To be secretly fuming about my colleague ruining the early finish today for everyone?

[felixnavidad]

I work in the public sector and apparently it’s an unwritten rule that if work is quiet and there’s no emergencies, we get an early finish from the office. We were warned by other colleagues that this is by no means guaranteed. It’s an arrangement between the managers and the staff.

One colleague this morning swans in and starts talking about how happy she is to finish at lunchtime today. Nothing mentioned by the managers, just her decision. The manager immediately side eyes her and says it’s not a guarantee.

All morning she craps on about it to the point that the manager says “if you sit down and do your work we’ll see, and get off your phone”. Said colleague refuses, keeps going on and by lunch the manager says that unfortunately we won’t be leaving early, because of this colleague.

We’re all pretty annoyed by that point but this colleague is now going about the office whinging about the fact that we didn’t get to go early, but it was her fault.

Now I know this is pretty crappy management by the manager, but AIBU to be pretty fuming about the colleague not just sitting down and doing her work?!

In general it feels like we’re treated this way.

The early finish is very much a casual arrangement wherein the manager can say no (if for example an emergency should arise), and the colleague was warned about it but took it to be gospel.

i don’t think the manage handled it amazingly but I also think the colleague was taking the piss.

Eugh they both sound like dickheads. Our manager was also very ‘we’ll see what it’s like on Christmas Eve’ despite us closing at 1pm every year in living memory. He kept being vague and evasive until I reminded him that we need to tell our clients our opening hours in advance. Sharpened his mind somewhat and we closed at 1pm.

I think the manager was right. From the sounds of it, they have to be there till 5 to cover everyone being off half a day, it's a nice thing to do. If you have people rubbing your good will in your face and being a dick, you take the good will away.

I would be avoiding colleague going forward and make sure she knows why!

YANBU what a childish way to behave. How old are they? It sounds like they’re about 13.

Colleague should have been the only to stay behind

The manager didn't punish anyone, they just didn't reward anyone either. They were in a difficult position. They couldn't let everyone else go (informally) and keep her there because she'd complain and it would be difficult to defend letting people go early. They couldn't (or shouldn't) let everyone go including her, as she'd been warned and didn't listen so they needed to follow up on the warning. They probably did the right thing, hopefully colleague learned from this.

I can't agree with all the omg you're not children comments. Working in the public sector means decisions need to be defended, and if you're paying someone but they're not working, how do you defend that really? But I understand the historical 'if it's quiet' thing. So colleague ruined it for everyone.

Perhaps if they want treated like an adult the colleague should behave like an adult. It sounds like a situation where a certain amount of work is done by lunchtime the manager will generally let everyone go and the person to sit there until 5pm 'just in case'. Spending the morning pissing about meaning her share of the work has to be done by others is awful behaviour. What do you suggest the manager should have done?

I used to work for my local council. I booked Christmas Eve off. Then the day before discovered that those who'd chosen to work it (which were pretty much those who'd booked the rest of December off) traditionally only worked till lunchtime but got the full day's pay.

Those of us who were back in on the 27th to cover the interim period had no such bonus.

I was well pissed off.

I agree with you. I think it’s more the fact that if someone keeps saying it (like a fucking child) then the manager feels that because everyone has heard it they can’t then pretend to their boss that it was a spur of the moment decision because all the work was done which is something they’re willing to risk. They can’t risk everyone else in the company and their boss knowing that everyone knew, in advance that they would get an early finish. That’s the way I’m reading it anyway.

The manager ended up in a no win situation, if they turned a blind eye, the colleague would expect it every year and it would build resentment in the rest of the team if one person could get away with no working. If they denied the privilege then they are punishing everyone.
Maybe next time the colleague will think twice, or maybe the rest of the team will gag them next year, and get the afternoon off

This.

That’s quite difficult then though because all the colleague has to do is complain to HR and the manager is in the shit. We’re in the public sector so as annoying as the fact we had to stay was, I can see why they had to make that decision

The colleague was an absolute dick and acted like a stroppy child. Ridiculous really.

The manager fucked up, first by not managing her behaviour properly, and then for giving a blank punishment.

I understand why it would be frustrating to those who weren’t in, but I do also see it as how the cookie crumbles. Those who were in today largely had leave denied because others were off (and not due to not putting in the request on time, we all had to put leave in by a certain date and then decide amongst ourselves who came in and who didn’t)

I am so sorry that we are not paying for you to have an early finish today.

But it wasn’t a punishment, the manger warned that it wasn’t a given but the colleague acted like it was.
A reward wasn’t given, which is different to a punishment

🥱

This is how I’m seeing it. It’s not a given so it can’t really be a punishment

I'm not sure what that emoji means. Are you tired after actually working in your publicly funded job today?

I’m a bit fed up of members of the public being rude about public sector workers.

It sounds like a school situation. If one kid doesn’t stop talking, the rest of the class won’t get an early play time! 🙄

I just think she had no choice really, which really sucks for the rest of us!

The manager was probably covering their back. They shouldn't let anyone go early. OTOH they want to be helpful and human, so there's usually a nod and a wink. But they can't risk it being reported to their manager because strictly speaking you shouldn't leave early.

When everyone understands to keep quiet then they can let you go early. When someone is broadcasting it to the neighbourhood they have to do.it by the book and keep everyone to the official time.

It's the same for us. Once the next shift are in, and we have handed over we can go, because in reality there's nothing left to usefully do. So our manager doesn't mind us leaving early. But if senior management are around then we have to sit around until our official finish time.

Just to add, if we need to stay longer then of course we do - because we pay back the flexibility. Recently I did an extra couple of hours because a resident needed an emergency dental appointment. No problem, because it was needed, and if there's nothing needed (usually the case) I get to go 20 minutes early.

The manager should have had a much stronger word with the asshole colleague and taken the day as a days holiday from her because she did bugger all work and then just let everyone go.

Failing that, let everyone go and put her on a fizzer when work re-starts.

Yeah exactly. We pay back the generosity, usually. It all evens out across the year