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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask you what do you think I should do about my work colleague?

57 replies

DarkRosaleen · 19/03/2018 21:36

I work in a team of three.
One of the team, ‘Janet’ is getting married next year. She seems to spend all day on t’internet looking at wedding related web sites.
Her role is pivotal and if she fails then our whole project goes tits up and us other two lose our roles. (We may get transferred to another team but possibly not on the same hours or pay. )
We are so far behind targets I am getting seriously worried. We are almost at the end of the first quarter and Janet hasn’t even come close to where she should be. She should get 10 ‘items’ per month and she hasn’t got one. Not one this quarter. She should have almost 30.
She keeps going to meetings but we suspect they are phantom meetings. Today she had a meeting scheduled for 10 am and was supposed to go there first but came into the office to say the meeting was rescheduled for 12. At about 3 she emailed to say the meeting was cancelled last week because of the snow. (This meeting was in the same town where her fiancé works.) And there is hardly any snow!
So the meeting was delayed this morning but postponed last week? This sounds like a load of bull.
We are managed by someone from a different department but pretty much left to ourselves to get on with it. We think Janet is either going for job interviews or just sloping off.
Should I report our concerns? How should I word it?
I just hate being put in this position of being a tattle tale but the alternative could be that our project fails and we all lose our jobs. I’m so stressed, I am not sleeping; my other colleague is getting very concerned and he is trying to see can he do any of her work to get things moving.
We keep making suggestions but she just gives reasons why they won’t work and changes the subject to weddings.
Sorry this is so long, but I think just writing it all down has helped me clarify what I need to do. I have to speak to management, don’t I?

OP posts:
Greyponcho · 19/03/2018 21:39

Yes!! Her laziness is putting your livelihoods on the line... surely they must have internet use trackers noticed?

Idontdowindows · 19/03/2018 21:40

Yes, you have to speak to management, because her failing is endangering your livelihood.

You would be unreasonable (and a thief of your own purse) if you did not report it.

MammaTJ · 19/03/2018 21:40

Damn right you should, you have your own jobs to protect! Can you afford to be out of work for the length of time it will take to get a job with no reference from this one?

riceandpeas123 · 19/03/2018 21:40

Grass her up. She is taking the piss and you need to protect your own position. You don't owe her anything.

TheRebel · 19/03/2018 21:40

I think you need to get your head around the fact that you’re not tattle-taleing, you’re relying on her to do her job which she isn’t doing so that’s impacting on your ability to do your job. Speak to management and keep it factual, so don’t speculate about where she’s been, just that she hasn’t got any “items” and you’ve noticed she’s often on wedding websites. It should be able to check her internet history.

DarkRosaleen · 19/03/2018 21:42

Right then. I’ll speak to management tomorrow.
Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
PotteryLady · 19/03/2018 21:49

If management has noticed they will think that you are complicit if you don't say anything- good luck.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 19/03/2018 21:55

I normally dislike playground fights at work, but this is serious. It would be unprofessional NOT to do anything when you see the project is getting more and more behind.

Only you will know how formal your discussion with management will be. At the very least, you can stick to work point, what should have been done, what hasn't and why you are worried. You might not even need to mention that Janet is taking liberties, stating and showing that nothing has been done might be enough

CocoPuffsInGodMode · 19/03/2018 21:56

Definitely seek a meeting with your manager. It sounds like your colleague doesn't intend to be around much longer which is fine for her but she obviously doesn't care who she burns on her way out Shock.

I'd definitely want to know if it was my team. Ok I'd hope I'd have noticed the under performance by now tbh but it's possible the manager is used to your team getting your work done with minimal checking up required. S/he will hopefully appreciate you raising your concerns because it could well be their arse on the line too if she manages to fly below radar much longer.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 19/03/2018 22:02

I once had to speak to my boss’s boss because my boss was not doing what was needed. We were going to miss important deadlines and I knew that I would get blamed for not flagging the issue. Our boss handed the matter to another senior person to cover for my boss’s holiday. They never gave the matter back and we just scraped in to meet the deadlines.
Managers usually want to know there is a problem whilst there is still time to fix it.

Greyponcho · 20/03/2018 18:34

Any joy, OP?

manicinsomniac · 20/03/2018 18:44

It shouldn't need to fall to you to 'tell' on her at all, imo - I think it's shocking that there is no kind of monitoring or appraisal to notice when someone is underperforming to such a huge degree.

YANBU at all. If the colleague was also a close friend I would probably try appealing to her first '(look how far behind we are as a team. We're going to lose our jobs. Please help us sort it out' type of thing.) But, if not, I'd just report straight away. You've got to look after your own career.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 20/03/2018 18:51

Definitely tell your manager. You should not HAVE to tell your manager - they should have clocked what is going on, but at least let them know they need to sort it out.

It sounds like your colleague may be planning not to come back after her wedding, and has nothing to lose. But you do!

Blizzardagain · 20/03/2018 18:54

Yeah it sounds bad enough for you to speak up, now. Hope it went well op

Daifuku9 · 20/03/2018 19:08

That’s terrible and yes, you should absolutely report it since they have missed it. That’s scary that it could cost you and the other your jobs!

I had a similar experience as far as having to catch the other’s workload due to playing around instead of working. I did eventually report it but nothing was done to truly fix it. All smoke and mirrors, so I changed jobs.

Hope it went well if you reported it today.

halfwitpicker · 20/03/2018 19:08

Oh god another Janet.

14StoneInADay · 20/03/2018 19:14

How did it go with your manager?

Appuskidu · 20/03/2018 19:16

Did you say anything today?

TruJay · 20/03/2018 19:20

Job interviews? I'd say she's maybe going out scouting wedding venues or services more than job interviews if she's going on about it that much Confused

Sara107 · 20/03/2018 19:41

Sounds like she probably intends to leave at some point so doesn't care about the work, but is harvesting her salary in the meantime whilst planning her wedding! Hope you (and colleague) spoke up - trying to take on her work as well is not fair.

GrannyGrissle · 20/03/2018 20:25

You've done well not to wring her neck after all that wedding shite in lue of work.

ConstantReminder · 20/03/2018 20:32

Why haven’t all of you affected raised the concern together?

lostjanni · 20/03/2018 20:33

any joy?

Uniglo18 · 20/03/2018 20:34

She was probably skiiving off to view wedding venues and try on dresses.

How did it go OP?

Farmerswife36 · 20/03/2018 20:45

I would have spoken to the colleague first before going straight to management to grass her up