+1 for the honesty route.

I had to do something similar recently. MD was asking for reports on various activities/accounts but was also dropping signals that ‘this other person’ was taking the credit. I know ‘this other person’ very well and although we get on, I saw this as something he was quite capable of doing. So I was honest and explained my role in said activities etc. There was no reason for me to do anything but tell the truth. ATEOTD I took the lead and played a far more central role in each projects’ success. Turns out this bloke has since been fired for generally being a BSer. And my credibility has risen. Job done.

EDIT: I hasten to add that my ‘report’ did not lead to his firing. The MD merely wanted the truth and it turns out he believed me all along and not this other person. Perhaps he was throwing in a bit of a loyalty check curveball? Either way, this guy would have been out on ‘arris sooner or later.

pussywillow – Member
I was always taught that the grass always gets cut.
Concentrate on yar own wark lad!

Most of the people who tried to teach me that were lazy gobsh*tes looking after their own easy life. Passing the interview does not equate to job for life regardless.

So long as your honest and have a nice written record of whats gone on you have nothing to fear.

Be honest, he’s made a rod for his own back, no one to blame but himself (although I’m sure he won’t see it that way) ……..in other words, **** him

I have to deal with a prat at my work who does as little as he needs to so he can spend the rest of his time brown-nosing and generally trying to weasel his way up the ladder. Hopefully the day is not far off that he’ll be found out and booted down the road or perhaps arse raped by a runaway rhino

or perhaps arse raped by a runaway rhino

Something I now wish on some of my former colleagues over the years
🙂

To be fair I don’t think this would qualify as ‘grassing someone up’….

To me ‘grassing’ on somebody would be needlessly telling your boss if you found out a colleague had had an unrecorded extra days holiday or something like that.

If your Director has asked for you to report on a project and somebody was a weak link, well that’s their fault and you’re just doing the job you’re paid for. For sure I would be constructive and as others have said I guess the message may well be what’s not in the report, rather than what is.

Also edit to say I would always be tempted to be as positive as possible about people even if they were rubbish, but if he openly took credit for your work I wouldn’t bother in this case and I wouldn’t be losing any sleep over it either.

Why this fear of “grassing up”? You’re just telling the truth and making the business better. Which is why you’re there.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

I wouldn’t count this as ‘grassing’. In any case what’s wrong with ‘grassing’ if all you’re doing is telling the truth about someone who’s being dishonest? If you’re telling the truth then anyone who pressures you to not ‘grass’ is being a bully IMO.

If I were the director and knew something was up, and asked you for a report and I got the feeling you were covering for this other guy, I’d wonder if I wanted you in the company too. No need to put yourself in the line of fire with misplaced loyalty.

Always worth asking yourself in these situations if this other guy would cover for you if you needed it. Doesn’t sound like he would, so why do it for him?

If the director’s a decent guy he’ll respect you for your honesty and professionalism if you tell the truth…

I’d be honest*, but do it face to face – it seems everything he needs to know is already out there.

*This includes about how you feel about being asked in the first place.

Do you know the director at all (or are your HR bods OK)? If I felt comfortable with it I’d ask for an informal chat with the director first, or raise your concerns over it with HR (if you trust them) so you can at least get across the point that whilst you’ll be truthful you’re not comfortable with being put in the position to have to write the report.

Better done face to face if possible, with positive emphasis on your contribution to projects rather than leading off on your colleague’s failings.

If asked a direct question, by all means answer it in a neutral fashion. The director will know what your colleague’s role should have been.

My only concern would be my email being waved around as the ‘evidence’ for the dismissal of this colleague, which might get messy and affect future relationships with other colleagues who might not be aware of the full story. Even if you’re not actually ‘grassing’, you want to avoid the perception that you are.

I think by now people on this forum know I hate grasses!

however in this situation your not grassing, your doing your job and replying to a request from him upstairs.

martinhutch – Member

My only concern would be my email being waved around as the ‘evidence’ for the dismissal of this colleague, which might get messy and affect future relationships with other colleagues who might not be aware of the full story. Even if you’re not actually ‘grassing’, you want to avoid the perception that you are

No manager with any sort of management skills would ever play off staff members against themselves!

This seems to have worked well.

I emailed a summary of all the projects with status to date. He then replied “thanks, what about XXXX’s involvement in all this?”

I then replied, “I only commented on my own involvement / the project’s status, I didn’t have anything else to comment on”

The boss replied “That tells me all I know to know 😉 well done”

*phew* I have a verbal sit down with him tomorrow when the words between the lines will no doubt be expored.

I then replied, “I only commented on my own involvement / the project’s status, I didn’t have anything else to comment on”

The boss replied “That tells me all I know to know well done”

Isn’t that what I recommended?
Glad it turned out well. Good work.

so you did all the work here, wrecker ? 😕

That’s a load off then!

Isn’t that what I recommended?

This is why being factual, truthful and objective is the way forward. Just talking about your own input might not provide the boss with the whole picture and you might come across as a bit of a kiss ass.

Was in a similar situation a while back. A colleague and myself were designing the opposite ends of a real-time communication system and we were having problems getting it working.

The boss at the time offered us a bonus if we could get it working on time and for my part, I couldn’t see any reason why it didn’t work. In the end I had to look at the software my colleague had written (always a personal thing) and it was complete nonsense; I started ‘his’ bit all over again and it was working in a day or two.

We both got our bonuses and my colleague never said anything, not even a thank you. I think the boss knew what had happened but I never said anything.

Can I take credit as a result of my earlier post as well?

spacemonkey – Member
+1 for the honesty route.

I had to do something similar recently. MD was asking for reports on various activities/accounts but was also dropping signals that ‘this other person’ was taking the credit. I know ‘this other person’ very well and although we get on, I saw this as something he was quite capable of doing. So I was honest and explained my role in said activities etc. There was no reason for me to do anything but tell the truth. ATEOTD I took the lead and played a far more central role in each projects’ success. [b]Turns out this bloke has since been fired for generally being a BSer. [/b]And my credibility has risen. Job done.

😀

I have never relly been in a job that involves “office politics” but I think if I were you I would have spoken to the other guy first and said words to the effect of “I’ve been asked to write a report and you aren’t going to come out looking very good” etc . After that nobody can accuse you of grassing or being a brown noser etc and you are at liberty to give it to the director straight .

so you did all the work here, wrecker ?

Not really what I said. I am all excited about getting something right though. Let me have my moment you mean bastards. 😉