Colleague rectifies accountant's failure to chase their customers' payments dating back over a year, accountant gets mad when they stop doing her work for her: ‘I caught her scowling at me’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 28, 2025 9:00 AM EST

You know that one coworker who keeps their job against all odds? Yeah, the one who doesn't know anything about the role they are supposed to be working in, but still, somehow stays afloat by the skin of their teeth? Why do we cover for those colleagues? A combination of factors will prompt us hard workers to cover the tracks of those who do not know how to do it themselves. However, mainly, you never want to assume someone is purposely falling behind because they don't want to work. You hope that they will appreciate your help and apply your teachings accordingly, rather than taking advantage of your intellect and kindness, and try to make you do their work for the rest of your time at the company.

Wishful thinking is a disease, and we must all get well soon if we are going to persevere in the rough waters of corporate America. Corporate wherever, really.

The accountant in the story below works in Accounts Receivable and reveals to a colleague that they haven't been chasing payments from several customers of the company. Essentially, her entire job. Now, her colleague decides to go through the work of learning new skills to clean up her mess. She receives praise for it, and the accountant complains about having to resume her job duties. Talk about entitled. What would you do in the colleague's position?

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  • 01
    a woman sitting at a desk with a laptop and a calculator
    via Karolina Grabowska For Unsplash+

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

  • 02

    "AR colleague annoyed that I am no longer doing the ‘hard’ part of her job"

    I am a Finance Manager is a small medium company and have only just passed my first year here.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 03
    My colleague, the one handling AR, has been with the company for 4 years (our appraisal was in August) and has been doing the usual sales posting, recording payments, sending SOAS.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 04
    However, around the time of appraisal, I found out that she has NOT been chasing for payment that has been unpaid from 6 months to more than a year, some even up to 2 years overdue!!
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 05
    When I first caught wind of it, she initially said that she HAS been chasing them and taken action, but could not answer when I asked her, "why haven't they been changed from term customers to COD then?"I'm just wondering, isn't it basic SOP that customers who keep piling debt should NOT be allowed to continue to have term payments with us?
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 06
    But no, she didn't do so as "so and so will get mad at me" (she's referring to her sales' buddies who always pay for her lunch 2-3 times a week, that's another story) I told her firmly that she had to take action and gave her examples on what to do.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 07
    She managed to follow my steps for the debts that were within a year, like: ask the salesman to chase for the unpaid invoices, block the shipping function (prevent stock from going out) until the customer makes payment, send final payment reminder that we will change their 30days term to COD until payment has been received fully.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 08
    As for those that had been outstanding for more than a year, I asked her what we should do.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 09
    She didn't know and she argued that, "Our boss never asked me to chase to that extent so I just left it.." I could feel my blood starting to boil.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 10
    Okay, breathe. Then she further added that for some, she didn't know how to write beyond the final payment reminder as her English was not strong (English isn't her first language).
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 11
    SO, I told her to include me into the final payment emails and I'll handle it from there.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
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    Thereafter she can manage those in the future once I came up with templates and steps.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 13
    She agreed. 3 months passed with me doing non finance stuff by having to apply legal recourse online, going to state courts, OT-ing just to read up on how to write affidavits, letter of authorisation for myself to represent the company, applying for a to z of legal forms before I can actually go to court and from those list of debtors that had unpaid invoices, I managed to collect the 70% value as of today.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 14
    judge's wooden gavel on top of a wooden table
    via Yunus Tuğ For Unsplash+
  • 15
    was overjoyed and relieved and I updated my boss today on the progress and he was happy as well.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 16
    He asked me questions on how I did it and I just simplified the process and told him what I did.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 17
    Never once did I bring up that "my colleague didn't do XYZ, so I had to take it on." It was just a conversation of pure relief and joy that I had done something new & relatively foreign and had an unexpected positive outcome from it.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 18
    However, I caught her scowling at me as I sat back down at my desk after chatting with the boss about the successful debt collections, but I acted like I didn't see it.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 19
    After being sat at my desk for about 10 minutes to control my happiness, I calmly told her that she could now take over the task as I would send her an SOP and the template emails as well as supporting documents for other debt collection customers - the balance 30%... to which she replied, "Why can't you just do it??
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 20
    Why should I do this when I've never chased payment to this extent before?" I've never seen her lose her cool before because she's really one of those pretty even-tempered people in the office.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 21
    I assured her she can still CC me when she sends these emails over just in case the customer becomes nasty.
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 22
    I'm confused.. if you were my colleague, would it feel like I was gloating or rubbing the successful debt collection in your face?
    via Complex-Pea-7880
  • 23
    Is there anything I can do to / should do / say to my colleague?
    via Complex-Pea-7880

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terrible coworkers coworkers entitled people karma not my job entitled coworker entitled people
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