Gatarix posted...
If one of my co-workers had an issue with me, I would much rather have him talk to me personally first, instead of having him badmouth me to my boss behind my back and possibly get me in trouble without even giving me a chance to fix the issue myself.
Now, if someone is refusing to pull their weight around the office to a big enough extent that it's hurting office productivity, and you talk to him about it and he refuses to change, I think going to the boss is fair.
This is entirely dependent on the issue/situation, though. If you have this way of talking that I find annoying, I will talk to you about it, as that is my business. I would expect the same. If you are having problems with policy, etc., that's a different matter. If I suspect you will listen to me, I will probably talk to you about it.
However, if I observe a coworker with whom I have a poor or non-existent relationship, I will most likely talk to the boss, as the coworker will take whatever the boss has to say better than I will. Most companies have talking to the boss as the policy, because most people don't take criticism well from their equals or subordinates.
I do agree, that in some situations it is appropriate to confront a co-worker. But I think Sbell made the better choice in his case.
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My Japanese alter-ego.
Hey all this is Bartz btw.