Problem with a co-worker

LegacyUser

As the title says, I have a bit of an issue with a co-worker, and I'm not sure what to do about it, so looking for some advice. This is going to be a long one, I'm afraid....

I only joined the company very recently (couple of months) so it's a bit difficult to know how I should handle this.

There's a person on the team, I'm finding very difficult to get on with right now, but this person has done some things that I feel I should report to a senior colleague.

Now, I don't like telling tales, and this is not something I have ever felt the need to do before, but this person's actions are affecting my daily work.

Examples, they will take about 15 minutes longer for lunch than the allocated time. I wouldn't normally have an issue, and they actually bragged about this to me when I first started. However, there have been a few times now where I was waiting to be relieved so I could go on my own lunch and they were a good 15 minutes late back. This has happened more than once. Other people on the team know about this, and I suggested noting down the times this person goes and comes back, but I was told they did this before, but nothing came of it. No one has pulled the person up on it, so they just keep on doing it. As I said, I wouldn't care only for the fact that it has impacted on my own lunch time.

Now to the thing that brought me to start a thread, we were both on the last shift today, so the only two people left to finish up. They head out the door a good 10 minutes earlier than our shift end time, leaving me alone to finish out the shift. I was a bit peeved, as there were some things left to do, and I would never finish even a minute before my end time, especially if there was a co-worker left holding the fort.

Lastly, this person was very friendly to me initially. Overly so, to the point I thought they were a bit nosy, but I have obviously rubbed them up the wrong way, because the last week or so I am ignored, and they are hammering it home by being overly conversational with everyone but me. It's actually fine, as I don't have much to say to them anyway, and I know this is not something I can bring to a senior person, but can I say anything about the lunches and leaving early?

AFAIK, they haven't left early when there is anyone else there, I think it was because there was only the 2 of us today. Either they did it to annoy me, or decided they could get away with it, because I'm only new and can't say anything.

As I said, I don't want to be telling tales, but as this is affecting me directly, should I say something? Or should I just suck it up and get on with it?

Claregirl

This could come across as you being a trouble maker and I would be very careful about "telling tales" as you put it as you're so new and you would therefore not have the same protection that you would have if you were there for a year or more.

I'd imagine she's heard from your colleagues that you're complaining about her... therefore the attitude. This could deteriorate quite rapidly and cause friction in the office that might not have existed before you started.

Can you not just go to your lunch at your appointed time? I would have thought it would be her absence that's noted and not yours?

I think if I was in your position I would just focus on doing my own job and not worry so much about other peoples at least until I had job security!!

leeroybrown

Claregirl wrote: »

Can you not just go to your lunch at your appointed time? I would have thought it would be her absence that's noted and not yours?

I'd advise against this. If there's a requirement to be 'relieved' it'll be the person departing before the late colleague returns who's viewed as deserting the desk.

thrilledskinny

Hi, could you not try and go for lunch first, then you wouldnt be affected by him/her coming back late...
Better always to keep your mouth shut, unfortunately these things tend to back fire or be ignored. Leave it to someone else to do something.
Just keep up your own good work and standards, which hopefully will pay off in the long run..

doolox

There has to be consequences or otherwise the boss will do nothing if you are giving YOUR time to the company to pay for someone elses corner cutting and laziness.
You need to report this time discrepency at once and get it sorted so that you can have reasonably timed and accurate breaks.

15 mins per day adds up to 1hr 15 mins per week which is about a tenner a week or 40 euro a month being taken from you by your avaricious and lazy workmate, assuming min wage rates.

You can bet your bottom dollar any reasonable person would kick up if a tenner a week was being stolen off them by another worker........

CommanderC

I would just say to this person in private, listen, can you stop coming back so late from lunch and stop leaving early, because its affecting my working day.

If they cannot behave as an adult and cut out that **** then go to your manager.

This is not 'telling tales'. You are not doing anything wrong by asking someone to behave appropriately in the work place.

dellas1979

Well, Id very much so put them on the back foot and act and be annoyed with them as you should be.

Dont say it directly. Think laterally. Make them realise the consequence to their actions.

I'd make it known to that person that, for example, "Could you try be on time....I was bursting for the loo, and you were [15mins] late". And something like "if it happens again, Im going to have to call someone to relieve me" (no pun intended :-)). Also shows you are not prepared to take crap (again no pun intended).

If they did it again, I would indeed make a deal out of it until they got the message. I wouldnt be scared of their reaction. What are they going to do? Tell it to the manager? What? That they were 15 mins late? I bet you they wont be long changing their tune.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

doolox

Having some recordable and tamperproof time recording is the best way of ensuring equity for all. I worked in places where there was a distinction between hourly paid waged workers and salary paid workers. The hourly paid workers were, by and large, always on time and always left on time. The salaried workers varied, some worked long hours with little regard for time, others shaved off 1/4 to 1/2 hour each way, starting late and finishing early, it had become a bitter pill to swallow for the hourly paid workers.

Then management changed.

The hourly paid workers were left alone as their time keeping was OK, kept in check in a timely and impartial manner by a machine. The salaried workers were shown video and other surveillance evidence of their wrongdoing and various sanctions were applied, up to and including dismissal for some who couldn't be punctual even when warned.......

In my work I always make sure I have evidence of arrival and presence at just before quitting time by sending emails to bosses with reports etc carefully timed to show evidence of being on time in case there is ever a dispute over timekeeping. Unfortunately with laptops and teleworking, this is becoming harder to prove and leaves workers open to accusations of lateness or sciving off which they cannot disprove.