Workplace drama can sometimes be fun.
That’s of course if it involves hot gossip and scandal.
But when it’s just other people’s incompetence and mean spirited behavior, that spoils any fun.
Case in point…
Redditor MayITakeYourGoat wanted to discuss his story for some feedback. So naturally he came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.
He asked:
“AITA for not taking on my coworkers shift?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“So I work retail, this morning I got a text while I was asleep (I didn’t hear my phone go off).”
“So it was a good 2 hours before I even saw the text.”
“My manager said they needed me to come in because Brenda (my coworker) couldn’t come in.”
“Her shift started at 2pm, the text was sent at 10am, it was now noon.”
“I had plans for later that night so I texted him I couldn’t come in.”
“He told me ‘well if you don’t come in, Brenda will have to come in.'”
“I told him ‘I guess she’ll have to come in.'”
“He then replied ‘ok, well I guess she’s just going to have to miss her son’s first birthday then.'”
I told him “I’m sorry but I have plans”
“He then went off on me about how I was horrible and heartless.”
“I just responded ‘why didn’t she request the day off in advance? Did she forget when her child was born?'”
“The manager said that they would talk to me the next time I came in.”
“AITA?”
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA?:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors declared our OP was NOT the A**hole.
It’s a tricky situation.
Let’s hear some thoughts…
“Well, it depends on the job.”
“But it doesn’t sound like that kind of job.”
“And even if it was that kind of job, this isn’t a very good reason.”
“She should have requested it off in the first place. NTA.” ~ nerdabcs
“I sorta wonder if she did and the manager forgot to honor it and is now trying to cover their own butt by getting OP in.”
“Like there is a paper trail proving the manager messed up so they are guilting and acting like they can punish OP, when in all actuality they can do no more than a stern talking to.”
“And if that were to happen I would record it, and ask some simple questions at the end.”
“Questions: ‘So I’m in trouble and getting a talking to right now because someone else messed up and I had plans and couldn’t cover?'”
“If they claim no one messed up.”
“Well obviously either she didn’t properly ask off so she shouldn’t get it if not sick, or she did get approved time off and you as manager never honored it.”
“And if it is the second case why are is OP being yelled at for not fixing OPS bosses mess up?”
“And the first why are you being talked to and not her?”
“How do they know for certain that her kid’s birthday is more important than what OP had planned?”
“I mean really what if that day OP had scheduled to see a doctor to find out if you had cancer would her precious ones year old’s party still be more important?”
“If they ask you if you went to the doctor tell them you don’t feel comfortable talking about your health with non family or medical officials.” ~ loulabug247
“I’ve actually had a boss mess up the schedule beg me to come in so of course I was in a mood.”
“And she had the audacity to tell me she was doing me a favor giving me more hours.”
“Literally said, ‘B word listen here you messed up the schedule so if anyone here is doing a favor, it is me for you.'”
“‘I had plans I told you I had plans and you begged and guilted me, and now are giving me attitude I’m not happy I’m here getting more hrs at minimum wage no less.'”
“‘I’m here and with customers I’ll have a smile on my face but I have no time to pretend to be happy for you.”‘
“‘And remember going forward if you don’t want to have to scramble you need to be willing to cover your mistake not try to guilt others to fix your mess ups.'”
‘”Now I have customers you have a good rest of your day.'”
“Yes she was lecturing me in the break room while I clocked in and get this she was clocking out.”
“I can be sassy as crap and in my younger days did it in ways that should have honestly cost me more than it actually did in the long run.”
“Now that I’m old I’ve learned the Human Resources to go about pulling off the sass with little to no blow back.” ~ loulabug247
“The co-worker also has till 2pm to celebrate the first birthday of a baby.”
“It sleeps in a few hours anyway.”
“And it isn’t like the baby will remember that mom was working on his birthday.”
“Why did they come up with this last minute?”
“Did you just remember ‘Oh no, tomorrow is the bday of my baby?'”
“Even if the plan was messed up or you forget to ask for the day off, you know this for at least one or two weeks.”
“Why just ask a few hours before the shift starts?!”
“There are many appointments that you can’t cancel less then 24hours before without paying for it.”
“If a boss try to get you to come in on short notice, always say you have such an appointment and they would need to take over 400 bucks or so if you cancel it.”
“Magically they will find another solution. NTA.” ~ EvilFinch
“I would keep record and if they wanted to have a ‘talk’ tell them you want a member of HR to be in on the meeting.”
“And if they try to make anything formal ask to see a written rule or policy that you broke that would warrant disciplinary action.”
“She either asked for it off and got denied or is making up a BS excuse about her son’s birthday.”
“I doubt she’d forget his 1st birthday.” ~ Top_Detective9184
“They absolutely can (if in the U.S.), though it would be very unreasonable and most employers probably wouldn’t.”
“At-will employment means your employer can demand you come in on days when you aren’t scheduled.”
“And reprimand or fire you if you don’t comply, with only a few exceptions.”
“OP is still NTA.” ~ Environmental_News64
“NTA!! For the love of all that is holy do NOT let your managers guilt you into coming into work when you’re not scheduled!”
“A corporation will continue to take advantage of you if you let them.”
“You’re not in the wrong here at all.”
“Don’t listen to the ‘team player’ BS you’ll hear next time either.”
“Your off-work time is just as valuable as your at-work time, and everyone deserves to have both.”
“Sorry for the mini-rant.”
“This is something I’ve gone through before and feel quite strongly about.” ~ GraceXGalaxy
“NTA- why couldn’t the manager cover her shift?”
“On my days off I don’t look at my phone much so they’d be out of luck asking me a question like that.”
“If she needed time off, she needed to request it beforehand, if she did do this and was told no, then thats on the manager.” ~ shadow-foxe
“Exactly! Someone — either Brenda or Manager — dropped the ball.”
“If it was Brenda, then tough boobies — she’ll just have to miss Junior’s birthday.”
“The good news is that he’s one and doesn’t know it’s his birthday.”
“If Brenda properly asked for the day off and Manager forgot (this is what I suspect), then Manager should cover the shift.”
“Not your problem.”
“I’m guessing that Manager tried to throw Brenda under the bus, but that fell apart when you asked if Brenda forgot when her son was born (stellar, by the way).”
“Did you ever notice how retail and restaurant managers never ask if you can come in?”
“They say ‘I need you to work today,’ or ‘WE need you…’ (you know — one big happy work family!)”
“So good for you for not getting sucked into that crap.”
“If I were you, I’d start taking a photo of the schedule when it’s posted.”
“That way, if they try to alter it, you’ve got evidence of the original.”
“Best news of all? It’s a retail job.”
“You could probably tell Manager to stick his schedule where the sun don’t shine, and find another retail job later that afternoon.”
“Oh, and NTA.” ~ AdEmpty4390
OP came back with an update…
“Edit to update: So Brenda got my number somehow, texted me about how awful I was.”
“How I could never understand because I’m a ‘childless man child.'”
“And I told her ‘look, You could have just requested it off.'”
“She said ‘I’m a busy mother, You expect me to remember everything?'”
“I then saw there was really no point in having this argument.”
“I blocked her number.”
“She then texted me on I guess her husband’s number, about how ‘it’s people like you that ruin childhoods’ I also blocked that number.”
“I’ve applied to several other places and am jumping ship the second I get another job.”
Sounds like you have your situation handled OP.
You do you. Reddit is definitely in your corner.
It also sounds like Brenda and your manager may need a “AITA” thread of their own.