Work colleague - say something or keep quiet...

[Ekerty72]

Need some advice!

I work in a lovely place where we follow a shift pattern. A lady joined our company a few months ago, haven't worked with her a lot due to a lot of opposing shift patterns.

Anyway I was saying goodbye to her a few days ago, I noticed she was on annual leave the following day so said have a lovely day off. She said to me shhhh dont mention it's my day off I want to keep it quiet. No problem, each to their own. She then went on to explain that in her last job she books her annual leave far in advance and then never mentions in the hope that the boss will forget to cover it and then they'll call her up and ask where she is and she'll have the delight of telling them that she's on annual leave and they should check their leave calendar. She had quite a smug smile on her face as well which I found completely distasteful. I'm guessing from that, that she intends to do this with this job as well.

I am just shocked that anyone would take pleasure in this and when I think about our lovely office I feel really sad that someone would come in with this attitude.

Would I be being unreasonable to being this to the attention of my supervisor? Thing is she would probably guess it was me who had said something which would be a bit uncomfortable.

So AIBU shall I leave it, keep my nose out and if the boss did their role correctly then the shift would always be covered or AINBU should I tell them what she told me so they can 100% ensure the shift is covered but also as a sort of heads up for maybe any future issues.

Thank you all 😊😊

Don't grass!

She sounds like a fucking loser. I'd mention it so she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing her plan go through as she wanted

It just makes me think that it’s not her manager she’s going to be dropping in the shit, it’s the colleague/s who might be extra busy or made to stay extra hours etc because she’s being a knob.

Yes one hopes the manager is fully on top of the rota but if the manager is that crap, they may well be prepared to cover their own back and pass the problem onto all the other people on shift.

It would make me want to keep an eye on the annual leave list just so I could repeatedly and loudly tell her to HAVE A NICE DAY OFF in front of everyone and then say “oops silly me I forgot” if she starts with the shhhh nonsense.

Ah. One of those. In customer facing roles I've worked with 2 of these people who felt they were far more intelligent than the manager - who was clearly being paid too much for very little (in their opinion). So they would set up weird "tests" like this. Don't say anything - she won't last if she resents authority so much.

Are her initials JF....?! I worked with a ‘lovely’ lady like this years ago!

She's a twit, OP. I wouldn't give it another thought. She must have an exceptionally dull life.

Very odd.

I wouldn't say anything but I would be giving her a very wide berth. She doesn't sound like the type of colleague I would want to be friends with!

Yabu for miriad reasons.

Wind your neck in for a start, and the pretense of protecting your little workspace is bullshit.

Who do you think you are?

To not only waste your own life by caring about this, but to then post it on a very public forum, but to then have the audacity to disrupt your working environment.

Holy jebus what is wrong with you?

That's really weird, but I wouldn't worry about it. As a manager I have a diary with everyone's annual leave and just general days they request to be their day off maybe for dentists or something. Then everyone should have their own sheet in in folder so a track can be kept of who has what so nobody can pile up for the end of the year. Both of which are used to make sure all shifts are covered.

@Neilyweily

Yabu for miriad reasons.

Wind your neck in for a start, and the pretense of protecting your little workspace is bullshit.

Who do you think you are?

To not only waste your own life by caring about this, but to then post it on a very public forum, but to then have the audacity to disrupt your working environment.

Holy jebus what is wrong with you?

Because she cares perhaps?

She asked the question. No need to be so rude.

Neilyweily
The OP asked advice on a colleague's odd behaviour that sends the message that the colleague is a bit of a stirrer.
It doesn't really warrant such a rude outburst.

That's a nasty thing to do. But bringing it to the supervisor is equally nasty. Be brave and tell her straight to the face that this is nasty, spoils the mood and that you will not cover for her or support her.

@Neilyweily

Yabu for miriad reasons.

Wind your neck in for a start, and the pretense of protecting your little workspace is bullshit.

Who do you think you are?

To not only waste your own life by caring about this, but to then post it on a very public forum, but to then have the audacity to disrupt your working environment.

Holy jebus what is wrong with you?

I think the behaviour of the colleague is does warrant a reaction and I think the OP as a colleague has the right to be miffed or have a problem with this behaviour. It's the small things in the workplace which lead to resentment especially the unspoken irritations. So I don't think she needs to wind her neck in and to the question of who she is: well she is a direct colleague someone the other has to work with and spend 8 hours a day with potentially. And as these things can be sensitive and easily lead to workplace tension she has every right to ask for advice on how to handle this. I would apply all your advice to yourself first before dishing any out.

It sounds odd but maybe she's been very badly treated by managers in the past and can't move on/doesn't realise that there are nice supportive workplaces too. Give her time. If she's still weird in a few months' time, then she might need a word in her ear but that will up to her manager, not the OP.

It's just really spiteful and childish and I get why you're so discomforted by it.
It's got a real us and them mentality about it. I can only guess she was treated appallingly by managers in previous jobs.
Horrible to bring it with her.
I would tell your managers if they're good ones. Say you felt discomfort about it.

I also kept annual leave quiet, otherwise I would find the few days before would involve people giving me tasks that were apparently suddenly urgent which would triple my workload

Yes this definitely happens a lot! Can you "just" do this "little" thing before you go on leave. Never "just" and never "little"!

I wouldnt try and spoil peoples tiny bits of fun in life, although its not something id get much joy in myself

She then went on to explain that in her last job she books her annual leave far in advance and then never mentions in the hope that the boss will forget to cover it and then they'll call her up and ask where she is and she'll have the delight of telling them that she's on annual leave and they should check their leave calendar

Absolutely weird behaviour. However, I agree with PP, keep your nose out of it. The employer should have a system whereby they don't need reminding of staff absence, so it should be a non issue. She does sound very odd though.....

As other posters have pointed out, you never know what her weird motivation is. She could be setting you up as a potential snitch and no one likes a tattle tale. Best to keep your nose out. You dont ever recall having that conversation....

@OhRene

I wouldn't say anything but do keep your distance. She's clearly not a team player, wants to cause a scene and wants a bad work atmosphere between her and her bosses. If she doesn't get satisfaction from them (as in, they're actually organised and can actually read the calendar and get cover like they should) she may turn on fellow employees for her shits and giggles.

Agree with this. Don't assume that her game-playing will just be restricted to the manager, as she clearly gets a kick out of trying to get one over on people.

Keep your distance and engage with her as little as possible.

@memberofthewedding

As other posters have pointed out, you never know what her weird motivation is. She could be setting you up as a potential snitch and no one likes a tattle tale. Best to keep your nose out. You dont ever recall having that conversation....

If the manager challenges her, then she equally might say "I mentioned it to X and asked her to remind you for me".

Trouble makers aren't usually that fussy who they make trouble for.

I would leave well alone OP. And I would wonder what on earth happened! How does a person end up in such a pitiful frame of mind?

Seriously, keep your distance and stay off her radar.

You are not being unreasonable to think that it is frankly weird and immature behaviour - but one for management to deal with.

It has to be pretty easy - if it becomes a problem - for management to say that the person has to email 2/3 days in advance of any leave booked to remind management.

If she is off and no one notices, then she'll realise she's not as indispensable as she thinks.

@Ekerty72 what happened on the day she was on leave ? Big drama or BAU? Do tell 😁