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I'm just leaving my current employer. I've been here 18 months and I've not really enjoyed the working experience. I have a new job and I start in 2 weeks.

I've been sent a "Leaver form" to fill in.

One of the reasons I'm leaving is because of the attitude of one of my collegues (and my bosses handling of this). I find him incredibly un-professional and have had the following problems:

  • Late everyday (30 mins minimum, up to 45 minutes)
  • Spends large parts of his day chatting to his friends
  • Shoddy, badly written code
  • Disappears for large periods of the day doing I don't know what (My sense is that he's running an additional business and needs to make phone calls in work time)
  • Constantly "working from home" but when contacted does not answer
  • Will stay at his desk "making up time" right up to the point where the manager leaves, then quickly packs his stuff and goes

In my recent appraisal I raised my concerns with my boss and was told that the person "had special dispensation as he had a young child" and "I'm sure he makes the work up". He doesn't.

This has ultimately led to me handing in my notice. I'm senior to him and I felt his attitude towards me and the lack of support from my boss made my position untenable. I also felt that I had to babysit everything that he did, often covering his back to other members of the company so as to not make my department look bad. That's not the only reason but it is one of the reasons why I'm leaving.

I know my company stuggles to recurit. We're in a resonably rural location and there are not many developers in the area.

Now in my leaver form I'm sorely tempted to explain some of this to HR. I don't like the guy (there I've said it) and part of me would like to drop him in it. But should I? Is this going to just look like sour grapes. If I do go about this how should I word it? Should I quote times and instances or more general grievences?

Will HR even care?

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    So you left as someone, who isn't your subordinate, didn't behave the way you expected? All for you, but saying it's that person's fault seems to be stretching the line a bit. Why did it matter to you that they were doing this stuff? Surely that was your manager's headache and not yours? As long as you did your job, this other person shouldn't have affected you.
    – Draken
    Jan 3, 2017 at 14:36
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    "Will HR even care?" You think we've got the answer to that? You know your company and we don't. We just started 2017 by firing the only mind readers on this site as part of our new volunteer workforce quality enhancement program, which I authored :) So forget about asking us any questions that involve tarot card reading or crystal glazing. Jan 3, 2017 at 14:45
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    They are my subordinate and I was working full days to tough deadlines while they didn't. I tried to address it myself when this didn't work I kicked it up the management chain, this was ignored and I was told that what I knew was happening, wasn't happening. I don't want to work in an environtment where people are not professional. I've not had this issue in other jobs, why would I take it here?
    – user62336
    Jan 3, 2017 at 14:46
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    Sorry, I'm guessing different word usage, when I said subordinate, I meant a manager of the person, not a superior in rank. You seem to be making other people's problems your own
    – Draken
    Jan 3, 2017 at 15:01
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    Don't say anything. You have made your decision, your boss has made his, you are taking the consequences for your decision, and your boss for his one.
    – Sascha
    Jan 3, 2017 at 19:32

1 Answer 1

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Sounds familiar...

Keep your exit personal to you. Include "lack of support from management", "uneven application of working time policies", "increased pressures resulting from management failures", etc. Do not name the guy, it will look petty.

Of course, you know HR will look at this, weigh up dealing with it vs ignoring it and then just stick it in a file somewhere hoping you don't file a constructive dismissal case.

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    It's a good point to keep it personal. I was never going to actually name the guy but maybe use a euthamism (a colleague, etc.)
    – user62336
    Jan 3, 2017 at 14:16
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    @Liam is "Euthanism" a euphamism for euthanasia? XDDD Is the colleague that bad? XDDD
    – JohnHC
    Jan 3, 2017 at 14:17
  • Ha, I'd never hurt him....seriously... ;)
    – user62336
    Jan 3, 2017 at 14:21