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Ethical Dilemma: To Snitch and then Requisition the Mandatory Stitch?

RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
in Help / Advice Forum
In the row of workspaces directly behind my office PC, a guy on a team within the department I work on was talking pretty loudly about the manager of my team, namely being quite critical of how she operates. Not in a corrupt/illegal way, but more she prioritises things that maybe she shouldn't and maybe she looks a bit kettlish when addressing pots. I personally don't see it, but I'm not good at seeing those things and maybe I'm biased anyway. Also the colleague in question can be a complainer about other stuff, so maybe I'm overthinking it. In general I have a concern about bad blood forming within the department, so I'm contemplating contacting my manager (who works at another site) and telling her what I heard, with the hopes that any legitimate issues are addressed and we can work without tension. Is this a good idea?

Posts

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    I... wouldn't

    It's quite possible this guy just needed to vent and was more critical than he actually would be normally out of exasperation. If this is a regular occurrence then maybe bring it up, but if he just got off a call like "god damn why can't she actually get me my work when I need it!", that might not be some real problem as much as it is something that's pissing him off right now.

  • 815165815165 Registered User regular
    You'd probably only make things worse by complaining. People bitch about eachother at work. As long as it doesn't cross over into people being bullied/excluded then it's a tiny deal.

  • knitdanknitdan Registered User regular
    It honestly sounds like tattling to me.

    You could maybe bring up the issues to her in a roundabout way without throwing anyone under the bus, but I don't know if that would be considered impertinent on your part.

    “I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
    -Indiana Solo, runner of blades
  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    Well I've always been able to talk to her about issues in the past, so the roundabout strategy might be best.

    I felt this was a shaky idea, but I wanted confirmation. I think my strategy is to pay attention to my dealings with her and try and verify any of his grievances independently, and see where I go from there. Thanks for the advice!

  • Seattle ThreadSeattle Thread Registered User regular
    If you want to talk to her about issues, talk to her about issues that relate to you, not what Jim, the Blowhard in Accounting, has to say.

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  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    In all honesty, none of this is a particularly ethical issue. The guy is just running his mouth. Worry about yourself and your relationships, not what other people are doing. Especially if it has no bearing on your life.

    There is absolutely no need to listen to him or take him seriously or reassess your own opinions just because this guy likes to talk.

    Unless your complaint is literally that you don't want to hear this guy whine, in which case your issue is with him, and therefore you should be telling him that you'd rather not talk about stuff like that at work. Otherwise it sounds like a lot of junior high drama. John said Sally said Billy said Gina was a tramp blah blah blah. Nobody with any level of maturity in a professional setting cares about crap like that. Get your job done, don't treat people like shit, the end.

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