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

Of course the colleague made it into the office. As pps said, she’s making sure she’s got her narrative sussed and sorted.
This is why the majority advice to tell your boss the day before the presentation was so astute and should have been heeded.

But the boss was told, Queen, and before the presentation, so all is not lost.

This reminds me of a work trip to New York: very posh restaurant overlooking the Twin Towers and my colleague loudly and drunkenly singing ‘Flower of Scotland’, pub-singer stylee to the complete perplexity of our American hosts. Her Manager at the time was so completely mortified. It is a golden memory!
Having said that, we’d already finished the work we had to do so at least that wasn’t impacted.

Anyone else have a feeling the op hasn’t updated because the client feedback was that the colleague was brilliant 😂

More likely OP has no update as it's Saturday

Anyone else have a feeling the op hasn’t updated because the client feedback was that the colleague was brilliant

We liked the red-faced one who didn't have any slides, but not her cat's bum faced colleague.

Or possibly that pissed-up-colleague is also a MNetter and has put in a complaint about OP?

Sorry didn't update! Colleague came in but only managed half a day and was nowhere to be seen after lunch. My manager works from home on Friday so don't think he has spoken to her yet. I found out from the colleague who helped me that this is not the first time she has behaved like this on a work trip, I had just never heard about it!

We won't find out if the contract will be renewed for a while yet. The meeting this week was about one particular product the client has from a whole portfolio of services we provide. Client may decide to dispense with some and renew others. Our bonus depends on him renewing the specific thing we, well I, presented.

I would love it if his feedback was positive and wouldn't feel embarrassed at all. Manager is well aware from my debrief that colleagues contribution was a half arsed demo and I did the rest.

I couldn't hold my head up if I were her. Hope you get good news.

Really doubt she's a MNetter..can't explain why without it being a bit identifying though!

Well done OP, I hope you get your bonus

I think colleague can wave goodbye to any kind of bonus. But if she has previous form for this, they may review whether she can still do her job effectively without out of the workplace trips, and if it seems not....... who knows. It isn’t right that the majority have to pick up the slack constantly for others.

Good lord.

So she's done this before and yet was allowed to go on another foreign work trip and nobody thought to pre-warn you about her past behaviour.

Also your boss didn't think it important enough to come into the office on a Friday to give her a well deserved talking down - and some sort of written warning.

I'd be making it very clear that you're not prepared to do any work travel with this woman again, I'd also be having words about your bonus now rather than waiting until the results are in - simply not fair that you could lose your bonus because she decided to get drunk and conversely that she might get a bonus because you had to do both the roles.

Agree with rookiemere about this:
I'd be making it very clear that you're not prepared to do any work travel with this woman again, I'd also be having words about your bonus now rather than waiting until the results are in - simply not fair that you could lose your bonus because she decided to get drunk and conversely that she might get a bonus because you had to do both the roles.

I agree with rookiemere, wtf, there's giving people a chance and then there's just plain stupid to let someone with her form go off to a client presentation that could affect future contracts/bonuses.

Is she pals or something with your Manager?

That was my thought too. She's done this before - management presumably know that she has done this before - what on earth is going on between management and this woman to allow that to happen?

Tread carefully op.

Get management to check work that's hilarious.
My old job I often did presentations on specific software used. My manager knew the basics which I trained him for and others for. The tech aspect which went into some of the presentations he wouldn't have a clue about. He would have looked at me like I had lost the plot if I asked him to go over some work.

But thankfully some managers don't micromanage and trust that others have experience in areas that they don't.

Anyway, good luck op and hopefully you get your well-earned bonus including a good chunk of the waste of space colleague.

If you don’t get the product renewed, ergo your bonus, will you ask your boss why this woman was sent overseas again when she has already behaved in this manner? Will there be serious fall out if the product isn’t renewed? Are you not questioning your boss’s judgment? Or was he not aware?

theworld - yes, exactly the same scenario for me. My manager has been trained on the basics of what his team does but his eyes glaze over when we go into deep technical talk. He is a 'people' manager but is in no way able to do the job we do and openly admits he doesn't really get it.

If I gave him my presentation to check his feedback would have been about the font size and the PowerPoint template

I really doubt anything untoward is going on with him and the colleague although I suppose you never really know?! He was seriously pissed off after he found out about her antics - his bonus is tied to this contract as well. Colleague was so subdued Friday morning I'm almost certain he called or at least emailed her. She left after lunch and didn't say a word to anyone so could be serious consequences are coming.

Her previous antics occurred a while back while I was on mat leave. There was a larger group from the office present so word spread. My manager didn't manage her at the time so maybe thought he was offering her a clean slate? Her work performance is otherwise fine as far as I know.

It's all so odd because I have never really seen this woman drink before. She never comes to team drinks and the tab is picked up by work so all free, rarely attends work parties (don't blame her tbf) but when she has done I have no recollection of her getting even mildly tipsy. The people in the office I know who get pissed when travelling are exactly the same back home. So unless she drinks heavily at home it seems the behaviour is reserved for work travel which is both bizarre and sad

I'd also be having words about your bonus now rather than waiting until the results are in - simply not fair that you could lose your bonus because she decided to get drunk and conversely that she might get a bonus because you had to do both the roles.

Yeah, more excellent advice from the 'but once I watched Melanie Griffiths in 9 to 5 so I know how this works' school.
The bonus will be paid if the client renews. End of. It's not about fairness, it's about clear cut commercial goals.

"having words" indeed. Try that attitude in an actual corporate environment & see how well it pans out!

Ahem Rsacre I do actually have a job, and quite a senior one so I do know how the world works.

I do appreciate that if the contract is not renewed by the client then bonus money may not be available, but there may be other opportunities to present and contracts for the OP to win.

Based on what we've been told by OP she's someone I'd definitely want to keep in my team - dealt proactively with the issue, managed to mitigate any client impact and didn't present the boss with an unsolved problem. I'd try to find a way to ensure she was appropriately rewarded even if the contract didn't come throughwhilst simultaneously getting rid of the lady who doesn't know what a working trip means

@RSAcre I choked on my tea 😂😂. I used to joke that "The Office" was a management training tool where OH works.
Now feeling the need to watch some real power dressing in 9-5 😂

Eastie - so he's Jen and you're Moss?

Contact your employee assistance service who can advise. I had similar problem drinking colleague situation and was able to get them support for their problem that slowed them to recover and keep their job.

Allowed not slowed!