Coworker made me miss our flight

[Anonymous]

I posted a while back about having to take a new coworker on a business trip with me. She is brand new to business travel - any kind of air travel, really - so I made sure we had plenty of time.

1. She woke up late
2. Was at the airport and hour and a half later than we agreed to
3. Left her laptop bag in her car
4. Didn't know you couldn't bring liquids through security
5. Wore these ridiculous 4 inch heels so she could barely walk through the terminal.

I basically dragged her as fast as I could through the airport, and we still missed our flight. Our manager is furious with me because I didn't explain to her about the liquids and that she couldn't carry on a giant suitcase, etc, or explain to her her decent travel attire. I guess I am wondering if this is really my responsibility? I travel 150,000 miles a year and it never occurred to me to tell someone in 2015 that they can't bring a huge bottle of shampoo or a giant suitcase on the plane. I was at the airport almost 3 hours before our flight, but there wasn't much I could do besides call her when she didn't show up on time.

How do I fix this in the future? I am not her manager.

[Anonymous]

Easy, don't travel with her. Tell her you'll see her at the gate or on the plane. Make up some excuse like you have a friend who works at the airport and you're meeting them for dinner or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Why did you wait for her? She's a grownup. She gets herself there and gets to the plane like an adult. When she boards the plane and you get to your destination, you share a cab and start the "business trip" togetherness. That way youre there and the meeting goes on as scheduled.

If she fails to get to the plane on time, she deals with the consequences -- and the professional fallout -- herself.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, why did you have to wait for her?

[Anonymous]

1. She woke me up late.

Not her responsibility. It's yours. The rest? Well, not yours. Should have left her behind (just kidding, kind of).

[Anonymous]

Who the hell wouldn't know this stuff! Of course this isn't your fault. It would NEVER have dawned on me that someone was so sheltered that they wouldn't know one damn thing about air travel. Your boss is projecting way too much on you.

[Anonymous]

That sucks, OP. At law firms (and I'm sure at many other companies) it's every man/woman for themselves when traveling. But it doesn't sound like you can do that. I would remind her of the rules that she broke on this trip and put her on notice that you were in trouble for missing the flight so you can't let that happen for YOURSELF again and that she shouldn't let them happen for herself again.

[Anonymous]

She had never been on a business trip before, ever, and had only flown once in her life and I was supposed to babysit her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. She woke me up late.

Not her responsibility. It's yours. The rest? Well, not yours. Should have left her behind (just kidding, kind of).

I think you misread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. She woke me up late.

Not her responsibility. It's yours. The rest? Well, not yours. Should have left her behind (just kidding, kind of).

Reread #1

[Anonymous]

You shouldn't have waited. I don't wait for anyone. If DH is late, I leave without him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You shouldn't have waited. I don't wait for anyone. If DH is late, I leave without him.

I was explicitly told to stay with her because she hasn't traveled before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You shouldn't have waited. I don't wait for anyone. If DH is late, I leave without him.

I was explicitly told to stay with her because she hasn't traveled before.

Do you always do as you are told? Anything?

[Anonymous]

Is she sorry at all?

Most competent individuals would research air travel before they do it. It doesn't bode well for her performance at work in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You shouldn't have waited. I don't wait for anyone. If DH is late, I leave without him.

I was explicitly told to stay with her because she hasn't traveled before.

Do you always do as you are told? Anything?

If my manager tells me to do it, yes. If I'd have left her, he'd be just as angry.