Hi Reddit. I am usually a lurker but I need an outside perspective. I am going to be a bit vague for professional reasons because I think the coworker in question might also use Reddit.
I (F32) work in a K to 5 school with a small team of special area teachers. It is demanding but rewarding. I also run two extracurricular activities and I am supposed to have help.
One coworker is in an assistant type role. While he mainly assists one position, his contract says he helps wherever needed such as me, my team lead, or wherever admin assigns him. His hours are 7:30 to 3:30 and his duties include managing equipment, helping teachers when asked, and supervising students during duty times.
The issue is he basically does none of this.
He is often late and leaves early. When asked to help he acts like he cannot do simple tasks. For example I asked him to place papers on even numbered spaces for an activity. I explained it and showed him a sample row. He still asked how to lay the paper.
Another time he asked how to assemble a cardboard box with the instructions printed on it.
Most of the time he sits in the shared workspace on his phone. I stopped asking for help because when he “helps” I have to redo the work.
Another issue involves drinks. Our team lead keeps canned drinks in the shared fridge. She once said people could ask for one. He never asks. He just takes them, sometimes 1 to 3 at a time. She is a single woman in her late 40s working two jobs to get by. He is 26, lives with a roommate, brings takeout daily, and has subscriptions but never brings his own drinks. She recently told him he has to ask or contribute. He responded with “Why?”
Recently our building was told it will be demolished so we are packing decades of materials to move temporarily. My team lead has about 60 years of materials. I also have years of resources in my room.
I packed my entire space myself with bruises and scrapes to prove it. He never offered help.
The team finally assigned him the shared storage space. He packed maybe one third and did it poorly while still asking how to build boxes.
Today I skipped lunch to keep packing and heard our administrator confronting him for sitting on his phone again. While she asked what he had packed he was laughing and lying.
I said “Why are you laughing at her? That is rude.”
He replied “Why are you even here?”
I said “Because I work here. What about you?”
Admin suggested he help me pack. I said no because when he helps it creates more work for me and I have examples.
He said I was being disrespectful.
I replied “I am being disrespectful? That is hilarious,” and walked away before saying worse.
Later I apologized to my administrator for speaking out of turn. She told me it needed to be said.
Now I am wondering if I crossed a line by confronting him and refusing his help in front of admin.
So AITA?
NTA. Cut and dry. Document everything and share with whoever is responsible for firing and replacing him.
I try but I also don’t want to be “that guy” I am early to work often for my clubs and also I’m an early riser anyway and he strolls in 7-15 minutes late daily I did mention that one and it was dismissed. I mentioned he creates more work for me before and they said ok. It’s discouraging to go to them
Every job I have ever worked in, there is a regular performance review.
Once every 6 or 12 months, every employee fills in a pile of paperwork about what their performance goals were at the last review, whether they think they met them, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what they’d like to improve in, and what their goals will be for the next review period.
Then their supervisor takes that paperwork, reads it, and documents it from their own point of view.
Then the two of them have a meeting where they discuss all this.
Who is your colleague’s supervisor? Is it you? Or is it the administrator you referred to? Or is it someone else? And when is his next performance review due?
Because this is the type of information that his supervisor needs to know about. He is clearly failing on multiple fronts.
Frankly, he’s lucky to still have a job. Regularly coming in late, leaving early, and spending significant time on his phone would have been disciplinary offenses, even sackable ones, in every place I’ve ever worked, even if he’s otherwise doing an OK job – which it would seem he is not.
Document everything he is failing in. Don’t use emotive language or value judgments (e.g. “he’s lazy”, “he’s rude”, “he’s disrespectful”). Just document every incident to the best of your memory, everything he says or does which is not what he should be doing. Then hand it to whoever is his supervisor.
You didn’t cross a line. NTA.
Nta
My daughter cant get a full time job but losers like this guy can keep theirs? Make it make sense
My friend I’m trying thank you
NTA, and it sounds like your administrator understands and is on your side. Hopefully there will finally be consequences for this employee.
Is this person developmentally disabled? Because honestly that’s the only excuse I can think of for “is unable to assemble a box using the instructions printed on said box.”
NTA
Unironically or ironically depending your perspective my team lead has questioned this too and us being educators I played this question a few times in my head butttttt I truly think this HAS to be weaponized incompetence idk maybe tho
I asked because I legit have someone on my team who passes as a low-functioning stoner but is in fact autistic and just needs very explicit instructions. Like “please assemble ALL the boxes in this stack using the instructions provided on the box and then come find me when you are finished.” If you don’t include that last part they’ll finish putting the boxes together in 10 minutes and then happily spend 2 hours on their phone until you show up and give them a new task.
NTA. Which higher-up is he related to?
No NTA. He isn’t working. Hes just taking up space. And has no desire to do any real work. Don’t apologize for anything. The admin even told you it needed to be said. He should be fired!
NTA. Your coworker is an expert in weaponized incompetence. Call him out every time…