Co-workers argue over shift trade after one narcs on the other for a better deal.

Trading shifts at work is a long-standing American tradition. Nothing wrong with sweetening a deal with a fancy bottle of wine or a nice dinner. On a popular Reddit thread, someone tries to get a better deal by getting the boss involved.

AITA for not covering Thanksgiving for a narc.

Seems like a normal workplace culture.

At my workplace, we regularly bribe each other to trade shifts. Usually, it's like a good bottle of wine/booze or a gift certificate for a restaurant, but it can also be cash. We keep it on the down low, and it works. We do IT services for financial companies. So Thanksgiving weekend is important.

All is fair in love and war.

So one of my coworkers does not like to pay to trade shifts but has before. They always complain about how it's not fair that people like me who are unmarried and have no kids get holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas off.

My parents want to see me daily for the rest of their lives.

Sorry ma'am, but even though I don't have kids, I am one. Maybe my parents want to see me too? My parents are going to Bermuda this Thanksgiving because that's where my sister is, and she just had a baby.

These are solid Thanksgiving plans.

I would love to go, but I don't have enough vacation time to make it worthwhile. Instead, I have plans with friends. They aren't super important to me. We are going to eat turkey and watch Friends' Thanksgiving episodes.

Deal or no deal?

I mentioned this to another coworker, and the other one overheard. It is her turn to be in the office and on call for the holiday. She couldn't find anyone to cover her shift. So she begged me to cover for her. I liked my plans, so I said no.

A master negotiator.

She finally offered me money. If the Simpsons have taught me anything, 'Money can be exchanged for goods and services.' So we haggled and then agreed. She would take my New Year's Eve shift and give me a couple of hundred dollars to cover her from Thursday to Sunday. Win-win, I thought.

An 'anonymous' complaint.

Two days later, my boss came over and asked if I wanted to change the schedule as I had agreed. I asked why he was getting involved, as we usually just handled it among ourselves. He said that he had gotten a complaint that I extorted money out of a coworker for covering their shift.

Company policy needs to be updated.

He said that it wasn't against company policy but was frowned upon. I said that I understood, that no money had changed hands, and that I didn't want to change shifts.

Your coworker should find the person that told on you if she's so upset.

My boss was promoted from the ranks so he knew the score. He knows how we trade shifts. So he was cool. My coworker, not so much. She started bugging me, saying that she had already told her parents that her family would be coming. And I was an a**hole for not covering like I said I would.

For free?!?!?!

I told her that someone had gone to the boss and tattled on our deal, so I could not follow through since I could get in trouble. She said that I could do it for free. I declined. She said she would pay me more than we agreed. I said no thanks; I didn't want any trouble.

Snitches get let out of the fun and games at this company.

So now she is acting all pissy because I won't work for her, and now she is being shut out of the regular shift trading because everyone knows she tried to use the boss to screw me over.

The fingers are pointing in both directions.

She says that I'm an a**hole for not following through. I think she's an a**hole for trying to change a deal she agreed to.'

eleventh_hour_11 says:

I believe this is what the kids are calling 'f*ck around and find out.' NTA (Not the A**hole).

Also, even if she didn't narc, you still wouldn't be an AH. You never have to cover anyone else's shift, especially not because you're single or don't have kids. They chose to have kids. That's their responsibility, not yours.

ackayak says:

NTA, she wanted to get you to agree to cover and then report the money changing hands so she could get it back while still having her shift covered.

She tried to pull a fast one, and she suffered the consequences.

Bitter-Conflict-4089 says:

NTA

No cash had exchanged hands. Therefore, there was no “deal” for you to go back on.

She was trying to scam you out of your shifts for free. I would never negotiate anything with her again.

OP, don't bother yourself with someone that can't negotiate well.