Anonymous wrote:



Anonymous wrote:


Yes, this was the situation. It's not like I could bang on her hotel room door or anything. And I honestly don't know what people who don't travel know. How would I?!


Your boss made it your job to figure this out when he assigned you to babysit. Seriously, OP, just take some responsibility. You didn't do the work to educate her with regard to what can go through security and how to dress for travel. She alone is responsible for not getting up on time. But, that may not have been a problem had you prepared her in advance for getting through security.

Hold on a second. The Boss can't make her off-work behavior his responsibility. When they are on travel... sure... she can be responsible for her but it is totally unreasonable to expect that a 40-something year old woman is incapable of getting to work on time. This is exactly what happened. She didn't get to work on time.

1. The boss is incompetent for (a) hiring her and (b) assigning you this task for babysitting her in hers and your non-working time.
2. Where are the feminists voicing complaints that a woman needs a man to babysit her?

How do you know OP is a man?

And some women, like some men, are incompetent. It's not a feminist issue.

I actually thought OP was a woman and was annoyed that a boss would assign her to babysit another woman (thinking a man wouldn't have the patience to put up with a 40 year old new colleague's inexperience). But I'm a woman and agree with PPs that it's every person for themselves where I work when it comes to travel. (With the possible exception of very senior staff who travel with entourages). I would be annoyed if my boss assigned me to babysit a colleague (unless they were really really young maybe).

I have so many responses to a lot of these posts:

1. OP don't listen to everyone telling you you should have left her. because you stayed behind, you were able to catch the next flight and not miss the meeting. Had you left her, God only knows if she would have been able to figure out how to get the next flight and she could have missed the meeting altogether - and that would have been a bigger problem for you (sounds like, from what you say about your boss)

2. How do you know what she doesn't know? You don't, but you figure it out. Have a meeting with her BEFORE your flights. Ask her. What do you know about flying? you know about ids? security? parking? Ask her basic questions and you'd be able to figure out she knows a lot, a little bit, or shit about the topic. Then you pull from the TSA website or google it.

3. I totally get not talking to her like a baby because before the trip, you probably didn't know if she knew some stuff or nothing (see #2). I'm a new manager and sometimes my employees look at me like I'm insane when I try and tell them obvious things. they'll be like, duh...I know to wear a suit to a meeting (eye roll). So, you probably didn't want to insult her.

4. If she's the one that told your boss about missing the flight, I doubt she told boss that she overslept or forgot her laptop. She probably said, "I wasn't sure what time to arrive at airport" and "I didn't know if I'd need my laptop" That's why boss is blaming you.

5. I agree with drafting email copying your boss. First part should point out the errors of the trip. "Larla, as you know, we missed XYZ flight and I realize you are unaware of some of the requirements to fly." For the next time, when I ask you to arrive at 9 am to the airport, please arrive on time. Although I didn't explain it to you the first time, I specifically told you to arrive at the airport at 9am because I know it takes time to get through the gates and I wanted to ensure we had enough time to deal with any unforeseen issues that may come up. In the future, when I tell you to arrive at 9, please arrive at that time.

Go through each issue that way. Attach a link to TSA and tell her to make sure she reads the requirements before your next flight.

From now on I would talk to her very slowly. Like she's an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.

Oh hello dumbass coworker.

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you have HR contact you can talk to about this? It's one thing to help an inexperienced coworker navigate business travel once everyone is at the point of embarking, but it's completely another thing to hold you accountable for ensuring your coworker got up on time, got to the airport on time, wore appropriate clothing, etc. And unless your coworker has been living under a rock, she should know that there are many restrictions regarding flight travel. Heck, I haven't flown in years and I know that!

If your boss has formally reprimanded you, or even verbally reprimanded you, for the situation – then I would involve HR at this point. I agree with others that there is something suspicious about the situation. Someone so completely clueless has been chosen to advance to a position where she must travel for business? I seriously wonder what is going on between this person and your boss.

+100. I completely agree with this.

If your coworker is that incompetent at being an adult, how the f*** does she handle her job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.

She didn't wake up on time! What was I supposed to do, go to her house and bang on the door?! I was at the airport THREE HOURS ahead of boarding and told her to be there at the same time! Hell no, I'm not taking responsibility for it!

No one thinks that's your fault. What people are saying is that you aren't even taking responsibility for preparing her regarding the basics of airplane travel.

I don't know the basics, though, which is why I gave us plenty of time - so she could just follow me through. How can I be expected to know the basics - serious question.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.

She didn't wake up on time! What was I supposed to do, go to her house and bang on the door?! I was at the airport THREE HOURS ahead of boarding and told her to be there at the same time! Hell no, I'm not taking responsibility for it!

No one thinks that's your fault. What people are saying is that you aren't even taking responsibility for preparing her regarding the basics of airplane travel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.

She didn't wake up on time! What was I supposed to do, go to her house and bang on the door?! I was at the airport THREE HOURS ahead of boarding and told her to be there at the same time! Hell no, I'm not taking responsibility for it!

I didn't read the whole thread, but why didn't you leave without her?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, this was the situation. It's not like I could bang on her hotel room door or anything. And I honestly don't know what people who don't travel know. How would I?!

Your boss made it your job to figure this out when he assigned you to babysit. Seriously, OP, just take some responsibility. You didn't do the work to educate her with regard to what can go through security and how to dress for travel. She alone is responsible for not getting up on time. But, that may not have been a problem had you prepared her in advance for getting through security.

Hold on a second. The Boss can't make her off-work behavior his responsibility. When they are on travel... sure... she can be responsible for her but it is totally unreasonable to expect that a 40-something year old woman is incapable of getting to work on time. This is exactly what happened. She didn't get to work on time.

1. The boss is incompetent for (a) hiring her and (b) assigning you this task for babysitting her in hers and your non-working time.
2. Where are the feminists voicing complaints that a woman needs a man to babysit her?

How do you know OP is a man?

And some women, like some men, are incompetent. It's not a feminist issue.

OP, I am a VP with HR responsibility. This is TOTALLY the coworker's fault. Waking up late and arriving late to the airport derailed this entire scenario. Everything else could have been dealt with.

I would tell the boss "I take full responsibility for my role in this. I look forward to successfully helping Larla navigate the next trip. The ONE THING I ask that you hold her accountable for is, meeting me at the airport at the designated time. I'll make sure the rest is handled".

Then make her meet you there four hours early.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They were going to the client meeting... so .... it sounds like she was coming from HER house and left the laptop in her car etc. How can the OP be responsible for waking her up and getting her to the airport. I can understand if they were mid-travel then he could have reasonably taken some responsibility for her... but.... she should be totally responsible for getting to work on time.

Yes, this was the situation. It's not like I could bang on her hotel room door or anything. And I honestly don't know what people who don't travel know. How would I?!

You said she was an hourly type person. It's likely she has never traveled before, so I can see how she would not know about bag sizes, liquids, etc. (People are still always bringing liquids through!).

That being said, your boss is being a jerk about it. I am assuming that you are a woman and guessing that if you were male you wouldn't have been assigned a babysitting task.

I read all 7 pages......OP, you said she never travels. Are you trying to tell everyone here that this co-worker is in his/her 40's and has never set foot on a plane in their life? I seriously doubt that.

I haven't flown in over 5 years yet I know the basic rules of what you can and can't bring onto a plane, and getting to the airport at least 90 minutes early, have your ID, etc.

I would have left the co-worker there, and he/she will learn the hard way how much "fun" it is to re-book a flight.

Anonymous wrote:Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.

She didn't wake up on time! What was I supposed to do, go to her house and bang on the door?! I was at the airport THREE HOURS ahead of boarding and told her to be there at the same time! Hell no, I'm not taking responsibility for it!

Anonymous wrote:You say that no meetings were impacted and that there was no additional cost incurred. Why did you even tell your boss about the missed flight then? Were you hoping to score points off how inexperienced/clueless she is? If so, your boss is right to see through that sort of behavior and let you have it.

I didn't tell him, she did.

Amazing that we're 6 pages in and you still haven't taken ANY responsibility for this, OP.