I feel like a lot of people can relate to being asked to cover work that’s above their pay grade while on the job – sometimes by the person whose job it actually is to begin with.

OP works in mental healthcare and so has the patients to consider as well, so she spent a lot of hours being pretty much forced to cover for her boss, who sometimes couldn’t even be bothered to come into work.

I work in mental health and substance use services

I have worked in my job for a long time now. My boss is never available for help and hardly on site.

Recently she has got a new manager who is not impressed with her work ethic, but then lock down happened and he had to shield, she has gone straight back to her old ways.

Boss will often ask me to do her work for her to save her coming in which I have never minded doing up until recently.

Then her boss suggested she might want easier work in a different department – after OP confronted her about not giving enough support.

I had a meeting with my boss after an incident at work where someone tried to assault me , I told my boss I didn’t feel supported by her after it had happened as she wasn’t present and didn’t manage it well afterwards.

In the middle of the meeting boss says perhaps you want to consider some easier work in a different department?

Me: what, why?

Boss: Well you do take on a lot of extra work that you don’t need to a lot of this work is managers jobs. Maybe you need to learn to say no to taking on all this work?

I asked if there was something wrong with my standard of work, if she had concerns etc. and she says no.

So, OP stopped taking on the extra tasks, especially those that were above her pay grade.

3 months down the line 4 of the team leave and they get new people in.

Boss: Oh OP can you induct new starters on their first day?

Me: Sorry boss, that’s a managers job

Boss: Can you complete Fire risk assessment?

Me: Sorry boss that’s a managers job.

Thankfully, karma finally came to call when an emergency erupted at work while the boss was supposed to be there…but was actually visiting a friend on the coast.

After a while she stops asking me things, then one day she’s working from home, I’m pretty sure she has been telling her manager she’s on site throughout lock down but mostly isn’t Huge incident kicks off with residents, emergency services are called etc.

I call boss and explain to her what happened Boss: OP can you please do follow up with, commissioning body, staff and residents involved and write the report send it all directly to me please?

Me: Sorry boss you will need to come in to manage this, I’m not a manager, that’s not my job.

Boss: Just this once please? I refused to manage the incident, turned out she was visiting a friend who lived at the coast whilst she was meant to be on site!

Someone accidentally let slip to her manager when he called in the incident and there was no one to manage, he asked me to deal with the incident.

I explained I couldn’t and that boss had reported me as taking on to much work to OH.

Now OP is happy with her work/life balance and the boss is probably getting fired.

A full investigation has been launched into her conduct and ability to do her job.

Manager now talks to me directly and supervises me, he is helping me apply for a promotion Boss is on ‘leave, pending investigation’

Does Reddit think OP handled this one right? They’re going to tell us!

The top commenter finds at least one thing about all this funny.

After all, the nurses need their mental health to be good as well!

They say this is more just compliance, nothing malicious about it.

This person is glad OP stuck to her plan.

Because we all know there’s no “just once” about things like this.

I’m glad this has a happy ending.

Things like this don’t always go right for employees.

And this just shows that sticking to your guns works out!