When can it start being my problem?

[cs]

Some of you may say that I need to worry about myself and not others or you may say I'm just whinning about being underapprecited. But my quesiton when does it start being my problem?

The receptionist and myself are the only ones that get here early in the morning. We show up around 7:00. The earliest anybody else shows up is around 8:30 and 9:00 or 9:30 is more the norm with some as late as 10:30. Well I say me and her, but the field guys come in early to turn in paperwork.

Well this week the receptionist has had a death in the family and so I've been the only one here in the morning.

I had to remined the office manger this morning that I will be on vacation Friday and Monday and that nobody is showing up early enough to let the guys in.

So when does it become my problem or should I just let the sorry SOB's come in when they feel like it?

Chad

[S.V. Airlie]

Chad.. Are you the manager? You answered that... Let the manager deal with t. It's his job.
Don't worry about it. Let those in management realize there is a problem. If you were the manager, than your role as manager is clear.
Or if you must to feel better, make several sets of keys and give it to the others.

[cs]

You know I try not to let it bother me, but everyday I see these folks come in late, take as much as 2 or 3 hour lunches and than leave early and take more vacation days than allotted. The field guys even complain about this. It is driving me to distraction, enough so that I'm considering looking for other work away from here.

BTW the company is a great company and the boss/owners are great people, they are just getting run over by the other office personal. In fact I would hate to work for someone else because the boss is so good to us. But I don't know how much more of this I can take.

Chad

[S.V. Airlie]

Chad.. right up front..okay!

You are enabling those by covering their butts. If you let them hang out there to dry, they will go elsewhere. as long as they HAVE YOU, it doesn't bother them to be late, take long lunches etc.

Remember the TV Ad..? "ummm, a new cereal. Wonder if it's good?"
" Don't know.. give it to Mickey, he will eat it."

[cs]

The office manager is one of the worst about coming and going as she pleases.

I'm not really covering their butt, I just show up and do my job.

Chad

[Alexander2]

Chad, buy this book,
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071401946/bookstorenow57-20

Read it and then go have a talk with the boss.
Tell him just what you told us.
"..... the company is a great company and the boss/owners are great people, they are just getting run over by the other office personal. In fact I would hate to work for someone else because the boss is so good to us. But I don't know how much more of this I can take."

If you are valued and he really is a great boss he will take care of the problem.
If he doesn't then you just need to make your list of pro and cons and decide to stay or to leave.

And even if you don't plan to talk to him get the book.
It will help you [and anyone] immensly both in business and in your personal life.

Thinking of the book today reminded me of an email "conversation" I had with a woman a few days ago.
In her posts to the forum she seems somewhat reasonable but behind the scenes she was all CAPITAL LETTER F WORDS. I could not figure out if she was stupid, drunk or had just never learned how to have a crucial conversation.
Like they say on that ad for a vocabulary course, people judge us by the words we use.

[rbgarr]

What other problems does this cause the business? Customers not getting through to someone when they need help? Work not getting done?

I've noticed that as people's pay and benefits diminish in real terms they feel justified (rationalizing) in finding 'compensations' and gaming the system.

Another problem is with company management and a lack of managing performance ("If there's no money for raises, what's the point of evaluating anybody?")

Companies are also way too dependant on voice-mail and cellphones. Last week I needed to get in touch with a former co-worker at International Paper Company. He's moved and changed jobs within the company since I was there so I needed new contact info.

I called the main number at the paper mill we both worked at to get connected. There was an extensive menu I had to listen to, yet no option offered was suitable, nor was there a way to get through to a live voice. I called another plant where I knew people. Same result. I called the human resources dep't at headquarters. Once again, a long menu with an option that vaguely fit. I ended up having to leave a message. I related how the way their system as designed was frustrating and doomed to drive customers away. It was an embarrassment compared to when I worked there when the rule was "Three rings and a (live) person answers. No exceptions."

This isn't a small company. It's a major corporation being run like a part-time pawn shop.

[cs]

What other problems does this cause the business? Customers not getting through to someone when they need help? yes Work not getting done? yes

I

Along with field guys not getting questions answered when needed. Subs not able to contact Project managers.

A lot of these things are taken care of by our outstanding field supt. They will bypass the project managers and handle it themselves.

BTW it is just around lunch and one has already left for the day and will not be back till Monday after he wasn't here yesterday. And the office manager this week came in every day about 9:30 (early for her) and on one day she left at 2:00 and another she left at 3:00. And this after taking 2 days off last week being sick and than taking another half of a day to watch her son play tennis. And another project manager is at lunch and been there for an hour and I don't expect him back for at least another hour.

Chad

[S.V. Airlie]

Sounds as though Bush may have found another job after leaving the white house Chad. Certainly can't do any worse working for your company than he has done as president.
LOL....

[Ian McColgin]

You can't really make the otherwise delightful boss shape up the office slackers. But who cares? Or more aptly, why care? The lack of teamwork undoubtedly reduces the pleasure of working, but there is your relationship with the boss and sounds like with some of the field people so why not just let it roll. Remind people where they need reminding but basicly life is easier where one does not make judgements where you don't need to. Were you office manager, then it would be your worry to teach or replace. But you're not so try just letting go.

I know that this is hard for many people but if you can do it then you'll also not be turning yourself into a martyr.

G'luck

[Spin_Drift]

Sounds like you are taking on other people's responsibilities. Since you are not the manager, you don't need to try keep things together when others don't obviously care.

You know they probably think "Chad will take care of... Chad will make sure that... I can be late, Chad is there early...etc.

Just do what is in your job description and leave it at that, otherwise you are enabling them to be irresponsible.

...and by no means, should you make copies of keys and give them to anyone else. It is for the management to decide who has keys and who does not... You would be overstepping your bounds and you could be held responsible for any thefts or mischief if you gave keys to someone else without being told so by the management.

So just relax, do what you are supposed to do and draw the line there. The stress you seem to have from trying to make sure all bases are covered, is not worth it and frankly it's the managements responsibility to make sure the other employees are doing what they're supposed to, not yours...:)


IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM...


.

[hokiefan]

Companies are also way too dependant on voice-mail and cellphones. Last week I needed to get in touch with a former co-worker at International Paper Company. He's moved and changed jobs within the company since I was there so I needed new contact info.

This isn't a small company. It's a major corporation being run like a part-time pawn shop.

rbgarr,
I know exactly what you are talking about. But its only run like a part time pawn shop from the customer's side. Just try to get anything done internally and you will run into a burearocracy that will rival anything in the government. And they don't answer their phones either. Its not the same company we worked for at UCC. Miss most of the people I worked with, but not the company. Not even a little bit.

Chad,
As others have mentioned, you have to continue to do your job in a way you are happy with. In other words keep up the good work. Don't cover for the others, but don't actively look to cut off the limb behind them either. That ends up reflecting poorly on you. Make the time to talk quietly with the manager* and tell him that you like working there, but you have concerns about the long term viability of the business because of ...... Then go back to work and let him handle it, or not. Don't say a word to any of your coworkers or the field guys. Based on how it works out, evaluate the pros and cons of you situation and make a good decision from there.

One day at a time, one day at a time...

Bobby

*not the office manager, but whoever is really running the business.

[Memphis Mike]

Unless you're the boss you need to quit worrying about what these other people are doing and concentrate on yourself.

I could give a rat's a$$ about what anyone else is doing on a job. I do my work and that's all that matters.

The only conversations I have with em are about business and I do not socialize with em after hours.

[Vince Brennan]

Along with field guys not getting questions answered when needed. Subs not able to contact Project managers.

Does this materially impact the way you do your job? In other words, if the field guys can't contact the correct person, do they then contact you and get the required info? What does this do to your abilty to carry out YOUR own assigned functions? Do YOUR field guys then suffer because you're helping the others?

If the subs cannot contact the PM's, one imagines that the work on-site slows or stops until they can do so. Can they contact you for the same info/permissions to keep their job flowing along and does this then take time away from your own projects?

If both the above lead to your not being able to perform your own functions then you H A V E to stop helping. All you're doing is enabling the gerbils to continue their behaviour patterns since "Good Ol' Chad"'ll pick up the slack.


A lot of these things are taken care of by our outstanding field supt. They will bypass the project managers and handle it themselves.At what cost to THEIR efficiency in the job?


BTW it is just around lunch and one has already left for the day and will not be back till Monday after he wasn't here yesterday. And the office manager this week came in every day about 9:30 (early for her) and on one day she left at 2:00 and another she left at 3:00. And this after taking 2 days off last week being sick and than taking another half of a day to watch her son play tennis. And another project manager is at lunch and been there for an hour and I don't expect him back for at least another hour.

ChadAnd this is obviously all OK with upper management, OR they are not aware of what is going on, which is equally foolish on their parts.

Time for a new job?

[JBreeze]

Quote: "They will bypass the project managers and handle it themselves"

Please be careful here.....I had to work with a project manager who always seemed to be in Maine when a problem occurred in Connecticut.

He could never receive my cell phones calls in Maine....claimed they were a lot of "dead" spots, etc....also always had an excuse not to read my emails.

So if unexpected asbestos was discovered, or a broken water main, etc., I would run the problem with proposed solutions either on or off the record by another P.E., or Project Manager, or his boss and then directed the contractor to do the work. Everything was documented and on his desk when he returned. He seemed to like being absolved of the responsibility.

One day something trivial occurred, such as Type I instead of Type II vinyl tiles being installed on the floor of a storage closet (3' x 5'). His response:

"Why wasn't I informed?"

Grrrrrrrrrr!

[bamamick]

Hmm. A sticky wicket. I am pretty good at telling people not to worry about things that they can't control, but the bottom line is that if these people are in a position to effect your work or your job then you have the right to worry about it, AND see if you can get things changed.

All I know of your situation is what you have posted here, but it sounds to me like you might want to put out some feelers for other jobs. You are a good guy, Chad. I'd hate to hear that anything I said had a negative effect on you or your situation, but it sounds to me that there aren't too many people where you work that have the best interest of your paycheck at heart.

Mickey Lake