Am i the a**hole for telling my coworkers no?

Let me start by saying I’m a “floor guy” at a small town hardware store. I am in training to be a manager but not one yet. I do a bunch of stuff around the store. Which leaves me busy a lot of the time.

We have a paint department that LOVES calling me and the other floor guys to do dumb things that is their job. Now, I don’t mind helping here or there. However when I get called away from doing something to come pick up your empty boxes to bring them to the box crusher when you’re supposed to, or to bring a box up to the register for a customer that weighs 10lbs.

I just get furious since they’ve been told not to do this. However they don’t stop. I recently told them I’m not moving a box for them since they weren’t busy. They were just playing on their phone while waiting on me.

They complained and the manager told them it’s their job. Now I have multiple people mad at me because I tell them NO. When it’s not my job unless they are too busy.

Am I the asshole?

OhmsLawn,

No, you’re right to set boundaries.

People will always want you to do stuff that’s outside of your classification. The key is to be “too busy” when it doesn’t advance your career, and willing to learn when it does. Ideally, you don’t have to directly say no. When you hit the balance right, they stop asking.

SmokingFurry,

I like your advice, and it makes me think I’m on the right track. They used to call a lot more. Even for me specifically, but I got tired of it, and it made them mad, and now they call on occasion for small things like the other day.

Just it’s not my job to do. Even if I’m just walking around looking for things to do either for myself or my crew. I am still working and they just don’t wanna do their jobs. I’m only supposed to do it if they are busy or it’s like a 5 gallon bucket of paint that needs to be brought to the front. The heavy lifting and hard work.

If I didn’t love my job I’d probably find a new one. Just with 75% of the store liking me and 25% not… I think I’m good. 🤔

Jerb322,
@Jerb322@lemmy.world avatar

Not the asshole. They are trying to get something for nothing it sounds like. You had evry right to do and say what you did. “Sorry, you have to do your own job” shouldn’t be something that you have to say, but you will need to say it, probably more than once.

EdanGrey,

Not the arsehole but you do need to say no more often, you saying yes all the time is why you get badgered so much.

SmokingFurry,

Yeah, and I started saying no more often but the other floor guys just have the mindset “I get paid to be here. Noone is gonna tell them anything. I’ll be the only one who hears it so I will just go do it.” 😞

Nollij, (edited )

Part of me wants to make a giant spectacle of the thing. Show up with a ton of gear that you have to set down (directly in their way) while you you deal with the boxes. But I know that type of person would just complain even louder.

It sounds like you’re in a different dept with a different manager. Assuming that your manager agrees, your manager should be the one to say no. That way, everyone on your team can simply say their manager won’t allow it.

If that fails, the Wally Reflector is a good tactic. Tell them that you’d love to help, but they need to do something first. You can say that you’re very busy, but you’ll take the boxes if they flatten all of them and put them on a cart. It’s still offering to help, but it requires work on their part. It also quickly reveals if the requester is just being lazy.

If that fails, treat it as a training opportunity- they must need training on a required part of their job, which is why they called you. Drag them along the whole time, explaining every detail to them. Bonus points if you explain the history of why we do it that way. Basically, make it more work for them to be lazy.

Seaguy05,

How do you plan to manage a bunch of people that don’t respect you?

Diplomjodler,

Key learning opportunity right there.

Wogi,

He’s “training to be a manager” which is manager speak for “I have nothing concrete to offer you, here’s an empty promise”

meco03211, (edited )

Or, “take on some/all of my tasks without consideration for your current workload and with no additional compensation.”

SmokingFurry,

Everyone is my dept respects me. They do what I say when I say it. They know I’m in charge and I’m not that bad of a manager. I actually have experience from 2 other stores. It’s the girls in other dept that is so used to the other floor guys, current and old, saying YES YES YES!!! However I don’t say yes which makes them mad.

In my store we have “floor guys” that do everything. We are supposed to know the store and help when and where we can. Which is why we get paid more. However just because we CAN doesn’t mean we SHOULD. Even the store managers are tired of it which is why we had a meeting where they got told it’s not our job. Pissed them off.

I’m not gonna be a store manager. Just someone who manages the guys and what they do. Basically make sure they aren’t fucking off 90% of the day.

RampantParanoia2365,

I just realized “floor guy” doesn’t mean “flooring department guy” and now this all makes more sense.

shalafi, (edited )

Sounds like what I call Pretty Girl Syndrome. Pretty girls are never told no and are appalled when anyone does so. I can hardly hold it against them, it’s just the way life has been for them, but still.

Illecors,

You need to change jobs. Obviously your coworkers are taking a piss of you and being right doesn’t really matter.

SmokingFurry,

Yeah, but I love my job. Plus with living in such a small town. There’s only a handful of places I could get a job. I’m only in my mid 20s but around here there’s not much. I recently moved here too so I don’t know a whole bunch of people…

Gigan,
@Gigan@lemmy.world avatar

Not the asshole, they’re mad because they have to work now.

thisNotMyName,

They have to find someone else to do their job now

wjrii,
@wjrii@kbin.social avatar

You think that's not WORK? 🤣

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