Master's Student Adopts Puppy, Brings Him To Disrupt Work At Office, And Gets Mad When Her Colleague Didn't Advocate For Her And Her Baby
A 27-year-old PhD candidate did his best to keep his team on task while two of their members were on maternity leave. His efforts to meet their deadline were undone by an irresponsible teammate and her 5-week-old puppy named Bean.
Chole was the latest addition to OP's team when she joined last December. Since they were two teammates down, OP readjusted their objectives to prevent overwhelming the remaining five.
OP has been acquainted with Chole for four years before working together. Chole adjusted well to the group until she adopted Bean.
She clocked in late, missed her deadlines, and left work early. OP had to work extra hours to pick up Chole's slack and ensure she was looped in on the developments.
Chole tried to blame Bean for her poor work performance. She said Bean required hard work because "he's a baby."
Chole found it offensive that two of their colleagues were entitled to maternity leave while she didn't get time off to bond with her puppy. OP made the mistake of approving Chole's informal request to bring Bean to their office.
She said her puppy got upset and fussy when left alone. OP knew there wasn't a school policy that forbade what Chole requested, and none of their teammates objected, so he agreed.
OP soon regretted his decision as Bean disrupted their work. It isn't Bean's fault because he only behaved as an untrained puppy would.
Medical_Falcon_5531However, his constant antics and the messes he made prevented Chole and the team from doing their work.
Medical_Falcon_5531A professor noticed the chaos the four-legged team member caused. He advised OP to give Chole a warning before things spiraled out of control.
Medical_Falcon_5531OP heeded the advice. He told Chole to find an alternative solution to Bean's dislike of being left alone. Chole didn't show up to work the next day.
Medical_Falcon_5531She left work early when she showed up but called OP after work. She accused him of being an a**hole for failing to advocate for her and Bean. OP ignored the insult and advised Chole to get her priorities straight before her supervisor noticed.
Medical_Falcon_5531OP explained that Chole's irresponsible pet ownership set their team behind the deadline. They are already stretched too thin with two members down.
matrixx17, Medical_Falcon_5531Chole is old enough to know what it takes to become a good pet owner. If she cares for Bean as much as she claims, she should try harder.
alaynamul
A commenter asked if Chole's poor performance is grounds for termination. OP said it would be a difficult process to remove her. Chole doesn't seem too worried about failing her thesis, which is an even bigger problem.
Ok_Childhood_9774, Medical_Falcon_5531
Someone more objective, and not a PhD student, should get involved, said another Redditor. OP's ethics might come into question if he continues to run his team this way.
cienfuegos__
Chole is treating Bean like a human baby. It's another layer of weird.
Ok-Error-6564, Medical_Falcon_5531
Their teammates who just gave birth would appreciate Chole's comparison of birthing a child to adopting a dog.
BionicKumquat
Bean should clock in to work to see Chole say this to her postpartum colleagues' faces.
Medical_Falcon_5531
It seems Chole didn't do enough research before she got Bean.
FitOrFat-1999
OP and their teammates aren't there to help Chole train her new puppy.
Additional_Jaguar_76
OP might need to escalate this through the proper channels. If Reddit taught me anything, it's to keep a paper trail in cases like these.
Fredsundertheblanket
Chole is banking on Bean's cuteness to get away with the chaos they bring to the office. If she is not serious about her post-grad studies, she shouldn't bring her teammates down with her.
OP has been lenient about her poor work performance. If Chole wants a shot at finishing her master's, she must listen to OP's advice before the opportunity is taken away.
