Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To make an official complaint about colleague?

792 replies

Abouttoblow · 03/09/2017 15:12

I'm really don't want to go to work tomorrow as I've had enough of selfish workmate.
I really love my work. I've been in this job for 10 years, find it fulfilling, great terms and conditions but if things carry on I will go mad.
Colleague had twins 5 years ago and returned to work 2 days a week. Since she had her DC she seems to think that they take priority over her job - even when she is at work. Her DM and SIL take care of them so I would assume they are reliable and trustworthy but she rings them every half hour to check on things. Every half hour WITHOUT FAIL. She will even excuse herself from meetings.
My main issue though is that every appointment she has, doctor, dentist etc she arranges on the days she is at work. We have flexible working to accommodate for this, more so for full time staff who work every day, so we take shorter breaks or start early/finish late to make up the time but she doesn't bother. She just goes off for an hour or so at a time and that's it. This has been going on for years and I've spoken to my boss but nothing is ever addressed with her.
Anyway, her DC start school soon and she came in last week with a list of things she just MUST attend at school - prize givings, parents in-school days, assemblies and I know if they're on either of her 2 working days she will just go.
She won't have holiday leave to cover this as she is off for most of the summer and I'm sure she will want half term etc now too.
I've just had enough and it makes me so angry that she thinks this is acceptable.
AIBU to make an official complaint to Personnel?

OP posts:
FixItUpChappie · 20/09/2017 00:44

That meeting made her sound like a loon OP. Thank you for coming back Grin

FancyThatFenceEdge · 20/09/2017 04:31

Speak to your fire warden at work - make them do a fire test at the exact time the Flexi-Cheat-Cunt goes for her coffee.

That would expose her.

Cupoteap · 20/09/2017 05:08

The pt thing really is the worst thing she can use given what she's doing

FrancisCrawford · 20/09/2017 05:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WingsofNylon · 20/09/2017 07:12

OP, I totally get why it doesn't sit well with you. I don't think you are jealous. You just believe (quite rightly) that policy and contracts should be followed in the workplace. Essentially you have a better moral compas and work ethic than her.

I do think it should be addressed but not through a compliant. Do you ever need her to do work for it with you? Or need information that only she can get? If so then it is valid to talk to your boss about concerns of a specific bit of work that you are hesitant to use her for because of the uncertainty of her availability.

Equally, do you have people who report to you? You could talk to HR about being concerned that they are getting conflicting messages about what is acceptable.

I wonder how posters would feel about the many getting a book out or watching a movie at work? It is no different than getting your nails done.

My final point though is you REALLY can't know what is going on in the background. You just can't.

I leave early everyday Thursday for a private appointment. Teams near me, that i dont work with probably note it. Occasionally people ask where I'm going and I'll answer various things "Washing my hair" "oh I'm just so good at my job I've been sent home early". I think it is fairly obvious that I'm saying "mind your own business"

They might be annoyed. They may or may not notice that I work through 2 lunches a week or work in the evening to make up for it. Im often in early and will volunteer to help people a lot. They most certainly don't know that my boss is aware and doesn't mind. thats the difference. Your lady doesn't show any signs of making it up.

namechangedforthisreply · 20/09/2017 07:24

Can't believe the gall of this woman that she tried to argue this was PT discrimination! What part of paid work does she not get Hmm. Hopefully now her line manager will be forced to deal with this issue as it's now so public

Shakey15000 · 20/09/2017 08:50

Wow. Just read the whole thread. This would boil my piss regardless if it directly affected me or not and absolutely you own feeling as you do.

And you're right, it does affect the bigger picture when factoring in productivity etc.

Well played bringing in Personnel (Grin)

From what you've said she's a piss taker of the highest order.

buckeejit · 20/09/2017 11:53

So glad that finally she knows what's fair. I'd have spoken out to her long ago. The most I do when working pt is make a cup of tea. She is so entitled!

Hope you feel less pissed off about it now op. I would have been fuming. It's theft, plain & simple!

fuzzyfozzy · 20/09/2017 12:14

Well handed!

birdiebirdiewoofwoof · 20/09/2017 15:14

There is no way she could possibly fit in what she needs to do if she has to flexi off for personal stuff.

How the fuck does she think the rest of us organise our lives? I can't understand how she thought that was a reasonable argument to make. What a loon.

LazyDailyMailJournos · 20/09/2017 16:07

MN is batshit sometimes. I've worked with someone like this and it is so demoralising. The knowledge that you work and contribute and they sit and take the piss, yet you are both rewarded the same. It has a corrosive effect on people's morale which is why it should be dealt with.

I've been on both sides of this, as a team member and as a manager. The person I used to work with used to fiddle their flexi - not clocking out for breaks and lunch, leaving themselves flexed in despite having left. They were on condensed hours but fiddling the numbers to make it look as if they were in credit - and therefore able to take their condensed day. In reality they were barely doing standard hours let alone working up a 7 hour credit. We (me and everyone else in the team) complained more than once. Nothing happened. I eventually left because I didn't want to carry on working in an environment where shit like this wasn't dealt with.

I've also managed someone like this. The difference being that once the issue was brought to my attention, I did my own monitoring and investigation, gave them fair warning and they eventually decided to leave rather than work the full 35 hours we asked in exchange for their pay Hmm

Likewise I have also managed a busy-body who was convinced that someone else was getting preferential treatment - when in actual fact it was medical appointments which we'd been asked to keep confidential. Busy body was told that her colleague was working on a flexible pattern which had been agreed formally with HR so there was no need for her 'concern'. Busy body was also told that if she continued to hassle about this then it would be taken down the disciplinary route as harassment.

StubblyLegs · 20/09/2017 20:23

I'm completely with the OP. Had three of these wasters in my office of four.

First one would: Turn up an hour late then fuck off outside 30 minutes later for a half hour fag break. Took several lengthy fag breaks throughout the day yet still complained of being soooo busy (while I struggled to cope with an overloaded job). Did 'overtime' and did as little as possible, and take fag breaks then too.

Second one: Spent half the day looking up flats/rooms to rent, or discussing fashion with her immediate line manager who'd wander in aimlessly throughout the day. Also moaned about how she wasn't getting paid enough even though she was a graduate with a degree (2:2, but freely spoke about wasting her time pissing about at university!)

Third one: Would 'start' at 7, when there was no-one there to corroborate it, and no clocking in system to record her times, and would piss off up to an hour earlier than her 4pm flexi finish time and expect the rest of us to cover her with her made up excuse, but in reality she had a business she ran from home and left early to accommodate clients. While she was there she would spend half the day idling on the internet, and distracting everyone else by telling them all about what she was looking at. She'd also refuse to do common jobs that were shared among each office in turn in a rota system, as 'its not in my JD' and encourage the rest of us to use the same ruse. ALWAYS off 'sick' with various made up ailments and could produce sickness notes as daddy was a doctor.

Management knew all of it and didn't challenge it or give a shit or do anything about it.

I only stayed long as I did as the person I worked directly for was so nice, and a year on I still miss working with her.

Bet no-one can guess what public body this all happened in... Hmm

Pouncival · 21/09/2017 06:58

HMRC?

aaaaargghhhhelpme · 21/09/2017 07:34

Yay op. Glad personnel have had a word. Hope it all works out for you. Sounds like she got a bit of a shock...!

I disagree with people saying you shouldn't be annoyed. I had a piss taker. Different team but it totally impacted on all of us. They had to pull cover from our team to cover the stuff he left. Morale was shot. It was like having a weird interloper in our office.

We used to have sweepstakes every month to see how many days off he'd have. I added them up one year. He was supposed to be full time but he'd had one in every three days off.

He once had 'gastroenteritis' for a week. But came in on the Monday all excited as he'd sold his flat. When I asked how he was feeling he just looked confused.

He also booked a two week holiday for a time when he was told he only have one week as we were so busy. He rang the boss on the Sunday night saying he was 'stuck' and would have to stay another week. He was in north France. He left us all up shit creek cos he didn't want to rearrange his family holiday.

My point is these piss takers don't give a fuck about anyone else. Of course it has a detrimental effect on everyone.

StubblyLegs · 21/09/2017 09:26

Pouncival You'll not be surprised to learn it was the NHS, although I suspect it could easily be any of them...

Pouncival · 21/09/2017 23:34

That was going to be my next guess 😂😂😂😂😂

FancyThatFenceEdge · 23/09/2017 13:12

Sad reality is that there will always be wankers who abuse the flexi system and spoil it for everyone else while shirking their own work responsibilities.

Interested to see how this cheeky fucking piss taker has reacted now that HR have read everyone the rules - that way, there's no misunderstanding of the flexi system.

AbbieLexie · 23/09/2017 18:49

Flowers Wine or Gin Cake - Love how you have managed this situation. Enjoy your holiday.

Original poster
Abouttoblow · 03/10/2017 19:44

Update on the FTCF (Flexi-Time Cheeky Fucker) for anyone still even remotely interested Smile
Back from holiday today and in early to get caught up with things. Colleague comes in at 9.10 and clocks on, giving a big sigh when she looks at the time.
Busy morning so no chat or discussion till lunch time when we're both in the break room together. She asks what I thought of the meeting with Personnel before I went on holiday. I said I thought it was good that everything had been laid out and everyone knows the rules. She looks at me like I'm mad!! Asks "so you think it's OK that we need to flexi off for every little thing" I explain that it's not about flexi-ing off for every little thing but working the hours you're supposed to and having the flexibility to leave work when things come up. She tells me that there is no way she can make up the time that she needs to take off because she is only in for 2 days. Myself and other full time staff have more opportunities to gain flexi as we are in 5 days and that's not fair! This is why she thought she was being discriminated against because she's part-time!!
I was very reasonable (probably because I've had a lovely, relaxing holiday Smile) and, very gently, suggested that she could try, if at all possible, to do more of her personal things on the 3 days she doesn't work? She replies "Why should I do that and take time away for my DC when you do personal things on the days you work?" I explained that I and other staff (most of whom have young children) have to make the time up and don't have any advantage over her but she's not having it!! Loads of discussion back and forth and she says that this is making her think she shouldn't have come back to work and just stayed at home with DC Hmm
She's pissed off now, saying I'm deliberately not getting what she's trying to say.
Finishing up lunch and she says she has a meeting arranged to discuss her working pattern. I probably should have let it go and said nothing else but couldn't help myself and asked if she was thinking of reducing her hours........ no she's asking to go up to 3 days!! So she'll have more opportunities to build up flexi and take time off for personal stuff? You couldn't make this up!! I ask if the increase in work load won't make things more difficult..........

Nope! She tells me she is not taking on any more work/clients/extra duties she's just going to be "coming in" for an extra day!!!

I shit you not! Shock

OP posts:
MegCleary · 03/10/2017 19:47

Bloody hell

fuzzyfozzy · 03/10/2017 19:50

So she'd like to spread an already dubious 2 days work over 3 days!

FancyThatFenceEdge · 03/10/2017 19:52

She has "CUNT" written all over her.

On the plus side, she is setting herself up to fail and get caught out.

Leave her to it and watch her fuck it up. She has NO excuses to not adhere to the flexi arrangements that HR shared with everyone.

CamperVamp · 03/10/2017 19:53

She sounds a bit thick.

ToadsforJustice · 03/10/2017 20:00

If CF works a third day to make up flexi, she is away from her DC anyway!

Original poster
Abouttoblow · 03/10/2017 20:04

I know Toads I just think she is determined that she should be getting paid while she does her personal stuff.
It makes no sense to me at all

OP posts: