Could use some advice -- Really.

[memoriesbymichelle]

Well maybe the opportunity will arise thru casual conversation and when he mentions to you how he can't work or get it all done, you could casually remind him that everything we do, we should do for the Lord, and that the Lord sees everything we do anyway.
Just a thought.....

 

[Jenster]

Thanks, Michelle, I should pray for that opportunity. I was also thinking I should buy a little desktop plaque that says, "Work as for the Lord," or something. My desk is next to his, so I thought I could strategically place it so he could see it every day.

 

[SelfProtect]

You can tell him your New Years resolution is to separate work from personal. So next time he wants to share his life with you remind him of your resolution and say you have to get back to work. I need to do this myself.
You can tell your boss but the reality is there are people like that everywhere you go. You can't change people but you can change yourself.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Thanks, Michelle, I should pray for that opportunity. I was also thinking I should buy a little desktop plaque that says, "Work as for the Lord," or something. My desk is next to his, so I thought I could strategically place it so he could see it every day.

I like it! I think that's a great idea.

 

[Jenster]

You can't change people but you can change yourself.

Too true, SelfProtect. I'm challenged to learn new skills because of this situation, for sure.

Everyone -- I could use some more prayer. Today was really difficult. I just hate how my lazy co-worker will spend time doing things that will benefit himself and relationships he's cultivating in the office instead of doing work that needs to be done.

And my boss TALKS about helping, but when you give him something to do, he drags his feet, thus hindering you from getting the job done (and discouraging you from assigning him future work). Oh, but he'll still TALK about helping, so that others will think he's such a generous guy.

Basically, right now I'm hating that I have to work with two people who are political, do things only to benefit themselves and don't do much of the work that needs to get done. I need to outsmart these foxes.

And I need encouragement to pray for them...

 

[ido]

Jen - I wish I had a magic answer for you. Your boss sounds like he is severely lacking the leadership skills necessary to manage employees.

Does the type of work you do involve deadlines - and if so what happens if your boss misses the deadline?

 

[Jenster]

Flnativegrl, thanks -- I wish you had that magic answer, too!

About deadlines, well, his work comes at the beginning of the process. So if he's late, the only thing that happens is other people have to badger him until it's done. And when it's done late, then people who work the later stages of the process just have to work faster.

I think most people seem to base their informal judgments of a person on fuzzy factors such as charisma and personality. Which both of my co-workers realize, so they're constantly schmoozing in order to give an appearance of being "good guys." Doing favors for people, but not doing the boring responsible parts of their jobs (which unfortunately I need them to do).

Praise God, though. At least today my boss was fairly calm. And my co-worker got a bit of come-uppance for something he forgot to do yesterday. I predict if that happens too many times, he'll finally start to feel the pressure.

Sorry to ramble. I appreciate your prayers!

 

[ido]

Do the co-workers answer to you in any way? Or does your part of the process come after theirs? I'm just trying to figure out if there is a way for you to be able to hold them accountable.

At the very least, maybe you can start documenting each time that one of them slacks so you can take some solid evidence to your boss if/when necessary.

(Sorry for being so inquisitive - feel free to not answer me. )

 

[Jenster]

ah, the co-workers kinda sorta report to me. It's a weird split of responsibilities, but my boss has the discipline part of managing; I've got the operations part. My boss believes in using the carrot and not the stick. If anyone makes even the slightest positive change, he's all too willing to believe that everything is hunky dory, when it's not.

It's like if your teenager habitually lies, and then one time he doesn't -- and all of a sudden you think he'll never lie again. I just look at my boss sometimes and think, "You GOTTA be kidding!"

As for accountability -- that's a good question. I'm trying like the dickens to figure out how to hold my lazy co-worker responsible. My plan right now is just to let the chips fall where they may and hope peer pressure will motivate him to do more work. Part of what trips me up is that I have general oversight, so it's helpful for me to be involved in the process until it's done (basically, quality control, fine tuning).

I really appreciate your listening to me vent about this, flnativegrl. I'm at that point where I'm trying not to focus on it, but it does help to see if there's anything I can do operationally so that the problem works itself out. And so I stop venting to y'all!

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

May I ask....what exactly is your job?

 

[ido]

What a predicament, Jen! That's hard if you're in charge of his job, but not of him as an employee.

Maybe the answer to your problems is to smack your boss upside the head and tell him to open his eyes! (ok - don't really do that, but it sounded good at the moment lol)

 

[FlatpickingJD]

I think that's the best answer yet Jenster! ^^

You can always smack him upside the head, and then turn away whistling, and point at the plant in the corner.

 

[ido]

I think that's the best answer yet Jenster! ^^

You can always smack him upside the head, and then turn away whistling, and point at the plant in the corner.

Hey! I've never thought of blaming it on the plant. Classic!

 

[Jenster]

Hm ... there IS a rather large ficus right near my boss' desk...

 

[ido]

Hm ... there IS a rather large ficus right near my boss' desk...

Yay - we made you laugh!

 

[Jenster]

I may post this on Anles' thread about intimacy before marriage as well, but related to why the actions of my lazy co-worker and boss bug me so much ... I think I've had a revelation. And that is, I resent their going after what they want. It's the whole "obedience vs. why do other people disobey and get rewarded for it" thing. There's a certain amount of restraint that comes from obedience. For me, it's led me to not pursue things that I would like to -- to hold back instead of seeing how I might move forward and explore. So, that would explain how come I've gotten SO upset with these two people -- they have a quality that I envy... Hm. Not easy to admit that... :o

 

[ido]

I may post this on Anles' thread about intimacy before marriage as well, but related to why the actions of my lazy co-worker and boss bug me so much ... I think I've had a revelation. And that is, I resent their going after what they want. It's the whole "obedience vs. why do other people disobey and get rewarded for it" thing. There's a certain amount of restraint that comes from obedience. For me, it's led me to not pursue things that I would like to -- to hold back instead of seeing how I might move forward and explore. So, that would explain how come I've gotten SO upset with these two people -- they have a quality that I envy... Hm. Not easy to admit that... :o

Ahhh revelations are a good thing. So, go post in my New Year, New You thread about how you're going to work towards finding some balance in obedience and knowing when it's OK to go after what you want.