Grassing up a colleague

[Janey90]

I’ve got to deal with this on Monday morning. One member of my team (let’s call her Nicola) made a big mistake last week, which resulted in some confidential information getting sent somewhere it shouldn’t. I don’t want to go into any more detail than that, but the information was not medical or financial. But it has caused my department some embarrassment.

However we would all be none the wiser about this (for the time being) if another team member (let’s call her Ruth) hadn’t reported this to a very senior member of staff. Ruth could have helped Nicola with some damage limitation measures, but chose not to.

As much as I’m frustrated that Nicola made this error, I don’t like a snitch and feel Ruth has been very petty.

It sounds like Ruth doesn’t trust YOU to do your job properly in reporting GDPR breaches and maybe that’s why she went above you?

The fact that you wanted to try damage limitation first hints that maybe Ruth was right to go above your head?

Ruth doesn't trust anyone other than 'most senior level' to deal with it appropriately. Based on 25 years of professional experience, I know that Ruth' judgement is correct. This is underpinned by you starting a thread on a public forum discussing what already is a privacy breach. You sound as if you need additional training, to put it mildly @Janey90

💯and `ruth is right based on OP's thread.

I am fucking glad I don't work with or for 'Jayney'

And I fucking hope 'Jayney' doesn't work with families, children or vulnerable people 🙏🙏

Disagree strongly, it's greta to have someone like Ruth keeping an eye on the shenanigans.

Good to have someone not following the correct reporting procedure in order to cause maximum reputational harm to a colleague and department? Ok then. She could have had a dialogue with her colleague and department lead before she scurried off to the most senior (and incorrect) person, no doubt full of glee as she did so.

You lost me using the word snitch. Your an adult not a school child.

So you wanted Ruth to turn a blind eye?

“Grassing” and “snitching” etc in work matters is a weird concept. It’s about handling yourself like a professional, following company policy and regulations/training etc.
I don’t think Ruth “grassed” at all. I think she could’ve encouraged her colleague to do what was right rather than “covering up” or help her cover up as you seem to suggest. Which isn’t right or professional.
It feels personal when we make a mistake, but honestly, it’s not highschool, playgrounds, friendships or even the mafia :). It’s work & we act professionally.
it sounds like the kind of mistake where there was potential damage to the company - reputational, financial or otherwise - and Ruth acted professionally. Hopefully, it’ll be dealt with professionally too with reviews and lessons learned etc.

It's clear ruth doesn't trust Jane. Reputational management should not come before correct and appropriate management of personal data. Op and her team probably have form. Poor Ruth. OP has shown her true colours by calling her a snitch and moaning about her on a silly forum. Unprofessional and probably rage bait😴

No. It’s about the reputational damage - potential or otherwise - to the company.
the “reputational damage” to her colleague (which is not a thing btw) is that she made a fucking mistake & didn’t (seem to) follow correct reporting procedures/company policy. Ruth did. And she didn’t snitch, grass or scurry.

I knew perfectly well what you meant and I fully disagree. You are arguing with yourself.
Snitch, grass, ok then. Shudders at the thought of working with people like that.

So you have a meeting with them individually and remind them of the correct process in each case. Follow it up with an email repeating steps x, y, z.

And if OP is somehow in charge, hence needing to “deal” with this, I think they’ve got the wrong person for it. Unless it’s some weird reverse.

If you are Ruth's boss, tell her it’s surprising that she chose to report it to X when the obvious person would have been Y, and you’re interested to know why she made that choice.

Plus start a thread on mumsnet to help her regulate her personal anger and frustration 😂It's in the management handbook, we all know that.

delete repeated point by others

No, the most troubling thing is the breach.

Maybe this isn’t the first error only the one that you know of, and Ruth decided enough was enough

Unless you are a member of the criminal fraternity the word 'grass' is also inappropriate.

Given the regulatory consequences of a GDPR breach I think Ruth was right to 'blow the whistle'.

Helping mitigate the consequences can easily cross a line into covering up.

Ruth did the right thing. It isn't her job to damage control Nicolas (very serious) mistakes and nor should she have done as I'd imagine if she had helped Nicola cover it up she could get in trouble herself surely. It's not petty to hold people accountable to their own mistakes.

I hope Ruth can find her way into a job where having integrity is a positive and those in a position of power don’t use words like ‘grassing’ and ‘snitching’

agree. There's always someone who's prepared to trample over others to get ahead. Absolutely Ruth was right to call out the error but she should have followed procedure and gone to the relevant manager/department and not gone reporting it, unnecessarily to "higher up" management.

Unless Ruth hasn't had adequate training on the topic, it smacks of being nasty.

Any bad blood between Nicole and Ruth?
If not I think it is very poor.
Certainly not team work at all.

I would very much stick to the facts with Ruth if she didn't follow the rules of reporting, notjing more. Be very careful that you don't get personal.

However, if this is going to get out I would be very neutral when I let people know that she reported the leak and this is now the action that has to be taken by the department now.

Be careful not to show any disapproval.
Just let colleagues know that this is who she is factually.

Even if I didn't particularly like someone I cannot imagine ever doing this.
It's shown the whole department up, particularly for a human error.

And where her boss doesn’t come onto the internet complaining about her reporting something incorrectly rather than her colleague actually cocking something up