I work in a small warehouse where there are pickers and packers. Yesterday the other pickers were off sick, so I was alone while three people were packing.
In the morning, the printer which prints out order details and return forms that are supposed to go in the boxes so the packers know what to do was slow. I kept picking boxes while waiting for it to catch up.
Meanwhile, the packers were all standing around the printer, laughing and chatting. I assumed they would start working once the forms came through. I saw one of them pick up the first two orders, and I assumed he would put them in the boxes for me.
It soon became apparent that he hadn’t put them in the boxes he just put them back in the printer. They continued chatting for another 20 minutes while I kept picking and the forms stacked up until I had picked about 15 orders. I was frustrated but didn’t say anything.
Eventually, they decided to start working. One of them arrogantly told me to put the papers in the boxes, like I was some kind of idiot. I replied, “Why, have you got too much to do?” He became visibly angry but didn’t say anything and kept chatting with the others. A few moments later, someone else asked me more politely to put the papers in the boxes, and I just asked, “Why can’t you do it?”
At that point, I went to my boss to explain what was happening because I was really frustrated.
For the rest of the day, my coworkers treated me poorly, and I feel like they were trying to blame me for something they could have fixed in seconds. I would have put the rest of the forms in the boxes as usual if they had just started working, but it feels like they waited 20 minutes just to make it my fault.
AITA?
Your co-workers were being dicks. Although “technically” it may have been your job that’s not how being part of a team works.
NTA. At all.
they were literally standing right by the printer doing nothing while you did the work of three people
You are upset about having to cover for your sick coworkers and are taking it out on others. They don’t have to do your job for you because you are busy. It’s your bosses fault for not getting you help
It sounds like it’s part of your job to put the forms in boxes (“I would have done it as usual…”). Why would you think they’d do it instead when you didn’t ask? Plus it would barely be helpful.
Yes, I think ESH, mainly the management. If it’s 3 people to 1, it’s their job to redistribute the tasks, so that no one is slacking or being overloaded. Your coworkers telling you what to do is also not very empathetic, so that makes them AH too. And while I know how it feels to have more work than possible, it’s not the coworkers’ fault and they didn’t deserve to be snapped at.
Yeah that’s my feeling that I shouldn’t have done that, but what bothered me is they clearly used the opportunity to do nothing for 20 minutes and then shift the blame to me.
No man fuck that, they are lazy pricks.
My job people stand around take off early knowing there’s work ” it’s not my job to shovel” well it’s also not mine but y’all Wana work next week, if we don’t clean we can’t the stuff we need to the machines to give us work.
If you want to play games like this at work, step one is making sure you do your job before you give anyone else any shot at all.
Your job was to put the forms in boxes. You didn’t do that because you wanted to make a point, but I promise you are the one who came off poorly here.
YTA – It was your job, not theirs. You didn’t ask for help. You were rude for no reason. Then you tried to rattle that they weren’t doing your job. You made yourself look bad, not them.
NTA. “Not my job” in these types of scenarios (vs, say, a doctor and their staff), is bs. If you (the general “you,” not yourself, specifically, op) work there, it’s your job. They needed to be helping out because of the staff shortage.
You were right, but not helping yourself. So no judgement on that. Next time, tell your co-workers your expectations (even if these are normal expectations) before taking action. They might see this as snitching and that is not helping your position amongst them. Even though you were right to be frustrated. Speak up next time “hey, i am doing this job alonr now, would you mind doing XYZ while you chat? Thanks”. Or “should i come back for these boxes when you are ready?”
They see going to the boss as drastic for something that in their eyes is normal work culture.
NTA. You tried to do your part while they were clearly slacking. Them leaving the forms unattended and blaming you is unfair.
ESH – because you don’t have a team, but a collection of individuals. It doesn’t sound like anyone is a leader, including yourself. You never asked these co-workers to help out. You expected them to know what you wanted them to do how?
Communication is key, especially when you’re down a few players. It’s unfortunate your boss doesn’t have a clear expectation that others help out when a team is down due to illness or injury. It sounds like everyone has their heads down, focusing only on what’s in front of them, and not working as a team.
Well we are all trained in all the roles. It’s not like they didn’t know what needed to be done. It was their choice to slack off for 20minutes, instead of just taking the paper they needed to get started.
I mean I got frustrated because they know what to do. It’s not like I am expecting rocket science from them.