When do I throw my coworker under the bus

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ExcitingTabletop@reddit

Fix it first.

I'd talk to boss to give him or her a heads up, but I'd talk to tech directly.

Rather than accusation, ask what happened. Tech could have been stretched for time and just had to get it done as fast as possible to jump on another priority. Going straight to accusations isn't cool.

That said, I'm fairly senior so fine with handling personnel issues directly and only passing it off if I can't resolve them myself.

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OutrageousPassion494@reddit

Take a picture of it first. Then fix it. It's doubtful that it would be deemed acceptable, however, you never know. It doesn't meet your standards, but ultimately it's not your call.

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MischievousMet@reddit

I was going to say this same thing. You don't need to show the the boss unless they ask, but if they don't, you have a good source incase the person who did it says your full of it.

Also, depending on how your boss is, it could come back on you for doing something that isn't in your job description. I've only seen this once where a person did something to fix a coworker's shoddy work and was reprimanded for it.

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LRS_David@reddit

Fix it first.

Actually second.

First take pics.

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Crackeber@reddit

Agree. Little late now, but photos to show the before and after, dos and don'ts, or simply to put a clear expectation (vs what I found).

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Icy_Mud2569@reddit

This; fix it, because making the IT department look bad doesn’t really help anyone. If you are skilled incapable at nonviolent communication… You know how to talk to other people, without slinging accusations and escalating, I would talk to the tech directly, tell them hey, I came in today to onboard someone, saw the set up for the new hire, wasn’t super thrilled with the look and overall appearance. I cleaned things up, put the correct monitors in place, did a little cable management, and boxed up the stuff left over from the previous employee. Let me know if you want me to help you put together a document/checklist to help make sure we consistently do new hires set ups well, Makes all of us look like we are doing good work :-) If this is a frequent occurrence, and there has been documentation of it, I would still fix it, and let your boss know that this has happened a few times now, you’ve had to come in and straighten up work done by this particular technician.

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Downtown_Struggle_62@reddit

"Makes all of us look like we are doing good work"

That's a good one- positive criticism! Just gonna tuck that one away for later use.

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redvodkandpinkgin@reddit

That's the most passive aggressive comment possible in this context. Totally warranted, don't get me wrong, but definitely not positive.

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Yupsec@reddit

Agreed. The whole thing comes off as slimy.

What happened to just being honest and using plain language? Why not just give the dude some shit for it when he gets back from his PTO, laugh it off, and move on with your life?

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Downtown_Struggle_62@reddit

A lot of it guys have egos of glass. The more ways to navigate work environments, the better.

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Downtown_Struggle_62@reddit

More non-confrontational than passive agressive, i'd wager.

I would much rather say this than "this wasn't good enough- do your job better" or "this is making everyone in your department look bad."

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viswarkarman@reddit

I always twisted this around a bit: “This (the state of the desk and equipment) is the first impression of our team and of the company as a whole the new hire is going to get. It sets the tone for his employment going forward. We don’t want to make him feel we don’t care.”

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turkburkulurksus@reddit

This is much better

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Backwoods_tech@reddit

First off, you should already have a document explaining what needs to be done. Secondly, you need to make sure the employee follows the procedures that you’ve outlined. Next time such task is assigned. Let the Tech know that you will be coming to check it out prior to releasing him from the task that way you ensure quality and you can help him fix anything that needs to be remedied on the spot. I would be very cool about it the first time and do everything you can to help this person get it right.

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caponewgp420@reddit

A document explaining cable management lol.

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ButterscotchShort958@reddit

Standardization

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omaewa_moh_shindeiru@reddit

Plot Twist, the boss discovers that OP can do both, fires coworker, hirrs no one else and ask OP to do both jobs for the same salary 🙃

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Icy_Mud2569@reddit

I’ve seen this play out before.

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Spidey16@reddit

Yeah I agree with fix it anyway then sort out your issues. The user experience shouldn't have to suffer because of internal complications.

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Bradddtheimpaler@reddit

This is the correct answer for sure, but I would do this one and only one time.

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CoffeePizzaSushiDick@reddit

Fix, after taking a picture to illustrate later in a 32 slide powerdeck.

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ComprehensiveLime734@reddit

Would 32 be enough in this case?

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archelz15@reddit

I'm a user (but have sysadmin friends and get pulled into debates about IT frustrations often), so I thought I'd give my two cents. Users, I know frustratingly to you guys, know almost nothing about task distribution within IT, to us either the computer is set up well or it isn't. If the tech is doing and getting away with a shoddy job, then I'd say (1) fix it, but (2) raise it with the boss as soon as possible.

OP has already said that it is not an uncommon occurrence, not a one-off bad day/benefit of doubt type, so it's a problem that is best nipped in the bud. In my department, I've seen helpdesk staff repeatedly ask the same troubleshooting questions of sysadmins - to the extent that even I (not an IT person at all!) know what the fix is but apparently she can't be bothered to remember what it is - bad habits that are allowed to propagate won't go away on their own.

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bbqwatermelon@reddit

I like this because it is inline with Hanlons razor. Don't want to burn any bridges.

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AstroStrat89@reddit

Assume good intentions. Even when you are sure there are not, and you will navigate just about any situation successfully.

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Less_Traffic2091@reddit

Take a picture. Fix it. Take another picture. Talk to your coworker and tell them this is unacceptable but you did not 'tell the boss'. If this is 'not a uncommon occurrence', what have you done as a more senior and experienced leader to help set standards that would allow a person like this to 'self-correct'? One thing us 'bosses' can smell a mile away is an insecure person throwing coworkers 'under the bus' rather than being good mentors and leaders, so unless your situation is unique...I'd advise against that route. Instead, come up with ways to improve the quality of your 'small IT dept' output and value for your boss, and that will get noticed. Heck, if you do it right and include your boss in the process, he/she/it might be the one who walks past a desk and gives your coworker a call: Then, you haven't made yourself look petty, increased your value, and the boss not only knows you have set the standards but is working for you. Win -win.

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skipay@reddit (OP)

UPDATE: I just fixed the issue and let the coworker know. I'm not bringing it up to my manager yet as he is one of the better helpdesk hires we had in a while. But if it starts to become a issue down the line, I will make him aware. Just super annoying that's all as it pulled me from what I needed to do.

I do have to say some of yall want to watch the world burn.

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crccci@reddit

And you are overstepping your bounds.

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quigley0@reddit

lol, really? You can talk to coworkers. Not everything has to start with management and HR. (nor should it)

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lopikoid@reddit

I don't get what can be so bad about new desk.. Old stuff from desk?? He is a cleaner or IT technician, cables.. new guy will come and put the monitors wherever he wants - there is not too much to manage. Don't you care toomuch about insignificant details?

As a technician I would be pretty pissed up if a sysadmin would tell me how to setup monitors or how to remove some old stuff from desk if it is not his work. If he would escalate I would think he is pretty crazy..

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Wanderer-2609@reddit

Don’t protect him , tell the boss. Some lessons need to be learned the hard way

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Talenus@reddit

If you're not a supervisor or manager, I would not speak to them about the quality of their work. That's just not going to end well or fix things.

Did the new person complain? Or is this just a pet peeve of yours because you'd do a better job?

Does this issue reflect on you at all? If not, I'd stay in my lane.

I'd let other people complain about your co-worker, unless it affects you directly.

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OldeFortran77@reddit

"So you had to do your co-workers work for him and now everything is in great shape and no one knows but you and I? Well I'm going to get to the bottom of this right now!" ... said absolutely no boss ever.

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stromm@reddit

You document and report to his management.

Period.

He isn’t your child. You’re not his boss. He knows better.

Also, if there’s a backup person for him, you let them finish his job.

Otherwise, you contact YOUR manager (especially if you and him have different managers), let him know the issue and ask him “do you want me to resolve this?”

That’s it.

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006ahmed@reddit

As someone who has been in your exact shoes for 15 years, this is the best approach:

-Take pictures and hold onto them -Fix the workstation -Discuss proper setup with the tech -Allow them to repeat the same type of work because they rarely listen -Dont say anything until you have pictures from multiple setups. -Casually mention how the desk setup is below standards to the manager of the new hire -Let them complain to your boss -When the tech tries to give your boss the ole “end users are always complaining”, present the pictures.

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HelloFollyWeThereYet@reddit

Onboarding sets the tone for new employees. Sounds like the tech gives zerofks about new employees or taking pride in their work. I don’t care how slammed, getting 1000 things done crappy doesn’t help. It creates more work.

I always try to address issues with my peers directly before getting a manager involved. You said this is a reoccurring issue, so you may be past that point. If they don’t care, you saying anything likely won’t make them.

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Shondrin@reddit

Thanks for the context — this is one of those annoying middle-ground situations where you’re stuck between keeping peace and maintaining standards.

Here’s a breakdown of how I’d personally approach it, balancing professionalism, team dynamics, and your own sanity:

⸻

Fix it — because it reflects on the whole department.

Ultimately, the new hire’s first impression matters. A sloppy setup looks bad on you all, not just the tech. So yes, I’d fix it. Do it cleanly, make it presentable, and make sure it works as expected.

⸻

Let the helpdesk tech know (when he’s back).

Once he’s off PTO, send a private message (or even better, talk in person if possible) saying something like:

“Hey, I saw the desk setup you did for [New Hire], and I had to clean it up a fair bit — monitors were wrong, old stuff left on the desk, cables everywhere. Just wanted to flag that for next time, since the boss is pretty picky and this would’ve definitely caused some heat.”

This is non-confrontational, constructive, and it lets him know it didn’t go unnoticed.

⸻

Hold off on telling the boss — for now.

Unless your boss directly asks you about it or this kind of thing becomes a real pattern affecting productivity or impressions, I wouldn’t go straight to them. Doing so might: • Come off as throwing your teammate under the bus. • Escalate something that could be resolved quietly. • Create unnecessary tension, especially in a small team.

If it happens again and again, that’s a different story — and you’ll have a track record at that point.

⸻

Document it for yourself.

Just a quick internal note (even a saved email to yourself) about what happened and what you did to fix it. If this becomes a trend, you’ll have something concrete to fall back on if a larger conversation with your boss becomes necessary.

⸻

TL;DR:

Fix it, don’t escalate it yet, but give the tech honest feedback when he’s back. Keep things cool but accountable. You’re not a babysitter, but you’re also not trying to burn bridges — just maintaining standards.

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Bright_Arm8782@reddit

Take a photo to show your boss.

Then fix it.

Then tell your boss you're not happy following this guy fixing basic things that should be done.

Be aware however, that the monitors your guy placed may have been swiped and the crap on the desk should be the responsibility of the team it is being deployed in to rather than the tech.

Back in my desktop days I used to refuse to deploy machines in to crappy environments. "Way to let your new hire know they're welcome, give them a desk full of trash".

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DoctorOctagonapus@reddit

Summon the tech back to the desk, make him fix his fail while you are watching. Give him any help and guidance he needs. Neither of you leaves until it's in an acceptable state.

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slayermcb@reddit

Techs on PTO. Might not have the time before the enduser shows up.

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audaxyl@reddit

You’re worried about stuff that isn’t your job…worry about yourself.

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slayermcb@reddit

A poor helpdesk can become a problem for us. Sounds like a small team where a weak link can cause issues for everyone.

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slayermcb@reddit

I would fix it first, then go to the boss and let him know you had to correct it. Not causing friction now can lead to major friction later. If he gets away with it now he's going to continue to do sloppy work and while the term enduser can sometimes be used as a swear in our industry, they shouldn't suffer half-assed work before they've proven themselves to be a problem.

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wisym@reddit

I would document what you found, fix it and send an email to the coworker asking why it was set up that way and offer to show them how it's supposed to go. It sounds like the tech might not know what they should be doing.

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Ad-1316@reddit

Take pictures. Fix. Take pictures. Use to train.

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Brett707@reddit

I would just ask him why he thought that was acceptable. I have had to do this in the past. We had a new guy install a new workstation for a user they went from a tower to a micro PC. He just tossed the micro on the floor of the users cubical. I was onsite doing another install and the user asked me if anything could be done because she couldn't get on the floor to reach the USB ports. So I took some photos of mine and his then I fixed his. Once back to the office I went to him and asked him why he thought it was a good idea to put a micro PC on the floor? We talked about it I asked him to think about the users when he did his next install. Never had an issue after that.

I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I have found that polite conversation it always better than to throw people under the bus.

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Ur-Best-Friend@reddit

I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I have found that polite conversation it always better than to throw people under the bus.

Absolutely. If you're not doing anything to resolve issues, just looking for opportunities to throw people under the bus when they do something less than satisfactory, don't be surprised when you get pushed under the bus yourself at the first mistake you make.

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tech2but1@reddit

This is why I work alone. I'd tell the user I just work with a bunch of fucking retards and then walk back into the office asking WTF everyone thinks they are doing and why am I the only one with a fucking brain!

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Jarlic_Perimeter@reddit

Yeah, I do like giving people the benefit of the doubt, when we've had issues like OPs it is usually its some mix of time management and communication.

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PatReady@reddit

Lets be honest, most people are not good at being approached about doing a bad job. When he replies, "I don't know.", you can ask his boss why hes doing stuff without knowing why.

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1996Primera@reddit

This

Review the work , review with them where you feel they fell short and establish expectations going forward with the tech.

Make no mention to the manager, but document /email or teams paper trail your communication with the tech for later (either their review, or yours)

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Ok_Conclusion5966@reddit

hand hold them on the next desk setup, set the standard and expectation

review the next setup and get rid of them if still useless

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bukkithedd@reddit

To sum it up simply:

Teach them how to row the boat. Help them row the boat. But also make it EXCEEDINGLY clear that at some point, you’ll be sitting on the dock drinking a martini while they row their boat around on their own.

Simple solution to that problem.

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ZY6K9fw4tJ5fNvKx@reddit

If you want your coworkers to work like you do it together.

I always confront my coworkers first, do it together, and if they can't get their act together go to the higher ups. Your boss does not want you nagging about your OCD all the time.

The pc on the floor example, maybe at their old job they must do that because there was less desk space and it was policy not to put them on the floor. Understanding eachother can turn major headache into a minor misunderstanding.

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darum8574@reddit

I usually dont spend alot of time perfecting that stuff, people usually wanna move around everything so work gets undone anyways. Same with keyboard and mouse, they usually want some ergonomic thing or another. I just make sure the stuff is clean. But "stuff not related to the new hire", thats usually not an IT-job.
Anyways, you have a dialogue with the new hire and make adjustments and make sure hes happy, then everyone is happy =) Its not that big a deal.

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Biyeuy@reddit

What do work your organization instructions / directives regarding onboarding?

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Gadgetman_1@reddit

Take a picture, then fix it. Talk with the tech later.

I've had an episode where we set up a complete new setup for a new user, only to have someone else nick the keyboard and webcam, and replace the brand new monitors with used ones.

Dipshit didn't know that SCCM logs the serials of attached monitors, so we found which PC they were connected to before, and a dark night... monitors were swapped back, and there may have been a few chains and padlocks involved, too.

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ExceptionEX@reddit

Though I personally rather the direct talk to coworker approach, You can go the classic business route, talk to your boss about documenting a standard so that all new hires get an expected level of quality and care, then document what that should look like, generally providing a checklist for good measure.

Then when he returns have the boss present it. Make sure that he knows that this standard will be checked and corrective actions will happen to the standard happens each time.

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ggibby@reddit

Follow the Golden Rule. How would you want them to deal with you in a similar situation?

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crccci@reddit

Most people in this thread: cover for me, cover for me, cover for me.

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SecretSquirrelSauce@reddit

"Hey man, I saw the setup job that you did and it seemed a little off compared to the normal quality of your work. Were you just pressed for time that day?"

gives your coworker the impression that you think highly of them
isn't accusatory
gives the coworker an out in case they need it, but also let's them know that their work is being observed, so they should know to do a better job next time.

If it becomes a recurring issue, the next step would be to firmly state expectations on a task like this, and then to escalate it to your supervisor.

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223454@reddit

>>, the next step would be to firmly state expectations

Not if OP isn't their manager. The rest I completely agree with.

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TheGlennDavid@reddit

>>, the next step would be to firmly state expectations

Not if OP isn't their manager

FALSE SYSADMIN DETECTED. Firmly stating opinions on/expectations of Service Desk Technicians (and literally everything/body in the Universe) is a core Sysadmin function.

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crccci@reddit

DUMBASS GATEKEEPER DETECTED

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Drakoolya@reddit

OP is their senior. He might not be directly responsible, but I would expect him to lead by example and show him the way.

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SecretSquirrelSauce@reddit

Yeah, fair enough. Plus OP said they're a small Org, and those lines tend to get blurry pretty quickly.

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iB83gbRo@reddit

it seemed a little off compared to the normal quality of your work.

Except OP says this is their standard of work...

this is not a uncommon occurance

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Mightaswellmakeone@reddit

Take a picture, fix it, share with boss.

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unavoidablefate@reddit

Take before/after photos and then email your boss telling him what you found and that you fixed it. CYA

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EnriqueDeMalacca@reddit

Take a photo if possible, then fix it, then inform the helpdesk guy, and lastly let him know you have evidence in case he makes the same mistake

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Drakoolya@reddit

"Fix it and let tech know that I fixed it",Only get yr boss involved if it is recurring. Opportunities like this is how you grow into a leader, it's not a title it is how you deal with situations like this. You are a senior act like one.

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BlenderBender9@reddit

Take pics. Fix it and don't mention it this time. I think you read the situation wrong - think he either just didn't want to do it or wanted to see you do it instead. Either way, going on vacation and coming back refreshed may be enough.

And then figure it out from there you know?

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Substantial-Match-19@reddit

I would photograph it, fix it and address it with tech responsible in a spirited, "hey, if you cant do this what line of work are you in?" tone and go from there. If that setup is "good to go" then you cant help him

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Pro_Deceit@reddit

i got an alternative to this, just fix it and demand treats, 1 mistake 1 treat you choose the price as well and keep annoying that bad coworker no matter what. which is what i do, until they stop making such basic mistakes.

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Ken0r1988@reddit

Explain to him why attention to detail is important. Explain how not doing cable management reflects the entire department's quality of work. If he continues then just tell your boss. Don't continue to clean up after him and allow him to half @$$ the job. Helpdesk support is a dime a dozen.

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K2SOJR@reddit

Does he do this all the time or was he just rushing to go on PTO? If he normally does a good job, just have his back and get it cleaned up. You can let him know he owes you one when he gets back.

If he does this all the time, leave it and let the boss find it. However, the boss could wonder why you were ok just leaving it like this for the new employee. They would probably prefer the work gets done regardless of who had to do it.

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spetcnaz@reddit

Fix it, then have a one on one convo with your coworker

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jooooooohn@reddit

If they have reasonable encouragement, training, expectations, and documentation to follow and they just aren't, then let them fail. Otherwise you are an enabler.

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genuineshock@reddit

Take a picture of how it looked "complete" first. Then fix it.

What I would do then is go to supervisor with the evidence, literally use the phrase :

"I don't want to throw under the bus, but this is their idea of a good setup for new employees. I've already fixed it up, but I think they need a little talk about how we expect new employee desks to be set."

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LastTechStanding@reddit

Mentor the guy….

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brekfist@reddit

Maybe don't work from home. The tech appears to have accomplished the task. Who cares about stuff and cables.

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I-Iypnotoad@reddit

Smaller team here too, I would probably see if I could locate the previous hire and ask if their desk was the same when they started to see if it was a pattern. If not, maybe casually mentioned it to helpdesk tech that "someone" brought it to my attention and see if maybe he got swamped that day or if something else happened to make it as unconfrontational as possible. Blame those anonymous nosey coworkers!

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Public_Warthog3098@reddit

Take pictures of the job. Document it. Fix it. Let your boss know. If it happens repeatedly you'll have examples.

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SCHawkFan@reddit

You should have worked from the office. Your fault.

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ZestyclosePlan8630@reddit

lol I will defend the helpdesk support by asking : Does your IT Dept have a KB for how to set up new desk ? I guess the answer is no. Time to cook some graphical KB Admin

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tartarsauceboi@reddit

Take a photo.

Fix it properly so it doesnt reflect poorly on the whole IT dept as a whole.

Let your boss know.

Boss will handle it when the tech comes back from PTO

and thats that.

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SpazMcMan@reddit

Lots of other good advice here already; I would add that I have had a lot of success starting the sentence with, “help me understand”. You are a good egg for spending some energy working this out instead of just throwing the guy under the bus.

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wizardglick412@reddit

I got ticed for something like this. Turned out it was only half done owing to an inventory with plenty of junk parts and the work conditions that mostly did let you finish something before starting the next thing.

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No_Strawberry_5685@reddit

Fox it your self and log that down , if it comes up again you can pull it up and say such and such happened I handled it , this is what/who caused it . We had a little trouble but we cleaned it up .

If it’s serious enough to get you in hot water then yeah throw that fella under the bus otherwise it’s your head on the cutting board my friend

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Shty_Dev@reddit

Sounds like a training issue, especially if he considered it good to go. Is there any documentation of specifically how a desk should be set up? how to and how not to route/secure cabling? what types of monitors go where? what equipment is associated with what roles? Someone could easily coast by a year on help desk and not learn any of this, particularly if it is not part of their regular routine.

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Turak64@reddit

Use facts and not feelings. Gather evidence if required and make sure it's 100% backed by evidence. Raise it up the chain and if nothing's done, move on.

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Sintek@reddit

I would ask Boss if you can get time to go a fix that desk. Don't make a stink about it or anything.. Just day you need 30 minutes to go a fix the desk that was setup.. and he should ask why it wasn't done. You say.. well.. not up to standard and then let him know if he wants to check it out first and let you know if it needs the extra time..

This way you are taking initiative... not ratting you coworker out (you are subtley) giving the boss a chance to make the note on his own and if the boss deeems fit he will bring it up with coworker without mentioning you because he's not going to say you told him xyz.. he going to tell coworker. I saw your work and it was not good.

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badlybane@reddit

Had a one on one wth our boss recently. I was coming in on a Sat. Coworker was running a project. I thinks he come from being in a one man band scenario to here. I come in Sat and no rework had been done. No planning had been done.

I was there twiddling my thumbs pinging stuff. Not one question on what was going wrong. Just locks himself in his office. Proceeds to spend three hours over on a production down scenario. Has a mug of liquid in the datacenter.

Let him know that it was bad and that my standards are much higher than I experienced. No documentation on the interim routing. Just a complete failure to comprehend the whole scope of the project. Did not even know the CLI comma ds to do it quickly.

Let him know that there is inconsistency through out the net as a result of his output.

And nothing really was done that I can tell. So yea the next conversation coming is asking that since I was brought on to take the net design off him. That if that's still the case going forward I want a final say in the design because I am going to have to support it it eventually. I will have to put my name behind it and I will be damned if they put my name behind something I had no stake in building it. Like I have already gone behind and reconfirmed two remote sites for auto fail over etc. All the other sites behind dudes design have to use oob to access and manually change routes. It is maddening. Delivery is key do not be an ass about it. It is all about leverage. If you have none then you can't demand things. If you are a tech lead and they need you. You have a lot more leverage than you think you do. Just don't do ultimatetums unless the issue is completely unreasonable and you are willing to back it up.

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tarlane1@reddit

We have a couple of conversation flows that we use as ways to help facilitate discussions that people might not automatically have the softskills for. When a deadline is missed or some work doesn't meet your satisfaction, approaching it with a less robotic version of 'My understanding was would bedone by , was that your understanding too?' Adjusting that to fit whatever the circumstance was.

It helps start the conversation off by getting you both on the same page as far as what your conditions of satisfaction were. He could have just been overworked, lazy, rushing before vacation, or it might just be that he never had anyone establish what a new setup should look like. Building trust in communication can be hard, but how you follow up based on whether the response is 'I didn't have time to spend more time on it, I should have alerted someone' or 'I thought it was done' can reset those expectations.

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Apprehensive_Bat_980@reddit

Ah come on, don’t feel it’s worth getting your boss involved. Pull them to one side and let them know that it could’ve been done better. Do this in person and show them what you mean. Once someone complains about cable management, you’ll never forget…I should know! But, wasn’t even me!

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itmgr2024@reddit

This is an easy one. Fix it this time because an escalation will help no one. I know it may be a difficult thing for some people but you need to talk to the tech as respectfully as possible and figure out if there was a reason it wasn’t done properly. See if there’s anything they could do to make sure next time like a check list. If they do it again like this, don’t fix it, let the boss handle it.

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Annunakh@reddit

You never throw co-worker under the bus, unless you want your workplace to become toxic mess where all at war with everyone.

Fix it to reasonable level and confront your co-worker about it later, privately. And only if it become reoccurring thing you involve your boss.

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IamHydrogenMike@reddit

To me there is a difference between throwing someone under the bus and addressing concerns about how they disrupt your job. If this happens once, then you just let the water under the bridge and only worry about it if it happens multiple times after. I'd say something to the coworker first, see how they react and then bring in management if you need to. Sometimes people get lazy because they are in a hurry, and it isn't always what happens. If it is a pattern, then you need to escalate it or if they don't take it is as constructive feedback.

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CornBredThuggin@reddit

Mistakes happen and I think we've all been there. If this is a reoccurring issue, then yes it needs to be addressed.

I've seen this happen one too many times. You have a tech that does a shitty job and someone else comes along to clean it up. It only breeds resentment since you have one person not doing their job while others have to pick up the slack.

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IamHydrogenMike@reddit

Everyone has had a day where it just wasn't happening, I'll give anyone a pass here and there, but when you notice it becomes a pattern; then you need to speak up.

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MorseScience@reddit

I agree with this completely. Not until you know 1-if the tech will correct this behavior and 2-what cool or important stuff the tech does, do you make waves. I'm sure there are a few other factors as well.

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Jaack18@reddit

meh, there’s a minimum standard anywhere. You gotta understand if your work is shit enough, someone is gonna find out. I don’t want my department to look bad.

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PatReady@reddit

Co-worker better be willing to take constructive criticism from me if he doesn't want me to tell the boss when he messes up. If not, he will take it from his boss.

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FavFelon@reddit

Kick their ass yourself. If that doesn't work question the level of validation your boss does, and let them find these things out on their own

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D3moknight@reddit

Fix it first. Take it up with the tech. Tell them it wasn't a good look for the team. If they have a problem with that, you can talk to the manager and possibly get some training going.

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MK6er@reddit

In my 20 year experience you always solve this at the lowest level possible first. Meaning speak to him directly about it and give him some guidance if needed. Then if it continues go to his manager and tell them you tried.

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velofille@reddit

comments "this is going to take a little longer(be later). I have to fix up xxx desk/setup". Let them. Come to their own conclusions

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linuxlifer@reddit

Cable Management - I don't really care. Sure if cables are run across the usable desk space and interfering with work then yeah its a problem. If its a public facing spacing then obviously cable management is maybe a little more important.

Stuff on the desk not for the job - what are you referring to? In our IT department we are only concerned with the IT equipment. Monitors, computer or dock, keyboard, mouse, desk phone. Some staff may have a printer at their desk but they are being phased out.

Wrong monitors - I mean if it was specified what monitors were supposed to be used and they used the wrong ones then they either mistakenly grabbed the wrong ones or they just didn't care and grabbed whatever was easiest.

At the end of the day, you fix it since helpdesk is on vacation or whatever and if its a one time thing then who cares. Move on. If its something thats recurring then talk to someone about it.

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One_Bad_6621@reddit

Idk ived worked for some real nazis about cable management.

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linuxlifer@reddit

Lol meh. I need staff work spaces to be functional not necessarily look pretty. Obviously there can be a point when it gets out of hand but I don't need all of the cables to be braided together with 8 different cable management ties or anything like that.

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Lotronex@reddit

Take a picture, then fix the issues.
Post the pics in the team Slack. "Looks like left us an early April Fools Day prank."

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TinyWabbit01@reddit

Take a picture of the shoddy job (just in case). But ask him if he was out of time? Or what was going on? Allow him a way out if you have a decent relationship with him why throw it away over something trivial.

Keep the picture for a bit if it does occur again you have evidence (delete it if he doesn't do it again). I've sadly worked with very shitty people so sometimes you need evidence of their terrible behavior.

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The_Wkwied@reddit

Fix it, bring it up to your manager.

Unless you are the manager, then you are not in any position to belittle, condemn, or otherwise scold your coworker. That's your manager's job.

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RequirementBusiness8@reddit

Fix it and let the boss know.

Gotta fix it because of the end user, result needs to be there.

If the tech was not out on PTO and this was a random occurrence, I would tell the tech. Professional courtesy. But tech is out (and it sounds like this is more of the norm), boss needs to know.

Boss has no power to identify and correct issues if they do not know about the those issues.

I firmly believe that a first time or a random mistake, just talk to whoever did it. If it’s common, tell the boss. And if the person isn’t in and left you holding the bag, then you tell the boss. If it’s a one off you tell the boss that too. I’d rather work out simple things internally with my teammates, but it sounds like this tech may be past that.

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NormanJohn1@reddit

Lol your helpdesk doesn’t just assign you the ticket and make you do the work as a sysadmin? Must be nice.

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thebetterbeanbureau@reddit

Bunch of rats in here. Document it, fix it, then take it up with your coworker. If he makes a habit of it then escalate.

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ADtotheHD@reddit

This 100%. Take before pictures, fix it, take after pictures. After you speak with your coworker, send yourself an email that summarizes the date/time you spoke with him, and attach the before and after pictures that you showed him. If it becomes an issue, you raise it to your manager and you forward that email as proof/documentation.

May seem cold and calculated. IMO, I don’t have time to suffer fools. Pull your weight or gtfo.

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skipay@reddit (OP)

True. I'll just monitor and see if this becomes a recurring issue.

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0MG1MBACK@reddit

Seriously. Crazy the amount of ppl that go crying to their boss about something that could easily be handled amongst the original 2 ppl

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skipay@reddit (OP)

Exactly what I did, just say hey let's try to use the proper equipment and set the desk up like you want to sit there. First impressions are really important.

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shelfside1234@reddit

When you say “wrong monitors”, do mean he saw nice new shiny monitors that he took and gave the newbie his old ones?

I’d fix it and the say to your boss you noticed some issues and quickly fixed; makes you look like a hero but isn’t too hard on the lazy sod

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skipay@reddit (OP)

Monitors as a non adjustable set of monitors that are not the same as the rest of the base user monitors. A lesser monitor.

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ITcurmudgeon@reddit

Fix it and call the tech out for his shit ass work. That or send him before and after pics with a passive aggressive "Which one looks better?"

The older I get, the less fucks I give for calling people out for lazy work, but then, I'm an asshole when it comes to lazy people.

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ProfessionalEven296@reddit

As a manager; bring me solutions, not problems. Document the situation, drop me an email telling me what you found and how you solved it. I’ll take it from there. If it’s a one-off, I’ll chat to the other person. If I’m seeing (or made aware of) a trend, I’ll handle it.

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FarceMultiplier@reddit

Go to the boss with a statement like "hey, I'm going to fix this so there isn't user impact, but you should know". Leave it at that. It's your boss's responsibility to act on this or not. Your responsibility is to help your user base.

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TheLegendaryBeard@reddit

Fix it and then ask your boss “Hey did HelpDesk guy have to leave early the other day? Saw that he didn’t finish up the new hires setup.” Something along those lines. Then let them deal with it.

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1stPeter3-15@reddit

Is it a repeating pattern? What ultimate outcome are you seeking? Based on the answer to those two questions, which action fits those best?

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International_War_52@reddit

Why is this person off on PTO? Maybe personal issues? If so it might explain their poor performance. Best to fix it and work it out with your teammate before running to the boss.

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job_equals_reddit@reddit

"let my boss discover it and watch the fallout"

That's the only correct answer.

All the others let him off the hook or involve you turning him in and causing friction. Let his incompetency be discovered, don't meddle at all!

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throwawayskinlessbro@reddit

Drag his ass back in there and start pointing shit out. Simple. You don’t need to be a manager to do this. You don’t even have to be super hostile.

If he can’t setup somebody’s desk after a year it’s time to leave. That’s like T0.5 work anyways.

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AggravatingPin2753@reddit

You fix it before anyone outside of IT sees it. Let the boss know. Then you deal with it internally in IT.

If you leave it, you make him look bad, then yourself look bad. No IT Director or higher likes a job done bad, they hate when another team member see a job done bad and pulls a “wasn’t my responsibility” about it. He screwed up by either incompetence or not giving a shit. You would be making a conscious decision to make everyone look bad. Just a little advice from a 20 yr IT Director veteran.

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grahag@reddit

Take before and after pics.

This isn't necessarily a "toss under the bus" moment.

This is just a training issue along with setting expectations. If you have a single on-site Helpdesk, they are probably getting worked pretty hard. We have 10 dedicated on site techs and they are run ragged, but...

We whiteglove everything. If something isn't done right, you correct it and show how it SHOULD be done and then set the expectation of how it should be done in the future. If the tech isn't your direct report, then leave it up to the manager, but fix it and show how it SHOULD be done in pictures.

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thedinzz@reddit

Without reading all the comments, as the system admin are you not his superior? If so, I would say why tell the boss when you can tell him yourself. Maybeim wrong and your not his superior just a different title.

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1968GTCS@reddit

I would talk to the boss, inform them of the situation so they can review it if they want, and fix it for the user. It is the boss’s responsibility to make sure their subordinates are performing to the level required. Perhaps the help desk employee needs additional instruction or coaching.

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BadAsianDriver@reddit

Take a before and after pic

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BillSull73@reddit

This is a great mentoring opportunity for you. Fix it for now but make an attempt to work with this person to help build some professionalism and pride in their work.

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HerkusBelt@reddit

Take a photos before fixing it, fix it, take the photos after. Wait for the guy to get back, show him the result of his job, then show how it have to be with your photo. Tell him if he understands the difference. If not next stop - the boss.

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Sweet_Mother_Russia@reddit

Early and often if you wanna make it into management.

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CountGeoffrey@reddit

take a photo then obviously fix it yourself.

decide after a breather if you will send photo to boss or not.

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Any-Fly5966@reddit

You should absolutely mention it to his boss so he can correct the issue. No need for specifics on who said something or even if someone said something at all.

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caa_admin@reddit

Take pics of their work, fix, then confront. They act up again, tell boss. Don't light yourself on fire to keep them warm.

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RCTID1975@reddit

let the boss know and fix it

This.

i dont want to cause friction in our little dept.

But there's already friction between you and HD.

just leave it and let my boss discover it and watch the fallout.

If you're there to onboard the person, and that typically involves being at their desk, don't do this.

I would now also be upset with you.

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PatReady@reddit

Take pics, fix it and show his boss.

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SlipBusy1011@reddit

If I am being honest with myself I usually do pretty trash work right before PTO. I'm usually craving that time off, needing it on a deep level, and my interest in my work is exceptionally low right around that time.

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Silence_1999@reddit

Agree for the most part. If OP raged against consistent shoddy work maybe. Day before pto. Likely sleepwalking through it. I could rarely take any block of time off at once. If I knew I was off for more then 3 consecutive days including a weekend I was useless unless there was actual fire right before lol

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JustAMassiveNoob@reddit

Take some pictures, fix it

Send said pics to your management.

If they can't be arsed to do their job right then maybe they shouldn't have a job?

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MajesticCat98@reddit

Maybe talk with the tech first? People have off days, I know for sure I have.

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thebetterbeanbureau@reddit

Yeah, go straight to firing him. Glad I don't work with you.

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okcboomer87@reddit

Take before and after pictures of you doing it. Tell your help desk that this is the standard from now on. I am currently dealing with the same issues with my small team of 3.

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mauro_oruam@reddit

Tell him you fixed if. Take pic, before and after. And tell him you won’t do it for him next time. It’s part of his job duties, not yours…

Email to have evidence for future occasions if need be

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iamLisppy@reddit

Take pictures of before and after if youre going to fix it.

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223454@reddit

Option 1) Take pictures, fix it to your standards, talk to tech when they get back. Don't accuse or be confrontational, just have a chat with them. You aren't their boss, so treat them like a colleague. See if you can come to an agreement, if not, and if they keep doing substandard work, then loop in your boss later. You can start the conversation like "Hey, I was getting the new user set up and noticed the desk didn't look completely done. Are you sure you were done with it? I cleaned it up a bit, but I don't want to make a habit of that." But don't keep fixing things for them. This is a one time thing.

Option 2) Take pictures and send it to your manager to ask if they find that acceptable. If so, don't worry about it again. If not, they'll handle it.

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Zos2393@reddit

Some good advice here regarding talking to colleague. Also take photos so it doesn’t become your word against theirs.

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Regular_Pride_6587@reddit

Take it as an opportunity to mentor the co-worker and offering some advice on how to set the desk up correctly.

Throwing him under the bus and leaving it for the associate sets the wrong tone for the entire department. Not just you.

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nehnehhaidou@reddit

Treat it as a learning experience for the tech - this is what you did, and why it wasn't good. This is what you needed to do and how I did it.

If after that it happens again, you can at least say you rectified the situation last time, showed them what to do and they haven't learned, because then it's a lack of professionalism situation and you can then grab them by the legs and fling fully under a double-decker routemaster bus. Some junior techs just don't have their brains switched on these days, I don't know what it is. Too much stimulation from looking at phones? Every work task is just something they have to do between scrolling social media.

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TopherBlake@reddit

I would fix it for the customer and email the helpdesk guy and tell him you would like to go over setting up new users with him.

If he tells you to get lost, then you can escalate it. Even if you aren't his direct supervisor you probably have some informal influence on him.

Some folks need extra coaching and its never a bad thing to get that experience for yourself. Especially if you work in a smaller company you can't afford to run off helpdesk folks without trying to remediate the issue, that is how you get stuck being the helpdesk.

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dayburner@reddit

The biggest mistake to make is to fix this and then let them get credit for your work. On the same note don't leave it like ass after you saw how bad it is, that doesn't look good on you either.

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Particular_Savings60@reddit

Document the situation with a short video and photos. Send them to the HD person and ask them why things are not up-to-spec. Don’t have a spec? Get a time machine and go back and write one.

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BadSausageFactory@reddit

There's some good comments in this thread but I'll just add that you should assume good intentions. It makes the conversation easier and less confrontational. Besides, there's always time to change your mind and decide it was intentionally aware BS.

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atexan@reddit

I browse https://www.hlrbo.com This could help you to compare.

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Taikunman@reddit

If you don't have authority over the tech, talking to them about it might not be the right call. You can have the conversation with the manager in a "hey here's a good opportunity to improve our processes and quality standards" sort of way without being accusatory. You can approach it in a way that isn't throwing the person under the bus.

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retnuh45@reddit

When team members start creating more work for me is when I will push back. Talk to your manager first. Attempt to use it as a teaching moment.

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evantom34@reddit

Talk to teach directly. There are things that may be your preference, and things that are wrong. Go in with the intention to have an open conversation- not one to assign blame.

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magnj@reddit

Have they been provided training and resources to do a good job? Are they expected to clean non IT items up? Usually on the hiring manager to clear out personal effects of the last person and leave a nice clean space for new equipment to be setup.

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Few-Dance-855@reddit

All the time!

gif

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HugeAlbatrossForm@reddit

Don’t be a rat, fuck the company not your co workers

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skier3284@reddit

Take pictures before and after it is fixed (you should fix it since it is not the new hire's fault your coworker is incompetent and/or lazy). Have a discussion with your coworker when he gets back showing him both how it was done incorrectly and how it should have been done. If it happens again report it to your boss.

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Working_Astronaut864@reddit

Sounds like you need to establish expectations before running to the burn pit with your tech.

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CyberRedhead27@reddit

Pictures, before and after. Document the issue in the ticket with the pictures, what you had to do to fix it and how long it took for you to fix it. Tell your boss that you had to spend extra time on this ticket and that you documented everything in the ticket, let him handle it from there.

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Zealousideal_Bass484@reddit

Nah. Imagine if you think you’re a perfectionist and report petty things like this and here comes a new hire who is even more anal than you. Bad mindset all around.

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DestinationUnknown13@reddit

Take pics and email the person who did the work. If they say they see no issues, then email their manager and ask the same. We all have off days, so give them a chance to make right.

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Affectionate-Cat-975@reddit

If he's not done the work, then he's put himself in the bad position. You are not pushing anyone anywhere. Document with Pictures and give to the boss. Boss should take corrective actions.

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Zealousideal_Bass484@reddit

Self expectations. They are different for both of you. If his work is his own and not affecting you, leave it alone. Can the new hire setup stay as is? Is that ticket associated to HIM and not you? Leave it. Especially if they confirmed it was done.

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Bubby_Mang@reddit

Fix it and immediately report the issue to the boss if this has been a pattern.

You don't want a constant back biting culture at work, nobody does, so address patterns of behavior if you need boss to right the persons career trajectory.

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IKEtheIT@reddit

Fix it, then when the tech gets back talk to the directly how you recommend desks be setup, train them and give them a chance to fix their short comings and then if they still mess up thats when you write them an email asking them to follow your instructions better and if they still drop the ball then go talk to managers

TLDR > try to resolve with them directly and if they still dont get it then go throw them under the bus

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mrbiggbrain@reddit

I guess I do not think this is a place where anyone needs to be thrown under the bus. The department is a team so someone is just going to need to fix it. Then when the tech returns just have a conversation and explain what needed to get fixed. Then offer to help them with the next one so you can overcome any challenges.

If that fixes the problem then the problem is fixed no reason for anything more. If not then at a certain point you need to find out if your standards are too high or theirs are too low and only a manager can help with that.

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Happy_Kale888@reddit

If you never set a expectation how will the employee know they are not meeting it? People at least need o know what the baseline is and if they are not meeting it.

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joecool42069@reddit

I’d just leave it. If it’s a problem, let it be escalated and assigned back to the guy.

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Quirky_Oil215@reddit

Dude it's not worth the stress. Talk to this staff member and if things don't improve then escalate. I take a very dim view on lazy co workers, who have been shown / trained what do and still do a poor job. Double the stress and workloads are not worth the salary / health issues.

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Megafiend@reddit

If it happened once, a polite "Hey we should ensure the desks are in good order for starters",

If it happens again then notify their manager of the state of it.

If it continues happening I'd escalate and point out the pattern of shoddy work.

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TheMediaBear@reddit

Take photos, send to your boss.

Don't punish the end user, it's not a good look for a new hire to come in to that. Tidy it up, take more photos and let the boss know you sorted it but that's it's eaten in your day correcting it.

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