Leave it or not?

[Chugalug21]

I know I’ve posted in aibu , I’m ready!

I’ve also name changed about six times and changed key details to protect the guilty and innocent!

I have a colleague at work who is completely taking the piss.

Manager works part time. On the days manager is not at work, colleague doesn’t come in. In the beginning, colleague used to text in or email and say they’re working at home or they didn’t feel well.

Now they don’t even do that, just don’t come in. It was even worse during the summer when said manager was off on planned sick leave for six weeks. Colleague had around two of those weeks off completely, taking various days not to come in.

It’s becoming even more of a problem because now it’s so obvious and colleague is so bold about it. Last week he even posted pictures of himself out and about with his children on a day out when he should’ve been at work.

There’s also been a few incidents where collegue has ballsed up
deadlines or forgotten work because of these ‘holidays’.

With a small team of only six , based in a satellite office of a large company, I guess that’s how he’s been getting away with it for so long. Nobody says anything although I know other colleagues are annoyed, And seem to have taken the tack if they don’t care what colleague does as long as they don’t get caught and it doesn’t affect anyone else.

It’s driving me silently crackers, and the Christmas holiday is sort of tipping me over the edge. Basically colleague, knowing manager will be off for most of the Christmas holiday, has booked less days off than they need themselves. The idea being that they just won’t come in those days and the manager will never know.

I don’t know what to do,. If I speak to the manager and tell him exactly and what’s being going on, it’s going to be obvious it’s me as I’m really the only one who spoke out and said what colleague is doing is totally out of order. To top it off colleague isn’t all that nice a person and will probably make my life pretty uncomfortable.

Do I just leave it and not say anything? Basically this person is having two full days off per week. They aren’t working at home, they have an admin role and certainly aren’t doing the admin that they should be doing. Emails are unanswered, phone calls not picked up, because basically they treat in that time as a day off.

How long has this been going on???

In you and your colleagues shoes, I’d be frightened of getting into trouble for facilitating fraud by only reporting now. Nevertheless, you still need to do it before the situation gets even worse.

You all sound a bit unbelievable.

Why not think about having some of your salary transferred to their bank account? No, thought not. FFS bloody report them and make them stop taking the piss.

Come on, OP!

I would email your manager and ask if he could give you a call at home tonight. But take screenshots of everything first.

Hello all, thank you again for all these replies. I actually have some time alone with mr manager tomorrow so I'm going to raise it somehow.

To answer some questions, it's been going on at least since I started, which is about 9 months. Possibly longer. When I cottoned on and it ramped up, I think maybe it had become so visible, and so bold, that people almost don't see it anymore.

It's difficult to explain why I've not said anything without giving identifing details. I am fairly confident manager will understand these reasons.

Regardless of it being a big compnay in the private sector, I know I can't just let it go.

I can absolutely state there is no arrangement for working at home - none of us have that privelege and there is no leave booked for all the days that have been taken. Colleague is also completely office based and does not go out with the rest of us on client visits.

I've gathered today that colleague did not come in at all during my week off on hols in the summer, so thats 5 days plus around 14 days he took off whilst mr manager was off sick.

I'm so glad I posted here.
I've been conversing with myself all the way home in the car, probably looking crackers. I'm either going to be direct and just say whats been going on and by whom.

Redwinestillfine I like your suggestion of framing it by asking for confirmation that these practices are not allowed and NOT name names. And then hopefully lead mr manager to his own conclusion, and et him deal with it in his own way.

There is a small chance that I could get bollocked, but if that is the case the rest of the team will feel it too. I feel like I deserve it now!

I wish I could say more but I really can't risk blowing my cover, as I think the outcome may be pretty unpleasant on its own :(

If your manager came in when not expected then they would find out without the person thinking anyone in your team had said anything.I would ask your manager for that approach

I would frame it to my manager in a slightly different way.

You mentioned that CF colleague has had some health issues. It's therefore possible that the manager knows and has ok'd these days off. Though from what you've said it does sound highly unlikely.

"I'm aware CF has had some health issues and assume all the time off he's having is approved but I'm getting worried in case it isn't as it has had an impact on our work on xyz occasions and I obviously don't want to be in anyway involved with someone defrauding the company. I'm sure you can understand I'm in a very difficult position and it took a lot for me to raise this with you. I hope you can deal with it discreetly as we work in a small team and it could make work very unpleasant for me if people found out I'd come to you with this".

Good luck OP!

Bejaysus really, you have to say something.

Where I work they would be able to verify the unauthorised days off very easily by checking whether the employee had access the computer system or not. I was involved in an investigation of an employee where we did this, it ended with them being dismissed for gross misconduct.

If I were in your position, I would have no qualms about reporting the individual by name and providing proof of their utter piss taking.

Good luck tomorrow op. You're doing the right thing by telling your manager.

I’m glad you’re going to raise it although not sure I understand why you have to leave it for your manager to draw conclusions.

I’d frame it in “I’m aware that X has told us he’s been working at home over the past few months on several occasions, at short notice and usually when you’re off yourself. Can I just check if this is an individual arrangement or is anyone able to request it?”

Where I work, HR can check if people are logged into their work computer, for how long and activity level (ie you can't just login to look like you're working then go out for the day as this shows as inactivity). Could yours do that?

A similar thing happened where I work - you have to report it as you are going to do, good luck today. It is awkward but they're committing fraud and the rest of the team will look worse and worse the longer this is allowed to go on.

Tell the manager full details, he will be able to make out like he's "found out" on his own and investigate (e.g. popping into office, sending urgent emails, calling the piss taker) if you say you're worried about piss taker knowing it's you who said something.

I'd phrase it differently, make out like you had been hoping to take some time off/odd days off, but it's on the usual days that he and lazyarse are off each week so didn't want the team left short as you are all so busy on the days that he and lazyarse are off each week. See if he twigs that Lazyarse is taking days off during the week.
Or see if you can get Manager to swap a day off without saying anything and coming in on his off days randomly. Let them catch him.
Play innocent, say but he's never here when you are off, we thought that was normal and you'd arranged it.

You’re not unreasonable but I wouldn’t get involved you don’t know what agreement they have and it may come back on you. It’s very very very annoying though!!

Met with my manager this morning. I just asked him is there an arrangement in place that I’m not aware of, to allow staff in the team to work from home or to take days off specifically when the manager is not in as part of his part-time hours.

The answer unsurprisingly was a no. He guessed who it was, and he said he wasn’t surprised as he’s had some suspicions himself recently.

I said I really didn’t want to be connected to it as I think it could cause big difficulties for me at work.
He decided himself that he will as, as a few people suggested on here, change working days for the next few weeks without mentioning it and see if he catches pisstake man at it. Hopefully manager will catch him or at the very least shake him up enough that he will stop.

Feels like a big weight off my mind to be honest.

Many thanks to all of you for kicking me up the arse.

Well done OP for finally speaking up. Sounds like your manager appreciated it.

Well done op. Sounds like a good response from your manager.

Well done. I cant get over what some people will do. Keep us updated.

Great outcome and I bet your manager will be pleased you had the guts to raise it with him.

What a good outcome. I’m really pleased that you’ll be kept out of it too.

Well done.

Doubt anyone is interested in an update, but I hoped things would improve - this is probably just more of a rant for me.

Since all this happened things didn’t really improve, in that colleague has continued to skive off and on.

I’ve just distanced myself from them totally. Manager put some half-hearted things in place which had made a difference initially but then cf colleague went back to his usual habits.

Anyway, the upshot now is that I’m having a really difficult time with colleague, and I am debating whether this is actual bullying.

I probably haven’t been as poker-faced as I thought, and think he has worked out that it was probably me that said something to the manager.

The last few months I’ve been subjected to quite personal comments in the office about my appearance, work etc. He will ignore requests for work from me, or will avoid responding until he knows the deadline has passed or I’ve already done the work. The tone of his emails is pretty awful, he’s even emailed me and copied in manager to tell me I’ve spent misspelt a word in an email.

These are a few examples; they sound petty but It’s really been grinding me down. I’ve been spending less and less time in the office, keeping to myself etc. I know bullying is often subjective and I’m worried I’m not seeing the wood for the trees.

Don't know what I'm asking to be honest!

Time to gather documented evidence.
Record of absences.
Record of abuse.
Copies of abusive emails.
Record of late / non production of work.
Record of bullying.

When you have a decent wedge of evidence you can decide what you want to do.

Yeah you need to take this seriously now and fuck the atmosphere in the office. It's already shit for you anyway. He sounds like an absolute dick head and I can't see how he is still employed.

Yes, gather evidence and raise a grievance. It is not okay for this guy to be behaving like this towards you in the workplace.

And throw in everything about his time off, too. Give it all to HR and he can get what's coming to him. He sounds like an absolute arse.