Having worked both as a gate agent (hub and out station), it is just common courtesy to stop by the counter and say you're here. "Not my job" is prevalent through the industry and has made an already bad situation worse, but just throwing more work on our fellow employees.

My version of the story, we had an a/c that had been there several days because of mx. After a couple of winter storms, we couldn't even get to the plane to deice, so I talked to the capt and he said if we could shovel three lanes, he would taxi forward so we could get all the stuff off the plane. I started at it, and all of a sudden, looked up to see the FO, in nothing but the uniform coat and overcoat, working on the other side of the a/c. He was my hero then and continues to be to this day, wish I knew his name! After I got flying, I have tried to keep up his spirit!