I cannot stand him. He drives me completely up the proverbial wall. He’s my employee and he’s totally braindead, as well as rude, obnoxious, clueless, and irresponsible. But I can’t get rid of him because I have no one else to fill the position and my boss procrastinates so when reviewing applications.
If anyone out there would like a full-time reporter’s position in a small rural county with low crime, friendly people and mind-numbingly easy work, let me know.
Basically, I’m ticked because he cannot seem to take one decent picture without cutting people’s heads off or write a simple council story without taking three days to do so. (it’s a weekly paper.) He’s an idiot and must be stopped. Help, Please!!!
I’ve tried working with him (I’m the editor), advising him of how to write such stories, and the basics in photography, but it goes in one ear and out the other. Does anyone have any hints or suggestions of how to get this guy to perform up to par? I’ve tried everything and until I find a replacement for him, I’m stuck with the doofus. Help!
sheerah, I know I’ll sound like the straight man to ask * how dumb is he * but it’s germane to my suggestion. If he is just not the freshest egg in the dozen, that is one thing, if he is without any hope, then my idea won’t work.
So, if he just isn’t the freshest egg, why not act as though you’re asking * him * the question, as in:
‘You know, boyo, I’ve heard the higher ups ( hope you have a couple!) are unhappy with the jobs * some of us * have been doing and I, for one, intend on really buckling down, if I were you, I’d make sure the next few pictures you take actually ** have the heads ** or you might end up losing yours.’
Of course, if he’s long gone, this is * way * too subtle, then you may want to sharpen it, to ‘have you got an updated resume handy, Randy?’
good luck!
‘Mr. Shields had challenged Mr. Lincoln to a duel, and that, as the challenged party, it was Mr. Lincoln’s right to choose the weapons.
Mr. Lincoln responded, “How about cow-dung at five paces?”’
You’re stuck with him? This sounds like a plee in the wilderness.
How much time do you have to go over each thing he does and show him how to improve?
Ten minutes a day? 15 minutes a day?
And can you do it in such a way that he realizes the improvement would make him better at what he does?
The meetings should not be confrontational.
You’re putting this guy through “doing the job right 101.”
Each day.
One way or the other you can become a winner.
Either he’ll get better under your wonderful hand, or he’ll quit telling everyone what a hard nosed taskmaster you are.
How much do you pay? (Not asking to determine if he’s being paid enough–I’m interested for me!)
Those who are dancing look insane to those who cannot hear the music.
One-of-a-kind, custom-designed Wally sig available on request.
This is really more of a MPSIMS thing. I’ll move the thead over there for you.
I’ve tried working with him, both individually and in a workshop-type setting with my other reporters (2)–it’s a small paper. Neither seems to work. For one day alone, I helped him with leads (the first paragraph of a story) for three hours. I’ve suggested and hinted on how he could improve. I’ve given him (out of my own pay) a handbook for writers; I’ve asked help from him just hoping he would see the light. Nothing seems to get through to him.
Did I mention he’s incredibly obnoxious? I don’t presume to know everything about every subject we encounter when writing stories, but he regards himself the expert on everything from the greenhouse effect to a municipality’s current water project–and without fail, he has the facts wrong. I’ve had to print so many corrections, I feel like an idiot.
The pay starts at $7 per hour, with a raise at 3, 6, 9 months and then at a year, year and a half, and each year from that point on. I know that sounds like a very small amount, but this is a relatively rural area with a low cost of living–(two bedroom apartments usually go for about $250-300 per month), movies are $3.50–$3 if you do the afternoon matinee; and gas is $1.40 a gallon. The point is, he makes much more than he’s worth.
The entire office (everyone from receptionist to advertising cannot stand to be in the same room with him. He’s really bringing down the entire office.
However, because I have such a small staff, I need to find a replacement before he’s let go.
Geez, I was in a good mood until I started writing about him. Now I have to go into work tomorrow and look at him. Serenity now. .
This is just a suggestion, sheerah, so please take it in the spirit it’s offered.
Maybe your talent exceeds your position. Consider seeking a position in a larger market area. There are at least three large weeklys in the S.F. Bay Area, and many more all over the country. Our host right here is one.
If his compensation is that low, your’s can’t be that much greater. And you’d have a much larger staff, with a larger pool of talent to choose from.
Again, just a suggestion.
Peace,
mangeorge
Teach your kids to bungee jump.
One them might have to cross a bridge someday.
sheerah: I’m currently halfway through a master’s degree in journalism, and the job you describe sounds like absolute heaven for those of us who want to be newspaper people but aren’t obsessed with the idea of the Big City. I can almost guarantee that if you sent posted a job listing at my school, you’d have bunches of soon-to-be-graduates eager to be interviewed. Perhaps you could drop some hints to that effect in Mr. Waste of Oxygen’s direction-- even if you have no intention whatsoever of actually following through.
Gamera is really neat, he is full of turtle meat, we’ve been eating Gam-er-aaaa…