Annoying things your work colleagues do all the time? #3

[shadowcat5]

I actually wonder if some people are THAT stupid that they don't know how to answer to just one person, instead of sending their answer to ALL . (It happens in a group I'm in also, not work related. Some of us seem to understand how to reply only to the sender... )

Used to be on a social committee for work, years ago, and a guy on it used to address his emails to one person, and cc the rest of us. Minor annoyance, but I pointed it out. He claimed it was accidental or that he didn't know any other way to do it. But he stopped doing it. I think he thought he and she were the most important or something. They were both workshy anyway both for work and social events.

And while I'm on an email rant, cc-ing people who don't need to be cc'd. Stop it.

Mine either do it to be annoying or because they treat it like one big group chat. Gets right on my tits

 

[TheGlossy]

Wholeheartedly agree.

It sounds to me like this individual thinks work trumps everything else because they have nothing going on. No compassion or emotional intelligence whatsoever. I can understand certain personal circumstances need to be left at the door when you get to work in the morning, but no within the context of the above-mentioned examples. Some people didn't learn a thing from the pandemic, unfortunately. I don't have much tolerance for people like this, let alone if they aspire to work in management.

He even complained about our former manager being stepping away from his PC for two hours at a time during Level 5 lockdown. The manager had very young twins (aged 2 at the time), no creche was open, so of course, he had to do what he had to do to take care of his kids and he always stayed late to makeup for it.

 

[Lalla]

My son's dad does the 'bye, bye bye' x 10 thing - he's an electrician working on building sites; there are builders next door currently and I hear them outside on the phone all the time and they ALL do it. I have a little chuckle to myself every time 'yeah pal, drop it off at 8am. Alright cheers, bye byebyebyebye bye'

I have a colleague who before meetings calls and updates me on what's going to be discussed, then after meetings calls me to follow up the discussion. And each call takes 30 mins. Plus the hour long meeting. It makes me want to stick pins in my eyes!

 

[theweekend]

Oh gawd yes, I used to have one of those 'you shoulds' in my life. We were actually colleagues at one stage, and remained friends for quite some time afterwards. But I realised that - among other things - about her.

It sticks in my mind that one year she was encouraging me to not attend my work Christmas party. I had probably said I wasn't sure about attending, couldn't be bothered or whatever. Meanwhile she was actually flying home from a work assignment abroad in order to attend hers. She always needed to be seen to do the right thing. That probably isn't making my point very well. But it was one of the first times that I thought

A great woman at making snowballs for others to fire, I think with hindsight. Our paths crossed in more recent years and a friend who now works with her commented on the fact that she was well able to gripe about their mutual boss, but was all sweetness and light to his face

It reminds me a bit of Friends where Chandler and Joey are advising Rachel to quit her job. She asks why they don't quit theirs and they say 'oh no we are too afraid' or something like that.

No I totally get you! Funnily enough the manager I referenced in my previous post also used to do the exact same thing to me - E.g. I handed in my notice just after she went on mat leave so we met for lunch to discuss my reasons, she also did not get on with the Head Of and was not subtle about it either so we had a bitching session about him too. Except in response to my minor gripes it was “no no no that’s not okay, you need to go to the director about this. How about I put in a meeting for us three or I can go to her for you?” Like yeah… Do you think I was born yesterday?

 

[shhh1712]

I am definitely not less available it will be if I’ve gone to make a drink, pop out over lunch or gone to the toilet. The moment my teams switches to away which takes 3-4 minutes she’ll ask to call about something which is un necessary.

 

[TheGlossy]

People who do not understand basic maths.

I have a colleague who asked me: "I don't understand why you say the result has decreased if you do 1/100 as opposed 1/10".

Why does it decrease if you do 1/100?

Either I'm stupid or there's something really wrong here.

 

[Mrs Moon]

I worked in a project team a few years back that had a lot of vendors sitting in with us.

There was a woman who worked for one of the vendors, who gave me a very bad feeling from day one ... just the sight of her sent a shiver down my spine. She was incredibly sweet - sickly sweet - but I would often catch her giving people the evil eye when she thought they weren't looking. A couple of times when we were both working late, she'd let rip and tell me how she hated her job and would start listing what was wrong with each and every one in the project team. It was so bizarre - very Jekyll and Hyde-ish.

We sat with our backs to each other and a couple of times I would feel her watching me, which would be proven to be the case when I spun around. I'd ask politely if she needed me for anything, and she'd just grunt.

When I took leave, she made an appointment with my line manager (who didn't sit with us, nor did he have any sort of involvement with her as a vendor) to express an interest in applying for my job if I ever decided to leave! She also made out to him that I was extremely unhappy. This was all lies - I kept my conversations with her to a minimum and never expressed dissatisfaction with my job. I only found out she'd said all this when he invited me out for coffee and said he had made some initial progress with getting me a transfer to another project. I was absolutely furious and told him that I thought she was untrustworthy and out to cause trouble. His response was to ask if I was jealous of her because she was younger; I honestly could not believe he asked that, especially as I'm someone who is very appreciative and respectful of rising talent.

I moved on - to a new organisation - a few months later, joining a project manager I'd previously worked for at this place (who couldn't stand our line manager). At that point, the vendor woman did take up my old role but was let go after a few weeks for telling porkies in an effort to cover her butt on something quite major! She'd also been acting like a complete bitch to a couple of the project assistants, dumping work on them at the 11th hour and blaming them for her mistakes. #Karma. My former line manager asked if I would come back and admitted he should've listened to me, but I had great pleasure in telling him to take a hike (nicely, of course).

Sweet Karma

 

[rosemarina]

Is she actually your manager? If not, get your manager involved. That's no way to have to live, I'm sorry.

 

[Grillyguy]

No arrogance. I work part time so there's no flexing about a lunch. I don't work enough hours a day to get one. Absolutely don't glare at anyone leaving on time I won't stay a minute past my hours unless I'm talking to a client. The solution is for the person to get better at sales. Make more calls and don't go out for multiple 10 minute vape breaks outside your alloted break hours. All of which isn't my job to tell them. I keep myself to myself. Sales is a braggy job to be honest. We all congratulate each other and create a buzzing atmosphere if you can't sell enough to reach a good band of commision don't bring me down. Leave and work another job. Can't take the heat fuck off out of the kitchen. You sound a bit like you'd be a downer so perhaps you're projecting onto me. I'm bitching on tattle not to the person in question. Also wtf would I develop them it's a sale job I'm not getting commision to sit side by siding someone. Especially someone who's been quite snide to me.

Not a downer and not projecting just sharing my opinion. Still stick by my points. You’re clearly good at your job and wish you all the luck!

 

[no-no]

The moron I work with has emailed several teams asking to investigate something, saying that something I’d done isn’t looking right so he checked it (honestly, the audacity) and is getting the same error. I went through my emails and shock, all the missing info was on my one.

 

[ChastityDingle]

Regarding point 1, I assume they sent you a new email, rather than forwarding their original one on? If I was copied into an email where someone was chasing a reply, the first thing I'd do would be to check the time and date the original email was sent.

And yeah, point 2 is annoying. I hate it when people put in a meeting over lunch and start the meeting invite with: "Sorry I know this time isn't ideal, but it's the only time we're all free". Yeah, cause it's our lunch break, dickhead, you're not important enough for me to give that up.

My rant is lazy colleagues. I'm known as an expert in a particular area of the system, so people ask me questions about it a lot. I don't mind the odd query, but a lot of the time it slows me down. Rather than complain about it to my boss, I thought I'd turn it into a 'positive' (of sorts) by volunteering to write a detailed procedure note for it. That way I'm doing something extra and sharing my knowledge, but also it should help colleagues who are struggling.

However, so many of them still come to me. I even go back to them and say: "read page X of the procedure note I've explained it in there" (and helpfully attach another copy as they've probably lost or deleted the original) as a not-very-subtle hint, but they still ask me anyway.

If people send me useful guides or procedures, the first thing I do is save it somewhere safe and think it's great I won't have to bug someone about it next time. If only others behaved the same way!

Oh some people spin that tale all their lives! Pretend not to know something when if they were put under pressure to do it, they would be well able. It's just much easier to keep pretending, I worked with (well probably more than) one of them.

I was away on a secondment for a while and when I got back I had to get myself back into the swing of things, learn new stuff and so on. I didn't always have an immediate answer or a reference for where to look it up, anymore for the lazy one, as it was new to me too. I realised then why they do it .

It makes their lives much easier. Their colleagues - not so much.

 

[chocolatepanda6]

I think when emergency WFH started (at the height of the pandemic), a lot of people had their kids at home and it created this idea for them that it was acceptable for them to WFH and look after their kids at the same time, when really it was an emergency pandemic response. Now the lines are blurred they're content to keep doing it thinking it's totally fine, and most employers are terrified to push back because they're not sure what's reasonable or legal. I've heard of people bragging about how much they're saving on childcare by taking their kids out of childminding and having them at home while they're WFH while their colleagues continue to come to work. I'm not saying working parents don't work as hard as anyone else in principle but there's a more pronounced air of p*ss taking now that WFH has become more common place.

It’s when people post on teams about kids climbing over laptops and watching movies all day like if they were back at work said kids would be at nursery surely ? Doesn’t help our boss is one of biggest culprits ever

 

[JustmeKC]

My theory on time sheets is that it’s down to the individual to record it, and management to bill it. So your PM should have a way of moving the time elsewhere if it’s not to be recorded as part of this billable/deductible hours work. Do you record time normally? The reason I ask is that if you do, the time needs to be allocated somewhere so you can’t just pretend you did nothing for those hours.

 

[DA Stella]

Urgh I hate that!

I've got a similar thing where I've been included on emails about something because my name is similar to another employee's. I've told the sender of the emails so many times that they're not for me, but she never replies and keeps sending them anyway.

Annnddd...got another email from that exact same chain started in March. She attached some SDS sheets that go to the Safety department. I am not part of the Safety department. Nor am I supply chain, QC, customer service, planning or purchasing. Just stop!

It's not a 'work' thing per se, but we have a committee meeting every Sunday and it's unbelievable how it's always the same-old people getting the chairs out (and putting them away again), turning the hot water cylinder on (and off), getting all the tea cups ready (and washing up after) - and don't even get me started on minuting the meetings!

Some people are just happy to rock up, have everything done for them without so much as a "thanks" and of course they're the most vocal of complainers.

Before Covid my department used to have potlucks once a month. My supervisor NEVER brought anything but she always ate. And she'd gleefully announce it! "I never bring anything but boy am I gonna eat!!" And she'd even put together a heaping plate to take home to her husband. Announcing "I won't have to cook tonight!!" She never helped setup or clean up either. She was proud of being a freeloader

 

[TheGlossy]

That's bad. Why did he ask for a completion date, if he was only going to moan about it?

Exactly. Yet, someone told him he'd finish his piece of work this evening and he didn't moan about it. He even responded to him "thanks a lot".

Double-standard.

 

[lurkingaround123]

Could I ask for some advice on an annoying colleague related issue?

This lady, who I have never met, works in a similar, yet different department to me. We need to communicate, which is fine but at the moment she keeps replying to emails, which I am copied in to telling me it is one for me to sort or can you do this etc. This woman is not my manager, and although I understand she wants these things done, I am a grown adult capable of reading my own emails and taking action. Is there a polite way of telling her to stop it? My inbox is so confusing because I will deal with an issue, and then have her a few emails up sending me a 'can you do this please' message for no reason

 

[Justwishfulthinking]

This isnt specifically work related but I am looking for a new job and I am dealing wirh 4 different recruitment agencies. I am upfront with them that i have applied for multiple roles. When they ask for details two of them begin putting down the other roles. Its so frustrating. I am waiting to hear back on one role that I had a 2nd round interview. One recruiter in particularly is saying I will never work in a multi national again if I take this job as its with a smaller company despite the fact that he has also put me forward for roles in smaller companies.

His role is in a different area to my main area of experience and I said I'm not sure on this and he keeps pushing it saying the interviewers were impressed and wouldnt progress you if they didnt find you capable of it.

They are whist trying to what bills them the most in a month. Sounds like your gut instinct is kicking in here x

 

[TheGlossy]

One of my work besties is similar to you! I get it, we all work differently I suppose what's top on their priority list is completely at odd with your list of priorities - frustrating! Did you have a interview today btw? or am I getting you mixed up with someone else? Hope it went well if it was you!

Agree. Haha, yeah, well changing two characters on a SharePoint we use to store documents is hardly a priority for anyone but this person lol.

Nope it wasn't me but I have one this week though so thanks for that anyways

 

[Ensay]

People using "reply all" when it's really only one person who needs the info. There's an email chain in my office that's been going on since March. The portion relevant to me was resolved in April. Yet, I'm still copied on all the replies. Annoying.

Urgh I hate that!

I've got a similar thing where I've been included on emails about something because my name is similar to another employee's. I've told the sender of the emails so many times that they're not for me, but she never replies and keeps sending them anyway.

 

[Ensay]

Kind of similarly to this. When there's about 8 people in copy on a query/dispute email, you fix the issue, email to say it is sorted and then someone who's not up to date on their emails sends one asking you to look in to it Tbh people doing that is annoying enough in itself

Yeah it's a schoolboy error not to order emails by subject and just read the latest one when there's a big chain!