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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

...to report my colleague? (WWYD?)

94 replies

WheresMyMountainGoat · 10/02/2017 22:03

I've NC'd for this.

I work in a small team of two in an open planned office, with our boss working in a different location.

In the past few months I've noticed my colleague spending a lot of time doing non-work activities on their (work) computer; things like online shopping / personal photo editing / news reading.

I'm not sure if this has gone unnoticed by my boss. We rarely share deadlines, but I have noticed these being missed. Delays are often blamed on other people within the business.

The lack of work doesn't really impact on my role, which is why I've kept my nose out thus far. However, its increasingly annoying watching the procrastination happen (often for most of the day), and then listening to the bullshit stories covering for it.

Whilst a few people in the office have noticed, they won't comment as separate teams - they're also my friends, so more likely to mention it to me!

WWYD? AIBU to mention it to my boss?

OP posts:

Libitina · 10/02/2017 23:20

Do you want the loss of her job on your conscience.

If the colleague loses her job for not doing what she's paid to do, the colleague only has herself to blame.

However, if it is not impacting your work OP, I'd keep schtum.

foodtime · 10/02/2017 23:20

God don't.

I own a large successful business and hate people telling tales. It just screams of Envy and doesn't show the person in a great light

I would smile and thank you for the information but inside think you were not a team player.

If she's really not doing her job your boss would have noticed. Don't be that person

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 11/02/2017 00:26

I wouldn't be the first to mention it BUT if the boss asked me if I knew of any issues, I would probably say something then. What are the chances of the boss asking you if you know why the deadlines are being missed?

EmeraldScorn · 11/02/2017 00:33

Does it affect your wage at the end of the month? If not, then it doesn't affect you in any severe way and you really should mind your own business in my opinion!

IntoTheDeep · 11/02/2017 00:36

Could you mention something to the colleague?
Most places I've worked the sort of stuff you mention would breach internet useage policies. I've known a handful of people who had disciplinaries because they got caught out on personal internet use at work.

bloodyteenagers · 11/02/2017 00:41

I did and wouldn't do it again.
I was the one that repeatedly got blaimed for Missed deadlines.
Even with evidence to back me up to show I had done my bit well before time and pased this onto the other person. It was ignored. The person was and still is loved by the boss.
Thankfully I was moved in the end and have no involvement with that person. That person is drowning and missing deadlines everywhere. Forgetting to do key things that impact a lot of people on a regular basis. But like I said, loved by boss.

SorrelSoup · 11/02/2017 00:55

This happens everywhere. It used to happen in my old team so it did directly impact me/all of us. I would never have said anything but these things do have a way of coming up naturally in time.

Tigger1986 · 11/02/2017 01:21

Is the other person in your team responsible for the same work as you? Are they higher up than you? It's a tricky one as it depends how much of an impact they're having as to whether or not you should say something. For example - is the missing of deadlines having a wider impact on the business? And do you have a good friendship with your colleague? I'd be tempted to have a quiet word with your boss next time a missed deadline is mentioned and see if they 'keep an eye' so to speak. I see this in my office daily in a very similar set up - people talking all day, making many many cups of tea yet when we try and shorten deadlines they are up in arms saying they are busy (yet taking several days off a year in built up flexi time...)

AlmostAJillSandwich · 11/02/2017 01:32

Going against the grain, absolutely i'd report it. She's being paid to do a job, and she's not doing the job. She's then laying blame at everyone elses doors, possibly risking their jobs. How many people out there are desperate for work but can't get a job?
If she wants to spend her day photo editing, online shopping ( won't be doing much of that without a job paying her) and reading news/gossip, she can do all of that from the comfort of her own home, whilst someone else who'd be genuinely grateful of the work, could do her job.
Too many people take the "not my problem" attitude, be it that they don't report a benefit cheat, see someone sneaking something in their pocket in a shop intending not to pay, and so many other things, all of it hurting other people who you could help but won't. It's pure selfishness to NOT mention it, and what would you do if she does get found out and tells the boss you knew all along?

NeedsAsockamnesty · 11/02/2017 01:46

Please don't.

I'm an employer and this type of thing is tedious.

It doesn't impact on you at all and there are no safeguarding issues to factor in.

Stuff like this rarely goes unnoticed any attempts to remedy her work ethic are nothing to do with you so you wouldn't know about them. IME almost without exception people who report colleagues because of their perception of the amount of work they are not doing create massive problems in teams and also tend to grossly over estimate their own abilities as well as create hostility.
You concentrate on your work and leave hers to the person who is responsible for managing that.

Original poster

WheresMyMountainGoat · 11/02/2017 07:08

Thanks all. FWIW, I'm very much in the "say nothing" camp - not my business, etc. However my work friends (who have also noticed it) are adamant that I should say something.

Whilst it is annoying/frustrating (as I also work with the people being let down/blamed), I am inclined to believe everything will come out in the wash.

OP posts:

Believeitornot · 11/02/2017 07:13

Your work friends want you to say something because they're probably pissed off and want something done.

I have teams work for me and there have been times when people have complained about others not pulling their weight. I usually know that there's something else which the complainer doesn't.

Any good manager should know what's up. And if they don't they wouldn't appreciate you pointing out what they should know.

lbsjob87 · 11/02/2017 07:18

I wouldn't, personally. They will get caught out eventually. I once reported a colleague for bullying, they basically just moved me to another office, but my line manager was devastated, as I had inadvertently accused her of not doing her job properly, when really the bully was getting away with things the manager wasn't aware of.

omnishamblesssssssssssssss · 11/02/2017 07:20

I think you could just have a running joke with the worker and your colegues. Ask them the worker how their internet shoppings going?

squiggleirl · 11/02/2017 07:37

my work friends (who have also noticed it) are adamant that I should say something.

Does this not give you an idea as to what you should do?

If they really believed nothing bad was going to come of speaking up, why would they need you to say something, when it doesn't even impact you?

Keep quiet. Mind your own business, and stay out of it.

youarenotkiddingme · 11/02/2017 07:38

Id keep out of it.

But if they are missing deadlines and blaming others the easiest way around this is the others keeping a paper trail.

Simple email to say X document has been sent to you. Or something. Basically some way of being able to prove that other people haven't missed deadlines so if this comes out in the wash no one that's completed on time gets dragged into it because they've been blamed incorrectly.

mrsmalcolmreynolds · 11/02/2017 07:42

Quite surprised by lots of the responses here. Your colleague is lying, putting blame on others and therefore presumably harming their professional standing and perhaps even their jobs? How is not saying anything the right thing to do? What about the effect on the business as a whole?

And as for accusing the manager of not doing their job - either it's something they should have picked up on (in which case they are in fact not doing their job) or it's something they can't easily spot (in which case they should be pleased to be made aware) or they are already aware and there's a good reason (so they say thanks, I'm aware and dealing with it).

It's perfectly possible to raise something like this in a professional way, not "telling tales". Next time a colleague is unfairly blamed for a deadline being missed you could simply say to your manager "I thought you should be aware that it isn't correct that x hadn't done report y by z time. .." or whatever, and let it go from there.

BlondeBecky1983 · 11/02/2017 07:52

I would be annoyed but if it didn't directly impact me, I wouldn't say anything.

dowhatnow · 11/02/2017 07:54

Shouldn't the people being impacted bring it up themselves, rather than getting you to do the dirty work for them?

MissDallas · 11/02/2017 07:58

I would say something to your boss. It is not fair that other people are being blamed for deadlines being missed.

OliviaStabler · 11/02/2017 08:03

Where I work we have a whistle blowing phone line. People call to report bullying, not doing their job etc. It is anonymous. If you work for a large company they may have something similar?

angeldelightedme · 11/02/2017 08:10

No.you will be the one who comes out of it looking bad.I think most people do a bit of private stuff at work

bulletjournal · 11/02/2017 08:14

Completely agree with NeedsAsockamnesty

When there is a deadline, keep asking if things have been done. If your colleague is unashamed of doing private stuff in front of you when you keep asking for a finished task, no chance things will improve on that side.

If you are on a joint project, and you end up doing her work, then just make clear you did it. It's easy to email confirming that you have just finished xyz.

When it's time for your yearly review, or after a few months, you have evidence that you have effectively done the job of 2 people and you deserve a pay rise/ promotion accordingly. Your boss can draw his own conclusions.

Concentrate on YOUR role , not your colleague's. Your boss might be well aware of the problem, but do you even know if your colleague has reported a hidden illness or disability to HR? Some people are really scared to start the process of getting rid of someone, thinking it's harder than it really is, and prefer having an easy life.

Idefix · 11/02/2017 08:15

As other pp have said I would say something. It is not 'tale telling', this is not school. If one of my colleagues did this as a hcp it would impact on patient care and I am sure the general response would be very different.

I would op encourage your colleagues who have asked to come forward to start logging incidents and for you to do the same. I would approach your boss with your concerns.

In my organisation we have had someone let go for poor work at a sister site to where I work. Their attitude meant others took more work on to meet the shortfall of these colleagues and this led to low staff moral and resentment. The problem only came to a head when someone left and very publicly sited the reason being to essentially doing two peoples jobs. It was finally addressed after the productive worker left and suddenly things fell apart in terms of work not being done.

The whole incident increased my workload for a couple of months whilst we shared staff to cover the shortage during the recruitment process. I should also add the staff involved were not clinical but did impact clinical staff.

topcat2014 · 11/02/2017 08:24

We have two maxims in my office

"no good deed ever goes unpunished"
"all messengers will be shot".

I would ignore, ignore, ignore.

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