Complained about a Coworker and now he might get fired.
First Reddit post ever so bear with me. Been working with this guy in a warehouse for about 2 years. Without getting into the nitty gritty, he makes floor sealer and I pick and package for orders. He started off kind of rough but slowly started learning how to do the bare minimum.
The higher ups were skeptical about his ability to do the job but I kinda downplayed and picked up some of the slack because I knew he had a rough life. I figured he’d figure a lot of stuff out once he had stability.
Lately he’s been slacking. Not like 20 minute “bathroom breaks” when we’re slow. Like really just sitting around. 80% percent of the time I ask him to make something for an order he rolls his eyes and gives me a horrible attitude. Hissing and cussing. If he does make something he’s cussing and throwing stuff around all aggressive. Showing up high and smoking at work. Getting into drama with other co workers. It’s gotten to where I have to mediate between him and everyone else because he doesn’t like anyone, and vice versa.
A couple days ago, we had a pickup order that was coming that day and he needed to make a material. I told him so, and he rolled his eyes and said “I guess I can make a bucket” (instead of a 500lb drum) He makes it in 20 minutes and instead of checking and filling the material, he leaves for like an hour and half. After a while I try to fill it myself and it’s not even close to acceptable. A customer would absolutely send it back. So we have to push the order back and I have to explain the situation to everyone because no one can even find him. Then he just shows up. No apology no nothing. He just sits on the tow motor looking at his phone for the rest of the shift.
So I complained to our boss. I did this instead of going to him directly because I’m confident it would either be useless or start more problems. He’s not emotionally mature and he seems allergic to any accountability. Everything is everyone else’s fault. It’s every one else’s fault that he’s not happy. He walks around with that level of entitlement and it makes him genuinely exhausting to work with. Like pulling teeth getting him to do anything. Still though, I have this gut feeling that I might have turned someone out into the street who was already struggling, who was about to get it together. We’re not friends per se. But we talk at work and I’ve gotten to know him and see the good in him. So I’m really torn did I handle this poorly?