The Untrainable Newbie

How's your day going? Are you having a great work day - or - a horrible one? Got complaints about your boss? Your co-workers? Your spouse or friends? This is the place to let it hang out.
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koan
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Post by koan »

This is pure vent though any suggestions are welcomed.

Here it is, Sunday, and I'm thinking about work. Understand that I love my job because I don't have to think about it when I leave. Why am I thinking about work? Because this idiot that I'm supposed to train (the same one who is actively seeking work elsewhere since accepting the job with us) learned a small fraction of her job then actually refused to learn the rest of it. She only wants to do the easy part of the job and when I told her she had to learn the rest of it because I can't do the work for both of us after a day off she said 'No. I don't learn well this way. I'd rather just figure out stuff when I have to." So I explained that she has to. She shook her head and went back to staring into space.

:yh_pray

Please let them offer her the job at the other place.

Until she can actually perform the whole job efficiently I'm stuck where I am and can't progress.
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CARLA
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Post by CARLA »

I feel for you Koan have several in my office as well and they get away with it just blows my mind. I literally hit the ground running on some days and these people just barely move and complain about that. :-5:-5 They are in their 20's and are LAZY, LAZY, LAZY. :mad:
ALOHA!!

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WOO HOO!!, what a ride!!!"

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Accountable
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Post by Accountable »

She's making your job so easy for you, Koan. Document her effort and responses, add what she said about looking for other work, and send it up the chain of command. Not doing so is (1) not doing your duty to your boss and (2) keeps a festering hemorrhoid around unnecessarily.
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along-for-the-ride
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Post by along-for-the-ride »

I agree with Accountable.



Does anyone work in a efficient and harmonic office atmosphere? I think not.
Life is a Highway. Let's share the Commute.
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Peg
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Post by Peg »

I've seen people work harder at trying to get out of work than actually working. :-5
koan
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Post by koan »

yep. It's already caused me grief as I'm unable to get the better hours I wanted because she's unreliable.

They do have a problem finding good people though. The ones that stay are amazing people but we go through a lot of twerps until we find the next winner. She's in her late twenties. The last twerp was in her early twenties. The people who stay are in their late thirties and up. I figured it was youth that makes them less concerned about work ethics. Hopefully it's not a general characteristic of the upcoming generations. No matter what you are doing you should always do your best. I just don't see that happening.
BobStew
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Post by BobStew »

I think it's important - but so difficult - that the personal managers include their "gut feeling" into the evaluation process. Some companies don't only look for the CV, they're rather interested into the person's character. Why did he/she make that decision in his/her life and so on.
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Peg
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Post by Peg »

koan;821056 wrote: yep. It's already caused me grief as I'm unable to get the better hours I wanted because she's unreliable.

They do have a problem finding good people though. The ones that stay are amazing people but we go through a lot of twerps until we find the next winner. She's in her late twenties. The last twerp was in her early twenties. The people who stay are in their late thirties and up. I figured it was youth that makes them less concerned about work ethics. Hopefully it's not a general characteristic of the upcoming generations. No matter what you are doing you should always do your best. I just don't see that happening.


Two of our best workers are the youngest ones. We also thought age mattered until they were hired. The older ones we've been through couldn't seem to grasp anything new, and thought they were there to socialize instead of work.
koan
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Post by koan »

It might have to do with the type of business though. We are health product advisers. Starting out we have limited scopes of what we can do until completing a course that the company pays for once the employee has been there long enough for the investment. So the job works out for people who are/want to be healers and take natural health very seriously. Older people are more likely to have experienced illness that brought them to natural medicine. Young people that are drawn to it are likely enrolled in trade schools already instead of taking the longer route. This works for people who are switching/enhancing careers.

Also, it requires a willingness to listen to people talk about their bowel movements all day long.
koan
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Post by koan »

I try to remind myself all the time that focusing on other people, and what's "wrong" with them, is purely a distraction. So my plan for the last few days, and starting fresh again now Monday is here, is to focus on what I'm doing and not worry about her.

If I need help completing a task I'll tell her I need her help. If she starts following me around like a puppy dog, chatting my ear off, I'll tell her I'm busy doing my job. :p

If she keeps hovering near me I'll remind her that I can't watch both sides of the counter... etc.

It's easy to forget that "I" statements are way more effective than "you" statements.
hoppy
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Post by hoppy »

Document everything concerning her like others suggested. I once had a boss who wanted rid of me, (imagine that). He was sabotaging my work but was stupid enough to leave a paper trail, which I easily found. The day my super called me in to fire me, I presented my proof. Boss was demoted to work alone in a distant warehouse.
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YZGI
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Post by YZGI »

I would just walk up behind her and pat her on the back with a "TERRORIST" sign unbeknown to her and hope Jester comes by soon.:wah:



Just joking Jester..:D
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YZGI
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Post by YZGI »

Jester;823118 wrote: Are you kidding we'd have to capture her, send her to g'tmo, give her a tribunal, find her guilty, then wait till the international lawyers approve of the outcome... I'd rather just fire her!:wah:
Oh, I get it Fire her. I thought you meant fire at her..:wah:
koan
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Post by koan »

I might take on the extra work of finally printing a manual for newbies so I don't have to worry about answering her repetitive questions of how to do simple things. Get a nice, stapled booklet of everything she needs to know. This also helps when she's gone and the next person has to be trained.

My personal goal is to stop worrying about what she's doing and try to concentrate on doing my own job as well as possible. Too easy to get distracted by her and end up screwing up my own tasks.
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Nomad
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Post by Nomad »

I house sat for a family that went to Ecuador for a month. The teenager placed hundreds of roofing nails in his bed under the covers in case I decided to plop down there.

Why not do something like this with her chair ?

The look on her face would be priceless and then maybe you can sell her some health products !
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koan
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Post by koan »

She quit :D

Through no interference of my own. I had a day off and the next day, true to form and expectations, she phoned in when she was supposed to be there and informed us that she has another job. Buh bye. No notice.

We have a new girl that started today and she excelled beyond the performance of the twerp within two hours.
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Accountable
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Post by Accountable »

Good for you! :yh_clap
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chrisb84uk
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Post by chrisb84uk »

I'm glad to hear that she finally left Koan, must have been a real relief off your shoulders. :)



I wonder how she will get on at her new job? I'm guessing with her attitude, not well.
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Nomad
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Post by Nomad »

koan;832593 wrote: She quit :D

Through no interference of my own. I had a day off and the next day, true to form and expectations, she phoned in when she was supposed to be there and informed us that she has another job. Buh bye. No notice.



We have a new girl that started today and she excelled beyond the performance of the twerp within two hours.




Thank God & good riddance !
I AM AWESOME MAN
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