Seeking advice - how do you work with someone you despise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you are the team lead and you need to learn how to do that role. You are still acting like a regular employee, but you aren't.

Welcome to management.

I am not management. I'm an independent contributor.

[Anonymous]

Ok I'm in a similar work situation. Except all managers don't work (fun!). Here is how I dealt with it: I found a new job. Seriously, though, I gave my concerns to upper management and not only was I told to mind my own business I was then considered 'not a team player'. So I took my talents elsewhere. Good thing too not long after I left that ship sank fast. There is a saying...a fish rots from its head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok I'm in a similar work situation. Except all managers don't work (fun!). Here is how I dealt with it: I found a new job. Seriously, though, I gave my concerns to upper management and not only was I told to mind my own business I was then considered 'not a team player'. So I took my talents elsewhere. Good thing too not long after I left that ship sank fast. There is a saying...a fish rots from its head.

OP here - I have been contemplating that, and my supervisor knows how I feel about the incompetent colleague. But my supervisor has done many things to make my work environment the best it can be (flexibility, telecommuting, etc.) and gave me an excellent performance review. But the incompetent colleague remains.

I'm sorry you faced a similar situation yet congratulations on getting out. Part of me doesn't want this incompetent colleague to drive me out of an otherwise great work situation. That is partly why I seek advice on "how to deal with an idiot" vs. removing the idiot or removing me from the situation. I am thinking that if leaving is not an option, I am simply going to have to deal with the idiot in the least stressful way possible.

[Anonymous]

pp, what is it again that makes you so much better?
I ask because I have a supervisor who is moody and sometimes raises his voice and I am one of the few people who can handle working with him.

[Anonymous]

OP here following up on my own work situation.

I have been working at being nice to my colleague and - fortunate for me - others have seen similar irresponsible and unreliable work from the employee.

So I am yet again facing a project deadline, and yet again my work colleague has not delivered on time. But this time I brought in my supervisor from the beginning, and now the supervisor is requiring frequent (daily) updates from the work colleague. So to the PPs that stated the work colleague required more supervision -- well, that is indeed what is occurring.

I am pleased as others are seeing similar things that I have seen for months, and the supervisor is on top of it and managing the situation (as should have been the case long ago).

Lesson learned for me is document, document, document, and bring in management from the beginning of the project when there is reason to believe there will be an underperformer on the job.

[Anonymous]

If you were a fed, you would find the incompetent person a job at another agency and give them a glowing recommendation. When I was a fed, I learned to be wary if a recommendation was too positive (after getting stuck with an admin who couldn't spell her own name).