What would you do.

[boomersruckus]

I work for a big name company. I have a desk job. I am not very good at this job but I am getting better. It is outside of my typical work profile. Formerly I was a mechanic and team lead. 17 years of doing that. Now my job uses those experiences to help people doing that still but it requires me to be very proficient in several computer programs and I am just not. Again, I am getting better. My job is 0% remote but from time to time with permission, my boss allows me and my 1 co-worker to work from home. Sick wife or kid or some other descent reason to be able to work, just not in the office.

My co-worker, a dude 17 years younger than me has helped me tremendously over the last year or so to get me to where I am. I could have reached out to others in my team but it would have been through skype as they are located in other states. Just my co-worker and I are located where we are. He is in person and sits next to me so asking him questions in person has been exceptionally beneficial.

Our boss works on site with us but has to drive to check in on us and as such, she announces her desire to check in on us. So most of the time it is me and my co-worker. He has taken it on himself to work remotely most every morning. We work from 5 to 130. He shows up around 8 and leaves at noon, if he comes in at all. Most of the time he just works from home. My boss assumes he comes in every day. As he is my co-worker, he and I share responsibilities. We have large projects that are falling more and more on my shoulders alone. When he works remotely, It takes up to an hour for him to respond to my questions. My boss doesnt have any idea of this and I wont tell my boss. I aint no snitch. Its kinda pissing me off though. Maybe there is no answer and all I needed was to vent this somewhere. Or maybe yall have some insight on what I should do. As I mentioned, If it wasnt for his help, I would probably have found another opportunity within my company. I owe him a large debt of gratitude but his absence is starting to drag me down and the industry I am in gives no shits about excuses. Timely production is the one metric that is tracked beyond all others. I feel like I am going to be getting mentioned in meetings for deadline delays if he doesnt start to show up and pull his weight. What to do????

[Drcemento]

Letting shit fester never benefits anyone. nip it in the bud. whether you owe him or not doesn't count for beans if he's dragging you both down. You have options. You can tell him to get his shit together and hold his end up and see what happens. In this situation the fact that your picking up the slack is only enabling his behavior.

Going to the boss is always hard, and they might not always have your back, so your read on what her reaction will be is critical. What worries me is that she has not caught on and nipped it in the ass already - a competent boss should have picked up on his absence. how has she dealt with problems in the past?

I ain't no snitch means you will eventually take the hit along with him when performance finally dips below an acceptable level. if you feel your honor and debt to him outweighs your job and sanity theres not allot that can be done other than telling him to pull it together.

[superman]

I had a similar situation happen recently. I work for my dad and his business partner, I had an employee below me that was taking advantage in a similar situation. Walks during the day, leaving for long lunches, dipping out early, remote work at a vacation destination, etc. It got to be more and more. My dad and his partner were wondering why productivity was low and i was reluctant to throw him under the bus with out a suitable replacement...... some time goes by and he finally came to me saying he wasn't happy and was looking for jobs elsewhere. He was let go the next day. Since then a new employee, my younger brother who i regularly butt heads with has taken his position and it has been a night and day difference. Productivity has significantly increased and he has only been in that position 2 weeks or so.

In your specific situation, i would take full advantage of that employee being in the office when he is. Take as many notes as you possibly can about processes, procedures, etc. Once you feel comfortable. I would find a time for your boss to show up before that guy. See if they can assist with something. Schedule a meeting with them, ask for training. It doesn't really matter, you just need them to see Tommy, isn't at work. The little light bulb will click on for your boss that he may not be working when he says he is and they can either correct it or replace him if necessary. Either way it really isn't your problem, it is theirs, no matter how much he helped you.

Depending what type of work you are in, you may want to consider telling your boss so that the employee can prepare training material for an expected new hire in a different department. Solely for them to prepare it for their predecessor.

This may also seem extreme, but i would start a time log of when he is actually in the office working. It will hit home pretty quick as to how much the company is losing in productivity.

Good luck sir.

[Drcemento]

I like that! get her over there for something when he's not around! if she avoids it that means she could be complicit in his behavior and cannot be trusted to help. if she shows up and does the right thing you only stand to benefit.

[Daltech]

If he doesn’t go to jail then you ain’t no snitch.

I’ve been in similar but different situations. Carrying the work load. I’ve found it’s better to speak directly to the culprit that may or may not be aware of the impact they are creating, or may be aware but once you make hit know that you know he might change his behavior without you having to get anyone else involved and in the long run he will respect you coming to him instead of going over his head and “ snitching”. But if after you confront him and make him aware of the negative impact it’s having in you , by all means snitch away. You don’t owe him anything for helping you get up to speed that’s part of the job and being part of the team. Not a “I owe you”. Writing this all down is a great way to organize your thoughts and make sure you’re not making any rash decisions. I tend to give people 3 strikes before it’s game on and they’re on my shit list of people to not help or talk to.

[Chappy]

I just want to add that, as someone with management experience, if I find out that your covering for an employee who is not showing up, the fact that you ain’t no snitch is not exactly a positive trait. That is going to reflect very poorly on you and your future if it comes to light.

talk to the guy and explain you’re worried his behavior is going to affect both of you.

[boomersruckus]

I appreciate all of your suggestions. This has been happening since January when my new boss took over actually. She is a good supervisor in that she doesnt micromanage and she has taken quick action on office matters and road blocks. I think she is used to working with very high level engineers who are so tied into the program that they pretty much run the show. I and my co-worker are not in her normal channel of employee. We are junior in the program and support the higher up engineers with planning and drawing approvals. Not saying she shouldnt know he is being an absent turd but giving her the benefit of the doubt. I really woud love for her to discover this on her own. Drcemento, you are right though, my sanity is important. For me and my home life. I will think about how to tell him to remove his head from his butt before the boss "finds out"....somehow.

[superman]

Since this is a new manager, have you thought about a 6 months review of sorts to discuss this with her and tell her that you really are trying to be a team player here, but your drowning in work.... o by the way other guy has been less present.

[boomersruckus]

Thanks fellas. You are providing me with a ton of perspective. I appreciate each and everyone of you taking the time to chime in. This has been bothering me and I wasnt sure how to handle it.

[flyweightnate]

We had some ... culture issues with young engineers at a previous job. My boss was well- meaning, brilliant, but naive. He could handle the senior engineers well and get us motivated and aimed the right direction. He was clueless on discipline issues as he truly believed people were all inherently going to work their best unless the system prevented it. I assumed the younger engineers hadn't yet learned how long the arc of consequences can bend.

Eventually, the younger engineers would drift in late, stay in the breakroom until 9 with their coffee, long lunches, etc. He asked for my advice as I was far less openly empathetic, considering I was picking up their slack and losing design milestone bonuses as a result.

"Have an 8:10 check in every single day."

That alone made a huge difference. It set a more rigorous tone, ensured my boss checked in with his reports right after the most immediate "fires" were reported, and signaled that the day did, in fact, start at 8 with a slight tolerance for Dallas traffic (which always sucks).


I'd - quietly/ privately - encourage your boss to make regular, mid-morning drop ins to check on "morale and roadblocks, and plan the next couple days." Perhaps hint that, in an unfamiliar setting, you get frustrated on occasion when a technical issue pops up and you don't have a path to resolve it. She should get the hint. If she's a little slow, "you'd be welcome any time - no need to check with me first."

Sometimes you just need to make people pull their weight. If the trifecta of workplace macro metrics - Authority, Responsibility, Liability - don't align, everyone suffers. You can't be responsible for your coworker without authority, and you can't be liable for the team performance if you're taking more than your share of responsibility.

[BLachance75]

I just want to add that, as someone with management experience, if I find out that your covering for an employee who is not showing up, the fact that you ain’t no snitch is not exactly a positive trait. That is going to reflect very poorly on you and your future if it comes to light.

I fully agree with this. If I find out that one of my employees is covering for another one who isn't coming into work then they will both face repercussions.

[JeeperCreeper]

I agree with not covering for them. I'd be pretty mad if I found out that was going on and would likely have to reprimand everyone involved. I used to supervise a crew of drywallers. I've heard every lame excuse under the sun. I've also seen people throw eachother under the bus at a moments notice. This guy isn't doing you any favors by being such a liability, and if it came down to it, could easily throw your name into the conversation to bring you down, too.

[Grendel]

While having your skilled co-worker nearby to answer questions has been convenient, you have benefited from their mentoring on various programs, but their help isn't necessary. I have spent the last 10 years transitioning from doing electronic and electro-mechanical failure analysis to a data analyst (and data consultant). This was all done by teaching myself things like Tableau, Power BI, SQL, R, and Python on my own. It is incredible what you can learn from YouTube without formal classes. It was good of your co-worker to help you, but it was unnecessary. You got the job now; just learn how to do it on your own.

You need to CYA, so speak to your co-worker about your concerns. Ultimately, you've got to watch out for yourself because no one else will.

"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." - Teddy Roosevelt

[Chappy]

Hmmm. I seem to remember a presidential quote of some similar advice. Man I see it all the time. What was that… it’ll come to me.

[Grendel]

I wonder where

[Frmrspec]

I come from a family that talks straight and gives no BS.. unfortunately it means I’ve been raised to talk straight and give no BS.. this has often been met with ……mixed reception. most of the time the negative response is from people who don’t give a damn/slackers.

Personally I would have a straight up talk with this person. Tell them how much you have valued their contributions and hope to continue to work with but the direction his behavior is taking is problematic. I would tell him that I’m not there to baby sit them, but if their behavior is affecting my efficacy then we’re going to have a problem.

[Number six]

Tell him where you stand. Tell him if she shows up, you won't cover for him, and you should not. He may have taught you how to computer, but no work ethic is no work ethic. He'll hang himself with his own rope at some point.
That said, if the employee book specifically calls for what you refer to as "snitching", then there's hardly a choice. You cannot allow your own ship to sink for someone else.
I'm an aircraft mechanic. My signature is my bond for the work I've performed. I will not sign for someone else's work, and I will not cover for anyone.
Just my .02, if it's worth that much.

[Sherwoodsghost]

Sugar coat the hard medicine. Say "Hey bud I really like you and the work you do. Your not in trouble, we are falling behind and I need you to be here". If he says anything bad or negative, say "I'm not your supervisor, you are a grown adult, please have your work ready. Sorry I bothered you."

If that doesn't work , escalate it to your boss. Although most ethics trainings say not to approach the coworker first, that's what a friend would do...

Disclaimer - This is not legal advise.

[boomersruckus]

Boss and co-worker both called out today