Pro tip: I stopped covering for my coworker's late morning after 6 months of it

I used to just quietly clock in and start, covering her section until she strolled in around 9:45 every day. Last Tuesday, my supervisor asked who left the back door unlocked and I finally said, 'I was too busy doing Maya's side work to check.' Now she's on a written warning and I got stuck with her attitude for two days, but honestly the peace of mind is worth it. Has anyone else had to decide between covering and throwing someone under the bus, and how did you handle the fallout?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_riley21d ago

Man, I feel this in my bones. I covered for a guy for almost a year because I thought it was the nice thing to do, but once I finally stopped, the boss realized he was the one slacking off the whole time. The fallout was awkward for a few weeks, but honestly, the relief of not carrying someone else’s weight every single day was way bigger than any dirty looks I got.

wrenh6520d ago

Honestly, that “relief of not carrying someone else’s weight” line from @the_riley is the real kicker, it’s like the whole world runs on people quietly covering for others until somebody finally snaps. I’ve seen it everywhere, not just jobs, but with friends who always pay for dinner or relatives who handle all the holiday planning, it’s the same pattern of one person absorbing the slack until they just can’t anymore. Once you stop, the guilt fades fast, and you realize you weren’t being mean, you were just the only one who bothered to notice the uneven split.