Should I send an anonymous note
This is unbelievable. My company had some layoffs last week, and the guy who chats on IM for most of each day did not get let go. And today his manager was talking to another employee about how they don't have enough resources to complete a certain project. They are totally clueless about IM Guy. Given that I don't want to risk offending the manager (who may perceive that I think he's doing a poor job, or that I'm trying to tell him what to do), nor do I want to risk retaliation from IM Guy, I think my only course of action is to leave an anonymous note on the manager's desk telling him that IM Guy needs more work. How would you react if you were a manager and you received such a note on your desk?
I would ignore it.
Don't even think of taking such a silly and vindictive action! I do not think that any boss or manager in his right mind would condone this or even take it seriously.
Bunzo IT, one simple piece of advice for you . . . KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT! What are you trying to do and prove? It is not your responsibility to tattle on your colleagues. I am sure your manager knows what this person is doing BUT perhaps he has a talent that is hard to come by so therefore his IMing is put aside. You send me an anonymous note and I will throw it in the trash. If you are going to accuse, be professional enough to at least leave your name! I think you should approach your boss and give a complete account of the situation: • You are concerned about your job stability because of the recent layoff and a lack of sufficient workload for the remaining employees. • Increased downtime has led to lower morale and a lack of focus on job tasks in the office. There is an increase in idle chatter, non-job-related activities, and busy-body cross monitoring of employee activities. Water cooler talk has gone from casual to cut-throat. • You need additional tasks or responsibilities in order to keep your skillset sharp and maintain confidence the security of your job in the face of future downsizing and increased competition from other concerned employees. I would hope your boss can find something for you to do other than chat room monitoring.
OCSurfCity. I am trying to get him to actually do work. It is totally unfair that so many hard workers lost their jobs in the layoff, and this slacker kept his job even though he rarely does any work. Since the company is trying to save money, it shouldn't be paying him to chat on IM all day. He should either start working, or be fired. We do not have the same manager. My manager doesn't pay any attention to IM Guy. IM Guy's manager obviously doesn't pay any attention to him, either, otherwise he would have been put on the project that is lacking resources and he wouldn't have time to chat on IM all day. And he does not have any special expertise... just a regular software engineer, a dime a dozen. If I sent you an anonymous note, it wouldn't even plant a seed in your head that maybe you should check up on the guy once in a while to make sure he's doing his job? As evidenced by all of the responses to this thread (and my other threads in the past), it would be a BAD MOVE on my part if I actually left my name on the note. I think that my only option is an anonymous note. IT_dc_area, It is not your responsibility to 'get him to actually do work.' Do you think taking this kind of passive-aggressive action is ANY better - in the 'ethical' department - than the slacking behavior of the person you are planning to target? Examine your motives, IT_dc_area. In all likelihood, you are probably not going to deal with/resolve whatever is bugging you by trying to bring down this guy. What feelings are going to be addressed if you take the action you are suggesting? Anger? Bitterness? Jealousy? Resentment? skybrook, how is alerting the company to IM Guy's slacking unethical? I would be doing the company a favor by helping them better utilize resources. Regarding your last question, even if I did harbor those feelings, wouldn't they go away once IM Guy starts putting in an honest day of work just like everyone else?
IT_dc_area, If you don't see the lack of ethics in the action you are planning to take, I'm not wasting my time talking to you about it. ...and you obviously missed my point about the feelings behind your motivation. Maybe you are just playing dumb. It kind of seems that way, given how you've responded to the various posts. Or, you are very young and full of yourself and want a sense of 'control'/'power.' Someday you may meet up with someone who, for one reason or another, doesn't think you pull your weight at work. And they will think they are just as 'right' as you do today and let their feelings be known. Ya better hope that your managers will do as the other replies suggest your colleague's manager will do....IGNORE IT. Good advice for you too.
skybrook, Are you saying that the Enron whistleblower was unethical? All I am saying is that I want to alert his manager that he doesn't do any work. I'll let him take it from there. And if someone ever wants to report me to my manager, then they have the right to do that. If my manager then wants to watch me more closely, he has the right to do that. If I am not doing what my employer is paying me to do, then I understand that whatever consequences may happen are my own fault, not the reporter's fault. | |
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