"A coworker struggled with showing up to work on time. They'd recently been reprimanded for it. When they missed their bus again, they called me with excuses for their alarm not going off. When I asked them why they were calling me with this concern, and not a supervisor, they said they were hoping I would clock in for them and lie for them. I explained I wouldn't do this and suggested they talk to a supervisor to give them a heads-up that they were delayed and take responsibility for their own actions. They said they were going to and hung up, but they called out sick instead. They called another coworker asking them to take on their workload.

I grappled with this and decided their attendance issues weren't the only problem. They were slowing down the productivity of the rest of the team, creating a negative work environment, and overburdening other members of the team by passing off their work. I felt resentful of the awkward position this coworker put me in and decided, regardless of how awkward, that I should let management know. Once I told management, the issues were addressed. I was worried other members of the team might resent me for my decision, but it turned out most of them supported the choice I'd made."