To refuse to work with colleague

[Introvertpants]

I work with different colleagues all the time but I have had the same colleague for a few weeks in a row now and I just can't work with the guy.
The guy is in his 60s and is so so slow at doing the job that I end up covering most of the slack and basically have to babysit him and do more than my fair share. It's a fast paced environment and I come shattered. If I don't do the work I end up doing unwanted overtime because the job won't get done in time and will have to carry it over the next day if I leave it

He absolutely stinks. It makes me heave. I have complained to management as it's filling me with dread going to work. They said they would talk to him.

He has problems with his speech which is a shame for him and I understand but I can't communicate with him as I have no understanding of what he is saying. It ends up with a complete awkward silence the whole time and there is no conversation what so ever. He just responds in grunts anyway.
I've just had enough now but I feel like I would come across as a bully or a nasty bitch for refusing to work with him plus it puts my work in an awkward position but I can't stand the guy. I also find him very creepy and he makes me feel very uncomfortable but obviously this isn't a valid reason to refuse to work with someone.
Aibu to refuse to work with him?

I think you should record the extra work and hours you are having to do.
Are your managers aware that you are working from home?

If/when you approach them about his pace, it will help if you have it documented where you are having to pick up extra work. At the least it should give them ideas of how to ‘rejig’ his and possibly other employees roles so that everyone fits in.

Honestly, if it was me and management didn’t do something about it I’d just do my part of the job as I’m expected to and if work is left for the next day then just continue until they see how far behind the work is. You can only do so much.

It’s the manager’s job to manage employee capability, but they’ll only do so once they see capability issues.

If you’re not expected to work from home, then don’t do it.
I know all employers aren’t the same, but ime when I’ve gone above and beyond for my work and then I’ve asked for some help or leeway due to workload, I’ve been told ‘well we never asked you to do extra hours etc’ so I stopped and let the work build up until they realised I am just one person.

In terms of the hygiene issue, it is unfair and unfortunate if they won’t act on it. When I worked in retail, there was someone who smelled (of BO) constantly. The management did raise it with him, and also reinforced ‘good hygiene expectations’ with all staff. I’m not sure if staff or customers complained but someone must have.

Being smelly is not okay
Being slow is not okay
Not being able to talk is okay

You having to do extra work because your colleague cannot do the work is definitely not okay

Yes yes, fight.

Women must always ignore their instincts.

So, there's a woman and a man who have to collaborate at work.

The woman here is carrying much more than their fair share of the workload, which is negatively impacting her life.

The man is not doing their fair share of the work, and is not showing basic consideration to his coworkers by turning up to work smelly.

I'm in sympathy with the OP here.

Maybe this man needs support from HR - but that isn't, and shouldn't be, the OP's responsibility. She should be allowed to go to work and get on with her own workload, in a decent environment, without having to do someone else's work, too.

A disability is only relevant in the workplace if it impacts on the way you do your job. A speech defect has no bearing on being too slow to complete a manual task??
Employers aren't obliged to make reasonable adjustments for people who are simply not up to the job

Nobody will care that you're doing extra work as long as everything continues ticking over. You need to stop doing the extra work and then they will be forced to address the situation.

Write down the extra work you've been doing that should be the other employee's job and note how much overtime has been required. Speak to your manager and emphasise that while you have been doing this extra work in recent weeks you cannot continue to do so indefinitely. Therefore from now on the work you have listed will not be done by you, so the manager needs to either persuade other employee to do his job or accept that things will fall behind. Then stop doing the other guy's work and let it fall behind - it isn't your problem. If you can send your complaint to your manager via email, that would be better, because then you have proof that you've notified them.

In terms of him being smelly, I'm afraid you're stuck with that because they've already said they'll speak to him and there's not much else they can do. If you work with different people won't you be moved away from him shortly anyway?

Collaborate

I had a colleague who stank. He was partially disabled but still well enough to live on his own, drive a car and have a job. He was sitting beside me, stinking of unwashed clothes, booze and urine. Not because his disability didn't allow him to maintain a proper hygiene, he simply didn't give a damn.
One day I had enough, went to my manager and told him I can't stand it anymore. Embarrassing as it was, my manager had a discussion with the colleague and I changed my desk. Miraculously, the stinky colleague started taking daily showers and would be coming to work in clean clothes, washed and even put a deo on.
He was one to be a full on woe to me when it came to his disability, which I believe was a result of his parents treating him like he was mentally disabled too. His father would never let him do anything when visiting and would wash his clothes and clean his house when visiting him. His mother, while alive, spend his childhood praying to Virgin Mary to atone for her sins that caused her son's disability and once even famously went to see our manager when she felt like her son needed some extra holidays.
As a contrast, we also had a colleague who is blind to the point that he only sees shadows. You wouldn't really recognise it when you met him because short of driving a car (and he would even try that if someone were stupid enough to let him) he doesn't let his disability limit him. Many of his close colleagues don't even know he's almost blind.

If he gives her the creeps, then he goves her the creeps. Her feelings (or his, if OP is male) are valid and she can express them on an anonymous forum. She isn't going into work and saying it to her colleague.
Agree that you should stop picking up the slack. All the time you do it, you boss will let you and this man remains your problrm and someone they don't hsve to deal with!

"Employers aren't obliged to make reasonable adjustments for people who are simply not up to the job."

At my local Sainsburys, there is:

• a man, possibly in his early 30s, who walks on his ankles, literally with crutches, like ski poles, both feet out to the side, flat on the floor.
• a lady who uses a wheelchair, probably in her twenties, who works on the trolleys/self-checkout areas.

-a young man who I'd think would be 19 ish, who quite clearly has autism, who stacks the shelves and is very willing to help you, but knows he needs to ask someone else if you ask him for help. -at least one or two other people dotted around with clear disabilities. -an ex drug user who was sadly affected with his mental health, but now wants to try and make a stable life.

Did any of those people look like they were going to be amazingly productive at interview? I suspect they all needed some adjustment. But they are all there, working. It makes me want to shop in Sainsbury's, even though I can't afford it.

You're going to get flamed (looks like you already are), but in my opinion YANBU. He may have MH problems, but that's not your problem. You shouldn't have to do someone else's work - someone, who moreover, stinks.

All the people in your examples do have disabilities, lougle? My point was not being brilliant at your job is not proof of an actual disability per se. We all have different talents and strengths.

YANBU. I can understand why your frustration has reached this point and is making you come across very unfavourably. We'd all like to think we'd have boundless empathy but day after day doing someone else's work while breathing in their unwashed body scent would push anyone to their limits.

Email your manager so it's on record, remain calm and dispassionate, don't make personal comments. Something like:

'Dear manager,

Over the past few weeks of working with George, he has completed his work so slowly that I've picked up extra work to ensure the job gets done. However, this has left me with a workload that's unsustainable as I am doing my job and also parts of his. I will not be able to continue doing this, so wanted to let you know so you can take whatever steps you feel appropriate to manage the situation before this impacts on the business.

In addition, this is difficult to say, but I'm finding it hard to tolerate working in close quarters with George as he has an issue with his bodily hygiene and being exposed to the smell is making me feel nauseous each day. I appreciate this is a sensitive topic but I need it to be addressed for the sake of maintaining a workable and pleasant working environment. I have not approached George about this myself as I don't want to upset him and think it'd be best coming from his manager, so that George is made aware and can take steps to come into work in a more hygienic state.

Yours

OP'

It's bullying behavior when a woman says she finds a man creepy and he makes her uncomfortable?

that's great isn't it? Women, if a man makes you feel uncomfortable don't say so because that makes you a bully. If his personal hygiene is bad and you can't bare the smell of him next to you, just put up with it because if you say anything, you are a bully.

Wonderful

Exactly taskmaster... shame on PP expecting this woman (if she is a woman) to just shut up and put up, ignore her instincts, tolerate working next to someone who stinks to high heaven and sets her spidey sense tingling ('creepy').

Slightly off-thread, but I used to work next to a stinky colleague. I was too afraid to mention it to anyone but I found that dousing a scarf in perfume and wearing that to work really helped. (I'd take perfume to work and if the stench was particularly bad I'd put some just under my nose ).

Vicks VapoRub also works - has the additional benefit of people assuming you're feeling under the weather .

We are all supposed to be equal at work.
I would go in, state the facts, then it’s up to HR to sort out.
-Up to them who they employ.
-Not your job to do anything extra to pick up extra.
-if you have to work harder and do more say “well are you going to pay me more?”

@posie spot on
@fight ffs really 😂 Tool
OP you sound both professional and considerate in that you don’t want to be the “bad guy” but you shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable in your work environment or have to work harder to cover someone else. Is it maybe supermarket work?
I go to work to do my job and if someone else is getting paid the same as me then I expect them to work at the same ability as me. Disability equality is all about that, the company has chosen to employ them, so if they are doing the same job and on same money I wouldn’t hesitate to complain as I would with any other member of staff

Read my post fightSpam and you'll see me clearly make the point she needs to keep personal stuff out of this and focus on the poor work rate and hygiene issue FGS

I wonder if your boss has deliberately put you with this man, op, because he knows you're a hard worker and will pick up the slack.
Perhaps he also know you're less likely to complain than others.

It's the work equivalent of putting an 'easy' school child next to a 'difficult' one.