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Imagine working at a company where the owners own two companies, and your company often works with the other company. You know the employees at the other company including the person with the same job you have at that company.

What would you do if your boss wanted you to be the supervisor for the person with your job at the other company even though you technically work for different companies and even though you wouldn’t get a raise for doing the extra work? Would you agree to it or refuse?

In this story, one employee is in this situation, and he does not want to be a supervisor for an employee he finds pretty annoying, especially since he wouldn’t be compensated for it. However, his boss thinks he’s being a jerk by saying no which makes him wonder if he should agree to it.

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA For refusing to supervise an employee at another company?

Background: My company (company 1)works very closely with our sister company (company 2). Both companies are owned by the same people and we do a lot of work that is shared between us.

‘Joe’ has my job, at company 2. We’ve worked together in the past on cooperative projects and while I’ve seen that he’s definitely skilled, he as very a crappy attitude about everything.

I’ve also found I can’t rely or depend on him holding up his end, and the work he does on round one is usually half-bad and reeks of laziness.

It’s not a big problem as I tend to adjust for this assumed delay and it’s more of a mild frustration to work around for me.

OP’s company wants to give him a new responsibility.

Last month the higher-ups at both companies decided that I needed to take responsibility in directing Joe by monitoring his output, holding him accountable to goals, and having him report to me.

Basically, I’d basically be his supervisor.

I’ve told them this is going to cause problems since:

1. He doesn’t work for company 1

2. I wouldn’t ‘technically’ be his boss

3. I’m having added duties to my job but not seeing compensation for it.

His boss doesn’t seem to care about his reasoning.

I’ve told them this and mentioned that if hey really wanted a handle on his effectiveness it would need to be monitored with his manager at company 2.

Office politics wise: I feel that company 2 is trying to pawn off their problem employee they don’t want to deal with.

I refused and now my boss (who I consider a very reasonable and like-able guy) told me in the nicest way that I’m being a bit of a jerk by not getting on-board with their plans.

His company obviously thinks he’s a good employee.

After this it was made clear that, regardless of wither Joe stayed at company 2 or not, I’d be in line for a pay increase and an additional hire for my team in about three months.

Company 1 has been good in the past with following through on these kinds of promises.

Here is my question: Should I feel like the jerk for refusing an odd managerial request OR Am I in the clear for seeing a train wreck before it happens?

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I worry that turning down supervising Joe would mean that OP wouldn’t get promoted and wouldn’t get a raise. However, since this is a new responsibility, it would make sense to give him a raise now!

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

This person suggests talking to the boss.

Another person thinks it might be a good idea to say yes.

Everyone seems to think it might be a good idea to say yes.

While it’s understandable that he wants to say no, especially if he’s up for a promotion and a raise, he’s much more likely to get it if he says yes. It’ll make him look like a team player who can take on more responsibilities, and who knows, maybe he’ll actually be able to have some positive impact on his coworker.

It’s clear that his company knows he’s a hard worker who is good at his job or they wouldn’t ask him to take on this additional task. If he wants to stay on the boss’s good side, he should probably say yes.

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Author

Jayne Elliott

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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