Am I petty or do I have a right to say something?

lindalee0315

I know it's not deducted from his pay. We discuss our pay with each other and anything else.

This is why most jobs say wages are confidential and shouldn't be discussed with anyone...it only creates problems...

It's illegal to prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours or working conditions. An employer cannot fire or discipline an employee for doing so. It's a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Most employers no longer have that language in either their handbooks or their offer letters.

lizziebeth1028

I just want to know if I am being petty. I work at a very small CPA firm. 2 Parters (bosses), 2 employees (me and this dude) and a part time receptionist. We are allowed 40 hours Vacation, 40 hours "Comp Time" (from the non-paid OT we work in tax season), and 40 hours sick. After 5 years you get a third week vacation. In the 6 years I have been here I have never gone over my allotted time off. The other dude working here has only been here 3 years. He went over by 40 hours last year and the company just kinda "wrote it off". In my opinion I had to work here 5 years to earn that additional week. Now this year is almost over and he is once again over more than 40 hours and its only October. He has no major medical problems. He does have a child but so do I (and in most cases it's the mother that has to deal with the sick babies). He comes in late and leaves early all the time because he is working on his Masters but the 2 years I spent getting my Masters I didn't go over my time. I just feel it is very unfair that he get all this extra PTO that I don't get and I have been here 3 years longer than him. Is there anything I could say to my bosses? Should I even say anything? Am I just being petty?

Also our raises are always the same % for both of us, so it's not like I'm being rewarded for my dedication to my job in a financial way.

I think all of us..whether working for a big or small company..has at least one of this type of employee. Here at my office we call her Martha the useless receptionist. In my vast experience of life lol....it's of no benefit to say anything. Deal with it or move on. That's life in the working world.

In my office we have a "Margaret the useless admin assistant". lol Even though she has the worst attendence of everyone, she is the leave administrator. She is AWOL alot, takes breaks that are a half hour to one hour long, is late and leaves early every single day (with no leave deductions) and she watches the rest of us like a hawk (when she is actually here, and then checks on our attendence by asking other staff, not us, when she isn't here). She even tries to mark us absent when we are here! We have to pay close attention... Also, when an employee submits forms that they have signed as true and correct, she will write all over them making unapproved and incorrect changes and then submit them directly to the Director... oh I could go on and on.....

We all have annoying co-workers (where I live and work many breaches of policy are ignored based on race-how unfair is that?); it's best just to do our own work and mind our own business, unless something they do directly affects your work and performance.

^^^^ lol this is too funny! The employee I referred to..Martha is also in charge of peoples comings and goings and she has the worst attendance I've ever seen!!! She's been here 10 years and EVERY year she goes into dock days. LOl..like I said every office has to have at least one!

Lleldiranne

Do you know for a fact that he gets paid for all this extra time? It may be that he takes some of it off unpaid. Unless he talks about getting extra paid time off, or you do the payroll and see that he is (in which case, maybe you have a way of bringing it up in the vein of protecting the company against losses), you may be mistaken that he is actually getting paid for those days.

Elzecat

Anything you say in reference to the amount of work that you do versus him, time you put in, his leaving early, his absence etc. is going to come off petty. It's going to come across like a child screaming "it's NOT fair!!!"

However, I would point out my accomplishments, but never compare against someone else. It does come across petty.

I agree with this. Complaining is not the way to go. Documenting all your accomplishments and attendance, including the times you carried the office on your own, and then scheduling a meeting with your boss to make a case for a higher raise is the better path. If you can schedule this meeting before salary planning is conducted, even better. You can't wait until raises have already been budgeted/decided (which generally happens months ahead of your actual review and notification of your raise).

I don't think you are being petty by feeling that it is unfair, but I do agree with both of the above--rather than pointing fingers at someone who is (from what it sounds like) taking advantage of the system and your boss' goodwill, I would focus on spotlighting YOUR positive contributions to the workplace. Hopefully that good stuff will be remembered come time for promotions or references for future employment

Elzecat

Do you know for a fact that he gets paid for all this extra time? It may be that he takes some of it off unpaid. Unless he talks about getting extra paid time off, or you do the payroll and see that he is (in which case, maybe you have a way of bringing it up in the vein of protecting the company against losses), you may be mistaken that he is actually getting paid for those days.

Good point.

rob1976

He may have an agreement with the company for a certain amount of time off to work on his schooling. I have one with my company and a lot of the other employees think it isn't fair to them.

My opinion is that anyone that has a job should just be glad they have one and should just "roll with the punches" or you may find yourself job less if you rock the boat too much. As long as what they're doing isn't blatant discrimination, let it go.

Cold_Steel

This is coming from a manager...

Do not say anything about it at all. It is not your responsibility to manage this guy. It is your responsibility to follow the rules as you see fit in the performance of your duties.

Going to your boss and complaining about it is only going to back fire on you. It is their firm, they can do with it as they please. You are not being discriminated against from the circumstances you pointed out and that would not be defined under any state law for definition of discrimination.

If you began to do the same thing he was doing and you were punished and he was not then that is a definition of discrimination, the mere fact that they do not seem to care about his tardiness will only be exasperated by your attempts to complain about it. Obviously it doesnt bother whoever is signing his check... Maybe it does and they are planning on removing him but regardless its between him and them not you and them.

Until you are treated differently do not complain, you do not have a case, period. You will just come off as a whiney tattle tell.

DonM46

I was 'the dude' in a former employer's arena.
I officiated football, so I'd often leave at 2:30 or 3 to get to a 4:30 junior high game on Thursdays. On Fridays, I'd sometimes leave at noon or so to travel to a ball game being played at some distant location on Friday night.
During the off-season, I'd attend rules clinics, meetings, and conventions which started on Friday afternoon, so I'd be out all day on Friday.
The boss told me that he didn't care, ".... as long as you get your work done."
Could a similar thing be happening here?

Cold_Steel

Could a similar thing be happening here?

From the poster I dont think she really cares if there are mitigating circumstances, it would seem as though they would think it still to be unfair.

travisseger

If you want more paid time off, I would approach that subject with your employers, but I would leave your co-worker completely out of that conversation. Unfair or not, to bring it up will probably come across as petty.

Marillian

As a boss, if you came to me with this complaint, I'd probably tell you to that It's none of your business that your co-worker is going over his allowable time. Also, I would not take you too seriously in terms of your trying to negotiate more time off if you are not taking what is already allotted to you. However, what you may wish to consider is negotiating a compensation package where, at the end of the year, you get paid a bonus for any time you did not use. Point out your good attendance, especially during peak season, but definitely leave your co-worker out of it. I'd also stop discussing salaries with your co-worker. That is something that employers expect employees to keep confidential, especially in a small firm such as the one that employs you. While there is no law against it, it's just a good business practice.

DonM46

From the poster I dont think she really cares if there are mitigating circumstances, it would seem as though they would think it still to be unfair.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
So, two employees are given the task of adding the number in column 1 to the number in column 2 and putting the answer in column 4.
Employee A says, "Well, let's see here. Whoops, I gotta sharpen this pencil. [grind, grind, grind] OK, six and four ... carry the one ... uh ... yeah, the total is (whatever)," and writes the result in column 3. Then, goes to the restroom, and on the way back, stops at the coffee bar to get a fresh cup, says 'hello' to a visitor in the lobby and that evolves into a conversation about the weather or last night's game, returns to the desk, and sees the number in the wrong place, erases that and rewrites it in column 4. Employee A just noticed that B has gone home for the day.
Employee B does the addition in his head, writes it in column 4. He puts the work on his boss's desk as he goes out the door.

scapez

I used to work with a guy that would routinely make up trips out of town to do work in other office. I knew for a fact that he was taking his own food and handing in bogus expense reports. He was also hooking up (and I mean that literally) with chicks he met online. He would take these trips routinely - like every other week, sometimes once a week. And guess who was stuck behind doing his share of the work while he was doing that?

This went on for months. I was pissed and bitter.

However, I never said a word. First off, I couldn't definitively prove it. Secondly, he had a 20 year working relationship with our director, the guy that hired him and the only one I felt that I could complain to.

Karma eventually got him and he was let go. I still work here.

randomtai

You could be taking more time off too, you choose not to.

THIS.

jessilee119

I know it's not deducted from his pay. We discuss our pay with each other and anything else.

This is why most jobs say wages are confidential and shouldn't be discussed with anyone...it only creates problems...

It's illegal to prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours or working conditions. An employer cannot fire or discipline an employee for doing so. It's a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Most employers no longer have that language in either their handbooks or their offer letters.

Thanks for the info...I just remember them telling us that at my first job years ago. But, I still find it's best not to discuss wages with my coworkers.

DamnImASexyBitch

I'd say something, but not make it a you vs him thing. I would lay out what you want to see increase for yourself, and talk up exactly what you do for their firm.... but only if you're close to maxing out your current time off schedule. If not, then I'd have to kinda say butt out and not worry about whether he is getting things you are not, unless he is putting his responsibilities off on you. Then it's different.

wow29

You could be taking more time off too, you choose not to.

I have thought about this! I may catch the "flu" next month.

Sounds better and sounds like they will miss u wait for a "sick or "snow" day. Would you like to switch jobs I literally have to ask permission to use the bathroom so someone can take my place at work!

wow29

I know it's not deducted from his pay. We discuss our pay with each other and anything else.

This is why most jobs say wages are confidential and shouldn't be discussed with anyone...it only creates problems...

I have actually read that if you discuss salary it could work better b/c wages would even out for all, but I am a realistic, people do not usually do it

It's illegal to prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours or working conditions. An employer cannot fire or discipline an employee for doing so. It's a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Most employers no longer have that language in either their handbooks or their offer letters.

Thanks for the info...I just remember them telling us that at my first job years ago. But, I still find it's best not to discuss wages with my coworkers.

Simone_King

Forgive me but...

If you have the vacation time: TAKE IT! You earned the time off so simply take it. Come to work, do a good job, get it over for the day, and when it's time to go home than go home.

c2sky

Sorry, but life is not fair, and you aren't walking in his shoes. You don't know how he sees things. And you don't know what the boss sees as his contributions. I had two very different employees who started "complaining" about each other. I told them both the same thing. "you have your strengths and your weaknesses." I like you both and I choose to capitalize on both your strengths." Please focus on what you can do.

While you THINK you may be complaining about him to your boss, you will come across as complaining about your boss's fairness. From what you told me, in these tough economic times, life sounds pretty fair for you. Sorry to be so blunt, but there are a LOT of people who would give their right arm to be in your shoes.....including many boss's who NEVER get time off, let alone paid time.