What to do with lazy colleague?

[Viewofthesea]

I have a colleague who can be an absolute cunt of the highest order. She's lazy, pure and simple.

She's always late for a start. If she's working at 12 it might be 12.30 or 1 or 2 or 2.30 by the time she comes. She always has an excuse too. I would have believed one or two or even three times being late but it always happens. Its clear she doesn't want to be there.

When she does arrive, she might lock up all of the rooms and allow the resident to use one room and she will often go and sit down to watch a movie. Movies that she would have seen before like minions and shrek and other such movies.
If she does work, she might only work for an hour or so before taking a break which is usually food and tea in front of a movie.
I'm actually quite astonished about someone placing so much importance into watching movies especially during work.

I work in the care industry. I am due to work for the next 8 days. I am also due to be live in for those 8 days. There is a few people scheduled to come in and relieve me of my work but I will still need to be on the premises.

With my work I can be up and awake and caring for someone by 4 or 5 am, not all the time but it can happen. Sometimes it might be 6 or 7. This person who I talked about above, she's supposed to relieve me. When she's so lazy and hardly appears and then sits for a lot of the time, she's digging into time that I should be having whatever little time that I am supposed to have for myself to get a nap, some food or a shower or to brush my teeth. When she's late, I feel it badly. Then I am usually scheduled back into work again for 6pm where I can work til the last resident goes to bed. But usually when bed time happens there are finishing up duties. So it might be 12 or 1 o clock in the morning by the time I am going into bed. Then I might be woken up from 3 or 4 or 5 or later.

Basically I can have a whole entire day's work done by the time this other person comes onto the place. She does work sometimes and she can be good but within an hour shes sitting down watching a movie.

I remember one Saturday night we were both staying over night. She was the one who was supposed to be up on Sunday morning but apparently she never heard the resident and it was me up at about 5.30 am. By time time the other person got up it was about 8 or 9 am. Within an hour she was taking a break and leaving me with all the work and her break was an extended break.

To my face she's nice but behind it all she's horrible. She's always late and then shes always taking breaks. I'm absolutely astonished how she's placing so much importance into sitting down watching movies while she's working. Movies are never on my mind and all I need is a breather and some space for something simple like to digest a meal or go for a nap.

Have you spoken to your line manager?

She's like this when the managers aren't around and I feel like it will be a case of my word against her word. One of the managers is male too and she's completely flirting with him too and he's blinded by her.

You need to be making a record of when she’s arriving at work, how long she’s taking for breaks and when she’s out responding to residents needs (such as not getting up in the night if that’s her allocated role for that particular shift).

The reason for doing this is based on a couple of things - if she is claiming for hours she’s not actually working that can be viewed as fraud and could be viewed as gross misconduct. If she’s not available to respond to resident needs then that may also be viewed as misconduct and a disciplinary matter, not to mention it could be affecting ratios and safe working practice, put other staff in danger of working over their legal hours or not having the required ‘down time’ between shifts. And, lastly, it does nothing for staff relations and morale when one member of a team is a lazy arse and leaves all the chores to their colleagues plus badmouths people behind their backs!!

Thanks. I will keep a notebook of her hours and breaks and I will present them to the managers when they get back.

I remember one day I was up since 5am and I was looking forward to a break. She was late so my break was late. She arrived and I didn't know where she went to but I eventually found her. She was coming out from the kitchen after making herself lunch and she was going to sit down in front of a movie. I was gobsmacked. It was about 3 in the afternoon and I was like - wheres my lunch

I wasn't informed exactly of the schedule for the week. All I know is that I am doing the next 8 days and nights stay over. It is scheduled the other day will come in and relieve me during the days. All my manager said was during the days. I have no idea what her schedule times are. But I feel I need to know. I am pretty much scheduled to be 24/7 with a few hours off each day that's if she decides to come and come on time. I might be required to get up at 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning or it might be later but if its earlier, that's seriously going to kill me for the week ahead. If she's scheduled to come at 10 or 11 it might be bearable but she's always later and I might not get a break until the afternoon and that will only be just a break. I will be required to keep working from evening time til finish that and that could be midnight or later. There's potentiaf for 21 hour work days for me here and it's too much.

Would I be entitled to phone the manager and ask for the hours of the other lady, just so I am informed for the week ahead. Just so I know where I am.

I feel your pain. I worked as a live in care worker a few years ago. Someone I worked with was just like this lady. We were short staffed and I often had interrupted nights with a particular client who was supposed to only need us as sleep in carers and I was often desperate to leave for some space when my shift ended. Often I would be climbing the walls waiting for her to come so I could leave. I hated when she took over from me. I became the senior for that team and she was difficult to manage too. Raise it with your manager, all of these concerns. She is neglecting the clients by watching a film and she is taking the piss with turning up late. Good luck!

I worked with 2 women like this. It won't get better.

I'd find another job and make it very clear why you're leaving.

When she's sitting down to a movie I think she's hoping her clients will sit down with her which is often not the case. She locks up other rooms to prevent them rambling too much and creating damage in areas where they shouldn't be. Instead of watching them properly. It's lazy work.

When she does sit down to a movie, she's not only sitting down to a movie, she's taking off her shoes and putting her feet up.

It's an absolute insult to do that to me. I could have the guts of 6 or 7 or 8 hours done by the time she comes and my day still isn't done and she's often going off for a break and often I haven't even sniffed 10 minutes for myself. Or breakfast for me might be a piece of toast but it's on the go and it's not a proper meal or break.

There's always other work to do as well outside fo caring from the residents. From paperwork to kitchen and laundry duties - there's always other stuff to do. When the other lady is due to come, I still do t knock off, there's other stuff to do and then after other chores and duties, I get a break. It's exhausting work because I'm looking at 6 to 10 hours work before I even sniff a break and my day still isn't done. When I do have a break, far from a movie is on my mind. I'm going for a nap so that I can keep on going. Then I might consider some food. Its an awful way to live and work.

It's neglect OP. We are there to supervise our clients. You need to pass all this on to your manager.

You need to list dates, times, details and speak to your manager with all of this, plus details of how it impacts on you. Keep it factual and keep emotion out of it.

Yes, this is neglect and must be reported.

Email your manager with bullet pointed concerns. Also with regard to the locking of doors ask whether the client has been formally assessed and determined to lack capacity to safely decide what areas and when they can access in their place of residence. Has a DoLS assessment and authorisation taken place that covers this issue? If it has, all carers need to be made aware of it and the scope and limitations of it. If there is no such documentation backing up this action then the agency will need to report it as an incident.

This is not acceptable and their are protections in place. It does require someone to have the guts to whistle blow to work though, which I know is hard.

The diary is an excellent idea as you need specifics.

There is a system of keys and locking in place.

For example and the exterior doors to prevent escaping.
On many of the internal doors. It's due to a resident who loves water and all they need is 30 seconds and they will find a tap and they know how to do a maximum flood. The system of keys is to prevent flooding and its supposed to help buy you time when you are working with people and moving from person to person and room to room.

I observed from my colleague, she's using the keys and locking system to keep people out so that she can relax on the couch.

So you're doing your work and hers? I would let her crack on but secretly record her whistle-blower style, record the response you get from management and when you have enough evidence go over their heads with it. I would also be looking for a different job. You're obviously good at what you do so go elsewhere.