To think she needs taking aside

[Iamthequeen82]

Work in a school kitchen.
Have this one lady who for some reason cannot get her appointments out of work time. We work 9-2. A few years ago she needed a cosmetic dental treatment, during work time, line manager said no, so she went about their head spoke to the head teacher who let her have the time off (paid). Another colleague wanted to go to a funeral but was told no, she just accepted it and that was that. This one lady always has to have blood tests, X-rays etc etc (nothing wrong with her). I’m feb she had a minor op and was off for 4 weeks paid. I’m April her dad died so 2 weeks off (totally 100% behind that and support the time off) paid. Last week she told line manager on Friday she might be half an hour late as she had a smear booked in for 8.30 Monday morning. Line manager just said ok, as felt it was too late to get her to change it. Monday morning comes round, gets to 10am still no sign, line manager goes into office and lady had txt them to say “app changed to 10.30 will be in later” in she waltzes at 11.15 no apology or naff all. And nothing has been said to her or anything. I feel it’s unfair on us that abide by the company rules. One colleagues daughter is going to hospital app alone, another has arranged her mammogram for out of works time. I’m just really fed up with the injustice of it.

[TayceOnToast]

Just carry on being a good worker and let her live her life being a shit bag

There will always be shit bags

[WhenISnappedAndFarted]

It took doctors 15 years to find out what was wrong with me, some doctors dismissed me and others didn't but they finally found out there was a problem.

yanbu to be annoyed that she can't get them out of work time but yabu to think there's nothing wrong with her

[Iamthequeen82]

Thank you everyone

[LadyRenoir]

@Iamthequeen82 how do you know they have not spoken to her (the person above your line manager), or maybe they know something you don't because it's confidential? I would be mightly pissed off if my line manager was discussing my appointments with other members of staff. In the same way, she is not obliged to tell you about every single appointment and timings nor apologise about times of these. One thing I learned in this country, is that any appointments are really hard to get and there are very fixed times you can see anyone and these are always inconvenient hours, regardless of your work pattern.

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I'm with you, OP. Some people are so extremely brazen, you actually get genuinely surprised when they are in work.

I know of somebody like this: there was a Covid case at the workplace and people who had worked in contact with the positive person were told they would need to stay off work and self-isolate. She was absolutely furious that she hadn't been in direct contact with the person and was desperately trying to think up any excuse she could to score her mandatory two weeks off without having to find another excuse. Her whole family have gone for goodness knows how many Covid tests, at the very faintest possibility of vague symptoms, desperately trying to set off an off-work and off-school chain reaction whereby they can keep passing it to each other and be off indefinitely. Most people are actually very disappointed if they test positive; she's the exact opposite!

I think some managers just can't be bothered with tackling it (and some public sector workplaces have systems that make sacking people so difficult), as they know the entitled person won't take it well and will play the victim, so they just work around it and expect them not to be a full member of the team. As long as they know they have people like you and the rest who do have a conscience and will step up, it doesn't really matter to them.

It might be that she has some kind of serious health condition, but she wouldn't need to make up other excuses. She could just say something very generic and non-embarrassing (whether true or not) e.g. "I have a longstanding agonising back condition" and leave it there.

That's still really unfair about the funeral, though. Was it a close relative/friend?

[NeverNotChasingDreams]

TBF, nobody knows if the minor op was NHS, it could have been a private cosmetic treatment or anything really.
And also, TBF, the MRI and X-Rays and everything could also be private, who knows.
Either way, the issue is with management. It's not unreasonable for OP to be annoyed at having to pick up extra work, but it unreasonable for her to be annoyed at the coworker for it, instead of the supervisor for allowing all this to go on.

[NeverNotChasingDreams]

Pressed send too soon: and not organising cover etc for when she has a pressing need to be off.

[tommyhoundmum]

I'm with you op. It's a cumulative thing. I'd probably ask the manager why it seemed there was one rule for one individual and a different one for everyone else. Also be tempted to change jobs.

[PuffinMcHuffin]

You never know what is going on OP. I told my work colleagues there was nothing wrong with me whilst going through a serious diagnosis - well two, actually. I did not want to tell my family over the phone and really did not think it was any of my colleagues business.

Also, my workplace had abhorrent attitudes to people with long-term conditions, disabilities or illnesses.

[Hawkins001]

I understand your perspectives op, i can understand the frustration.

[LateAtTate]

OP ignore the posters who’re telling you to keep out of it. If you have to cover her work it ABSOLUTELY is your business.
However your ire should be directed towards management. Whether she is a skivver or not you should not have to work harder to cover.
Also part-timers booking appointments during work time is really taking the piss. Presumably they are working part time so that they can deal with all this stuff - after work.

[comebacksunshines]

You sound like a pain in the arse to work with, you don’t always get much choice with appointments and you’re only hearing about the ones happening during work time. Unsurprisingly she’s not broadcasting her business around, so you don’t know what’s going on in her life.
Funeral leave is usually granted for close relatives only, presumably the colleague didn’t meet the criteria.
Leave her alone and focus on your own job.

[LateAtTate]

Also to add your issue is that this one person is getting away with it.
Why can’t all of you just take time off and tell manager that she does it?
Is she the managers daughter or sth

Even if she does have health issues a manager has to arrange cover. Or at least cut everyone else slack. Can’t keep things ‘private and confidential’ but expect other people to pick things up for free.

[Iamthequeen82]

Again thank you everyone, I’ve given my head a wobble.
It is management that are the issue, now
It’s been pointed out to me.
As for the funeral….yes it was me…
It was my best friends father, who I had visited weekly in hospital and then daily once he came home
For end of life care. Didn’t want the day off, just an hour for the service.
Maybe I am bitter, and I always try to justify her time off to other colleagues I won’t get caught up in the drama, but it does piss me off, hence why I’ve vented here rather than joining in with the bs at work.
I accepted when my manager said no to the funeral. They are my manager. Simple as that and I respect that

[Spidey66]

Some bloods need to be done first thing e.g. fasting blood glucose tests.

I agree some things can be done in her own time, especially as you only work school hours, but even this maybe difficult if she has childcare.

[1AngelicFruitCake]

@Babyroobs

Op I think every workplace has one of these people.

Agreed. Incredibly selfish and annoying.

[WhenISnappedAndFarted]

@Iamthequeen82

Again thank you everyone, I’ve given my head a wobble.
It is management that are the issue, now
It’s been pointed out to me.
As for the funeral….yes it was me…
It was my best friends father, who I had visited weekly in hospital and then daily once he came home
For end of life care. Didn’t want the day off, just an hour for the service.
Maybe I am bitter, and I always try to justify her time off to other colleagues I won’t get caught up in the drama, but it does piss me off, hence why I’ve vented here rather than joining in with the b**s at work.
I accepted when my manager said no to the funeral. They are my manager. Simple as that and I respect that

It really is understandable you feeling the way you do, especially regarding the funeral. That's awful.

Like you said - it's got to be aimed at the management.

[Lucifersladylove]

@Iamthequeen82

No, trust me, she insisted there was something wrong about 4urs ago, got a full body mri scan because she was at the doctors all the time and the results came back that there was nothing wrong with her, she even openly told us that. And I wasn’t questioning the operation what I’m peed off about is that everyone else can manage to get appointments out of work time as our contract states, but she can’t. I had my smear and it really wasn’t hard to ask for it after 3pm (to give me time to get home
For a quick shower). Certainly not jealous, and as stated fully support some of the time off, but feel that the making app in works time that aren’t emergencies is taking the mick. Ladies I work with miss sports days and assemblies of their little ones. You get a job in a school and you understand that because you have 13 weeks off a year and it’s not 9-5 you work round that.

Just because nothing was wrong (or visible) 4 years ago doesn’t track there isn’t now.

[JudgeJ]

@TulipCat

I am with you OP. In general, non-essential appointments can be arranged outside of part time working hours. It's a question of priorities.

A teaching colleague had been waiting for leg surgery for a few months but she wouldn't accept an appointment in August, it was 'my holiday time', she didn't have anything booked and the surgery would have left her laid up for a week.

[Lemonwoe]

In some areas it is difficult to get NHS appointments at a time you need them. I need bloods done and the first appointment I could be given is 3 weeks away! Thankfully for me it doesn’t impact anyone because I’m wfh and the surgery is minutes from me

[CupOfTPlease]

Agree if you have to take over the extra work it is your business. Some appointments should be made after work especially 9-2 shifts depending what it is of course.

There is one woman in my workplace who's appointments are always on a Friday afternoon....

[Frannibananni]

I do get where you are coming from, your job has deadlines that do need to be met with just enough staff to meet them. It’s physically hard to pick up someone else job and do it all quicker. To top it off, she is being treated favourably and carries a notebook to document any slight that she feels others do. Tbh some people love to stir the pot and be a bitch.

[JudgeJ]

@Use627

Ming your own business and break the rules as well if you want to?? People like you are the worst in a work place 😬

No skivers like the woman she's annoyed about are the worst. Why do so manyu on MN support female skivers but had this been a man being complained about the responses would have been different.

[Catlover77]

I completely agree with you OP. There is one like this in every workplace.

You absolutely can request NHS appointments outside of those hours, I often rearrange times as I wouldn’t want to disrupt my colleagues working day.

[Rosebel]

It is your business because she's supposed to be working as part of a team and is letting the team down and it means everyone else has to work harder to cover her.
That's not fair at all.
I'd be pissed off in your position too but you need to raise it with your manager. Explain that her absence /lateness is affecting your ability to get the job done. I wouldn't mention the favouritism as I don't think that will be taken well.