Pulled up for “picking on someone at work”.

[ThunderRoadRunner]

I’ve been on holiday for a few weeks, and will be going back to work on Monday. I’m dreading it.

For the last couple of days before I went on holiday I lost it at work. In all my working days, which amounts to a few decades, I’ve never lost my temper.

It centred around a number of new-ish people we have in our dept. They’ve been there about 6 months. They literally do no work, do not hand over any completed work and even just leave things in the sink for other people to wash up after them etc.

I and another colleague have assertively asked them about the handovers, ask them to clean up their mess, and point out that work has not been done, which means I and a few others end up doing it. This is done professionally. However, I came in a couple of days before I went on vacation and was told there were formal complaints about “being picked on”.

I just lost it.

WIBU to expect colleagues to do their share? After all, it’s the rest of us that end up picking up the slack.

Also, I really want to go back to work with a strategy that involves me not picking up the slack for others on top of my own stressful job. Any tips?

How exactly did you lose it?

WIBU to expect colleagues to do their share? After all, it’s the rest of us that end up picking up the slack.

You know this isn't UR.

Also, I really want to go back to work with a strategy that involves me not doing my job, and in addition picking up the slack for others. Any tips?

This is immensely childish. Don't do this or you lose any moral high ground you've currently got. Focus on the evidence supporting their lack of effort.

Unless you are their line manager, I am not sure it is your place to comment on their work. If you don't receive handovers and it prevents you from doing your own work, you can request one in an email and copy in the line manager or whatever is the procedure at your place. Continue until something is done about it. Do not do the work for them. If asked, say you are at capacity.
Difficult to advice without knowing what your job entails.
As to cups, same thing. Have your own in your desk drawer, don't wash up theirs.

I haven't any tips but our workplace is spit between 2 who do and 2 who don't.
Nothing has changed after raising with the boss as they don't want to lose any staff and those who do are the least likely to leave!
It's whoever sets expectations fault for not reinforcing their roles etc..its not pleasant and builds resentment.
Have you got people higher up to support you or are they making it your problem?

Presumably you have documented these 'chats' and given copies to both HR and the people concerned themselves?
Assuming you and your other colleague are also the managers of these people? Otherwise, you are both completely out of order. If you and your colleague are at the same level as these 'work-shy' bods, you should have spoken to their manager, not taken it upon yourselves to try and deal with them.
However, if you are their manager, then you should be disciplined for ineffective management; losing one's temper like that is never acceptable. If you aren't their manager, you should be disciplined for not following proper processes for dealing with slackers (grievance, etc)
Either way, you have not covered yourself in glory. If it were me, I'd be mortified

Haleibi,

I didn’t articulate that properly. I just want to do my job, and I don’t want extra work. I’m trying to work out how I approach this.

She's not saying she's not going to do her job. She's saying she wants to avoid being in the position she was in before, of doing her job and part of other people's jobs too. It could have been expressed more clearly, I agree.

Cross post! Good luck getting it sorted, OP.

Op, surely you cannot be this ignorant of how to behave in a workplace?

the strategy is

if you have concerns about any colleagues, speak to your supervisor.
do not gang up with another colleague to have an assertive word.
do not lose it,walk away and sit somewhere if you cannot control yourself
hope like fuck you’re not going to get accused of bullying, as quite frankly this complain would be upheld

I’m not the manager. We have always been told that we are mature enough to talk to our peers directly about issues, and not involve management.

I can give you an example. A team of 8. Some work part time. There is a deadline. I and a couple of others start work on a Wed. Nothing has been done, the hand over is lacking. We end up doing most of the work to get the project done. In addition to this we end up tidying the office up as they don’t put things away. Feedback given to other staff is seen as “picking on them”.

This is not the actual situation, but similar, as I’m trying not to out myself.

I think a meeting is called for with management

Who informed you that you had been accused of picking on people? How did you reply to them?

If they are management, this would have been the perfect time to escalate the matter calmly and professionally- you've tried to manage it yourselves as requested and that hasn't worked.

If management still do nothing, arrange a strategic overlap of holiday and sudden sickness with your colleague who actually works, ideally when there is a (minor) deadline involved. Sadly sometimes such action is needed to get management to pay attention.

Stop clearing up the office - put up a rota for it

Stop doing their work - just say "xxx is doing that , please get the output from them "

Well you should be mature enough, but clearly you lack the skills to communicate effectively.

who told you you were effectively bullying? And what does lost it look like?

Yes, but you peers are either not "mature enough" to do the same or haven't been given any guidance/training on how to do their job. So at what point the management is willing to get involved?

I agree with WillowTit, you need to raise the concerns with management and get them documented. If you have had a "pulling up" because your frustrations have boiled over you are seen or feel you are the guilty party, management has a responsibility to listen to concerns. Tell them you just want to do your job to the best of your ability but are being held back, they will have HR processes in place to look after staff.

It seems like the managers here are trying to get away without having to manage. Tell them you have attempted to resolve yourselves but the colleagues have not responded and you need them to step in. It is their job and they are being lazy

At the start of a project have clear remits from individuals, documented in an email.

If you have to pick up work because something isn’t completed once, it’s ok, but by the sounds of it there would be a clear trend of targets not being met. At this point whilst agreed on the “adults” point, management have a job to do.

Don’t compromise your work ethic, but document the slack.

That’s a leap. It really depends on the level of issues, anything petty I’d expect people to resolve on their own, and it is good to foster relationships if teams can resolve issues together.

however if it is non performance, then yes this needs to be supervisory.

on saying that it sounds like the op and her colleague decided to show the new folks who was boss, and the op has went over the top .

Take in your own cup, wash up your own cup and keep it in your drawer, if they’re not cleaning up the kitchen don’t do it for them, leave it until management pick up on it.

If handovers aren’t done start copying in management.

Is there anything they are doing?

The sounds like bad management and you’re getting angry at the wrong people.

Also make sure you have all the info for the formal complaints. They complained about x - I mentioned x because they hadn’t done y. Etc. get every issue cataloged

Interesting that you are not respoding to those challenging your actions

I loathed the communal kitchen in my last job before I retired. Several departments used it, and would leave their dishes and cups unwashed in the sink. Work surfaces weren’t cleaned etc. I stopped having hot drinks in the office, just had water in my drawer.

The staff room where we could eat lunch was also often disgusting, stinking of fish leftovers that one staff member would regularly bring in to microwave. I took my home made lunch outside on dry days. Management would occasionally send out a message that all staff should clear up after themselves, but some just ignored it. Very frustrating for those of us who do take personal responsibility. It might seem petty, but it’s not a nice working environment. You have my sympathy OP.

It seems management want you all to be “ peers” and manage each other - but then when this happens the accept complaints about how “peers” are dealing with situations

they can’t have it both ways - management need to manage

put in a complaint about lack of work, lack of team participation

ask management if there is a reason that part of the team are unable to participate in work?

I was thinking the exact same. She’s not actually said how she lost it or how she raised these issues with her colleagues.