Our boss' assistant is in charge of tracking everyone's hours, sick time and vacation days. Yet it's clear to everyone in the office that she abuses that power. If our boss isn't in the office, neither is she. And she always seems to be on "vacation."
This infuriates everyone, yet this woman is very tight with our boss and no one dare say anything. Where's the line?
On the list of small things that create big office poisons, inequity is at the top. It's the sort of thing that erodes the sense of team that is essential to office morale and success. The problem with inequity is that it's often more a perception than a reality, and confronting the person or reporting them can create even bigger problems.
Suppose you're correct about your colleague's abuse of power, and you report her. You've now become a tattle-tale and driven a line in the sand between the two of you that will probably be permanent. And any official investigation may not turn up the facts you know to be true (it's your colleague who's keeping the books, after all, and I'm sure she's modified them accordingly). The same would happen if you confronted her, but only this time she would fire back with excuses that rationalize or explain away her actions, or even retaliate with accusations of your own indiscretions.
But at the same time, you need the problem to stop or it's going to continue to poison your office. Since this is not just a sleight against you but against everyone who puts in their proper hours and follows the rules, you need to find strength in numbers. You say her actions are "clear to everyone." Well, get everyone on board and file a group complaint. Send a memo — the author can even be anonymous — to your boss, outlining the complaint, and list the names of everyone who supports the accusation.
Don't demand anything. Just state that what you perceive to be the facts — be as specific as you can be — and let your boss handle it from there. You say she is close to your boss, so don't expect your colleague to be given her walking papers. But you can at least expect that your colleague will now hold herself to the same standards as everyone else, because she'll know she's been caught and she'll know she is being watched.
Have a workplace-ethics dilemma? Ask it here, or email wherestheline@gmail.com.
