Topic: Most Difficult Coworkers

[blackdiamond]

I'll go first.

 

I work at a Navy Shipyard (subs) as a structural engineer and the most important thing to remember is KEEP WATER OUT OF THE PEOPLE TANK.  I have a co-worker that has been in the yard nearly 3 years and still can't handle the most basic of assignments.  She has the ability to learn the requirements, but has some sort of "god" complex that doesn't allow her to consider that she might not know something.  A combination of things has put me in a position where I get to review her work and try to give her feedback on her mistakes.  I refer to the task with words like "suicidal" and "Kamikaze" because she is such a not-nice person.  She mutters/swears under her breath when I leave something on her desk to correct.  Last week she yelled and cussed at our assistance project engineer when he was tyring to explain something that she had done wrong.  This week she actually sent me the electronic copy of something I had her correct, very basic, and then hid the hard copy in a cubbyhole in my desk and told another employee that she did it to "F" me over hoping that I wouldn't be able to locate it.  She will actually route things for review to different people if she things that they won't look a closely as I do.  Yesterday, we were looking for something that I had left on her desk to do last week and she claimed that she had never gotten it.  I looked on her desk today before she arrived and found it still perfectly organized and stashed in a pile.  She comes in late, leaves early and hardly does anything and what she does is usually wrong.  She work an odd shift (starts at noon) so we have to review everything she does after we leave in the morning and correct the mistakes.  I got a hit this week from the auditors on something that she started and I failed to correct.  She actually accused us of stealing her credit on job because when we correct her errors our names end up on the paperwork instead of hers.  She doesn't realize that we would much prefer to never be associated with anything she does because it increases the chances of us making mistakes.  Oh...the Joy!  It was a long week!  Last night she asked another coworker why he got to do the "good" work and he told her because he worked his butt off and proved that he could do things correctly and didn't piss everyone off around him.  Today he reviewed something that she did and when he didn't find any errors she sent it to me for review because I always find things wrong...and once again I found something that was missed.  Thankfully she is being reassigned on Monday to one of the worst possible positions, away from me.  I finally broke down yesterday and spoke to our boss yesterday and provided him with the copies that I have been keeping of things that I review and get back with the same errors.  I have started keeping copies of things I review of hers in case she went postal I could prove that I was being professional.  We actually spend more time correcting her mistakes than if we just did it ourselves the 1st time.  She complains that we give her "crap" work, she is right,  but it is because of garbage in and garbage out.  It scares me to think what mistake she might make if we let her work on something that keeps water out of the boat.

Anybody want to join the Navy?  Your tax dollars at work!  One of the shipyard cranes actually says, "Stopping work is good progress."  It is a safety slogan.

 

 

[whiteman]

Some people are just so full of themselves that there is no getting Through to them no matter what you do.

I know a lot of people that are like that, and to make it worse your dealing with hormones ( no offense to the wonderfull ladies on the board )  but you get my drift.

All you can really do is collect all the info you can and when enough is stacked up against her then you can present yourself in front of the boss and hopefully he will resolve it in the right way.

Sounds like she needs to get the boot to me.

[blackdiamond [OP]]

Sounds like she needs to get the boot to me.

The problem is that government employees don't get the boot. 

[kneedownnate]

I feel for ya man, idiots are idiots no matter their sex or race.  I supervise a couple of morons at work, and sometimes my boss approaches me to let me know how they've once again screwed up or lied about the work they've done.  We have books assigned to each of us with jobs we hafta mark off as we do them, then he goes back and double checks to see that we did them and did it right, and they know this very well, yet they still mark off jobs that they haven't done, or worse yet sometimes mark off jobs that they couldn't have possibly done (like checking the wiring under a boat that's still in the water).  Today he tried politely talking to them about it, and you could tell that one of them wasn't taking it well, but he kept fairly quiet.  Afterward I was talking to him and trying to make it clear that he wasn't being singled out, but that the boss often checks on me when I'm working and says he wished they would do it the same way, and usually ends up telling me about something else they lied about or did half assed.  He said that if it's not specifically written in the book that he doesn't intend to do it, no matter what, and his excuse is that he hasn't been there as long as me and just doesn't know a lot of things.  I tried explaining to him that it's not that I've been there so long as much as I just have pride in my work, and when I'm done with something I like to be able to look back at it and know I've done it well.  I recently pointed out to him (jokingly ofcourse, but serious) that I'm growing tired of asking him why he did something like he did, or why he didn't do something, and getting the response "because you never told me to do it, or never told me how to do it", and that I know he knows that this is bs.  One time in particular I took him to a boat I had done some wiring on, showed him all that I had done and explained why I did each thing how I did, then recently found him wiring one completely wrong and in a manner that would undoubtedly fail soon.  He said he'd never been told how to do it and the boss had already signed it off as done(which turned out to be a lie), and once again I reminded him of how I had shown him my wiring, yet he still denied it.  Fun.  I'm going to be the one who has to not only answer for why the new wiring failed, but most likely fix it myself too, but these guys don't care as long as they do the minimum allowed and get a paycheck.  And I won't even get started on trying to deal with his cohort talky talkerson......

[DTB]

The problem is that government employees don't get the boot.

That's how it is around my work too.  I work for a local Saint Louis University.  In order to get fired, you have to violate the same EXACT infraction THREE times.  So in other words, you can steal 3 times in 3 different ways but if you steal 3 times the same way you are canned (after extensive counseling and wrist-slapping) The school is so worried about discrimination so they choose to lose millions of dollars to theft and keep a bunch of criminals around cause it's cheaper than a lawsuit.
Pisses me off cause people can get away with murder, just not more than 3 times. 

[blackdiamond [OP]]

In the government it is nearly impossible to get fired.  It takes tons of paperwork and documentation just to cut someones pay.  Most supervisors don't take the time to do it so they simply tranfer the employees to unsuspecting victims.  In some cases, job are created to move people.  Where I work, on guy had a division created for him and now he is one of the highest paid and most influencial people in the yard, too bad he's      .

My wife works with a Doc that was in the Air Force and explained how he finally got someone fired as a government employee.  I guess if you disobey a documented direct order it is out the door.  He had a nurse that was incompetent so he told her that she must wear gloves when drawing blood since she would often take her gloves off when she was having a difficult time.  She took her gloves off and was out the door.   

[whiteman]

The problem is that government employees don't get the boot.

Thats because the Government is too busy telling us what are problems are and that we need to give them more money, and they can't even take care of their own problems.  The Government simply just does not care about the citizens of the United States period, its all about power and money.  But on the other hand the citizens of the united states are destroying themselves by allowing the government to have so much control. 

For example the new law passed, stating that people who smoke are not allowed to smoke within 25ft of a building, and there is no smoking period in a public building.  Sure that sounds all hunky-dory to us who do not smoke, but the real picture is that the government is slowly gaining controll of U.S citizens by focusing on the larger margrin of people that they can please, by controlling the minor people , in this case those who smoke are the minority.  Everyone who does not smoke will think the Government is doing a great thing for passing that law.  Now the Government has taken control of smokers, and has the non-smokers there to stand behind them. 

I am by no means a smoker, I hate it, but it is not fare to take it away from others just because I do not like it.  It's like guns, some people just do not like guns, they think they are dangerous.  Guns can be Dangerous in the wrong hands.  But does that mean I can not own a gun, NO! 

It just gets too me every time the Government pasess some stupid law and gets away with it.  I cant do anything by myself   but defend my own personal rights at home.  Hell I cant even do that, I have to get a pernit to se the $hitter. 

I am all for America but F--- the Government.  

[Rocksurfer]

I am my works most difficult employee, and proud of it. Even my boss tippy-toes around me or I will strike like a Viper. If it is right it's right if it is wrong then you will hear it from me. I don't go with the crowd to be slaughtered. Push me and I will shove, kick and scream, get out of my way or I'll run you over.

 

....and if you think I'm kidding just ask Rockscrambler.

[whiteman]

Push me and I will shove, kick and scream, get out of my way or I'll run you over.

 

....and if you think I'm kidding just ask Rockscrambler.

... ............ ....

[kneedownnate]

I am my works most difficult employee, and proud of it. Even my boss tippy-toes around me or I will strike like a Viper. If it is right it's right if it is wrong then you will hear it from me. I don't go with the crowd to be slaughtered. Push me and I will shove, kick and scream, get out of my way or I'll run you over.

 

....and if you think I'm kidding just ask Rockscrambler.

Well if you're looking at it like that, then yes I'm one of the "most difficult" people there too.  But there's a huge difference in trying to make sure people are doing things right and doing things half assed then making a stink out of it when somebody points it out.  If wanting things to be done correctly makes me difficult, then color me difficult!

[*FFC*]

Most difficult Coworkers.... How bout the ones that call in and leave a voice message a couple hours before their shift and QUIT, or the ones that hit things with the work vehicles and claim "I dunno how that got there" , Or the ones that can't park for and block in everyone else's vehicles, or the ones that lift a shovel load of gravel and then want to sue for disability because they threw their back out   ...


    

[Rocksurfer]

Well if you're looking at it like that, then yes I'm one of the "most difficult" people there too.  But there's a huge difference in trying to make sure people are doing things right and doing things half assed then making a stink out of it when somebody points it out.  If wanting things to be done correctly makes me difficult, then color me difficult!

Everyone I work with is half-assed sweep it under the carpet kind of people.

[*FFC*]

Everyone I work with is half-assed sweep it under the carpet kind of people.

I know the feelin and it makes me wanna

[kneedownnate]

Nice.  What really tans my hide is that they know they will be checked up on, and the problems will be found and asked about, yet they still do it!  I'm not saying I never coast on anything, but I do like to take pride in my work and know I atleast made a solid effort to do it right.

[jimbo74]

my new coworkers are all pretty cool... the job is so fast paced there isnt time to have problems... and because its basicqally a wherehouse with planes running ooutside and major stories high conveyor belts.. with our earplugs in, we cant hear anyone to talk crap or cause problems

[Cheesemaker]

I hate people that kiss ass so bad that they have a permanent tan from the waist up!    

I work with a crew that half of them are busy busting there asses off, because the other half are busy sitting on their's kissing the super's ass!  And yet the ass kissers get all the credit!  Every time somebody complains to HR or management about how crappy things are, all we get is blame the union!  Granted our job is easy, but when things go wrong (power outages are hell!)  it's total chaos getting emergency power going, air psi back online, closing all the main valves on the vats by hand, etc. in a matter of minutes.  We can lose a vat of cheese in a blink of an eye if you don't know what your doing!  If things aren't going in 15 minutes, your cutting out 53,500 lbs of cheese out of a vat by hand, then there's also the cheddar master and the salter.  That sucks!  We had power go out last week and everybody decided it was time for break!!  I got everything back online, and all I got was how I did everything wrong!    Not that I just saved the company THOUSANDS of dollars!  I want to just say screw the company and just not give a crap and sit on my ass and collect my check, but I was not raised to be a lazy ass!  I agree in documenting things and try to cover your ass so you don't become the scapegoat!  That's one thing I learned from one of my last jobs, is don't get caught holding the bag! 
In this job I learned to do what I'm required to do and nothing else!  I don't go above and beyond like the company wants!  When you do you get F#cked!

And family names will get you far in our company.  I got a coworker that is a third generation cheesemaker, that has more lives than a cat!  So far, he's been with the company fifteen years.  And in those years he's threatened to kill fellow employees, he had bullets with their names on them at work, drew pictures of it, been popped with at least 6 failed UA's, been turned in for 3 sexual harrassments, and on and on.  Yet, he's still at work!  But yet they can't fire him because his daddy works in the main office, and in the last strike we had he became a core member by crossing the picket line!  This is just one person!  I could go on and list more people I work with, but I'll stop there!  Like I tell some of the newbies that I train, the best thing to do, is focus on what needs to be done and go home!  It sill save your sanity, if ya have any?!  Well, now that I've vented, it's time to move on!  Thank GOD for beer!

[jimbo74]

Like I tell some of the newbies that I train, the best thing to do, is focus on what needs to be done and go home! It sill save your sanity

i totally agree with that statement, work gets you a paycheck, no need to add or take anything else from work and jeopardize that..... that's how im looking @ my new job, go into work, bust my ass, go home... that's what i'm getting paid to do, and i'll do it to the best of my ability, i wont get bitter if someone else is slacking if im doing the best i can, the managers will ssee it.....

[Rocksurfer]

I hate people that kiss ass so bad that they have a permanent tan from the waist up!    

I work with a crew that half of them are busy busting there asses off, because the other half are busy sitting on their's kissing the super's ass!  And yet the ass kissers get all the credit!  Every time somebody complains to HR or management about how crappy things are, all we get is blame the union!  Granted our job is easy, but when things go wrong (power outages are hell!)  it's total chaos getting emergency power going, air psi back online, closing all the main valves on the vats by hand, etc. in a matter of minutes.  We can lose a vat of cheese in a blink of an eye if you don't know what your doing!  If things aren't going in 15 minutes, your cutting out 53,500 lbs of cheese out of a vat by hand, then there's also the cheddar master and the salter.  That sucks!  We had power go out last week and everybody decided it was time for break!!  I got everything back online, and all I got was how I did everything wrong!    Not that I just saved the company THOUSANDS of dollars!  I want to just say screw the company and just not give a crap and sit on my ass and collect my check, but I was not raised to be a lazy ass!  I agree in documenting things and try to cover your ass so you don't become the scapegoat!  That's one thing I learned from one of my last jobs, is don't get caught holding the bag! 
In this job I learned to do what I'm required to do and nothing else!  I don't go above and beyond like the company wants!  When you do you get F#cked!

And family names will get you far in our company.  I got a coworker that is a third generation cheesemaker, that has more lives than a cat!  So far, he's been with the company fifteen years.  And in those years he's threatened to kill fellow employees, he had bullets with their names on them at work, drew pictures of it, been popped with at least 6 failed UA's, been turned in for 3 sexual harrassments, and on and on.  Yet, he's still at work!  But yet they can't fire him because his daddy works in the main office, and in the last strike we had he became a core member by crossing the picket line!  This is just one person!  I could go on and list more people I work with, but I'll stop there!  Like I tell some of the newbies that I train, the best thing to do, is focus on what needs to be done and go home!  It sill save your sanity, if ya have any?!  Well, now that I've vented, it's time to move on!  Thank GOD for beer!

I would have thanked you for trying and showed you the proper way to do it for the next time. Trust me you are not alone in the family issues that keep someone that other-wise would be fired for what he has or hasn't done in the work place. My guess is what you did was the person that told you all the wrong things you did was supposed to be the one that should have either been the one to do it or the one that was responsible for doing it. It is sad that you must think in this fashion but you have perfectly worded what makes you survive the ranks, just do your job and go home, no more no less. That said though the day you see that opening and can perform everything perfectly so that the idiot that should have done it looks like a total ass jump in and do it. Now with that said it must not be a fellow union brother that you do it to since that doesn't count. It must be one of those worthless supervisors that shovel their work onto someone else, don't do it to the one supervisor that has always been in your corner but could do nothing to help you. This way you will maybe get that good supervisor a leg up and who knows he may end up with that waste of space losers job and you may get his.


Sheesh me and my fantisies and the way things should work. Just do what is required of you, then go home and forget that  :bull crap: with a few    

[blackdiamond [OP]]

Where I work there is a particular religion that seems to gather at the top.  Granted most of them give an honest effort, but it still seems rather shady.

[Rocksurfer]

Where I work there is a particular religion that seems to gather at the top. Granted most of them give an honest effort, but it still seems rather shady.

Let me guess L.D.S.

[kneedownnate]

Cheesemaker: I help pay your paycheck!  I love your cheese! 

[Cheesemaker]

Cheesemaker: I help pay your paycheck!  I love your cheese! 

Yes, it's the best because we have followed the same recipe for 100 years!!  Compare the ingredients with another brand and you will see the difference!  It's just milk, cream, salt, rennet, enzymes, and color!  Nothing else!  And thank you!  You got to thank the cows too!

Oh!  I don't know if you have our ice cream where you live, it's basically made the old fashioned way!  Cream, sugar, and flavorings!  YUM!!  That's why I need to loose weight!  That and the fresh curds, aka squeaky cheese!

[BLACKDOG]

Let me guess L.D.S.

why would you ever think that?

[Rocksurfer]

why would you ever think that?

Um, maybe from experience.