I may come across as lazy at times. There’s a quote attributed to Bill Gates that says, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” I identify with this perspective, and would like to share an experience related to my job.
Last December 2021, a new software was introduced at my workplace. While it was an improvement over the old one, it lacked some important features that we use regularly. When we asked for those features to be added, we were informed that it would require a significant amount of money, which the company was not willing to spend at the moment.
I consider myself an expert in Microsoft Excel, so I decided to try and develop the missing features using Excel. Soon, I was able to create what was needed and presented it to my manager for approval.
Unfortunately, while I was on vacation the following week, my manager took credit for my work and presented it as his own. He received recognition and even earned a performance bonus for it! I was speechless and my manager did his best to silence me!
Last month, after an update in Microsoft Excel, the file I developed became inoperable. The company is now requesting my manager to fix the issue.
To develop the file, I did some custom coding in a protected sheet. However, my manager neither have the password nor coding knowledge to do so. After trying to fix the file by himself for about two weeks, now he is requesting me to do it for him.
I have a few options to consider now:
- I’ll not fix it. My manager will fall into trouble. He’ll surrender that he can’t fix it. Soon everyone will forget the incident except him. He’ll always try to cause trouble in the future.
- I’ll fix it and tell everyone that I developed it. He’ll fall into great trouble as he already took the credit for my work. Using the email, I sent him as evidence I can easily prove to everyone that he stole my work. As a result, he along with his gang will turn into my enemy, and they’ll always try to cause trouble for me. He may even lose his job. If it happens, I may look like a bad person to others.
- I’ll quietly fix it. I can keep quiet and fix the file. This way I can avoid any potential troubles.
- I’ll fix it and ask for credit for my cooperation. This would result in others recognizing my contribution and may even result in a performance bonus for me, though chances are very low.
What should I do now folks?
Image by Lalmch from Pixabay
