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When You’re Asked to Clean Up a Colleague’s Report

You may be asked to rescue inferior work performed by a coworker. If you don’t handle the situation with finesse, that colleague could go from friend to foe in an instant.

You can’t count on the manager who requested the do-over to smooth any ruffled feathers. He or she often is looking for the easiest path to getting work done. So the supervisor may not ask your coworker for a revision. Instead, you’ll inherit the assignment. When that happens, you’ll have to walk a tight rope between meeting your boss’s expectations and preserving your coworker’s friendship.

Ask the manager if you can inform the colleague of your assignment. When you talk with your coworker, tell her you’ll gladly give her a copy of your revision. If parts of the report were well done, pass that news along to both your colleague and your boss. And try to answer honestly your colleague’s questions about why the project was handed to you. That honesty could well be the glue that keeps the friendship intact.