Colleague gets 3 weeks off for jury duty but is only actively in court for 1 day, timekeeper at the company refuses to let her time theft slide: ‘It's called checks and balances’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 14, 2025 7:00 PM EST

Nobody wants to be the office cop, kept outside of every fun piece of knowledge, all because you have the power to uproot a colleague's calendar and blow up their spot to their boss… But sometimes, you have to be. Time theft is a real thing that occurs way more often than you think. If you believe that only hourly employees can commit wage theft, you're in for a learning experience.

As you are aware, hourly employees are offered X amount of paid time off per year. Whether your PTO days accrue as the year goes on or you are given a set amount at the beginning of each calendar year, it's up to you to plan your time accordingly. You're also likely to be given paid time off for unavoidable commitments like jury duty, but that's only if you are chosen to participate. 

The colleague in this story was sent papers summoning her to jury duty, so she put in her time to the office timekeeper. The timekeeper explains that the paid time only goes through on the days any given employee is actively at the courthouse. Who was going to tell that to the colleague? Oh, wait, it's glaringly obvious.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • a wooden gavel sitting on top of a wooden table
    via Yunus Tuğ For Unsplash+

  • "I won’t let my coworker commit time theft, but according to her, I’m the AH"

    I've worked with this woman for almost 7 years. She's ridiculous and dramatic, but we are all remote and our jobs don't crossover much so she's easy to ignore.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Since day one, I have been the timekeeper for my department. For the uninitiated, it's basically one of my duties to make sure everyone's PTO is put in correctly every other Friday.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • It's a much bigger job for hourly folks, but our entire department is salary, so it's pretty easy.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I was trained by the person who did it for the department before me, I do it the exact same way she did it, and I've never had any complaints before now.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • A little while back, this coworker gets jury duty, and puts herself as out for the full three weeks she's on call.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Our company offers full pay for jury duty, but only on the days someone is actively in court.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I don't know if that's fair or unfair, but I don't make the rules. Anyway, I end up messaging this coworker to ask her what days she was actively in court.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • There's a bit of back and forth before she blows up at me because only the timekeeper can put in jury duty and she can't put it in herself.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Again, I continue not to make the rules, and when she's done ranting I finally get it out of her that she was only in court for 1 day.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • This was only after the first of the three weeks. I guess I ruined her plans to take the other two full weeks off with full pay.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • She tells me she'll do her own time going forward. She literally can't and I tried to explain this.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • It's called checks and balances. She won't hear it. Whatever. Come to last week, this same coworker had put a day off on her manager's calendar, but not the department PTO calendar.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • planner organizer calendar date events schedule
    via Curated Lifestyle For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • We've been using this PTO calendar for literal decades. She has been here longer than me and there was a recent email from the director reminding folks to keep that calendar up to date.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • She knows she's supposed to use it. But I figure it's a mistake so I put it on the PTO calendar, put it in the system, and move on.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • That afternoon I get a message from her demanding to know why I put that date on the calendar.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I think I just said "timekeeping purposes." She flipped and starts going on about how she told me to "never touch her time card." Which is the first I've heard of this.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Also it's my literal job. The thing is, our new department head was until recently her direct manager, and she added him to the email to tell on me.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I spoke to him yesterday. He constantly coddles. her. The general consensus is that he is just too exhausted to argue with her, though he frankly opens himself up to gossip by placating her constantly and giving her special treatment.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • He makes all kinds of excuses for her and comes up with the solution that he will do her time card for her.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Again, he really only can to a degree, he can approve her time cards, but I still have to be the one to put in stuff like jury duty.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I'm more than happy to have absolutely no reason to speak to her until such a day arrives.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • Cherry on top: she's already dropped into my Teams messages, trying to chat and pretending we're best friends.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs
  • I left her on read.
    via KitchenSwillForPigs

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

terrible coworkers workplace-stories coworker stories Professional At Work work coworkers reddit story horrible coworkers entitled people karma workplace entitled entitled coworker reddit thread Reddit coworker entitled people
Scroll Down For The Next Article