Colleague taking the piss….

[Laughingteacakes]

I work in a team alongside a colleague, we do the same job, we are on a small team in a public services workplace - don’t want to be too outing. We are able to work from home but also have an office base and we do work in the community, around the area of our office base.
This colleague has small children, she doesn’t have childcare in place consistently, she seems to be working her job around her childcare needs rather than pay for the right amount of childcare (money isn’t an issue, think expensive car, large house etc). She also travels from home to work in her work time so that she can be at home at the times she needs for her childcare, without making up the 1.5ish hours this takes her each day. The rest of the team are working really hard, extra hours, lots of stress about getting through the workload, she is breezing along with a much lighter workload and therefore managing to continue to be at home whenever she needs to for her children. It is driving me crazy, I am so pissed off that the rest of the team including myself are working so hard and she is taking the absolute piss. I know different people have different work ethics but I feel this is really out of order. It’s also causing lots of negativity in the team with people feeling so cross.
This has been going on about a year, but is getting worse. I need advice, how would you deal with this, our manager doesn’t seem to be interested as the teams work is getting done.
YABU - you should just get on with it and not get involved.
YANBU - this is a piss take and you should do something to try and get the workload more even. Thanks for any views…I’m that worked up about it I can’t think straight….😊

If the colleague didn’t have kids I’m sure a lot of posters would not be so sympathetic about their behaviour. Because how would they be able to justify their behaviour? Your manager sounds v laissez-faith unfortunately so not sure how they’ll respond as they’re happy to let people get in with things - which is a good thing in principle- apart when people take the piss. This colleague knows that & it’s working to their advantage IMO.

@LicoricePizza Agreed. Apparently having kids means you can work part time hours for full time pay and everyone else needs to mind their own business.

I see a lot of this at my workplace and thought it was unique but according to this thread it’s blooming rife.

For goodness sake, many working parents would rather look after their own children and don’t want to need childcare! However, they have bills to pay and careers that cannot be put on hold.

This thread is hilarious judging by the replies 🙄

You go to work and you pull your weight no matter whether you have children or not.

@JustMeBeingMe2022 its a typical labour supporting sideshow - they don’t care what issue they raise - it gets everyone talking so they can plant their anti Tory propaganda

The issue is that this practice is widespread across the NHS and worse since Covid. Basically, there are many employees who by taking the piss, are committing fraud. If the general public knew what went on they would be outraged. The NHS is on its knees and it’s no wonder, this is a contributing factor. Some staff working in the community get away with it, more so than hospital staff. I’ve worked in both areas. I’m working with such people atm. Managers turn a blind eye and lots of them are useless.

Same @rainbowmilk - but usually managers IME with kids who can get away with it more (or use kids as their excuse to clock off etc).

Also widespread in the police force I worked for until a short while ago. Lots of pisstakers, snowflakes and shirkers. The conscientious workers are getting wise an leaving in droves

Absolutely this!

Also your manager doesn't care as long as all dead lines and work are completed on time. Why would they care?

I’m so sorry you feel so aggravated about this but if you are collectively completing all the weeks work then the answer lies with you and your colleagues. Simply stop doing her work. It will build up and it will be noticed , ( albeit eventually), by her line manager. Do your job to the best of your ability and come clicking off time, go home. End of .

BUT LET’s NOT LOSE SIGHT OF a Labour Party vying for power … they get their supporters raising issues on bulletin boards to a) discredit Liz Truss and 2) to plant a FAKE NEWS Story to mask their true intent
if they return to power after twelve (12) years … a policy shift: namely; centralising ALL Civil Servants in London and ending ALL Working from home or levelling up area offices outside of London -

the lie about work loads is to create unrest through jealousy but cleverly deflect attention away from their REAL INTENT … ending levelling up and centering all control back in London - reversing Boris Johnson levelling up policy …
SAME OLD LIEBOUR, SAME OLD HALF TRUTHS!!!

This is entirely made up. What earthly reason would Labour have to move a government office from the neighbouring Labour constituency to London? None.

Johnson has done no levelling up, the stats show greater regional inequality now. The man is a total failure as a PM, just endless slogans and empty words.

And it isn't difficult to discredit Truss, she's doing that herself every time she speaks. Tbh Sunak has made the most criticisms of Truss.

@carefullycourageous Labour want to reverse levelling up but use it as a dual prong attack -

only last month they levelled complaints at passport office staff claiming people working from home on laptops was leading to delays - that was proved to be nonsense -

labour always create these sideshows but for their own narrow control from the centre ideologies - at least civil servants (men and women) now have more of a work life balance/cuts emissions through reduced travelling/work gets done/good for staff/good for the environment - as usual Labour Party policy out of step with the realities and expectations of peoples lives -

trade unionists hate this - hence campaigns promoting us and them/alleging workloads imbalance on the grounds of class - they really are dumb if they think women on Mumsnet will be fooled by cheap mind tricks!!!

Hahahahahahahhaha why are all tories complete and utter nut jobs

Yeah some really odd comments on this thread. And the people saying performance matters not hours clearly have no idea what is involved in working in the NHS/with vulnerable people. I would definitely be passing this to my line manager, she's essentially commiting fraud, and given how stressed the NHS is it's not acceptable.

You're totally off the mark here, sorry. What your saying is either conspiracy rubbish you've read or made up.

*you're

like the climate change protest in parliament was an inside job - that’s how we know about labour ending working from home - in complete opposite to their climate change policy - as to the protestors - how do you think they got through security?

As much as I want to defend my fellow NHS managers - some I've come across have definitely been pro,toed way beyond their abilities and you just think wtf? It certainly encourages this kind of piss taking and makes me angry because most managers are actually really good and work very hard -it's not the same pressures as front line work, but it's a different set of pressures that we have to work under.

Sorry for the derail.

You need to highlight this again with your manager.
If nothing is done I would stop doing work in your own time (I would do this regardless) and even start your working day from the time you leave your home . Two can play that game .
I once worked with someone who took the piss nothing was done until the whole team adopted the same attitude. The lack of output soon came to the managers attention. She asked what was going on " oh we're just doing what piss take does "
Changes were swiftly made .

Clearly a lot of people on this thread who think it’s perfectly fine to take the piss and commit fraud by stealing time (for their own personal purpose) that they are actually getting paid to work. They should be ashamed of themselves. No excuse for this at all. A good reflection of how this country is going downhill and these people who are probably sat there moaning about it are fully contributing. Lazy f**rs.

I don't understand half of this drivel....but workplaces are not there to carry people. Flexibility is a privilege that depends on everyone doing their jobs and not taking the piss.
If someone's life is so chaotic that they can't do their hours and look after their kids then they need a serious conversation with their line manager about dropping hours.
Too often a woman's workplace has to suffer because a mans workplace is prioritised. It is not the function of a workplace to support a mans career. That is between the two parents to work out.
Oh and if a woman is so determined that she is not going to use childcare, then she can't work can she.
I said in an earlier post that I don't care if I hear/see evidence of kids in the background - but that doesn't mean that I would allow someone to look after their young kids at home when they are supposed to be working. After the age of say 10 fine.

@thesurrealist Thank you. I’d add to that that it isn’t the job of female colleagues to help a woman parent her children. If a mum is unhappy with the division of labour then she needs to speak to the child’s other parent, not expect her female colleagues to do her additional hours for her.

I agree with this. The end result is, sadly, a loss of flexibility for everyone or employers deciding not to employ women with children.

The first one would piss me off as a childfree woman, but the second.....well not my problem and don't expect me to support you if you're taking the piss.

@Laughingteacakes I did read your posts before responding.

1. Are you sure she isn’t catching up on work outside of working hours? Its possible in my line of work
2. You and your team should stick to your workload. By taking on extra work you are compounding the issue. Your mgmt can’t see the resource gaps. With gaps visible, mgmt will either scrutinise or add extra head to the team.
3. Don't raise issue about a team member and all this talk about her childcare and what she owns is giving you a bad look.
4. If you want to raise an issue, gather data on workload, hours worked and impact on the team. That way your genuine concern is well demonstrated.

This thread is hilarious.

Presumably all the posters thinking OP’s colleague is doing nothing wrong you would be happy if the NHS told you that there was an error in yours/a relatives care, or your appointment is cancelled last minute, because the person you were meant to be seeing has fucked off early to get a work/life balance, and they can’t afford to hire another person to fill the hours because that person is still being paid full time