a kinda wwyd really...

[whiskeylover]

at work we have a set of things we are meant to do. there are 7 of us all with the same contact and so same job title and pay.
1 part of the job 1 of the people refuses to do. ALWAYS. it is starting to piss me off. it doesnt mean extra work, just that they always say, oh i dont do X you will have to get one of the others.
our employer knows about this, but wont inforce that this person will have to do this task,
now am i being unreasonable to say to the employer, if they arent doing X part, then either they tell the person they have to, as detailed in the contract, or i'm going to stop doing this thing as wll?

[warthog]

escalate.

but fgs just bloody TELL US!!!

[banana87]

I really want to know what the task is. How will it give away the job? And why do you care if it does?

[stealthsquiggle]

aaaargh - I just read the entire thread thinking that you all would have forced wheedled the details out of the OP by now - and you have failed me.

OP, honestly, without the detail, all we can say is "escalate it to management" - which is really boring. If you want more evil creative solutions you have to give us details.

[wigglesrock]

Sorry for stating the obvious but they're not pregnant are they? Obviously if this has been going on a long time you would know but without knowing the job its hard to say.

[Goldenbear]

Is it a man colleague refusing to empty a sanitary towel bin?

[Happymm]

Aaaaaaaargh! What is the task? Want to know-NOW! :o

[OpenMouthInsertFoot]

It really is a management issue. The six of you have to unite and tackle the manager together and insist - in writing if necessary - that something must be done. Suggest a rota, but make it clear that not doing anything is not an option.

Basically, it sounds like the boss wants an easy life. You have to make it more difficult to deal with you lot than to tackle her!

[TakeThisOneHereForAStart]

It's hard to offer advice without really knowing everything.

If it helps, we have a smoking area at work that both customers and staff can use. As part of one job we do, someone has to go out there several times a shift while the customers are out there and to tidy up and lock a gate etc when the customers have gone.

I don't smoke, so I won't go out there. Usually a colleague who does smoke is happy to go because they are allowed to smoke even if there are customers out there too.

I don't know if I would do as you are thinking of, but what do the rest of your team think? Could you approach your boss together and explain why you are not happy.

[theITgirl]

It does depend. For example -
The job before my current one we had to take turns running an IT course for new starters, none of us liked the job specially and one person refused to do it. BUT he was helpful to the rest of us and picked up the slack in other areas and was always willing to help me stack the servers as I found that difficult because they were bloody heavy. In this scenario not really a problem.
Alternatively in my new job (I start in two weeks) we have a rota and will take turns doing 1st line support, basically doing all of the little 5 min jobs that interrupt your other work and mean you do not actually get the other part of your job done. If one person refused to do that part of the job, this would be a problem as the others who would have to pick up the slack and would end up missing their own deadlines. Whereas the person who 'opted out' would have all the time they needed for their deadlines.

Is there something about job 'g' that you all hate?

[ThePumpkinKing]

For the love of God, is your job so rare that you think you will be identified just by revealing the dreaded task?

If it is so awful that you can't bring yourself to mention it, and all seven of you resent having to do it although the shirker picks up the slack elsewhere, perhaps a career change should be on the cards.

Perhaps you should direct your ire at your boss, send them a few emails pointing out that you feel their managment skills need some work

[LadyBeagleEyes]

Bored now.
It's impossible to give any opinion about a,b,c,d,g, without any details.
I'm out.

[whiskeylover]

sorry that made no sence, they dont do the task for the full shift for the full working week. they take another task instead. but ALWAYS avoid this one.

[whiskeylover]

basically it takes up the whole shift that we work. so that person will do another task for the whole shift.
what the job and task is really isnt important. its the same principle regardless.

[SenoritaViva]

How much extra time does task 'g' take? How much impact does it have on your job? For instance if you have to answer the phone on a relatively busy switchboard for the day and you all take it in turns (assuming small company and no receptionist) then I would be hacked off as this would in turn impact the speed at which I could do my tasks. If it was going to the shop opposite to buy the milk for the week which took 15 mins then I wouldn't be so peeved.

If there reason is 'I don't like it' then I'd be annoyed. If it was cultural/medical etc. then I'd be OK. If it was incompetence but they took the slack elsewhere (which doesn't seem to be happening) then I'd probably get over it (but be a little annoyed initially).

It's not so much that I'd only be put out every 7 weeks by doing something twice it's that they get out of it every week. What do they do in that time? Sit on Mumsnet? (Oh god it's YOU isn't it????!!!!!!)

[ll31]

just say what it is - cant comment usefully otherwise

[biddysmama]

can you not do a rota, then when it doesnt get done and your boss askes why you can show them on the rota who didnt do it?

[ChaoticAngeloftheUnderworld]

I don't think it matters what the job is. If the task (x) is in the contract then this person should do x. If they have a legitimate reason for not doing it then the manager should be informed of the reason and could let the other staff know, without actually saying why, that there is a valid reason for this person not fulfilling the terms of their contract.

It doesn't seem as if there is a valid reason so either this person should be made to do x or be given a verbal warning.

[jumpingjackhash]

What Lydia said - without knowing what it is, we can't really answer. If it's that much of a big deal to your employer, they need to raise it with the team member on a one-to-one level. Otherwise it doesn't seem to be such an issue for the boss, therefore I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist over it.

[wellwisher]

Can't you just go back to your employer and complain about lazyarse refusing to do the mystery task?

[LydiaWickham]

YABU - because you won't tell me what it is. So we will know what your job is, that's not the end of the world....

Now, depending on what it is, will depend on the WWYD - have you tried asking her directly why she won't do it? You could say it's causing a lot of bad feeling and if she has an actual valid reason, it might be best she tells everyone, because right now everyone thinks she's just a bit princessy and are less inclined to ever want to do her a favour/help her out in any way.

Or when she says she won't do it, could you ask her if it's that she can't and does she want to be taught?

Or when it's you and her due to do the thing, you could loudly say "FFS - I did it the last X number of times, it's really your turn. If you won't do this job, perhaps you should resign and I could work with someone less princessy."

However, the advice as to what you should do will really depend on what it is...

[whiskeylover]

but if they have a moral or ethical objection should they not atleast say to us that there is a reason that they would prefer not to discuss but that the employer has been informed and that they are aware and happy with the situation?
at the last meeting the employeer sat and said,
as laid out in your contracts you are all employed to carry out the following tasks, each of you have a contractual obligation to do the items laid out.
this was after 2 members of staff raised the issue with the employer.

[ThePumpkinKing]

But is the job something that they might have a moral or ethical objection to?

Do they make up for it by taking on one of the other jobs for the person who does theirs?

[whiskeylover]

i dont really want to say what the specific thing is, as it makes the job pretty obvious.
basically our contracts all say that you are required to do a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h.
and this person refuses to do g for example.
every time.
its not as general as, you are required to do general cleaning. and they dont clean the fridge. it is a specific task, and when asked by any of us they refuse to say anything and just say they wont do it. BUT at the last meeting, 3 weeks ago the manager pointed out very specifically that each of the jobs were part of our job.

[allhailtheaubergine]

Are you a troupe of seven gorilla-grams who do a synchronised dance routine, and your colleague always refuses to be the one who bursts out of the big cardboard cake?