Re: Ethical dilemma

["Jeff Hanvey" <jewahe -at- lycos -dot- co -dot- uk>]

At a previous job (not a tech writing job, but this will serve to illustrate
the point), there was one person who was the Queen of the Timecard. She'd
count everyone else's hours carefully, and make a fuss if she perceived
dishonesty (even to the point of questioning the method of rounding). This
person wasn't a supervisor, wasn't anything but a peon like the rest of us,
and had no rights to make a fuss (especially since it later turned out that
she was cheated majorly on her time card). The manager knew and did nothing,
so the rest of the group really had no call. However, it did set up
hostility and anger toward this one person.

At my current job, my group is given a lot of flexibility on our time. Our
supervisor figures that since we're adults, we should be able to handle our
time ourselves. There are guideline, but we can choose either to make up the
hours or to put them down as vacation/sick time. However, we sit close to
the telephone support group, and they are required to work certain hours and
to make a more exact accounting of their time, simply because of the nature
of their job. That has set up a conflict here: several of the telephone
support personnel repeatedly "report" us for time violations, or make snide
comments to one another about how unfair it is. Of course, they fail to see
us come in 7:30 am, or work to 7pm, or skip lunch, or log in from home, et
cetera....they only see the empty desk and jump to a conclusion. And, if you
keep counting her hours, you will become resentful and defensive around her.
If she "catches" you doing it, she might become resentful and angry, as
well, especially if she's being honest.

That's why I advised the original poster to keep out of it...she doesn't
know what is going on beyond the empty desk, and reporting the coworker
could cause serious issues in the workplace. The caveat, of course, is if
the coworker's absenteeism is increasing her own work load, or interfering
in some way with the group's workflow, then I'd at least talk to someone
about it...

It is pretty easy to determine if there is a misunderstanding on her part
about how to use the codes...when you're doing your next timesheet, engage
her in conversation by saying something like, "You know, these codes get me
sometimes: what do you use to indicate sick time/vacation time/et cetera?"
That will also give you the opportunity to correct her if it's an honest
mistake.

If you do consider this person a friend, you should be able to be honest
with her. Pick a neutral setting (not at work), and talk about it. Tell her
you noticed that she coded some things on her July timesheet incorrectly,
and have been concerned about it, but wasn't sure what to do. Don't be
accusative, but supportive. All she can do is tell you to mind your own
business. Clearing the air will 1) prevent any resentment and 2) put her on
guard that people do notice, and perhaps make her more careful. After that,
it's out of your hands.

Jeff Hanvey
Thomson, GA
jewahe -at- lycos -dot- co -dot- uk
http://www.jewahe.net


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