About my work colleague?

[Weathergames]

We keep getting "team" emails from my boss re food being left in the fridge to rot, general office tidiness.

Thing is it's directed at 1 sole offender. Her desk (next to mine) is quite frankly disgusting. Empty food cartons, drinks bottles, plates. She left yesterday and won't be back until Tues and there is half a cup of coffee left on there and under her desk (clearly visible) a collection of carrier bags stuffed down the side and a lunch box which has been there for months with moulding food seeping out of it.

Regularly leaves fish in the fridge to go mouldy .

I refuse to clear up after her anymore.

On top of this we are about to have new management so she has booked off the best part of the summer and Xmas holidays in case new manager wants someone in the office at those times. She has done this openly fucking over her colleagues of which I am one.

AIBU and if so what the hell do I do?!

Then don't clean up after her - boss will soon notice whose desks are pristine and whose aren't.

Tbf, though, annual leave is usually first-come first-served isn't it? You can't blame her for being tactical about leave - most people are

I have to take my clients through the office I negated to say.

Yes but it's pretty shitty to book most of the 6 weeks off - when your kids are late teens.

It's affecting business? Then that's definitely something to flag up to the boss. Ask boss to have a word with serial offender.

There are 5 of us at work who have to book holidays. Not so important now but we labeled certain weeks as "premium" weeks. So we could have either February or October half term one week at Easter and 2 weeks in the summer and we usually worked new year or Christmas week. Once everyone had got their holidays then you could take more in the summer if not already booked. It's unfair for the premium weeks to be booked up by one person. We had 4/5 with school age children and 2 of us could be off together. In Scotland so don't get a week in May.

Re the food. That's disgusting. I would pile it all together on top of her desk for the next time she is in.

Eurgh. Could you complain about the mess? Point out clients are going to see it.

Also re the holidays, that is totally unfair that someone can hog the best times. That needs to be reviewed.Is it done on a first come, first served basis ?

I have complained and we get an "office" email.

It's public sector so am not sure how it works. I am
friends with my boss and really wanted to say "look she has announced to everyone she is doing this" but it's awkward.

When it was approved she left a gift on our bosses desk and went on and on about how relieved she was.

Most of us are single mums and some have little ones.

I do no believe school holiday leave should be reserved for parents but to openly do this to your "team" just in case the new manager wants someone manning the office it really astounding.

Perhaps she is going on a long holiday. My friends go away for the 6 weeks in the summer camping. Why not? You could have requested it too?
If she likes a messy desk then surely that's her choice just as items yours to have a tidy one I bet your tidying irrites her as much as her messiness affects you. I agree with communal areas though, everyone has to pull their weight there

I once worked with someone who went off on a six week holiday and left an orange to go all weird and hard on her desk whilst she was off. A few days before she was due back I put her name and work address on it in permanent marker and trotted of to the post office so she could get it back on the day she arrived. To be fair the post office didn't bat an eyelid at me wanting to post an orange, and my college was highly amused to get out back thru the post. She even started clearing up after herself a bit too

So, I'd gather up all her s and dump it on her desk one evening anonymously with a pack of wipes out start posting bits back to her until she gets the hint.

A less passive aggressive approach may be more appropriate tho tbf.

How did you get the stamp on the orange? :)

But how do you even get enough leave to book 6 weeks off over the summer? This year I get 28 cos I bought an extra 3 that's the most I have ever had. I have spring hAlf term, a week at Easter, 3 weeks in summer (a one off holiday) which leaves 3 days.

phonebox the post office just stuck some sellotape over it and it stuck pretty well!

Could you not have a word with your boss and request that they take a more direct approach? Team mails don't often work for this kind of thing.

She can have her leave whenever she wants it! If you wanted the holidays you should have booked them.

Regarding the dirt, email ur boss that clients have complained. Or find a backbone and ask her to clean up her mess as its poor for clients.

Surely moldy food is an occupational health and safety issue ? It's certainly not hygienic and will attract vermin. At my old office we had rat traps under our desks - it was horrible

Surely hr should act on the food issue

maddy

Offensive odours, mould spores, poor hygeine and a chaotic working environment that you would be afraid of a client/higher management seeing, are surely not equivalent to keeping a tidy desk.

One is a thing a manager can legitimately tell you won't fly, the other isn't, right?

At my last workplace we had 50 people (5 teams of 10) and my boss got so sick of people complaining he made every team have a week that they were responsible for keeping the kitchen clean/tidy. Was a bloody pain doing it on our week, (I never used the kitchen and was about cleaning up after messy colleagues) but at least it was clean and there were no stupid passive-aggressive emails circulating about kitchen.

However from what you've said there is more to this colleague and their messiness is a bit of a red herring ????????

god imagine what her house must be like

OP, your manager might be your friend, but she's not managing that member of staff very well, she should be told. Its the manager's duty of care to the other members of staff to make their working environment acceptable.

I think the holiday 'block booking' is bang out of order. Part of being a team is being supportive of everyone. Surely your boss knows that there are other people with young children who need to take leave during school holidays? I am a manager and my team negotiate with each other to ensure leave weeks are fair.

Regarding the food, the team emails have not worked, your boss needs to speak to her 1-1. It is not acceptable behaviour, the office / kitchen are shared spaces and need to be clean and hygienic so everyone has a pleasant environment in which to work.

Your boss, should be the boss at work and manage this situation. I'm sure you can't be the only one feeling like this.

She has booked 3 days a week off over summer.

I am an ex manager and team emails addressed to one colleague in particular are the actions of a chicken shit manager. I'd respond with 'if you know it is one person doing this, then address it with that person. I don't like being told off for something I haven't done. Thanks'

The leave, well more fool the manager. They can cancel leave of course. Your manager needs to step up to the plate it would seem.

I feel your pain about the messy desk.
It's just grim to have to look at it and smell it.
Personally I would say something.
Leave some cleaning products on her desk.

As for the annual leave it just shows how self centred she is.