Employee asks if they were wrong to ignore coworker's 'family emergency.'
Covering a shift for a coworker with a scheduling conflict is a standard part of many jobs, but nobody should expect you to suddenly drop everything to do them a favor...
We've all worked with at least one impressively flaky person who makes you regularly question how they've managed to get away with a hilarious lack of effort for so long.
So, when a conflicted employee decided to consult the moral compass of the internet otherwise known as Reddit's 'Am I the As*hole' about whether or not they were wrong to ignore their flaky coworker's shift change request, people were quick to help deem a verdict.
AITA for ignoring my coworker who has a “family emergency?'
I have this one coworker who gets on my nerves. She’s still fairly new but she does things that really aggravate me. First of all, there hasn’t been one full week that she hasn’t called off.
She will frantically text me and other coworkers to see if we can cover, or she calls out right before her shift and my manager scrambles to find coverage.
She said that she didn’t get paid enough at this job (probably because you don’t work the hours you’re given) so she went and got another job that pays a dollar more. After that, she changed her availability to Monday-Wednesday only at my job. She gets those three days if she’s lucky, but not always.
Well this week she has those three shifts Mon-Weds, and on Sunday night she texts me to ask if I work on Monday. I didn’t, but I didn’t say anything because it was pretty late and she could have assumed I was already asleep.
Well today, just now before her shift in two hours, she texts me to ask if I’m working again because she had a “family emergency” pop up and her dad needs her. I was asleep and didn’t see the text and then she called me two times in a row. I didn’t answer either of them.
I don’t know if she’s being honest because she calls out at least once a week. And I sure as hell don’t want to go in because I am already the main person to cover days when we’re short staffed, I’ve been working through the weekend for 4 months straight now.
I got today off because I have a college class in the middle of the day and while I could skip it, I already spend too much time at my job when I’m in school full-time.
I’m praying that my manager doesn’t ask me to work the closing shift bc she didn’t show up, but that’s usually what happens and then I have to push through my anxiety to say no.
There’s a possibility she’s truly having a family emergency, but she cries wolf and calls out so much that I don’t know what to believe.
AITA for ignoring her?
Ditching one job for a dollar raise? You have to respect the hustle here. Of course, the jury of internet strangers was eager to weigh in. Here's what the people had to say about the staff drama...
DinoSnuggler said:
NTA (Not the As*hole). 'Sorry, but I'm not available today' is a valid and complete answer. You sound young, and it might feel really off saying something like that, but the more times you use it, the more comfortable it'll get.
TranslatorBoth1648 said:
NTA. She should be calling her boss about not making it. Calling you creates no conflict for management because they don't have to reschedule. If the manager has to keep finding a replacement they'll end up firing her and hiring someone else.
Andante79 said:
NTA. Your time off is yours. It doesn't matter if you have any, or of your ans are to just spend some time chilling. This is something management needs to deal with. When I was still in my retail days, I would almost never answer calls from work or coworkers on my days off. When someone called me on it, I just said that when I am not scheduled to work, I make other plans.
msdu5276769 said:
NTA. Sounds like more people need to start ignoring her, then maybe she'll get the message that not everyone exists solely to provide her with favors.
Later, the post was updated to include:
UPDATE 1: just got the “hey can you cover” text from my manager that I was dreading. He was nice enough to ask me to come in after my class which ends at 6, so I would only have to be there for a few hours but I don’t know what to tell him??? I feel like if I give in then I’m just feeding into her continuing to call out like this.
UPDATE 2: I told my manager that she tried to contact me both Sunday and this morning, and that I was not going to be coming in today because I need to focus on school. He was super understanding about it, and I’m sure we will talk more about it my next shift.
I know my manager is already well aware but I am going to reiterate that she is unreliable and that resentment does build amongst coworkers when you let things slide for one person and the rest of the team has to pick up the slack.
And to answer the question we're all wondering...
I understand why he won’t just fire her right now because we are seriously understaffed, but something’s gotta give.