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

[bcfc999]

I need some validation please. I've started looking for jobs and my manager, who is leaving, is helping me. My immediate colleagues don't know I'm looking but they suspect it because I'm constantly miserable - we all are - however they keep trying to convince me to stick it out because "it'll get better" - I've been doing that for months and things have only got worse. We get no respect as a team, get last minute demands from people higher up, including being told by our director that we need to drop our own work and "make time" to help another department with at least a day's work for them - without going into too much detail, this other team have been lying for months about some work that affects us, but now we're expected to help them out. They've never been confronted about lying and we have never received an apology from anyone higher up for the fact that when we raised them not doing said work, we were told we must be mistaken because they'd done it - they hadn't. Workload is massive, an occupational therapist told us recently that our bench and shit chair setup is damaging our backs yet the director doesn't care. Manager is halfway through their notice yet nothing has been done to replace them, nor has anyone come to speak to us about it to tell us what they're planning on doing. I keep getting told it might be worse somewhere else - yeah, but it also might be better. Am I being rash?

 

[Ensay]

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.

I’m not really sure. It’s quite a new concept to me. I was just told to book the time I’ve spent which I’ve done. If there are issues with what I put I expect that to be sorted out by someone else.

 

[Mollywobbles]

@jawidjanqndn everything you've said here about your workplace is such a red flag! I don't know how you're managing to cope with them, the manager and the pervy old man sound absolutely awful and I can't believe people are contacting you to say they've been talking about you. Definitely add copies of those messages to your diary for when you leave if you still have them. How is the job hunt going?

Keep copies of everything, including the fb messages, etc.
Go to HR.
If they won’t do anything, go to ACAS

 

[If you say so...]

My manager's manager.

I received an email regarding a non-urgent project and my manager's manager was cc'ed. With 1 hour of receiving this email, my manager's manager pinged me at almost 6pm to ask me if I responded to the email. I said "No, I have been busy with something else and it is past the end of the day here" (they're US based). I was stuck on an urgent deadline driven task.

Then they told me: "OK, just email them saying you will be sending this tomorrow". Not only am I swamped tomorrow, so I don't need to put this type of pressure on me for a non-urgent item, but also, I don't need to be monitored as to whether I responded to a stakeholder within an hour regarding a non-pressing issue. After 7 years in the business, I know how to handle stakeholders, thanks.

I hate this team from top to bottom.

It sounds like you manager has passed this up, could it be that you have misunderstood the priority? Perhaps they have identified that there’s not enough communication? Either way, it certainly sounds like you have a weak manager!

 

[TheGlossy]

One of my coworkers is driving me up the wall. This person was on and off on sick leave for the last 7 months when he’s only been in the role for a year. Today, it was announced he found a job internally and will be moving soon. Last week, he claimed he still had tons of health issues and needed second opinions etc. I asked him again today if he’s doing any better and he said his health issues are “now a thing of the past” when he said last week they were long-standing. It is highly coincidencial his issues disappeared on the same day he got a new job …who is he fooling.

I’m surprised no manager asked him why he was too sick to work yet wasn’t sick enough to login to apply for jobs and go to interviews .

He keeps asking me why I’m still in the role and each time, I tell him it’s circumstantial (lost my parent a few months ago, I needed some time to process the loss first). Each time they get the same answer. I don’t need this type of BS right now.

Then today they bothered me all day long about why so and so hasn’t left the team yet or talking about the same thing on repeat hours apart (referring to how the manager announced their departure). I even had to say “you’ve already told me this three times today already”!

Some people think because they’re leaving, everyone needs to do the same. They keep bothering you all day when you have work to do. You’re leaving, cool but I’m still here and got work to do. Be gone already!

SMH.

To follow up on this - they pinged me today “Hey, how are you” then went on and on about how it’s not right the managers already posted the ad for his replacement when he’s not gone yet.

I’m honestly getting a headache from this person and their drama over their departure. People come and go all the time. They need to get a grip because all the drama I see is coming from them and not the other people in the team. I don’t even engage anymore and just say “sorry, I’m busy”.

 

[Samf2020]

During covid 2 people were added to my team, I have never worked in the same space as them yet.
Our shared room is a shambles at the moment and they have to walk around boxes and all sorts to get to their desks. They will not help organise and tidy this. I was doing it on my office days but have stopped now as I dont see why I should do it all.
They are both moaning to other staff that they have to do 4 days in office while I am doing 3. I suspect 1 of them is not allowed due to being on a year contract and the other has different times to the rest of us and rarely works Monday and is on a 4.5 day week anyway.
Not looking forward to sharing a space with them at all.

 

[Heidi88]

Has anyone had a bad experience when handing in notice? I am doing it tomorrow and expecting the worst....snide/nasty comments etc.

 

[JOHN1967]

Just exist everyone in my job is so nasty and vile, everyone acts as if they are above you and couldn’t ever possibly talk to you with a bit of respect. I am in a small team with literally just my bitch of a boss, she’s left me out of any Christmas celebrations not to mention she’s horrid to me on a daily basis 🥲

said I had no life and there’s no possible way I have any sort of responsibility because I go to the gym, called me a giraffe and said I stand out like i sore thumb next to her last week looks me up and down when I get in every morning and never speaks a word

there is also an old man at work who constantly harasses me and tells me if he was 20 years younger I’d be in trouble. Every day he comes up behind me and says something weird, always comparing me to his 12 year old daughter as she is also blonde with blue eyes and apparently has ‘gorgeous long legs like me’. Makes me ill

That man should be reported, that is not acceptable behavior, if you don't do anything you are encouraging him.

 

[Heidi88]

Can I get advice on something here...I am interviewing for jobs at the moment mainly because of my manager!

Anyway a few months ago she suggested a short course which is a little expensive at approx 1500 euro. She occasionally tries to appear supportive and this was one of those times. I knew i was planning to leave so i said i would look into it and waited as long as I could but she mentioned it again earlier this week so I felt I had to sign up for it. But I have since gotten a fair few interviews set up and I feel so guilty...my notice is really long so even and if I hand in my notice in the next week or so it would be at the very end of my notice period.

If one of the jobs works out I was going to say I would pay for it myself just as a goodwill gesture. What do ye think?

 

[rosemarina]

Technically, if a company sponsors a course or a degree, you have to remain in the company for a specific amount of time otherwise you have to refund a portion or the full fee to the company on your way out. It’s policy in most companies so whether you offer it as a gesture or not, the company is entitled to ask for their money back anyways

This is not the case in the UK.

 

[Rxt156]

I'm maternity cover so at least it's not forever

Thank goodnesssss!!!!

 

[TheGlossy]

The same colleague, each and every single time we have a group call with any stakeholder - they ask the call lead if they can grab 5 minutes with them after the call to "discuss something". Doesn't matter who leads the call, they always ask for a 1-1 after each group call. Smh.

 

[Bhatforlashes]

This is very true. I'm a teacher and the other teacher is in the parallel class to me. She is a senior leader and im just a regular teacher, so there is a bit of a difference in rank. She picks holes in everything I do and although she does it with everyone I have to work with her closely.

I had this in my previous job too. Mine was a slightly higher grade, she didn't manage me directly but she wanted to. She was very controlling and political about my work and what projects I had access to. I ended up leaving partly because of her, but she did me a favour in the long run as I have a better job now. Its very curious that most of the cases of micro management mentioned here seem to be carried out by other women

 

[HoGi]

This is a random question but on a weekly basis how many emails do you come back to in work if you had a weeks annual leave?

I recently had 3 sick days due to Covid and I told my manager how many emails I had when I came back (approx 250) as it took me a couple of days to get through them and her reaction is that she gets twice that many and that she didnt think it was excessive.

We have a big culture of ccing someone and then if you dont read it being given out to for missing something even though it wasnt addressed to you. I feel so much of my day is spent reading emailings rather than doing anything.

I have spoken to colleagues at similar levels and they have said they dont get nearly as much.

I had 8 days off and came back to 150 emails. Over half could just be deleted or marked as read.

My husband was off for the same period of time and had over 800 emails.

So it definitely depends what work you do.

I would definitely recommend rules like another poster suggested. As it will make it easier to see the woods for the trees.

 

[Rodneytrotter]

She sounds concerningly illiterate for someone working in a classroom.

This was brought up in a meeting once

 

[Ensay]

My manager is a big bully.

I did not show up to the office today for specific reasons and decided to work from home (we're hybrid). They did not like it clearly because I tried to ping them all day and I've been met with silence. I tried to set up a meeting and they did not join. Very unprofessional behaviour. They had no issue when I was showing up every single day and no one was there and yet now they have an issue with me not showing up today.

Strange behaviour if working from home hasn't impacted your productivity at all.

 

[If you say so...]

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.

So why make them wait or discourage them from calling?

 

[Some People!]

Aw. That’s so nice! Thank you

I will

Can't wait, honestly

 

[Hope96]

New thread: https://tattle.life/threads/annoying-things-your-work-colleagues-do-all-the-time-4.35299/

 

[If you say so...]

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

FFS. Agree. that is a frustrating menial task! Eeekk! good luck with the interview later and keep us updated