To think colleague should do the work and not me?

[SmileJessi]

My department work from the same pot of work - the work will range from complex and pretty easy and on a balance of scales it should be pretty equal. However my team massively cherrypicks.

Today I was assigned (by the automatic system) quite a long complex item of work from a customer and on checking to see if the customer had any other open queries I saw that the one I had I hold was actually duplicated and the customer had sent twice.

Other item had been on hold to someone else for 20 minutes before the other item got assigned to me. I messaged her to say I can see she’s got it on hold and I don’t want to duplicate what she’s already done and I’d not done anything yet

She responded she’d done nothing as got distracted by the post (we work from home) and that I could have it if I wanted.

In my opinion she was assigned it first and if we all just got rid of the complex items and did the easy ones then the same poor person will always get the complex ones.

YANBU, just respond and say as it was originally allocated to her, it makes sense for it to stay with her.

Well did you say “that’s ok, I haven’t started either so since it was assigned to you first I’ll just leave it with you and close mine”?

@MadeOfStarStuff

Well did you say “that’s ok, I haven’t started either so since it was assigned to you first I’ll just leave it with you and close mine”?

Exactly

I would just have replied "no I don't want it, I have other complex tasks today, probably best to leave it with you since it was assigned to you first"

Thank you. It just frustrated me with the “you can have it if want” like she’s doing me a favour and giving me the last biscuit. When really she just couldn’t be bothered and was betting on me being too polite.

So don't be polite!

Yes I wish I could be more assertive. It’s such a bitchy team where they were slag you off behind your back to others. - majority of us are in our 30s

I wouldn’t say that’s cherry picking. Next time just say hey I’ve got a duplicate you got the first one so I’m closing mine.
At my work people do cherry pick and it’s an utter pain in the arse. You can see a digital footprint every time someone goes in a case and the complex cases are always accessed by the same 3 people who never take it. It’s all meant to even out over time with easy and complex cases and it would if everyone played fair

If everyone else cherry picks without repercussions then you can do the same, surely?

She responded she’d done nothing as got distracted by the post (we work from home) and that I could have it if I wanted.

No, I don't want.

There. Sorted. ¯\(ツ)/¯

If you're all working 8 hours, then does it matter if you do 4 complex tasks or 12 easy ones?

"oh no that's ok thanks, this one Ive received is a duplicate so I'll close it"

@Lougle

If you're all working 8 hours, then does it matter if you do 4 complex tasks or 12 easy ones?

I'm thinking the same, to be honest.

I think YABU. She didn't say you had to take it or refuse to take it herself

I worked in a department of cherry pickers and it absolutely drove me up the wall! My manager would say ‘can someone deal with this piece of post’ and people would hit back with ‘what is it?’ Does it matter what it is?? Just bloody do it if you’re not busy 🥴 Was always me being the ‘yes’ man. We also used to process client applications and some were quicker than others, who always ended up doing the ones that took longer? Me 😖 I really enjoyed the job but I felt no ounce of remorse moving departments! Stand your ground.

If the system does the assigning, how can people cherry-pick? Surely once a job is assigned - it's assigned?

If customers are raising issues twice, then you've got a much bigger problem.

Just reply, "no its fine, first come first served, I Will close mine out as it is a duplicate to one you have been assigned "

Close your duplicated work item & then email to say it was allocated to her first so it's fair that it should stay with her.

She would close hers in a heartbeat by the sound of it, show her the same consideration she would show you.

They're your colleagues presumably not your friends?

@Lougle

If you're all working 8 hours, then does it matter if you do 4 complex tasks or 12 easy ones?

I was thinking that, I was also think I would prefer something more complex, means more interesting to me.

@Lougle

If you're all working 8 hours, then does it matter if you do 4 complex tasks or 12 easy ones?

Unfortunately so. As your performance is judged on how much work you close per day. Closing less looks less productive regardless of how complex it was. Also a manger would probably start to really question you if you claimed you got nothing but complex cases.

Then play the game and ensure you only ever take on easy tasks.

Centre for Clinical Interventions online workbook Assert Yourself. You can work at your own pace on being more assertive.

I don’t understand why you didn’t just close yours as soon as you realised it was a duplicate?

Sounds to me like you haven’t her a get out clause and she took it. Next time just close the duplicate and leave her to get on with it