Colleague took credit - would you say something?

[Corporatejargon]

Just that. Passed off an important piece of work as their own pretty much, no acknowledgement of the fact I had done the bulk of the research and work. Received all praise. Was so shocked and due to circumstances there wasn’t the chance to say anything when it happened.

Would you say something, or not, to either manager/the colleague for fear of being petty/bitter?

For context - male colleague, about 10 years older but no more senior position wise.

Vote yes - say something
Vote no - leave it, petty

Don't, for the love of God, lead with "I know it's not a big deal but..."
Why even suggest that?

You could pick up on something which you could use to make an improvement or word better. Then copy everyone with the clarification. You are looking back on the document and the research you based it on. You would just like to clarify, elucidate etc etc. Maybe still go to the head honcho as you feel it is quite important your work is better and improved.

I had this at work once.
I wrote a email detailing an investigation I had done. My colleague took this, put it in a report format, changed some of the details (incorrectly) into report language and submitted it to our Department Director as his work.

I was talking to the Director on the phone and she mentioned Fred's report. I said "Fred's"?? I wrote that and he just put it into a report format."
She was really angry that he had claimed credit for my work and asked for evidence. I sent my email and his report with his words in bold and my corrections in red.
She said she would deal with it.
I had an apology from "Fred" saying he was just formalising it not that he had completely omitted to mention my name twat and he left the company within six months.
I was really glad I spoke out and was heard.

Email everyone back saying ‘Glad you liked the work I did and thanks to Roger for doing (tiny bit he did). I’d be a right pass-ag bitch here. Don’t let others take credit for your work.

A bloke wouldn't think twice! (and in fact, didn't)
Exactly what I was about to say!

Speak up OO. Be calm, be professional and provide an audit trail to prove what you were involved in.

Don't be quite so "nice" OP - that won't get you very far.

Oops. Not "Speak up OO" but "OP".

Yanbu you must say something.

I work with someone like this. As a team we developed an idea that would improve a process. This person contributed to the very end of the task. They had an opportunity and presented this idea to senior leadership as if they lead the group. They still 100% still believe this is what happened. Their 5% contribution could have been undertaken by a number of people. I'm very luck to work with a lovely team. At a team meeting and went over the idea with our group leader. They were annoyed that this person "took the opportunity" to speak to senior leadership. We implemented the idea without the person. They have moved sideways because they pissed off the wrong person. They leave a wake of dissatisfaction and wtaf wherever they go.

They have the gift of the gab and will be promoted outside the boundaries of their abilities. Hell mend whomever employes them.

Doesn’t your line manager keep tabs on what you are doing with your time/what your responsibilities are? I’m struggling to understand how you could have been working on something without your manager knowing.

Definitely say something. Don’t be sneaky, don’t try to get your colleague to acknowledge your work and don’t try to spread the word through other colleagues. If I was you, I’d just pop in to see my manager and say something along the lines of ‘I’ve really enjoyed working on project A but I was very disappointed that colleague didn’t acknowledge my contribution as I did a lot of work on it, namely X, Y, Z. I enjoyed the hard work but some recognition would be welcome’.

In the future, try to also keep your manager in the loop with emails. Don’t bombard him or her, just something like ‘just to let you know where we’re at. I’ve made good progress on a,b,c. Colleague is currently working on d etc...’

Lastly, I can tell you that it’s rife in creative industries, even you work in a nice environment. Get used to blowing your own trumpet because nobody is going to do it for you.

Imagine that a client paid you 100 K for the work. You did 80%, and he did 20%, then took the entire money for himself. You would very loudly complain about that - you may even get the police involved because he stole 80K from you.

Why is stealing your work, and you professional standing/promotion etc any different? If he gets promoted instead of you, it would make more than 80K difference over several years.

Take back what he stole, and be clear and confident in doing so. If you're worried about being 'nice' then stay polite and smile as you state the facts about his theft of your work.

@ArgumentativeAardvaark

Doesn’t your line manager keep tabs on what you are doing with your time/what your responsibilities are? I’m struggling to understand how you could have been working on something without your manager knowing.

And (quoting my own post here) presumably you’ll want to use it as an example of good work when you have your next appraisal, so even if manager not aware at the tome that you were doing it, they’d need to know at some later stage. Better to point it out now than to look at appraisal time like you are scrambling around for examples and trying to claim involvement in something that your colleague did.

You say it’s not a competitive confrontational environment but your colleague has just deliberately taken credit for your work (this does not happen by accident) so it is competitive for some, and your colleague is banking in being protected by the non-confrontational aspect.
So many times I wasn’t assertive enough in the workplace but didn’t want anyone ‘not to like me, regret that so much, please stick up for yourself, don’t beat around the bush just be straight up, oh, the way X presented it didn’t make this clear but that was my report and I’m really glad MY work has been so well received,

I'd either have a word face to face or email something like

• Dear boss, I am so pleased you were happy with XYZ project. I am not sure whether you were aware when you commended Fred that I was involved in the project too? I did most of the research over a number of weeks and Fred became involved in the final couple of weeks and we worked together on the final proposal. I know he submitted it, so perhaps he didn't make my involvement quite clear to you. I want you to be aware for the purposes of performance reviews etc. Regards "

(and copy Fred)

Can you make them aware without raising it as an issue? E.g. Email the person and say how glad you were that they were happy with the piece of work as you spent a lot of time on it, and see if there is an opportunity for you to work on/ complete another project?

Best suggestion yet IMO - non confrontational, calm but making the point

Watch your back with the colleague though, because what they've done once they'll certainly try again

Handle it the way you believe a man would handle it.

Don't be nice
Don't be kind
Don't be too polite
Don't make out it's no big deal
Don't be emotional
But don't be mean

Do be factual
Do be up front
Do be honest

Simply point out to your manager that you did x and y on this project and want to ensure that they are aware of your contribution

I believe a man would not think twice about pointing out this issue in your place.
But often others rely on our niceness, our politeness to get away with things like this.

@TeenPlusTwenties

I'd either have a word face to face or email something like

• Dear boss, I am so pleased you were happy with XYZ project. I am not sure whether you were aware when you commended Fred that I was involved in the project too? I did most of the research over a number of weeks and Fred became involved in the final couple of weeks and we worked together on the final proposal. I know he submitted it, so perhaps he didn't make my involvement quite clear to you. I want you to be aware for the purposes of performance reviews etc. Regards "

(and copy Fred)

I like that approach

What @goldenblue says. You have to raise it, I would do it face to face. I wouldn't make a big deal of it, I would be factual and to the point 'I wonder did you know the report was something we worked on jointly, I was surprised when X claimed it as entirely his own...I was so surprised I actually didn't know what to say at the time but wanted you to know now that I did work on it'. Then move on. Don't trust him in future.

I agree with previous posters- you do need to raise it, and fairly quickly.

Don't get into how you felt- be factual. The key point about him taking credit for your work is that it will reflect unfairly on your performance when your performance review comes around.

You could explain not saying anything at the time by saying that you didn't want it to appear to wider colleagues that there was some kind of departmental squabble going on, but you were confident that the manager would be able to deal with the issue once made aware of it.

Email would give you a trail of the conversation taking place,but you could say that you'd welcome a face-to-face conversation with your manager to go over the details if necessary.

@Thisismytimetoshine

Don't, for the love of God, lead with "I know it's not a big deal but..." Why even suggest that?

100% agree. Because it actually is a big deal, and shows a side to the colleague that you were presumably not aware of, previously. As pp have said, your manager must be aware of what work you were doing, at some level, so it's strange that they believed the colleague, who also reports to the same manager, when they claimed the whole thing as their own. That would bother me too, tbh.

Some great strategies here - this is a good overall approach for the boss

^like

• Dear boss, I am so pleased you were happy with XYZ project. I am not sure whether you were aware when you commended Fred that I was involved in the project too? I did most of the research over a number of weeks and Fred became involved in the final couple of weeks and we worked together on the final proposal. I know he submitted it, so perhaps he didn't make my involvement quite clear to you. I want you to be aware for the purposes of performance reviews etc. Regards "

(and copy Fred)^

But for the love of god not an email. Unless you are concerned the boss isn't listening and will deliberately ignore you. And if you have that kind of relationship with them you are fucked anyway. It looks like you don't trust them and are gathering proof. It's the PC HR way but not the way to get your boss on side (though it's a great email and well put, it's a small company though)

It's a delicate balance of saying but not saying the above PLUS
"This is shit but Im not making a big deal of because I am not petty and I am a professional. But you need to know because you are the boss and need to know who you can trust to be honest and competent and that is not my colleague.

I'm also not willing to have anything that affects my career happen without standing up for myself because this company matters to me. And he's a sneaky fucker. But I'm not whining or being a tattle tale I'm just letting you know because you are the boss and need to know this stuff"

I am a small company boss and would find an email a bit much but this conversation (diff wording obviously!) would make me think fair enough, I get why they mentioned it cause performance reviews and they are being truthful about the other person doing some stuff plus they are not being a dick about it and making a problem for me.

Then I would be looking at that colleague a little more closely from thereon in.

I also wouldn't put up with that from the colleague and would say something up his face, that taking credit was shit. How and what would depend on him - but he would be on notice that I wouldn't be letting it slide again. And I would definitely let my knowledge of the project slip out where possible and would claim ownership without saying I did it in front of other people.

I might even thank him for the bit at the end praising him for his binding/admin skills if I was particularly pissed off. "Thanks so much for putting it all together in the folder and adding the x bit. You're great at bringing it all together and will make a great admin assistant for me when I get promoted"

so it's strange that they believed the colleague, who also reports to the same manager, when they claimed the whole thing as their own.
Indeed. And to believe that, they'd have to simultaneously believe that op has spent a significant amount of time doing precious little.

Op could find another nasty shock awaiting at her next appraisal.