To drop a colleague in it at work?

[TooBored1]

A colleague had been signed off work for at least 6 weeks due to an injury (I don't know the details of the injury) so we are picking up his work as well as coping with our own loads during a very busy time. All fine and good and just what a team does.

Now for the AIBU - I happened to walk by a business earlier today and saw them in there, working. They were definitely working, at a job very comparable to the one they are signed off from. Think signed off from supermarket X, seen working in supermarket y type thing.

Would IBU to tell our manager?

Does it make any difference that the job we do together is M-F and this other job is their regular weekend job? As I say, the two jobs are virtually identical.

Part of me is furious that the rest of the team has been busting a gut to meet deadlines and cover their work for the last 2 weeks (and another 6 plus to go) but part of me says just butt out.

Genuinely, thanks everyone for all the replies - I'm aware my frustration is colouring my view so I'm glad I asked before I did something I'd regret.

Personally I wouldn't.
I dont know all the ins and outs of conversations between the guy their doctor and manager.
I understand that it is frustrating and I would also feel that way.
In your shoes I would make a note of being more assertive and resistant when he tries to dump work on you in future.

@Fairyliz then she should take that up with her company because it's them not providing sufficient cover that is causing her more work not someone else feeling unable to work

Depends if he saw me or not! If there was no way of him knowing it was me that reported him then l probably would.

They could be suffering from stress and their GP agreed they could cope with one job and not the other for a short time until they're back to full strength. Its never clear cut and GPs don't sign people off lightly. I'd stay out of it. Whatever it is, if its untoward it'll come out in the wash

It's not unusual to be signed off sick from one place and work at the other.

E.g. one job requires lifting and the other job doesn't.

And personal injury is often used to cover health conditions that have stigma such as incontinence or depression/anxiety.

They may be able to work in the other role. But if not it is fraud.
And that costs jobs.

@quizqueen

I would have approached the person doing their other job so he (?) knew I had seen him and said, loudly, that it was a lot of extra work covering for him when he had been signed off sick and see what his reaction was! I can't abide work slackers so I would definitely report to boss.

You'd have looked like a right bitch if you did that.

They have been told it's an injury but in reality it could be mental health/stress etc and he needs some time working 2 days a week rather than 7. Then you've stormed in and told them off, in public, and let everyone around them know personal health/employment information about someone who could be struggling.

He's signed off sick. It's between him and management. He's hardly hiding working in public.

I would approach my management, and say that you realise there may be more to it than meets the eye but you are stacked out covering (examples of tasks) as well as doing your own work. So very demoralising to see Mr X apparently well enough to do (tasks) at Asda on the weekends. Is there an alternative arrangement that could be made for this workload to be covered, eg getting a temp / reallocating other tasks elsewhere etc. It won't be long before other members of the team encounter Mr X at Asda and you want to make sure this doesn't become an issue.

If it was me I'd leave it be - he's working a full time five day a week at your place and has some kind of weekend job on top ( you don't know the hours of this?) Perhaps the weekend employer won't let him stop but he can just manage it whilst he's got some respite during the week.
He might be able to do the shorter job whilst recovering but not all 7 days and he might really need the money to make ends meet. Does he have a family to support?
This is happening outside of your work and so I think if yu have to, as pp said focus on what happens when he is actually working in your department.

Tell on him. If it’s legitimate then he has nothing to fear. If not then he gets the comeuppance he deserves and all the staff busting a gut to cover will at least get some moral satisfaction over it

@Guavaf1sh exactly.
If he’s not hiding anything and OP happened to see the employee in a public place - anyone could have seen them couldn’t they? Including OP’s boss.
It’s not wrong to pass on public information.
And OP has mentioned that person has form for slacking.

There are some spiteful posts on here.
It's also absolutely cowardly to say you'd report if he didn't know it was you.

You don't know the details of his sickness (nor should you) and the issue is your own workload and well-being.

Oh come on, everyone! This place is impossible. Of course you should speak to your boss, OP. If he's doing the equivalent job elsewhere, a job he already does part time, then he's getting sick pay from your firm and extra wages from his part time job.

Tell your boss.

I would mention it and also say that your not aware of any special circumstances however given that the team is busting a gut to cover work of someone who's been signed off and then to see him doing the same job on a weekend that you think it's in the business interest that they are aware. But again reiterate that you don't know the details and could be completely legit.

At the end of the day if there's a legit reason then there won't be any issue.

@quizqueen

I would have approached the person doing their other job so he (?) knew I had seen him and said, loudly, that it was a lot of extra work covering for him when he had been signed off sick and see what his reaction was! I can't abide work slackers so I would definitely report to boss.

A girl at my workplace got sacked for something very simular to this. The off sick employee put in a grievance for bullying when off sick.

Oh come on, everyone! This place is impossible. Of course you should speak to your boss, OP. If he's doing the equivalent job elsewhere, a job he already does part time, then he's getting sick pay from your firm and extra wages from his part time job.

And? That has absolutely nothing to do with the OP.

Tell your boss.

Absolutely DO NOT tell your boss. If your colleague is being dodgy then best case scenario is they get sacked. It doesn't help your current situation in any way and you run the risk of being known as untrustworthy and a grass.

If it turns out your colleague has a legitimate reasons for being signed off then you've just exposed yourself as someone who will go behind a colleagues back. Even worse if your colleague does come back full time and you decide to raise their laziness with management it will just look like you've got a vendetta against them.

Your issue isn't with your colleague and whether the are/are not legitimately signed off. Your issue is that your employers haven't provided adequate resources to cover their absence. That's the issue you should address.

It's so bizarre that people would rather spend time and energy meddling in other people's private lives than just tackling the actual issue head on.

You won't have been told the reason for his absence. It's confidential and entirely possible it's not an injury at all.

It also perfectly OK to be off sick from one job and still working another.

I understand how you're thinking and depending on my relationship with the boss I probably would mention it. Just as a "I wondered if you knew..."

I do not consider this dropping them in it.

They do not give a shit about you or the rest of the team if they are happy to be signed off but doing another job.

Tell the boss.

How is everybody claiming it is nothing to do with the OP?

If another department then yes okay. But OP is having to do extra work to cover this sheister.

@Buccanarab but the working patterns of an employee isn’t their ‘private life’. It’s related to the business. Hence why many contract specify that side jobs and hours have to be disclosed.
Nothing wrong with mentioning it as an aside while as pp mentioned pointing out that OP doesn’t know if there’s any special circumstances. Worst case boss says ‘oh we’re aware it’s all perfectly legitimate’. Again depending on OP’s relationship with boss.

I would say something to your manager and leave it with them. If the colleague isn't doing anything wrong then nothing will come of it. If she is, then she doesn't deserve the job anyway.

If the OP is having to shoulder an unacceptable workload that and only that should be a matter to be addressed.

Thanks everyone. I'm not going to say anything to work.

Keep your tuppence out of it. You shouldn’t have access to their medical records or the reasons they are signed off. I’d hate to work with you.