Co-worker situation

[cookies]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

 

[orbaya]

Hmmmmm.....since your company is small I don't know if they do this, but many larger companies monitor websites that employees visit. Maybe you could say to her "I know companies can and do check websites visited so you may want to be careful about what you look at." This might give her pause, and also let her know that someone else is aware of what she's doing.

 

[rubyshoes]

Hmm. Every company on this planet has people like that and the actual 'workers' do have to take up some of the slack because of these bozos. My first job, the guy in the next cubicle actually watched entire movies at work. I wish I was kidding. He'd wear headphones and make sure he could minimize the window if someone senior came by. And he was so shameless he never tried to hide it from people at a junior level (such as me). He was also a complete slacker, padded business expenses ($400 for a business lunch for 2 in the early 2000s, are you kidding me?) and took credit for other people's work. Oh, and when I first joined, he asked me to tell HR he had referred me so he would get a referral check which he would then graciously split with me.

What did I do regarding his behavior? NOTHING. I kept my head down, did good work, had good working relationships with everyone and figured someday his horrible work ethic would catch up with him. It always does. So I would say, hang in there, don't complain about this person, don't bitch about them to others and wait for superiors to realize how they are. Why do you want to be the 'bad guy'? (because you will be perceived as one). Come employee review time, you will have the last laugh. Be patient.

 

[amc80]

Does she manage to get her work done despite goofing off sometimes?

Here's the thing. I'm at work right now. And I'm posting on PS. I also check out FB, the news, and whatever else I feel like looking at. But I also get my work done in a timely manner. It's pretty accepted around here that people can spend some time doing personal stuff so long as they are getting things done.

We've got a new VP and he wants us to have open cubes (ick), so basically no privacy. My boss (a manager) and his boss (a director) have already said we will all get privacy screens on our monitors if we end up with open cubes.

 

[cookies]

Hmm.. orbaya, telling her that her computer may be monitored is not going to work, as she has already asked our IT person regarding what she could do and not do at work. I overheard the IT guy saying something like "as long as you don't download tons of movies, you will probably be okay." That pretty much tells her that we don't have a policy in place.

I used to work for a large firm, whose IT department does monitor what websites employees visit.. Once I opened a random website, and a giant "STOP" sign popped up...

 

[cookies]

Oh, rubyshoes, I could totally relate! My co-worker also doesn't bother hiding it from me. It's like, you are nobody, I don't care if you see me doing this! I am trying not to think about it, and hope the managers will realize it sooner or later.

amc80, I don't know how she is doing work/performance-wise. Her work doesn't overlap with mine, and we don't report to each other. But I am curious too.

I do visit PS, Facebook, and Google News as well. Reading news on a regular basis is something that's encouraged at my work place. I visit these websites when I am tired and need a short break, or when I am waiting for my simulation to complete and don't have better things to do.

We used to have cubicles, where there was one small divider between every two desks. Now we have totally open work space. Imagine 30+ desks lined up in 2 rows in one large room, no screen between desks, and two rows of people are facing each other. It felt weird initially, but I am used to this setup now.

 

[kenny]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

 

[minousbijoux]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

This exactly. The company must have performance metrics and either she is not doing the work, in which case it will be noticed, or she is so efficient, she is able to get it all done well and still have time to mess around. After all, some people are faster than others. God forbid you turn her in and she turns out to be a stellar worker.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

Cookie, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this! I also have a co-worker situation that drives me nuts. One of the girls in our small office is a constant and malicious gossiper. I hate it and how it makes me feel and I don't understand why nothing is done about it.

Kenny - I need to remember this more! It is so true! Dang these emotions making it harder to handle! The thing is, you're absolutely right; I can only control myself.

 

[mrs jam]

The only thing you mentioned that would bother me is her body odor. I very much follow the adage "live and let live," but smelly people are an exception to this philosophy. As far as her web-browsing habits, I think that just about everyone has a way that they unwind a bit at work. At least she's not directly involving you in her distractions. One of my co-workers prattles on about how one of her intestines is three inches longer than most people's. Whenever I need a break from her, I escape to the restroom and browse PS and Goodreads.

 

[cookies]

The only thing you mentioned that would bother me is her body odor. I very much follow the adage "live and let live," but smelly people are an exception to this philosophy. As far as her web-browsing habits, I think that just about everyone has a way that they unwind a bit at work. At least she's not directly involving you in her distractions. One of my co-workers prattles on about how one of her intestines is three inches longer than most people's. Whenever I need a break from her, I escape to the restroom and browse PS and Goodreads.

mrs jam, how did/do/would you handle the smell issue? Several people at my work place have strong body/clothes odor. Our work space is so open (just one giant room with lots of desks, no cubicles) that the smell goes everywhere. Maybe I have sensitive nose, but I've been struggling with this issue for a while. I haven't found a thing that can cover up the smell. A durian will probably do the job, but people will probably want to kill me too..

 

[mrs jam]

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with smelly co-workers! One is bad enough; I can't imagine having to deal with surround-stinkiness. Let me think about this a bit. My first thought would be to surround yourself with good smells - a spritz of perfume, scented hand lotion, candles at your desk (even if you can't burn them, you'll still be able to catch a whiff every now and then). B.O. Is such a strong smell, though. It would be difficult to overpower it on your own. It's such an awkward situation to be in since I just can't think of a graceful way to say, "Hey, you stink."

 

[cookies]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

This exactly. The company must have performance metrics and either she is not doing the work, in which case it will be noticed, or she is so efficient, she is able to get it all done well and still have time to mess around. After all, some people are faster than others. God forbid you turn her in and she turns out to be a stellar worker.

You guys are right -- if she is not doing enough work, she will be noticed sooner or later. What bugs me is, even if she is more efficient than the senior people, we are a research type of firm, and there is always room for improvement, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I am just a regular employee and should only mind my own business.

 

[zoebartlett]

I kept my head down, did good work, had good working relationships with everyone and figured someday his horrible work ethic would catch up with him.

This is what I would do, too. I wouldn't get involved -- just continue to focus on doing the best work you can in your position.

 

[pregcurious]

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

+1

 

[mary poppins]

I am working for a small, research-oriented company (<40 people). The company hired someone a few months ago, and arranged her to sit between me and one of the managers. This new person and I are both regular employees. I notice that when the manager is at his desk, this new person "works", just like everyone else. However, as soon as the manager leaves his desk (e.g. go to conference room, etc), she brings up these random websites, which involve lots of pictures of movie starts, pretty girls, etc. I find it distracting and hard to focus on my work.

It seems only I know there is such a problem, because whenever she hears someone walking over, she will quickly switch to her work window, and pretend she's been working all the time. I not only find it distracting, but also feel quite unfair. This person has several other problems, e.g., body odor, bad eating habits, but I've been trying to tolerate these problems so far. Her work ethic is something that bothers me the most. What could I do? What should I do?

Nothing.
Mind your own business.
If you rat her out it may backfire and you may alienate yourself in the workplace.

Her work 'performance' will become evident in the long run.

You only get to control one person, the one in the mirror.

I agree with Kenny's advice as to your response to the work ethic issue.

As to the body odor issue, someone from your human resources department can talk to your co-worker about personal hygiene if you bring it to HR's attention.

 

[momhappy]

I have to agree with the others in that you should just mind your own business. If she's slacking off, and it shows up on her performance, then she will likely get caught somewhere down the line. If, however, she's managing to perform at the standard required of her while still slacking off, then so be it. Her body order, although irritating, is not really something that you can address either. It's not like it's a "health" issue like if she were wearing too much perfume that you had allergic reactions to. If it was me, I'd just focus on myself and my work and carry on with my job as normal.