Driving Your Way Straight To A Write-Up

I do a lot of travelling for work. I finally get the company to agree to give me a company car. It isn’t much, but it’s better than using my own or the dirty pool cars that no one cleans or bothers to fill up.

Coworker: “Hey, can I borrow your car?”

Me: “Are none of the pool cars available?”

Coworker: “No, I don’t think so.”

I look out the window.

Me: “Yes, they are; there are two of them.”

Coworker: “But yours one is nicer, and I am going to the customer, so I need to make a good impression.”

The only time [Coworker] goes to the customer is to drop something off, and even then, their car park is far from the building, so no one would even see what car she was in.

Me: “The pool cars are for general use. Company cars are only for when there are no other options.”

Coworker: “You’re just being selfish.”

Me: “It’s my car; I have to pay tax on it and keep it clean. Use the pool cars!”

[Coworker] storms off, only to return a few hours later with her manager.

Coworker: “I need your car.”

Me: “We’ve had this discussion. I told you no. Use the pool cars.”

Coworker: “Well, they’re all taken now, so you have to let me use yours!”

Manager: “I’ve checked and they are all taken. Please could she use yours?”

Me: “So, you waited hours until all the cars were gone so you had to use mine?! Real mature, [Coworker]. Well, the joke’s on you because I already had a customer visit planned. So, again, the answer’s no.”

Manager: *To [Coworker]* “That delivery needs to be done today. Did you really wait all morning?”

Coworker: *Stammering* “Well, no, I was busy.”

Manager: “Well, what are you going to do about it? You’ve had weeks to book something and now, the morning it’s needed, you’re completely unprepared!”

Me: “The old work van is in the car park.”

It’s old, rusty, and damp. The radio doesn’t work and the windows rattle. It’s really only used to take rubbish away.

Coworker: “I’m not using that!”

Manager: “Well, I would suggest you come up with an alternative quickly!”

[Coworker] refused to use the van, even though it was safe and fine to use. What she did was way worse: she lied to another member of staff to get them to drive her there in their car. She wouldn’t be insured, and because it was business use, they wouldn’t have been, either. She didn’t tell anyone or get permission to take them.

She got a written warning and hasn’t asked to use my car since.