your police officers...

Since when was doing the right thing looked down upon as something to be embarrassed about?

If you don't tell your manager, it's likely you'll be in just as much trouble. Particularly if this client is new and / or of high worth to the company.

RTFT

Ah this reminds me of my long time best mate.

Three kids, ft work, shite husband. Quiet In every day life but on the two days a year she manages to escape with me - she does this

Well done!

This has triggered some memories from about 20 yrs ago.

We were making a presentation for the company I owned. Showroom mangers were there from all over the U.S. It was a big deal. The person who was there with me was supposed to do all the talking as he had the gift of the gab and I was there to answer any design or technical questions from individuals after the presentation. (I am extremely shy, easily stressed and when I am I tend to talk nonsense).

Old gabby boy spots a manager he talks to a lot over the phone and so he goes over and starts talking to him - just as we were supposed to present.

I couldn't get his attention and so I had to wing it alone - in front of all those people. Although I had never met any of these managers before in person I had spoken to them for a few years over the phone. I had a feeling they already knew my co-presenter was a dick and all smiled encouragingly. Bless them.

Well done Eastie, job's a good 'un.

I think the prim, stick-up-the-arse professionalism and service of capital beyond all things that dominates this site is reaaaaaaally boring. Give me someone who is a hot mess brilliant creative any day to hang out with over a stuffy suit.

You could also call it responsible, grown up behaviour, because actually that is what doing the job you are paid for is.

Give me people who understand and appreciate who butters their bread any day, people who pull their weight at work because they are all in the same boat and are all interested in the welfare of each others' families.

That includes public sector workers who understand and appreciate where their salaries ultimately come from.

I like a drink and to party as much as the next person, and can also understand that it's a fun to be away from your children and chance for a bit of you time. But it's a work trip FFS not a jolly. Being professional and supporting colleagues with the job you are there to do is very different to being corporate and stuffy.

I thought that too, maybe

It was in my inbox MN daily teasers or whatever

Thing is, the op can complain all she likes about her rubbish colleague : chances are her useless boss will turn a blind eye