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?!

Tonight has been wonderful! Slightly jaded by the fact that my cousin apparently popped round with their brand new baby who id have met if we had been able to go at 12, but such as life! I hope you have a great one!

agree op. I used to work somewhere where it was pretty guaranteed you'd finish at lunch, but not odfiic9. if you booked it off, you booked a full day. if it was quiet you just tidied up or chilled, but like a grown up, not a petulant teenager or over hyped kid

Maybe I'm against the run of play, but I don't think the manager was completely out of line, if the consequence of colleague messing about was that work didn't actually get done. Isn't that a case of natural consequences?

Letting the colleague get away with it and go early would kind of be endorsing more people half-arsing it on Christmas Eves in future. Colleague sounds like she was being a twit.

Sounds like it would have been better if the manager actually managed that employee in the moment, as in, what are your goals for today? what tasks have you on your plate, how long will they take to do? How many of them have you managed to do? oh dear, you've done feck all so looks like we're not in a position to close early.

Not sure how feasible that would be in this workplace though.

So your manager has punished everyone for one colleague's actions?

The OP has stated that the manager is female.

Startling, I know.

Yes. That is correct. Well done.

The reason for it has been explained multiple times by the OP.

Where do you work where management don't manage?
Are you really claiming that, if you ran a business, and an employee did FA all day and were demanding to leave early, which was not guaranteed, you would be "aw, what's she like, she's done nothing all day and thinks she can leave at lunchtime. OK, off you go."
The only mistake the manager made was not making the lazy one stay and letting everything else leave early.

Same, sheesh it's like being back in school all being punished for the one kid who can't behave! 🙄
Doesn't sound a very nice place to work.

Colleague has probably messed it up for future yrs too now but putting it on the radar so to speak. I'd be well annoyed. I'm guessing she will be v unpopular in the office now so she better not expect any favours from anyone come January 😆

I don’t blame the manager tbh. If I were your colleague I’d be expecting to get my arse handed to me after Christmas.

The colleague could complain all she likes, not doing what she is employed to do is a sackable offence.

She's a dick sure enough but the manager should have weeded her out a long time ago if she has done this sort of thing before.

If she can't tell the difference between entitlement and something gifted, she is thick enough to be of little to no use anyway.

So many people have no work ethic or real understanding of work.
If the manager had let everyone go early except for the colleague who did FA they'd most likely have a grievance on their hands come New Year and then have to explain to highers up why they let people go early in the first place.

It public sector. The culture means nobody gets their arse handing to them, or any tough talk conversations.

Completely agree.

I’m not defending the colleague but the manager is ridiculous. And I’d be surprised if this was the only example of her being a complete twat.

Your manager is treating you like children - I couldn’t work somewhere like that

Well this just isn’t true.

Please do share your wisdom.

I would put the blame on the colleague as she crapped it up for everyone. Remember there are many jobs where there’s no possibility of an early finish and many people who are required to work over Christmas.

Nonsense. I used to work in the public sector and arses were handed on occasion.

I don’t see why the manager acted like a school teacher though. They should’ve taken her aside and spoken to her about remaining professional.

They did and she continued to be a twat.

Right? She was quite literally told to be professional! Managing anyone is hard. Dealing with a large team when someone is obnoxious or over familiar makes it harder and can lead to people feeling like they’re your friend. Of course you would like to be friends but it can lead to some immature people pushing professional boundaries and then others’ start to mirror that and before you know it you’re not taken seriously. Sometimes you have to flex your muscles a bit to make sure you are regarded as in charge and will not tolerate nonsense. This person was actually challenging authority and no one was entitled to an early finish so it’s an easy win for the manager really. A reminder to be professional and do as asked but also nothing was taken away that was a given anyway. No brainier for the manager I should think.

Well I don’t think not allowing people to think they’re entitled to leave early is power tripping tbh. Most places will treat you like that.,

Going around checking peoples work individually, letting them go at separate points once their necessary work was done

I mean this is not true at all / I’ve worked in many many offices over the years and always go home at lunch

husband too and most of my friends, my parents

in fact it’s been years since anyone has even been in the office at Xmas Eve you just sort of check in at home and keep
am eye on emails then by lunch your told to see you after Xmas by management by email at some point.

its pretty standard loads of places.