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Dear
Annette,
I found a colleague's resume in the copy machine and noticed
that he lists some of my responsibilities as his own. I don't want him to get
away with this, but I don't think it's common knowledge that he's looking for a
new job, so I don't want to report it to our supervisor. What should I
do?
Feeling Betrayed
in Baton Rouge
Dear
Betrayed,
Anyone who has ever been lampooned, made-for-TV-movie'd,
made into a voodoo doll, or imitated in any other way has felt the simultaneous
flattery and consternation of seeing his or her work or characteristics
represented by another. So I suspect you have mixed feelings. On the one hand,
your efforts on the job are so fabulous that someone else would like to lay
claim to them. This is a marvelous feeling. The attention. The air
time.
On the other hand,
one wants one's name to appear in the credits of the documentary about oneself,
even if the work is unauthorized, doesn't one? I of course have People to track
down transgressors. In fact, I have made many shareholders in the corporation of
Me very happy as my attorneys have brought home the bacon in the form of large
monetary settlements from legal cases involving unauthorized use of my
Countenance or other personal assets.
(I love when
lawyers use sexy archaic words like "countenance." Reminds me of a barrister
named Nigel...but that was ages ago.)
You can ignore your
coworker's resume, and bravely assume all will be vindicated in good time. If he
tries to bring your expertise to a new job and fails, his actions will speak for
themselves. Besides, if you leave the paper on the copier, others may see it and
his secret search will be revealed. This may provide some
consolation.
Or you can remove
the resume from the copy machine and, holding the corner of the paper between
the tip of your thumb and the tippy-tip of your forefinger, walk daintily into
his office, hand it to him, and say, "I susPECT this belongs to YOU, but I'm not
SURE because it looks a lot like something of MINE."
If you deliver your
lines with the right mixture of indignation and irony, you could get quite a
laugh and still make your point without destroying the relationship. I try never
to do anything that would result in my having to remove anyone from my little
black book. Too messy.
But irony is not
for everyone. If you are an honest, hard-working person who's been seriously
hurt, and if this event will weigh heavily on you, then have the Talk. Ask for a
few minutes of your colleague's time. Explain in straightforward, nonthreatening
language that you are disappointed in him.
Regardless of the
outcome, your work does speak for itself if your coworkers and those you report
to have integrity and good judgment. As one of my People once told me, "Never
work for people who can't recognize a good job when they see one."
Stay
fabulous,
Annette
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