Would I be the AH for going over my supervisors heads with a folder full of receipts?
I have some workplace drama and I really need to know if I'm the asshole here.
I work for a company, let's call it Y. I was moved to a new department over a year ago after being chosen from a group of girls through an essay contest. In our department, we handle customer emails across multiple inboxes. The main rule is simple. Work them from oldest to newest.
Now for the issue. My coworker, "Alexa." Personally, I really like her. She’s chill, listens to the same music I do, and actually worked there when my boyfriend did at Y years ago. But when it comes to her work ethic? Total nightmare. She is lazy, doesn’t work half the time, and BSes her way through the day.
Recently, I noticed her name randomly assigned to emails all over the inbox. Instead of following the oldest to newest rule, she cherry picks the accounts she wants. At first, I ignored it. Then I realized why she was doing it. She was strictly hoarding the easy accounts that give multiple points toward our individual monthly goals. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is stuck with the super complicated, time consuming accounts that barely reward any points. The more points we get, the higher bonus we receive.
My work bestie, "Karla," and I both verbally brought this up to our supervisors, "Katie" and "Ashley" separately. Ashley assured us it had been discussed with Alexa since cherry picking emails isn't how we do things.
Surprise, surprise! Karla and I saw zero change. We complained again a couple of weeks later because Alexa was still skipping the hard stuff and taking the easy emails.
When I brought it up verbally a third time, Katie and Ashley looked visibly annoyed (honestly, I couldn’t tell if they were annoyed at Alexa, or just annoyed at me for complaining). They gave the usual "we'll handle it" speech. A week later, nothing changed.
I finally messaged them on Teams with a screenshot of an example of Alexa skipping emails, asking if they understood what I meant. Again, they said they'd handle it.
Miraculously, at the beginning of the next month, she slowed down on skipping emails. But as the end of the month approached? She started doing it constantly. She clearly just wanted to inflate her metrics to hit her monthly goal.
That was my breaking point. I talked to Karla and my boyfriend about going over their heads to management. My boyfriend pointed out that when people go over their supervisors heads, the supervisors can get petty with how they treat you moving forward. He suggested a different strategy, which I immediately put into action.
I sent a formal email to Katie and Ashley, referencing our previous conversations (making it plural for emphasis). I explained that this cherry picking is unfair to the team and, more importantly, delays responses to customers with more urgent, complex issues. I used the word "fair" on purpose because Katie and Ashley love to throw that word around, even though "keeping things fair" apparently only applies to certain employees.
I attached 9 to 10 screenshots of pure, undeniable receipts showing Alexa skipping emails. My ultimate plan is this. If she doesn't stop, I am going to reply to that exact email chain, CC their manager who is above our department, attach fresh screenshots, and show that nothing has changed.
They conveniently emailed me back on my day off, giving a generic response about how skipping emails is against policy and that they will address it. But now I have written proof.
Today, they sent a mass email to the entire team stating they noticed emails are being skipped and that it needs to stop. I'm glad it’s in writing, but I highly doubt they actually called her out individually.
So, would I be the AH if at the end of this month I see her doing it again, and I follow through by CC’ing their manager with all of the screenshots I have?