Employee spreads rumor about coworker, gets annoyed when they don't flag error in major presentation: 'It wasn't my place'

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  • A female employee presenting something on a flipboard to several people sitting in a meeting room
  • Am I wrong for not telling my coworker her presentation had a major error before she gave it to the whole department?

    me and my coworker Claire have a complicated history. We were friendly for the first year, then she spread something inaccurate about me to our manager that affected how I was perceived for a while. It was never fully addressed, she never apologized, and we've been politely distant since then.
  • Last month Claire was preparing a big quarterly presentation. I happened to see a draft version on a shared drive because it was in the wrong folder. There was a significant error in one of the data slides, the kind that anyone familiar with the numbers would catch immediately. I recognized it and knew it would look bad when she presented to the full department.
  • A female employee behind a glass wall presents a meeting to coworkers
  • I didnt say anything. I told myself it wasnt my place, that I wasnt supposed to have seen the draft, that maybe she'd catch it herself. She didn't. She presented it, someone flagged the error in front of everyone, and it was a pretty uncomfortable moment for her. Afterwards a mutual colleague told me
  • she had mentioned she wished "someone" had caught that before the meeting. I dont know if she meant me specifically but I've been sitting with it since. I don't feel like I did something actively wrong. But I also know I made a choice and the choice I made wasn't the kind one.
  • AITA for staying quiet? TL;DR: coworker who previously caused me professional harm gave a presentation with a major error I knew about, I said nothing, it went badly for her
  • A female employee presenting in front of a flipboard in a meeting room with several coworkers
  • MetalSufficient9522 You couldn't have won. You weren't supposed to see the file, right? If you had said something, I am sure that would have also come back on you. If she was real evil she would say someone changed it.
  • Layla_Wilson11894 If someone does me dirty I have no problem letting their own mistakes play out.
  • roadkill4snacks OP stop blaming yourself. You are being stupid nice. Your guilt seems almost self indulgent. 1. she did not ask for your help 2. you are not professionally responsible for her
  • 3. her past behaviour has suggests that she wanted you professionally damaged or removed. You make your self a bigger and easier target by helping her. 4. maybe get some therapy or do some personal reflection, your attachment to the guilt or shame seems disproportionate and odd.
  • ApprehensiveCut9809 NTA sometimes you have to let the coyote run into painted tunnel entrance on the side of a cliff.
  • Feeling-Invite 7953 NTA. I'm going to call it karma for what she spread about you. Now, it happened to her, and she can't possibly prove you were involved,so just let it go.
  • Sad-Guarantee-3417 OP stop being a doormat, you are fine.
  • Appropriate-Law5963 Yup,get cornered for seeing something on accident? Press on, she should have asked for someone to proof her work.
  • No_Arugula4195 She forfeited her right to your good graces. Her loss.
  • bridget_cougar As far as I'm concerned, karma did its job here.
  • Beginning-Potato-617 NTA she has proven she is a back staber... make sure your work can't be tempered with. Also shared drive may log you looked at it and she will say you sabotaged her.... she sounds like the type.
  • Organic Mix3499 Don't feel guilty about keeping quiet. She's not your friend and should have caught the error herself if she checked her work.

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