Coworker constantly expects employee to cover for her lateness, manager starts getting suspicious: 'I panicked'

Is covering for a coworker always the right thing to do?

Nobody likes a snitch, but sometimes we get put into positions in the workplace where we feel like we have no choice. If somebody's behavior is having a genuinely negative impact on other people or ourselves, it makes sense that we may feel the need to come clean about what they are doing (if we even know).

The reality is that if a colleague is not holding up their end of the bargain when it comes to working as a team, there has to be some kind of action taken. It can get to a point where it is not fair to those around them, no matter what their reasoning may be behind the way that they are acting.

It is understandable to want to support a coworker in some situations where they may not be doing everything by the book, but are still more or less OK to work with. When it becomes a habit, though, it might turn into something more consequential that can't be ignored. Even if you try to do that, management will not necessarily let that happen.