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

This coworker sounds like a dick @selepele. I’d also follow Dragon’s advice and steer clear of him. Now that you aren’t so new anymore it sounds like the mask is slipping. You’re starting to see what he’s realky like, regarding his “remember who pays you” jokes to other people. He sounds annoyingly loyal to the business and obsessed with being PROFESSIONAL when it suits him, much like lots of the nasty responses you’ve had on here.

He is clearly senior to you and if you were the only two in the office at the time, I would deem him to be in charge. He caught you on the phone twice in fifteen minutes and maybe he has noticed it before as well. It would not surprise me. He was not rude, I think his comments were well justified, stern but polite and warranted.

You on the other hand come across as petulant, childish and unprofessional. You also don’t have enough to do and are a jobsworth about what you will do.

Expect to be looking for a new job soon, I would not tolerate your nonsense and laziness.

You sound hard work. I'd sack you before you got any employment rights tbh.

Monsters - "if any of my staff were on their phones during work time what’s app messaging they would be told it was not acceptable especially if there was work to be done"
So, you'd tell them it was unacceptable even when there wasn't work to be done then? Why?

A manager correcting an employee’s behaviour is not “picking” on them; it is letting them know their behaviour is not acceptable in the workplace.

Managers can also behave unacceptably in the workplace, becoming a manager doesn't suddenly deliver you to a place of divine perfection. It could be rude or bullying, it depends on the scenario and how it is handled.

To the person who accuses Gwen of having a problem with authority...... Rudeness is not acceptable in the workplace, including if it is from a senior director to the lowest Admin person. So yes, if someone at work is rude to me then I have a problem with that. I don't know what planet people live on or where on earth you work that this is considered normal tbh.

He was not rude, I think his comments were well justified, stern but polite and warranted.

You think it's acceptable to be stern in an open office? Jesus creepers it's work not a prison

Now that you aren’t so new anymore it sounds like the mask is slipping.

As is OPs. She also has a very long way to go to get to the magic 2 year mark and comments like there isn't enough work make her meeting it doubtful.

If you raise this then be prepared to get a proper warning.
He needed something and you were texting when you were being paid to work. This is irritating. He might have spoken to you better but you were being paid to do a job. If you stayed later because of the texting to do the work, then fair enough.

I’m just stunned by the idea that there is not work to be doing so people can sit on their phones in down times that aren’t breaks! My todo list is always so long I’m never completely caught up. There’s always books to mark, papers to grade, lessons to plan, change or tweak, displays to add to or change so even when the children aren’t actually in the classroom I still have loads to complete all the time! I don’t think I’ve ever worked a job where there’s not been enough work to always find something to do!

She also has a very long way to go to get to the magic 2 year mark

Magic 2 year mark rofl. If they had someone and not enough work to do then make them redundant it isn't that hard however long you have worked somewhere.

I think your coworker was right to have a word. You are there to work, not message family members in company time. If you want to do that, you can do it on your breaks or at lunch. I see no problem in asking you to get on with your work.

I don't think the issue here is whether he is your boss or not. When you work in a team, you all pull your weight equally and have respect for each other and your individual roles to achieve the overall teams outcomes. His issue probably was that he is overrun with work, has given you work to do to achieve the team goal and instead of doing it, you're sitting on your phone. He probably thought you were as busy as him, BUT then when he knows you have work, and he's been kind and said don't rush you're actually sitting there on your phone! It would be frustrating to see and if you put yourself in his shoes can you understand why? I think if you raise this you're likely to have a backlash purely because most companies have a phone policy. Why were you on your phone when you had work to do? Prioritising workload still mean non urgent tasks get completed before you sit on your phone at work whilst getting paid! He may well have been told to allocate you work because you don't look busy!

@Stormy76, it sounds like your employer is breaking the law. If you work over 6 hours, you are entitled to a minimum 20 minutes uninterrupted meal break. The rules are here

It was bullying, plain and simple. As long as you get work done who cares if you are on the phone, and in a stair well? I used to work in open plan and it was common practice to go out and make a personal phone call. People have lives, and you can't always leave it behind at home.

..too add. Your relatives boredom at being in hospital is NOT an emergency. Their being in hospital maybe but texting them because their bored doesn't constitute a reason for your texting at work when you're being paid! Terrible excuse. Take them some anti boredom resources to hospital and do your work on time.

I wonder how many here post on MN at work? Loads. And they still get their work done. People will always faff around, however draconian the work place. In fact, the less an employer just trusts me to get on with things and the more rules there are, the more I want to break them.

Honestly, I think your being a little previous. Ok he was out of order but you don't need to never have banter with him again etc. I wouldn't mention it to your boss either, except in the context for her to clarify whose admin you are meant to do. I'm
Afraid you will not always be spoken to how you wish to be in the workplace. That's because we are all human and sometimes we are having a bad day, or we get it wrong when getting our point across. Just forget it unless it occurs again. Your responses could have been different too. I would have just said "don't worry it will be on your desk before I leave and in future perhaps be more specific
With your deadlines."

You have said quite clearly that your manager would not object to you being in the phone given your relative in hospital. Given that I can’t understand the comments above criticising you for that.
As for your rude co- worker if he is not in management vis a vis you then he has no business criticising you at all. He should speak to your manager if he has a problem.

In any event he doesn’t appear to have a valid problem - he asked you to do something, you agreed and the two of you agreed the time scale for completion, you were not yet late in returning it to him.

If doing admin for him is not your job you need to sort this out with your own manage pretty quickly and without too much fuss or you may be taken advantage of again. You need to do the job he asked you to do then sort this out.
Work things can be really stressful and sorry you are having what I hope is a small hiccup which can be sorted out.

@iamthere123 my job is answering the phone (there's more to it but to simplify it!) if the phone isn't ringing, I can chat to colleagues/stare into space/read a book/play on my phone as there won't be other work to do

Penelope people are at work to do just that work except for breaks and lunch. To be facebooking what’s apping snapchatting looking up family tree it’s ridiculous. You don’t see shop assistants on their phone for example. People seem to think they have the right to be stuck to their phones checking it messaging numerous times through the working day. It’s something I have noticed in the last few years. It reminds me of my teenage children and it is not something I would want in a member of staff in my team. I wouldn’t want them phoning to check in on family members either to discuss what they were having for tea etc unless they were on a break. I have said to staff it’s not appropriate if I have seen them on their phones and when I have gone away to do something and they are still stuck on their phone when I return. I find it astonishing tbh that anyone would think it’s okay to be doing this regularly at work. Put your phone away. Check it at break, put it away, check it at lunch, update your Facebook account if you must put it away check again in afternoon break and check it again on bus on way home. Btw I work in NHS. Always work to be done and urgent work too

He sounds like he took the opertunity when no one was around to flex his wee boss muscles. What an arse. You shouldn’t have slammed the door but it’s done.
I would just have a word with your boss on Monday. Say you don’t need them to step in but want them to know because if his behaviour gets worse toward you then you need to show It’s escalation.
I think you have had a really hard time on here it seems people have some really archaic views of the work place and he IS NOT A MANAGER!!! Sorry that was driving me a bit batty.
Good luck I’m sorry you had such a rubbish day.

Yanbu ignore the digs about having to suck up shitty behaviour because you're new and should therefore be toeing the line. The fact you're new is probably why the jumped up prat thought he had the authority to talk to you like that. Oh, either that or the fact you're a woman.
Would he have spoken to you like that if you'd been there as long as him? No.
Does he snap at others for checking their phones? No.
If you'd have been a man the same age as him or more senior? No.
In fact, would he have even asked any of the above to do his admin? I doubt it.
Unless there's been a horrible misunderstanding and you're actually answerable to him, then his behaviour is simply bullying.

and he IS NOT A MANAGER

Not her manager. OP hasn't said whether he is s manager elsewhere.

Yes she has