I was told off by a work colleague

[selepele]

i have been at my current job since June, the person concerned has been there longer than me. He is the accounts guy, not my manager and I do not need to answer to him at all.

He works downstairs and me upstairs but you can see my desk if you walk round the corner from downstairs as I'm at the top of the stairs.

I work as admin so people sometimes ask me to type up stuff for them ect, which is no issues. I was hired to do the project manager and ICT persons admin.

so this particular person I have never had issues with and had a good relationship with until today.

He ask me to type up some stuff and I ask when does he need it by which he says "its not urgent, like 2-3 days I don't need it today" he gave me this work around 3pm

so everyone has left the office and it is just me and him (we are a small team of around 8) he walks pass the stairs (at the bottom of the stairs) once and sees me on my phone, he then does it again to go loo then when he is back turns around and says to me...

"I will appreciate if you do what I told you to do and not play on your phone"
I said I am doing it which he said "no youre not" and I said you told me it wasn't urgent which he said "that's not the point you don't just sit there on your phone"

I was very shocked by his attitude, as stated he is NOT my manager or of any authority to me.

He didn't even come upstairs to see if I had done anything since giving it to me so I made a point to finish it all and put it on his desk before the end of the day at 5pm.

I then left and I did slam the door and ignore him when he said bye to me.

do you think I am wrong at all?


He asked me to type up some stuff for him, which was fine

[Monstersunderthebed]

There is a difference between people going on their phones at work and knowing that they really shouldn’t and those that go on their phones and think they are entitled to do that during work time whilst there is obviously work to be done. It’s ridiculous. Checking in with your husband or your sister whilst you are at work. Going on Facebook for orphaned cats searching family trees. This is surely a joke Unbelievable!!

[FeckTheMagicDragon]

Ask for a chat with your manager.
Ask if the are happy with your work. Is there anything you can improve on.
Ask if occasional phone use on what’s app is ok.
Ask what your area of responsibilities are, and how work should come in. (i.e, quick favors as someone wanders by). Clarify exactly what is expected, and whose admin. Should you be doing.
Ask if you could eventually have a set of keys as your colleague goes home before you are finished.

[FeckTheMagicDragon]

And depending on her answers to the above politely decline ‘Ive spoken to my manage about areas of responsibility and I have been asked to concentrate on x,y,z areas of work. Excuse me, I’m rather busy’

[FeckTheMagicDragon]

Or ‘ please send me the details and I will add it to my list. You will have it in x days. I will let you know if anything delays it.’

[Ollivander84]

Monsters - I can do what I want and when I want on my phone at work. If I'm not taking a call, there is no work to be done so I can read a book or play candy crush. Manager is fully aware and sits virtually next to me, it's perfectly acceptable where I work

[WhyAmISoCold]

"You do admin?

As in, typing/letters/spell checking stuff etc?"

Glad I'm not the only one who has picked this up. I work in admin and the way OPs posts are written are cringeworthy. You really don't come across as someone who would be good at a job in admin OP, your posts are littered with errors, you acted very childishly and you like to work slowly. Admin is not for you.

I frequently have colleagues asking me to do bits for them. They aren't my superiors and they could actually do it themselves but as admin, it is my job to be a team player and assist where I can and I'm happy to do it. You don't sound like a team player at all and sound very young and difficult and exactly why I don't like working with younger colleagues. I've found other young people with very similar attitudes.

[Becca19962014]

Clarify with manager re what work you're expected to do regardless of the rest of your post you need to know who you are working for and what is expected of you.

It's possible they don't feel your post is sustainable for the hours you work as you say you're working slowly and have suggested this to others in the business - this does happen, common sense would suggest they'd let you know, but common sense isn't very common!

With the phone use I think that's an individual thing down to businesses. However, your behaviour wasn't professional and something you need to address, at the very least you need to apologise.

[Becca19962014]

To clarify in second paragraph I meant they've suggested to others that you could help them out. Apologies.

[puzzledlady]

Ive never heard of not being able to use your phone at your workplace -apart from nursery workers who have to hand in their phones at the start of the day. What about emergencies? International family members who send texts in different timezones, and replying +8 hours later would mean waiting a whole 12 hours to read a reply etc etc?

I think he was very rude OP. Uncalled for.

[selepele]

when anyone else ask me to do their work it is always "can you" not "I told you"

Its a construction place so the builders have sometimes asked me via email to type stuff up which I said is fine, I have no issue with it but if you're going to talk to me like I'm a child then I am not going to do it.

He is not my senior at all and has no right to speak to me that way.

Anytime someone has given me work I do it on the day if not within the hour as I type fast.
I don't even take a lunch break I eat at my desk so yes I am going to be pissed off if someone who isn't my manager is telling me what to do especially in such a rude way.
I am not an angry or aggressive person but I was shaking after he said that to me. I actually felt my blood boil.

[ScreamingValenta]

Ive never heard of not being able to use your phone at your workplace

It's common in high-security environments, puzzledlady. Where there's a risk of sensitive information being recorded, there's often a policy of personal phones being locked away.

[selepele]

whyamisocold

why are you being nasty? this is not work its the internet who cares how I spell on here. Its not serious.

[buckingfrolicks]

Honestly OP you're going to meet a lot worse in your career so I would work I being less reactive.

I also think you're probably assuming his being short was about you - most of the time, people's behaviour is less about us than we (like to ) believe.

You so sound defensive and entitled tho so perhaps he was very very busy and just got snappy with you as you seemed not to have work to do while he was swamped.

[selepele]

thank you dragon I am going to do exactly that on monday

[ScreamingValenta]

Just to add to my response to puzzledlady's query, in such environments either colleagues will have desk phones on which they can be reached in emergency, or there will be a general office 'emergency' phone that family members can call.

[selepele]

God people are obsessed with this door, its a door it slams all the time when people are leaving. I left and didn't hold the door let it shut alone and walked off.

I didn't break the glass or anything. He probably didn't even think I slammed the door because it naturally slams if you don't hold it and close slowly.

Now can you all stop reporting me to the door police I assure you no doors were harmed.

[RavenLG]

It’s a Friday night OP. Ignore the crotchety PPs who’ve had a glass of wine and think they’re billy big balls, and need to insult you instead of addressing your question.

I’d say if you are uncomfortable with how your colleague spoke to you, bring it up with the manager. You may find that you need to provide administrative support to the wider team as part of your role but regardless, you shouldn’t be spoken to as you were (nor should you be slamming doors either)

[FleurDeLips]

I use my phone at work. I have a work phone and a personal phone and will look at or answer messages on both. I don’t sit looking at the internet all day on my phone but use of it is tolerated. I work really hard and put in a lot of hours, like OP helping others so it’s all about give and take. If I was a total piss taker who never got my work done I would understand. Possibly this guy doesn’t get it but you shouldn’t have slammed the door on him

[WitchesHatRim]

I don't even take a lunch break I eat at my desk so yes I am going to be pissed off if someone who isn't my manager is telling me what to do especially in such a rude way.
I am not an angry or aggressive person but I was shaking after he said that to me. I actually felt my blood boil.

That is quite an OTT reaction tbh. You say you are struggling for enough work to do. How is you refusing to do work going to go down?

[grumpy4squash]

I suspect slamming the door will be the first part of the downfall. It is never acceptable to do that, even if you have delivered perfect work.It makes you look stroppy. As does being on your phone and being defensive about it.
Focus on the work. That's the way forward in any career.

[HeebieJeebies456]

I was very shocked by his attitude

It's your attitude that's shocking - how old are you?
Sounds like it's your first job and you've got a lot to learn - and a lot of growing up to do.

For future reference, "he says "its not urgent, like 2-3 days I don't need it today" , means that you don't need to panic/rush/re-prioritise anything but please do it after your main/urgent work is done. That means it's more important than messaging your bored family member.

[DeusEx]

Yeah you sound like you have an attitude problem. I’d reconsider before refusing work.

[Valasca]

Why don’t you “even take a lunch break”? You said you don’t have enough to do and like to work slowly to stretch the work out.

You seriously shouldn’t be bitching that accounts gave you work to do when you’ve said yourself there’s not enough.

And if it’s the construction industry, of course management works all sorts of hours. Just because you don’t see it...

[ThePinkOcelot]

I would hate to work in some of the draconian places some mumsnetters do. No mobile phone use!! As long as you don’t take the piss, it should be fine surely.

[Attheendofthedayitgetsdark]

Hands down he would not have behaved like that towards you if you were a man

Power and control is what that's all about