By, Nicole Crimaldi
One of our readers needs your help!
I received an email from reader “Sarah” this morning which explained that her co-worker (a veteran of her company) had been slacking, causing big messes. In the process of cleaning these messes up, Sarah started noticing that her veteran co-worker was cutting corners, telling white lies and not fulfilling her job responsibilities; therefore costing their company money and possibly even opportunities with clients.
Sarah’s co-worker has been with the company years longer than she has, and it seems that she is taking advantage of her tenure to an unhealthy degree. Now that some of the messes are coming out of the woodwork, the veteran employee has gone to their director and “stirred the pot” making it seem like Sarah receives preferential treatment and vacation time (which is not the case).
Sarah’s initial reaction was to get revenge and tell their director about all of the messes the veteran has caused lately and the financial implications they may have on their company.
While Sarah feels she has a duty to reveal truths that could hurt the company, it is my belief that her timing and delivery of the message to the director is crucial as it will determine Sarah’s professionalism and maturity.
How would you handle this if you were Sarah?
Please leave your comments for Sarah. Thanks!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, what a sticky situation. I agree with you that timing and delivery is very important when speaking to the director. I think it will be very important to ensure that Sarah expresses her concern with her coworker’s unprofessionalism by outling specific errors rather than her opinion of the messy job the coworker has done. It may be a challenge to make it factual, not emotional, but that is what keeps you mature and professional. Good luck Sarah!
I think that Sarah should approach the situation head-on but not “tattle” on her co-worker. If it were me, I think I would schedule a meeting with my manager and ask to talk about her performance and if there is anything she needs to do to work on. I would probably address the situation and say head on to the director, “I have heard that there may have been discussions about my vacation time and although I don’t want to get involved with gossip, I do want to be sure that you and I are on the same page.”
Good luck!
I agree with Amanda that if the situation is going to be presented to a supervisor of some kind then it needs to be factual and numbers driven. Having monetary losses (even estimates) can go a long way. Also, it is always best to approach these situations humbly. Tell the manager that you are uncomfortable and then ask for their opinion on the information you present. Absolutely avoid having any hint of personal judgement in the delivery. Best of luck Sarah.
One of the fist mistakes many people assume in communication is to assume they know what another person’s motivation and intent is. Does Sarah know for a fact that this woman’s intention is to be a detriment to the company? Depending on Sarah’s relationship with this woman and/or her supervisor, an additional step to take BEFORE going to a superior would be to talk to the woman and ask if there are personal things going on in her life that have made work difficult for her lately, as that could be the reason she is slacking in her work. If she isn’t comfortable doing that, then I would suggest she at least bring it up in the conversation with the director. Compassion and understanding is something that women are good at feigning, but seldom actually practice, especially in the corporate realm.