I pit management having to make new rules because of incompetent people

[Incubus]

When I first started my tutoring job, it was pretty low-key. Everyone got along very well with each other, they all did what was expected and there were absolutely zero discipline problems. At the time the staff did an excellent job considering that for most of them it was the first real job they had ever worked at (I had come from several retails jobs and started that job bracing myself for much, much worse).

However, as people came and went, I noticed an alarming trend- the number of 'bad apples', so to speak, has risen. One reason that I think this is happening is because the demand for the type of job (low pay and hours, working with little kids, few raises, etc) is kind of low when compared to the other wage-slave jobs high school kids can get. The ones that do apply typically are interested in the fact that they don't have to work for very long stretches at a time, and can schedule when they are available to work. But when we are in a situation where we are practically begging people to work for us, this kind of draws the lazier folks.

When I started working there, we didn't have a late policy. But recently so many people would be late/just plain not show up :eek: that they had to create one. This is an example of many things happening- every meeting brings up a new list of rules. I dont blame the management for wanting to establish policy for dealing with things like this, but I think that they either should have had it all along, or did a better job of enforcing existing policy.

[ParentalAdvisory]

That's nothing. Wait until you have continue working with incompetent people, because management won't fire them. And the incompetent people continue to fuck up.

[friedo]

That's nothing. Wait until you have continue working with incompetent people, because management won't fire them. And the incompetent people continue to fuck up.

And then they get to be the ones who do the hiring!

[jayjay]

Yeah, I was going to say, "Wait until management IS the incompetent people..."

[ParentalAdvisory]

Or when incompetent people become managers. Or do managers become incompetent after they're hired as a manager? I don't know, neither is good.

[CynicalGabe]

And the incompetent people continue to fuck up.

True that. Wait till your working for them.

[elfbabe]

That's nothing. Wait until the incompetents take over not only management, but all the higher echelons as well. And even then, that's not so bad. You just wait until everyone else in the organization is so incompetent that they somehow manage to SET YOU ON FIRE.

Until incompetence has actually caused you to burst into flame, you don't know what you're talking about.

:cool:

[duffer]

Or when incompetent people become managers. Or do managers become incompetent after they're hired as a manager? I don't know, neither is good.


I believe that The Dilbert Principle in part states that incompetence is a pre-requisite for any management position.


elfbabe, sadly, has it right on. :mad:

[SteveG1]

I've seen it all and then some. Incompetents get promoted into positions of authority. They are unable to make decisions, and instead "empower" you to take a wild ass guess at what they want (but with no authority to actually make it happen). They don't know what they want but they know it when they see it, but if they don't see it it's your fault. They get you to do their "boss type" tasks because they are too damn stupid to figure it out, and then hammer you when YOUR work doesn't get done. They tie you up in endless meetings to discuss why things aren't getting done (because you're tied up in their meetings all day).
When other incompetents either can't or won't do their jobs, you get stuck with it all and you catch hell when you can't do it all. If you complain you aren't a "team player". You get punished, instead of the fuck-up getting it. The "new rules" thing is only the tip of the iceberg.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. :eek:

[Patty O'Furniture]

Be glad you don't work in a union shop.

[Incubus]

Wow. Guess I have just been staring at a very small tip of a very large (and incompetent) iceberg!

:eek:

[Zoe]

Iceberg. There is no iceberg. You're fired.

[jayjay]

Wow. Guess I have just been staring at a very small tip of a very large (and incompetent) iceberg!

:eek:

After working in office settings for about ten years now, I can safely tell you that every single thing you read in Dilbert is funny because it's absolutely true. Management styles shift like the winds, people get promoted to the level of their incompetency, incredible amounts of effort are put into making the blame flow as far down the ladder as possible, and incredibly little effort is put into making things work efficiently and effectively. This all happens every day in at least 90% of the business environments in the US. Management gimmicks like Old Fish! and Who Cut the Cheese? and Employee Empowerment (HA!) are smoke screens for the high-ups to hide behind and look like they're actually doing something while making plans to put the blame on the failure of these programs on the peonage.

Better to be disillusioned early than to be stabbed in the back later.

[Excalibre]

Wow. Guess I have just been staring at a very small tip of a very large (and incompetent) iceberg!

:eek:
The ice will come in handy when they SET YOU ON FIRE.

[NoPretentiousCodename]

Until incompetence has actually caused you to burst into flame, you don't know what you're talking about.
:cool:

Well, some folks at Chernobyl might have something to say about that:

"Until incompetence has actually caused a nuclear meltdown causing scores of deaths, increased birth defects and incidence of cancer AND forced the evacuation of the surrounding area, just don't even talk to me about incompetence!";)

[fluiddruid]

As a supervisor, sadly, we have to manage to the lowest common denominator. Every stupid rule we have in place is because of some jackass. I literally had to go to my team last week in a team meeting and say "Guys, it wasn't any of you, but just so you know, it's a violation of the rules to be in the desk area of a supervisor while they're not there. Don't go into supervisors desks or files, m'kay?" Now, the good performers are all worried that they can't hand in things to me because it might be too close to my desk! Really, it's just a rule for asshats who have no respect for confidentiality or personal property.

Same thing with the dress code - we have to be overly specific, otherwise people will whine and bitch because they "didn't know" that a shirt that shows their belly button or pants that show their ass cheeks is work inappropriate, or that a shirt that has sexual acts being done on it or people drinking tequila and fondling each other might not be that great to wear to an office.

[eleanorigby]

fluid--question for you. Why aren't those people, who wear inappropriate clothing or are caught with their hands in the file cabinet, personally reprimanded?
Why blanket rules?

I once wasted 2 effing hours at my job, being taught how to answer the phone. It was 2 hours because it was a huge group of people--at 3 am no less. Not too many phone calls on the night shift (which I worked back then). And all this because some consultant somewhere had said that "phone scripts" were the answer to the hospital losing money.

Hello? Wrong number!

[catsix]

We get the whole blanket-rule or blanket-memo thing when someone here screws up.

Someone came in the wrong door? Send a memo to everybody. Someone misused their network access? Send a memo to everybody.

Instead of actually talking directly to the person who screwed up, they do this 'tell everybody about the new policy' thing, which is completely ass stupid.

[Lissa]

That's nothing. Wait until the incompetents take over not only management, but all the higher echelons as well. And even then, that's not so bad. You just wait until everyone else in the organization is so incompetent that they somehow manage to SET YOU ON FIRE.

Fire? In my day, that was hazing.

You didn't start to worry until you'd been trampled by elephants . . .twice!

Third-degree burns? Phooey!

Young people today don't know how good they have it!

[Boggette]

We just went through it with working from home. Apparently some of the older employees don't feel that using e-mail or the telephone is acceptable. They will wait... and wait... and wait... until a person is in their office. This can mean days or weeks of lost time. Instead of teaching these people how to contact you properly, they discuss eliminating telecommuting.

(note: The telecommuters here are not abusing the program. And these are not issues that have to be face-to-face. Most of the time this is just to pass along some basic information that could easily be put in a voicemail or e-mail)

Some of us hired on here specifically because of the telecommuting capabilities. If they were removed, we'd have to find other work somewhere else.

And most times, people ARE in the office. They are at meetings, in the bathroom, etc., but these employees will continue to walk to your desk, see you aren't there, and go back to theirs. They *might* try again later, but most times they just try another day. Most of us telecommuters only do 1-2 days a week. So the issue really isn't the telecommute. It's the desire to do things in The One True Way (in person)

Telecommuters made a huge stink about the proposed changes, though, and management decided to study the matter further. Guess we'll have to wait-n-see.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Boggette, another solution would be to have a supply of stamps and envelopes, and if they needed to get a message to a certain person, they could mail it to the one(s) who need to know. I'd think, there would be a way to get mail out to a person who works at home even if they were reluctant to let all those who worked in the office know their home address. Maybe give the office secretary/receptionist a file, and if they are on vacation HR could address it to be sent?

[Maus Magill]

fluid--question for you. Why aren't those people, who wear inappropriate clothing or are caught with their hands in the file cabinet, personally reprimanded?
Why blanket rules?

But... but... that would involve confrontation.

Speaking of SET YOU ON FIRE!!

I had a manager who set himself on fire [1]. While he was in the hospital, more and more accounting "irregularites" would be found by his backup. Such as why we were $800,000 over budget. Would you believe it wasn't my section after all? I didn't think paperclips were that expensive.

[1] Remember, kids, unload your hunting rifle before you store next to your home's propane tank. you know, just in case you drop the rifle with the safety off, and blow up your house... and you.

[fluiddruid]

fluid--question for you. Why aren't those people, who wear inappropriate clothing or are caught with their hands in the file cabinet, personally reprimanded?

They were. Generally the rules changes were a follow-up.

To make a long story short, it's hard to prove in court what common sense or professionalism is. My company doesn't want to get sued, or face legal action if we fire someone for doing something stupid. Hence, overly specific rules.

[Cat Whisperer]

Common sense doesn't exist, and we shouldn't expect it. My husband, the Construction Safety Officer, has been trained to not even call it that. It's called Good Judgement, and it should exist , but sadly, often doesn't.

I agree with everything said so far. The best way to survive in the working environment of today is to not take anything seriously. When people are having artificial crises all over the place - smile and nod when they're in your face, then just do what you can and leave it all at work when your shift is over. And get used to incompetence - it is as perennial as the dawn.

[glilly]

Instead of actually talking directly to the person who screwed up, they do this 'tell everybody about the new policy' thing, which is completely ass stupid.
Two reasons this happens:

1) Incompetent boob gets reprimanded for something. He asks where he can see the policy that prohibits this. There isn't one. It gets written and distributed.

2) Incompetent bood does something you don't want the incompetent boob to do. Other people do the same thing without problem. You want to tell the boob not to do it, but he'll ask why Mr. Does a Good Job gets to do said act. So the rule gets applied uniformly.

Not all incompetent boobs demand that all requests get applied uniformly, but some do. The ones who cause this to happen.

[CynicalGabe]

Two reasons this happens:

1) Incompetent boob gets reprimanded for something. He asks where he can see the policy that prohibits this. There isn't one. It gets written and distributed.

2) Incompetent bood does something you don't want the incompetent boob to do. Other people do the same thing without problem. You want to tell the boob not to do it, but he'll ask why Mr. Does a Good Job gets to do said act. So the rule gets applied uniformly.

Not all incompetent boobs demand that all requests get applied uniformly, but some do. The ones who cause this to happen.

I've never had a problem with selectively enforcing rules before with people working for me. Just make sure Mr. Does a Good Job doesn't do whatever he should not be doing in sight of Mr. Incompetent Boob.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Not all incompetent boobs demand that all requests get applied uniformly, but some do. The ones who cause this to happen.

Show of hands: How many women have trouble with incompetent boobs? I thought so.

[glilly]

I've never had a problem with selectively enforcing rules before with people working for me. Just make sure Mr. Does a Good Job doesn't do whatever he should not be doing in sight of Mr. Incompetent Boob.
Sometimes it's hard for Mr. Does a Good Job to hide his actions in the cubefields of Corporate Americana. Also, for that to work, you have to let Mr. DaGJ know that his actions are OK but not OK for Mr. IB, which may involve telling Mr. DaGJ more than you should tell him.