Idiots at work?

Yes, we're very smart. We look dumb, but we are smart enough to do just enough to get by, and still get a raise.

The person(s) in question own the company and I am paid to sit at my desk trying to figure the mess out and do damage control.

Anger management??????? I break walnuts on the sidewalk. (Squirrels love me!)
When I can't stand it...there is a thread called The House of Hate. When I really REALLY can't stand it I write short revenge horror stories and mail them to questionable magazines.

Celia Cyanide said:

Yes, we're very smart. We look dumb, but we are smart enough to do just enough to get by, and still get a raise.

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Oh, you aren't so smart. If you were THAT smart, you'd be at lunch by now.

Wait. I thought meetings WERE for sleeping.

Kind of like sermons at church.

Ara said:

So what if you have an "idiot" who sleeps in meetings, but at times has moments of clarity...What do you do with such a person? Or are they really super smart and know how to get away with murder?


Urggggggg I really want to hurt this person sometimes...Should I take anger managment???? hee hee hee hee

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Are you sure that this "idiot" doesn't have a medical condition (like sleep apnea)? Before I was diagnosed and treated, I would sometimes have problems staying awake in meetings, and there was really nothing I could do to stay awake when I had those moments.

Buzzkill.

I work in a department of 4 people who are responsible for everything that moves in and out of the shop (nearly 10,000 pages of textbook production daily). One of them sleeps away most of every afternoon in her cubicle. I don't care if it's sleep apnea, narcolepsy or just a hangover - doing other people's work is pretty much the limit of my patience and understanding.

When I worked for a decade or so in a major corporation's Dilbertville office environment, I discovered that the real idiots were those (generally mid-level managers) who considered holding a meeting the highest form of productive work.

caw.

Jaycinth said:

The person(s) in question own the company and I am paid to sit at my desk trying to figure the mess out and do damage control.

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You may be better off without their input (on some things). Often when managers (or owners) are out of touch with daily operations, their decisions can actually move things backward. Situations like this are rarely "fair", and complaining can bring about changes that you can't foresee. Very few people have just the right amount of work, and the more efficient you are, the more work will find you. It's a blessing and a curse, but it's also the best way to gain lasting success.

SC Harrison said:

It's a blessing and a curse, but it's also the best way to gain lasting success.

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And the tooth fairy really does leave those coins under your pillow, too.

caw,

blacbird said:

And the tooth fairy really does leave those coins under your pillow, too.

caw,

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The unemployment lines are littered with people who refused to take on additional responsibilities unless they were immediately compensated. Job security doesn't have the same meaning that it used to; the era(s) of specialization are over, and only those who are prepared to adapt will be able to settle into a career. Changing employers every six months is not a career, no matter how sweet each deal may seem.

SC Harrison said:

The unemployment lines are littered with people who refused to take on additional responsibilities unless they were immediately compensated. Job security doesn't have the same meaning that it used to; the era(s) of specialization are over, and only those who are prepared to adapt will be able to settle into a career. Changing employers every six months is not a career, no matter how sweet each deal may seem.

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All true, but I was just making the point that diligence in work is no guarantee of advancement or success, either. In fact, I've seen situations where it was positively damaging. Some managers fear employees who are too good and diligent. I guarantee.

caw.

SC Harrison said:

You may be better off without their input (on some things). Often when managers (or owners) are out of touch with daily operations, their decisions can actually move things backward. Situations like this are rarely "fair", and complaining can bring about changes that you can't foresee. Very few people have just the right amount of work, and the more efficient you are, the more work will find you. It's a blessing and a curse, but it's also the best way to gain lasting success.

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Yes, I would be better off without their 'putting' both in and out. But I can't fire the owners. I was essentially hired because they know that they cannot and do not want to handle it, and they don't want to change their behavior. ( And because I don't have a reputation for hurting or causing co-workers to go 'missing') And I don't want to hit the unemployment lines , thank you. Believe me, once I get my current life in order and manage to save enough to be able to sit out 2 to 8 weeks while I land a job where more than 3 people have brains, I will be gone, and I will give them detailed reasons why. Unless, of course, I get enough of a pay raise to cover the frustration of dealing with people who mostly don't know what they are doing...and don't care.

I'm sure most folks feel the same way. One problem is that in companies under 50 employees, the rules change and employers ( and co-workers) can and will abuse you. And most of us really have to sit and take it or find another job. It doesn't mean we have to like it or try to rationalize we are being treated fairly within certain parameters. And everyone cannot just hop up and get a job with a big corp where employee rights are enforced.

So yeah, we can buckle down and keep our nose to the grindstone, and we all realize that a sore nose and a bent back are probably better thatn homelessness and cold...but once again... that is a very 'industrial revolution' way of looking at things, and just because people have to do it or starve, it doesn't mean that anybody has to like it.

blacbird said:

All true, but I was just making the point that diligence in work is no guarantee of advancement or success, either. In fact, I've seen situations where it was positively damaging. Some managers fear employees who are too good and diligent. I guarantee.

caw.

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Unfortunately, this is also true in many cases. Survival in today's workplace requires many compromises, internal as well as external. While we can postulate that a good manager knows how to properly train his/her employee(s) and delegate responsibility in a way that empowers individuals, thus strengthening the organization, in this world of shrinking profit margins and "reorganizations", the smart way is not always the smart way, if you catch my drift.

At the end of the day, each of us need to know that we have made a difference. Some jobs may seem ideal but don't provide the esteem needs our psychy must have to keep us well.

When I was hired at my current job, there apparently was a bit of a scuffle to see which department would get my services. I'm probably one of the few people in my industry who can work equally well in any area, from editorial to project management to production. Unfortunately, all that it's meant is that now I can be called on to do any or all of the above - and I have been.

The only real problem it's caused was when I was hired. I was negotiating my salary based on the certain knowledge that I would be doing everything at some point and that by paying me a little more, they were actually getting the equivalent of three additional employees.

They weren't.

Story of my life.

Jaycinth said:

I'm sure most folks feel the same way. One problem is that in companies under 50 employees, the rules change and employers ( and co-workers) can and will abuse you. And most of us really have to sit and take it or find another job. It doesn't mean we have to like it or try to rationalize we are being treated fairly within certain parameters. And everyone cannot just hop up and get a job with a big corp where employee rights are enforced.

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Working for small and/or family-owned companies is frequently a dead-end situation. At first, it may appear to be an ideal way to find a niche that will provide an opportunity to excel without having to fight through the ranks of a larger, less "human" organization. In reality, it can be (as you said) a perfect set-up for abuse, or at least extremely unfair treatment. In this environment, your efforts will not (necessarily) improve your future outlook, especially if someone else comes along that the owners "like" better.

note from Captain Obvious: it's much easier to get a job when you already have one. You will seem less desperate, and the unspoken question "why is this person unemployed?" will not be hanging in the air.

Jaycinth said:

The person(s) in question own the company and I am paid to sit at my desk trying to figure the mess out and do damage control.

Anger management??????? I break walnuts on the sidewalk. (Squirrels love me!)
When I can't stand it...there is a thread called The House of Hate. When I really REALLY can't stand it I write short revenge horror stories and mail them to questionable magazines.

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You're my favorite hate monger.

Have you ever tried spit balls?


(at the back of his head)

Hubby and the guys he works with have nifty ways to deal with slackers. In the type of job that he does, if someone isn't pulling their weight, someone else could easily be killed.

One guy had a wild night and the next day he had a hangover. He forgot to secure a piece of equipment to the back end of one of the work trucks. This piece of equipment housed a spindle which held the rope which held my hubby's butt 300 feet in the air. The spindle slid sideways, the rope started flipping off the end of it...hubby dropped about 10 feet before it became caught up on itself and he stopped falling. He had just enough time to unhook from the rope and grab the tower before ther rope started coming loose again.

Let's just say that the guy responsible NEVER did that again.

Ever hear of the "Peter principle?" One of the things it states is that "people are promoted up to their level of incompetence."