To be annoyed at colleague for doing too much work?

[User364837]

Trying to work out if this is a me problem or ainbu for feeling annoyed with colleague and might say something to her.

We’re on a training programme. Im older and have a bit more experience than her. She is incredibly bright, incredibly productive and incredibly intense.

we’re working together on something with a more senior colleague from the team I am going to go to when we finish our training, she’s going elsewhere.

she is just so damn quick. We got some more information in and the senior colleague has set up a meeting to discuss how we’re going to proceed.

but she’s already looked at all the stuff and is asking me what I thought (I haven’t looked yet, busy with other stuff!) she’s prepared a lengthy summary document on her findings to share at the meeting.

AND she did all this last week when she was on leave.

it really annoys me and I can’t figure out if it’s just that my nose is out of joint?

but I think it is also that it makes me look rubbish and also it’s like someone giving you the answer to a maths problem before you’ve done the working out. By racing ahead it means I don’t kind of do the process myself which I need to do.

aibu to tell her to back off and slow down? (Politely) or am I just bitter she’s better and quicker than me?

you are being unreasonable, but gently and i completely agree with you. her work wont make you look bad, dont worry. its her own prerogative if she wishes to work during her leave, and in my opinion those who do this look odd and unorganised, as if they cannot even manage to structure their work days properly enough to have actual holidays. just try to focus on meeting your own objective and not to let it bother you or pressure you into overworking either. overwork may look good at first but its a one way ticket to burnout, at which your performance wont look good to anyone at all.

but she’s already looked at all the stuff and is asking me what I thought (I haven’t looked yet, busy with other stuff!) she’s prepared a lengthy summary document on her findings to share at the meeting.

You can simply point out to her that you were in work last week and busy with your normal workload, hence haven't had time to look at it, suggest that you will do so while she catches up on hers as she's been away, and suggest a quick pre-meet to discuss it nearer to the main meeting.

If she has time to do these things prematurely, maybe it's time to delegate more tasks to her?

OP, be secure in your own abilities and don't get drawn into a silly running-race. Ask yourself if you are working to your full realistic potential. If the answer is "yes" then just let your colleague get on with it. @Coruscations upthread gave good advice. Try not to let your feelings colour your professionalism.

YABU.

I was the manager of a large team where some staff were brilliant, some did the bare minimum required, and a small number were inadequate.

I can't tell you how many conversations I had with the 'adequate' people about their resentment and jealousy of the brilliant people -- why was such-and-such promoted, given opportunities, given a bonus? They wanted the rewards without putting in effort. I do feel that there should be roles where you can do exactly what's required and be valued, but also think the people who set high standards for their work ought to be rewarded.

If I were the young woman's manager I would absolutely call her out on working during her leave: burn-out benefits no one and everyone deserves a break.

Are you working at your best standard? If so, there's not much you can do about it. In all walks of life we meet people who are better than us at things. I'm sure there are things you are better at than she is. You can't expect her to work less to make you look better, that's really not what your company would want either.

I've just come back from mat leave, and am slightly intimidated by the sheer volume of detailed work produced by my cover.

Worse - he's staying on an extra year because we've got a bug backlog to do.

But then I copped on to the fact that he's overdoing tasks. He's not being proportionate to business need. He goes all in every time without checking with our line manager's appetite. He doesn't have the soft skills to work up the need for a project, bam, straight in with a 10 page proposal.

As a line manager myself, these people were so annoying! Hours wasted on tasks that I hadn't assigned. And having to let them down on projects they'd already convinced themselves were needed.

She’s just young and hasn’t learnt the best ways of working yet. Or that working on your leave is a fools game.

It’ll be over soon I assume

Yabu. You need to get one step ahead of her. I wouldn't put up with this. She's doing a grand job knocking herself out working while supposedly off etc - that's the kind of enthusiasm employers want! If you cba going above and beyond then maybe find another job. Employers want workers not Shirkers!

You can’t speak to her! What would you say?

’Look babes, can you just be a bit more..um…I dunno…shit? All this positivity, working when you are on leave, sorting everything super quickly. It’s getting on my tits coz it makes me look crap’.

Employers are owed a day's work for a day's pay. That's not 'shirking'. Obviously we all have to go over and above sometimes at work if we want to do well, but putting in regular unpaid overtime sets an unhealthy precedent.

‘Working together as a team’ isn’t what she’s doing. The work should be done together, and if she’s still quicker than you then she should explain what she’s doing.

And you don’t sound bitter at all, I’m surprised someone said that to you.

Be kind and supportive, but maintain your boundaries ‘wow, it is so impressive you’ve done all of this prep already, thank you. I don’t work in the evenings or when I’m on leave, so you’ll have to wait to x date for my response.’

You can’t really say to her can you slow down you are too bright and keen you are making me look inadequate?

The key question is why?

Is she super-ambitious and trying to show you up?

Is she anxious about failure and overcompensating?

Is she neurodivergent? (ADHD in particular can look a lot like this)

I think you need to figure this bit out before you can work out the best way to handle her.

Oh, and this too - we talked about the split of work with my line manager. X task is my responsibility.

My line manager does not want my colleague working up a storm about X when his task is Y.

He would love us to support each other with Y and X - NOT for one person to do X and Y.

The other thing that might work if you are collaborating is setting clear deadlines and check in dates. So x needs doing/reading/writing we will check in with that by x date with a firm deadline of x date for completion. Then she can knock herself out to do it early, but there’s no reward for finishing ahead of the deadline except she has cleared her desk.

As someone who works super quick and always has you can’t really dictate the pace at which another colleague completes tasks but you can arrange a collaboration to give everyone adequate time to prepare and contribute at their own pace.

The fact she was working when she was supposed to be on leave is unfair, as that sort of behaviour raises the managers' expectations for everyone on the team, where they'll start to wonder why you can't all do the same. The French have a term for that sort of behaviour, something like not showing solidarity.

Personally I think it might be worth having a little word, coming from an angle of concern for her, that she shouldn't get into the habit of giving up her leave because it could lead to burnout, the company won't appreciate it in the end, all it will do is raise their expectations.

It makes me feel (and look) inadequate.

That is very much a you problem

It is non of the op's business, 'handle her'? she is not an umbrella

The op needs to improve their work not find fault in others

She sounds annoying and set for burnout, as well as a piss poor team player.

It sounds as though she is working hard, but not necessarily smart if her outputs are not suitable or proportional to the task at hand. Time will tell.

Agree that doing tonnes of work out odd hours is annoying, but people without significant outside commitments often do not get it.

Think of a way to harness her effort to your means, and absolutely nip in the bud the lack of credit for others.

This! Haha.

Hopefully she’ll learn soon enough that she’s just a number to businesses and they don’t give a shit about her no matter how hard she works. It took me 25 years to reach that point myself 😂

Meantime, it’s a you problem. Let her get on with it

She doesn't have to lower her standards for you.

This is on you - shes just faster - thats not her fault. I would say working on leave is not great - but i do it too.

She's only faster because she's working through her annual leave. Which she shouldn't be. It's time managers stood up to staff like this and insist they work within their role and their hours.