Workplace snitches - why?

For the record, I’m not talking about serious issues like mandated reporting, whistleblowing, or harassment. I also know that workplace snitches aren't unique to education. I worked corporate for some years before I entered education, and I encountered this behavior too. I mean coworkers who run to admin or HR over minor stuff instead of just talking to you. Things like dress code nitpicks, saying you’re "shirking duty" for packing up a minute early, reporting you for being on your phone during your prep, stepping away briefly during a prep to take a call from your doctor, and so on. I've had people complain that I didn't pick up my printing fast enough despite there being a basket for finished copies. I've worked with a few people like this over the years. For example, one teacher complained I didn’t leave enough setup time because I had one particular lesson that went until the bell. This, in spite of the fact that there’s a 10-minute break after my class. I was told to end early in the future. A few weeks later, the same teacher reports me again and says he saw students lining up, which meant that I wasn't teaching. Another time, a colleague who regularly shows up 20 minutes late to relieve my gym duty (cutting into my lunch) reported me to HR for "bullying" when I brought it up. Apparently they regularly go off campus for lunch but take their time getting back. At a certain point it feels less about real issues and more about people looking for reasons to report others. Meanwhile, when I raise legitimate concerns (for example, a teacher going off curriculum and covering less than 3 units out of 7 for the year, or someone coming back from a lunch break impared/high), I get told to mind my own business. How do you deal with this kind of culture without making things worse? submitted by /u/DrawingElectronic819 [link] [comments]