A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I have a dilemma. I work with this guy for a small 6 people company including owners. Company is doing Farely well being so small. Other 3 people started working there long before me, and I work there 4 years. For a small company like this we all are well paid w/ good benefits. About 9 months ago they hired a new guy in his mid 30s. At first I liked him, he was polite, funny, too much assertive for me but fine. Then because I work closely w/ him and we often do small projects together I started noticing things here and there. Now he is totally taking advantage of a company and very nice people, my employers. They are the kindof people who are not going to tell their employees what to do. Basically the company functions on trust, they never said a critisizm toward any of us creating a very safe and pleasable working environment. First of all, he is late every single day for at least 15 minutes which he is paid for. Our schedule is flexible, we can come between 7 and 9 in a morning, and leave accordingly. Him and me we always come at 9 . I come on time, he is late but leaves when I leave. Our lunch time is paid for. Knowing that all of us are taking very short lunches like 15-20 minutes just to eat and go back to work. He takes at least 45 minutes. And the worst thing he does is texting all day. He works also, but he developed this skill to secretly text and check all different sites on line and does it so quietly that no one but me notices. Because of that he can't finish his work on time. So what he started to do, he started asking me to finish little things for him. For example, his job is to call customers at the end of working day to let them know their orders are ready for pick up. Ussualy it's 10-15 calls. So, he asks me to do half of them. It's really not a big deal, but why should I do it when I have my own work and calls are not in my job description. This is why they hired him, to do simple things because he has less qualifications than the rest of us. Other people noticed also that he comes to work late, and texting. No one wants to take initiative and tell owners. The last events just passed me off andi am ready to tell the owners. But we had never had any conflicts, and I don't really know how to tell them, but at the same time my total loyalty is with them not with him. Last month we were moving to a new place. And it was solely responsibility of 5 of us to pack and move. Owners wife was out of the country. Boss did his things with organizing everything, and we had to physically carry boxes, pack and load them into cars. The guy played with his phone THE WHOLE time. I had to fetch him out of the bathroom afteri discovered he was sitting there for a good 20 minutes. He was putting himself in a chair, looking again secretly on his phone, and one of us told him to move his butt already, he said he has a right to rest. Overall, if he had a chance he was texting non stop, if no one was with him in a room he was just sitting there doing nothing. I am planning to go tomorrow to my boss and tell him. At the same time I feel like a gossipers, the guy has a family and if heis fired, which I have a suspicion he was before and not once, he ll have a very hard time to find a job. I don't really know if I should go and tell on him. I can't stand him now and cn a verge of exploding, but at the same time not sure about my actions
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (10 July 2014): Thank you everyone who answered.
I did go to my boss, and he said he saw everything himself. He said he will have a talk to the guy next week. He said he was glad I just confirmed his opinion that this guy is not a keeper. I think what's coming that they will let him go. I don't understand how this guy doesn't feel anything how we feel about him. We hardly talk to him, As he is pissing people off by his laziness and all the trick he has to avoid working.
A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (9 July 2014):
 I agree that if it was a bigger company and you had a chain of command I would go that way but
Yes go to the boss
Yes keep it 100% professional
you can even say you had a concern about bringing this to his attention but you feel he has a right to know...
I would NOT cover for this guy. I would NOT make his calls.
when he asks you can say "I'm sorry my own workload has me swamped today, you'll have to handle it yourself"
and yes it's not "he gets to do this and I did this"
it's more along the lines of "he's NOT doing what he was hired to do"
document it as needed.
this is not gossiping... if you talked to other co-workers that would be gossip.
telling an owner/supervisor who is not around to see the actual behavior is just protecting yourself... you could get in trouble for stuff he's supposed to do that he does not do.
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A
female
reader, mystiquek +, writes (9 July 2014):
 Everyone has given really good advice. One thing I would like to add..if you do decide to go to the owners...keep it all business. Do not put your own feelings into it just state point by point what is going on. In this way you won't come across as a gossip but as an concerned employee (which you are). No one likes to be a rat but the owners do need to realize the guy isnt pulling his share. And stop covering for him! If he's stupid enough to take advantage of a good job in these hard times, then let him get fired. He's not you or any other employees responsibility.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (9 July 2014): I don't see a problem telling your bosses, being that you work for a very small firm. If it was a larger corporate concern; there would be management over-seeing the daily functions of the workplace. The new guy is deliberately and blatantly taking advantage of a dying style of work-place, the small-business that cares for their workers.
He is the reason businesses turn cold, unfriendly, and intrusive on its employees. If you must tell the owners, go as a group. Not just you! They want to be able to trust their employees considering how small they are; and the less complications they have to address the better. They just want to offer their services and please their customers. Don't let people leave you to do their dirty
work. You are all concerned. Stand together.
I suggest you and your co-workers prepare a anonymous letter, and place it at his desk. He is always late, so that should be easy to do. In the letter you can give a list of violations that make the others uncomfortable; and specify that you hope the owners do not become aware of the excessive phone use, tardiness, and his lack of compliance when it comes to timely submission of assigned tasks. We are all good employees, and appreciate the kindness and trust of our employer. You are welcomed into the fold as long as you do not betray the trust we all enjoy and respect. If there is no immediate change, the next letter will go to the bosses. We hope this will be all it takes to let you know what you're doing isn't fair to us; most of all it isn't fair to the people who trusted your qualifications enough to employ you here. Your greatest violation is your phone. PUT IT AWAY DURING WORK HOURS!
That's what lunch breaks are for. They're 15-20 minutes by the way!
If he doesn't comply. Send an anonymous letter to the bosses. He sees the small business as no big deal and has no appreciation for employment. He would be better off in a place where someone looks over his shoulder.
This isn't a cowardly move. It is everyone's participation in letting him know how you feel; before taking steps to report him. There are only four of you, but you shouldn't have to be the only one who speaks up. All of you are affected by his slacking off and phone addiction. Don't do him anymore favors. Tell him, "sorry my hands are full today, and we all pull our weight around here!" End it with a smile! Walk away.
If he doesn't get the message, the bosses need to know because this is eating at the morale of the rest of you.
You are reliable and caring workers, and he should not come along and infect your workplace with the typical lackadaisical attitude most people seem to think is cute these days. As a boss, I treat employees with respect. I have to trust them and they were hired for their qualifications and ability to take charge; because they are expected to work independently.
Jobs are hard to come-by these days. I will make room for someone who appreciates the job, when someone thinks they're on vacation in the office.
I have not had to fire anyone for the last 16 years! We feel like family where I work.
If no one likes the letter idea, I guess you're the chosen one to tell. Then they'll wonder when you'll squeal on one of them, or you'll have to be the one to go to the bosses if they hire yet another jerk. Then the bosses have to wonder why you're always the one complaining. It's how you all feel, not just you!
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (9 July 2014): I call people like him drifters. They drift from place to place, and you are right he WAS fired probably many times before. I certainly hope your bosses will fire him, and I hope you will go tell them. The chances are your ibosses will give him another chance which will be a total waste of time.
People like him never learn: they are going to act exactly the same on a next work place.
What your coworker doesn't have is WORK ETHICS. Work ethics are simple: you are paid by the hour, and when you are at work, you are supposed to work. Anything else you do like playing with your phone,( this is unspeakable what he does), sitting in a chair instead of working, taking longer lunches and so on, tells me he has no work ethics. And there is nothing can be done. The only condition under which he will be working is when he is constantly watched. But then if the watch stops he WILL go to his old ways. The biggest problem with people like this they don't really understand that they are being lazy bums and think that they are entitled to their ignorant behavior . Even if he is told that he is texting all day, the reply would be, no, I just text couple times a day. For him this behavior is totally natural : like for everyone is breathing, you breath not realizing it, you only realize it when there is no oxygen, and then you can't breath.
Mark made a good point. Economy is tough everywhere, unemployment is high. This guy obviously doesn't appreciate that he has a job, and is paid well.
When I saw your post I laughed. Because just yesterday I had to let go one of my employees for exactly the same reasons. And I am regretting I didn't do it 3 months earlier. As a owner of a small company I would appreciate very much if my other employee would tell me. I am also the person who is not going to nag over my employees like a chandelier and tell them what to do.
No, it doesn't make you a gossiper.
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A
male
reader, Mark1978  +, writes (9 July 2014):
 Having been in this situation myself - speak to your boss!
Firstly if he gets fired that his own fault. If he looses his job or the trust and respect of his collegues then he is responsible for that with his poor time management, constant texting and sitting about doing nothing. These are tough times and its a tough job market - he is not a kid and should know damn well to keep his head down and work hard. Im unemployed and would love a job where I get paid for doing jack all day long! Yes please!
Secondly the reason he is getting away with it is the rest of you being too willing to help him and too unwilling to stand up to his behaviour.
Leaving you to move heavy items while he sits about using his phone is ignorant, selfish and unprofessional. Plus he is paid for doing almost nothing, you get paid (presumably the same or less) for doing all the work.
Theres a big difference between being a gossip and telling tales, and quite another to stand up to someone who is taking the piss.
Also, next time he asks you to make his calls you simply say no. Simple as that. If you and others carry him and are too scared to challenge or complain about him, then where is the incentive for him to book his ideas up?
Mark
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