I was out sick on Tuesday and Wednesday. My friend called me at work on Wednesday afternoon and had the following conversation:
Friend: Is Canthearya in? Co-Worker from Hell: She’s out sick. Friend: Oh, she’s out sick? Co-Worker from Hell: Well, supposedly she’s sick.
Supposedly? WHAT THE FUCK?
This co-worker is supposedly religious, supposedly my friend, and supposedly going to give me a nice reference when prospective employers call him.
I confronted him today about his attitude…
If I had my own fucking voicemail, I’d give my friends the number. But no, I’m just the administrative help, so I can’t have my own. Therefore, I ask you, my sweet co-worker, to take the occasional message for me. Is that too much to ask? For you to take out a fucking pen and write a fucking message once a week or so?
Where I am is no one’s business but mine and my boss’. Just say “She’s not in” you stupid dickcheese.
He actually had the audacity to deny that it was he who answered the phone that day! Oh right, you asshole.
It doesn’t really matter if he was joking, because my friend didn’t think he was. If she didn’t get the joke, who’s to say that the next person who called would? He didn’t even ask her who she was, for God’s sake!
I already confronted him, which I needed to do. Sadly, this behavior would most definitely have continued if I had not told him that I knew about it. I used this here Pit to say what I wish I could say to his lying face.
It was a good idea to confront the offender. But don’t bring it to your boss. Managers hate dealing with this stuff. When employees come to me and with the “he said-she said” stuff, I lose respect for that employee.
General rule: bring your boss solutions, not problems.
This is something that really irritates me. There are always those employees that never get sick and somehow doubt anyone that calls in sick. I have colitis (in fact, I just spent a week in the hospital for it), so when I say I’m sick, that means I’m fucking sick, okay?
I know there are people who take advantage of sick time and lie about it, but it’s not fair to those of us who do use sick time for an actual illness!
I even had a conversation with a supervisor about a co-worker who is dumb as a stone and incompetent, and she had the nerve to say that “at least he never gets sick”, like it’s a fucking accomplishment! As if my illness is something I’m doing on purpose and I should be penalized for! I’m a damn great employee and if I use all of my sick days in a year and it’s a problem, then WHY THE FUCK DOES THE COMPANY GIVE US SICK DAYS AT ALL???
So, I understand how you are annoyed with this asshole’s attitude, because it’s just plain ignorant and rude! What you do is your business.
It was a rude an innapropriate thing for this co-worker to say. I could see someone saying this “in jest” to someone they actually knew themselves, and maybe adding “just kidding”, but to just say it to any stranger who calls in for you is way off.
A related rant: Once I got sick just before Christmas, (like Dec. 21st, or something.) I was sick. I was throwing up, and I told the boss that. But after I got back to work, everyone looked at me as if I had lied. Some even asked “Were you really sick?” It annoyed me. I never abused my sick times, I rarely called in sick. What - is there some universal law that NO ONE ever is capable of getting sick before a major holiday? And if they do get sick, then it just can’t be legit? That it must be a lie, because God Forbid, NO ONE gets sick before a holiday?
yosemite: my company actually has a policy whereby if you call in sick immediately before or after a major holiday, they dock your pay for the sick days.
I had to jump through hoops last week to save my pay after my New Year’s houseguests gave me the flu. I mean, it’s one thing to go to the doctor and get a note if there’s actually something they can DO about your illness…but to go to the doctor when you feel like shit just to get the damn note…grrrrrrr.
I’d go to the boss on this one. There are some people who assume that if someone makes a crack like that, the person who said it knows you’re just taking a day off for the helluvit. And what if it had been a superior calling from a cell phone on the way to a business meeting? It could get you into big trouble if it had been said to just the wrong person.
I was recently out sick for three days. My boss called me at home because he was worried about me. I think I’ll be hanging onto this job for a while…
I never could get the hang of Thursdays. - Arthur Dent
Either go to your boss, or send an e-mail to the boss and cc HR requesting “additional training” for your co-worker and the way they handle calls for employees in absentia This is a legitimate complaint. As someone mentioned above, what if it had been a business call. Does the company want to be represented in this way? Whatever they believe of your attendance habits is irrrrrrrrelevant - it should never have been conveyed to a caller.
Take it from someone who has more experience than one should have with stupid, asshole co-workers–Go to your boss!
True, it may seem petty and your boss may hate dealing with shit like this but it comes with the territory. If you don’t tell your boss, then this asshole will do another “little” something and you won’t say anything, then do another "little something and you won’t comment, ad nauseum.
Until the day comes when either (1)asshole does something else “little” and you can’t take it anymore or (2)asshole does something major and you go to your boss completely pissed off. You are going to go off and rant about the recent incident and your boss is going to say, “Settle down, it’s just one tiny thing.” At which point you are going to say “Actually, this isn’t the first time. There was the time when…and then when…and another time…”
You are either going to sound like a petty bitch who is digging up any possible little incident or else you are going to sound like a crazy, unhinged baby who overreacts to the least little thing.
While it may bother your boss to go to him/her every day with a problem, it is in your best interest in the long run to at least keep him/her up to date on recent developments (if something else happens)
First, my opinion on any asshole who would say that to me on the phone about their co-worker.
I would have assumed that you were definately sick and that your co-worker was a total dickcheese. The thought would not have crossed my mind that you were faking, just that you had a real asshole of a co-worker.
Personal anecdote: On the RARE occasion that I have to call in sick for a back problem, I usually don’t answer the phone for anyone. The one time I did, my boss called me to ask if I was “really having back problems” and "when do you think you’ll be [snotty tone]feeling better[/snotty tone].
Well, I was all drugged up on painkillers, it was like 100 degrees out and I was on a heating pad- total misery.
I don’t remember my rant, but ten minutes after I hung up my husband called and asked me if I just quit my job. Apparently my boss called him in a tizzy over how bad I went off on him, and in my drug crazed fit I implied for him to shove his job up his ass.
I had to call him back the next day to apologize and see if I still had a job. (I did) I strongly recommend he never call me again if I’m out sick. He didn’t.
Zette
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
I believe the problem has been solved. The thing that bugs me the most is that my co-worker lied to me about answering the phone. I know it was him. There were only two people here that day and the other guy is great.
My philosophy on problems with co-workers is this: 1. Try to solve the problem myself, without a third party’s intervention. In my opinion, this is only fair. Maybe the guy just made a mistake. 2. If the problem happens again, I’ll bring it to my boss’ attention.
The co-worker in question is passive-agressive, so he doesn’t treat me badly in day-to-day activities, only behind my back. I think the fact that I confronted him may have scared him. He’s a religious guy with five shy, quiet women at home (wife and four daughters). Having a woman call him out was probably shocking. Now he knows that I won’t let him get away with that kind of bullshit. I think he won’t act like such an asshole again.
Speaking as a boss, Bringing these types of issues to me makes me crazy. Sometimes I feel like I’m dad driving the car with kids in the back fighting over petty injustices to each other.
It is best to approach your fellow employee, as you did, and deal with him personally. If the problem really persists, then go to your boss, but bring some possible solutions to the problem.
Don’t forget, your boss gets to know what various employees are like. Your boss may hate the asshole employee, but not have any performance issues to act on. YOu can’t get rid of people for “attitude” problems unless they affect performance.
And to whoever mentioned the “stupid coworker” and the boss replied "at least she doesn’t call in sick, well, stupid but steady employees have a certain advantage. Some jobs simply require a warm, slightly smart body. I have one employee like that. She is a Godsend compared to the smart employee with a zillion personal problems that she replaced.
a simple rule: to get ahead, make your bosses life easier.
Canthearya, I do not mean at all to imply that you were not sick, but this seems to be the appropriate place to vent some frustration about idiot co-workers.
As has been mentioned in other threads, the quality of employees has declined severely recently. In my two-and-a-half years at a grocery store, I have noticed this. One guy called in sick the two days before Thankgiving and the two days before Christmas. Now, what are those, ONLY THE FOUR BUSIEST DAYS OF THE FUCKING YEAR!!!
Another guy talked about going to a party in Chico on a Friday and then called in sick on Saturday, gee, I wonder why.
As a little retribution, the manager saw the first guy driving around on the day that he called in, and I havent seen him since. And just to show how stupid he is, his last paycheck is still at work!!
My favorite story is the one where my friend’s co-worker answered the phone for someone and informed the caller that she was in the bathroom. Is this something you really want to know!