Employee claiming hours on her day off while working a full day elsewhere

[dodgylady23]

I manage one staff member. She’s casual and until recently another person (friend of hers) was signing her timesheets off.

For a number of reasons, not least of which being this employee is hopeless and has an attitude problem, I suspected something fishy with her timesheets so had them (rightfully) signed over to me.

She works four days with us and one day elsewhere. I had to insist multiple times that she add this regular day off to her calendar to indicate she was off. I’ve approved a few of her timesheets now, but just noticed she has claimed to have worked six hours for me on the day she works a full day elsewhere - her agreed day off from here.

Queried this with her only to have her get very defensive and claim she had urgent work to do here so managed to do both. She mentioned working on one thing (not at all urgent and a quick task) and “other bits and pieces”. She said she would send through evidence of her work if need be.

1. I didn’t authorise her to work on that day
2. This “urgent” work could have waited until the next day, or any number of days in the weeks ahead before it became urgent.
3. It’s impossible to work two jobs simultaneously.

AIBU to outright reject those additional hours and give her an award for biggest pisstaker of the year?

Well done for sticking with it. I would keep a detailed record of the hostility from the deputy. You might need it. Perhaps she has countered with something like bullying from you and that's why they are allowing her to be there? OR they are investigating the deputy for something too (Fraudulent) and trying to gather evidence with her being there. Either way he has flagged himself up with all senior staff.

I've been wondering how this was going - thanks for the update. Bizarre that the deputy is prepared to die on that hill/ defend that employee and their dubious actions. It'll all come out in the wash

I'm so glad you didn't let it drop. What a bunch of idiots. Sounds like Deputy has been read the riot act and isn't happy he's been shown to be a complete tool. I'd agree with the PP to either keep notes or at least speak to your manager about his attitude.

@dodgylady23 thank you for updating. You did the right thing, letting her work out her contract is a pragmatic solution.

@Romanempirethoughts Totally bizarre. Or is it. My thoughts are things run deeper with him. He’s not smart enough to cover his tracks if he’s up to something dodgy. And now that he’s on my radar I expect more of the puzzle pieces will come together. What a saga.

Could the deputy be getting kickbacks from her? We have someone in charge of freelancers at my place and he's always hiring 'mates' who are expensive and use up a lot of hours and then somehow always get asked back.

Well done for sticking to your guns, you have done the right thing. I'm sorry about the hostility, it must make for an unpleasant atmosphere at work, but that's on him. I think it's something quite simple - he's not bothered doing his job properly as he can't be bothered, and now he's been found out by the boss.

Thank you so much for the update @dodgylady23

This is one of those threads when you continue to think "I wonder what happened with this one" long after the op stops posting

@RockyRogue1001 I’m happy to keep posting. To be honest I’m doubting I’ve seen the last of this person. I have been embroiled in other chaos she is causing but don’t want to go into detail just in case. Just as ridiculous.

Still, I was trying to find a similar thread to my situation in MN and couldn’t really so hopefully mine will help others. I’m also bound to confidentiality so it’s been nice to have an outlet here. The husband doesn’t understand and besides my boss who I can’t and won’t harp on to, I can’t speak with colleagues about this so I’ve been very, very frustrated. So thanks, MNers.

This whole scenario is absolutely insane. Once it was found she was claiming for hours she hasn't work she should have been dismissed.

I really feel for you, people like that seem to have a way of getting away with things and turning it round on others. I am going through a disciplinary process with one of my employees and they definitely have a way of spinning it all round on me/others. It's extremely frustrating and stressful.

Wow that deputy is deep in the mire. What on earth has a casual worker got on them

I don't know if this situation has been resolved, I was wondering if there's a legal way of her other employer confirming her attendance dates and hours to prove either way whether she's a part-time amoeba and able to work two jobs simultaneously...?🤔😂

Obviously just speculation, but I can only really come up with two reasons he might have to defend this woman. I imagine you can guess what they might be.

Believe it or not, the alleged investigation into this has resulted in her being paid off. I’m sickened by all this. Honestly. I’ve been given no insight into why, given it’s a very clear cut case and her misappropriated pay would have run into the tens of thousands, but this is where I stand. I’m sure they simply decided it was all too hard. Yet this now means this grotesque human has every freedom to apply for future work at the organisation. And ramp up her accusations and slander against me. I’m very angry.

I've just read through the whole thread, and I'm astonished. Fairly obviously, your big boss is either bonking her or related to her...and is leaving himself open to accusations of corruption, I would have thought?

I used to work with a similarly dodgy human, whose method of avoiding scrutiny was to put in grievance after grievance against managers, which meant that every issue with her had to be taken progressively higher in the organisation. She was an absolute horror. She lives in Australia now though, so she probably isn't your employee.

That's disgusting.
Maybe they want to just get her off their hands with no legal matters. Awful though

Do you have any way of contacting her other employer (do they have a whistleblowing process that is confidential)?

I think it is possible that paying someone off is to avoid legal costs and time. And like you suspect infidelity somewhere.