Colleague who is always confused

[Anonymous]

You have to MFR every conversation with someone like this. It’s annoying and tedious, but it holds them accountable and will either result in improvement or they’ll leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a bad sentence:

"here are the revisions to the document we talked about yesterday.”

Say, "Attached are the revisions to the XYD document regarding ABC that we discussed yesterday afternoon." Then add the necessary action: "Please make edits" if that is her job. Or "Please let me know if you have any questions" Or "Please let me know if you accept the changes and I will send the final product."

Agree. If she reviews the email later, nobody will remember what was discussed “yesterday.” It’s not a good record.

I don’t know who you people are who cannot remember a conversation from the day before?

Depends how many other conversations that person had. And a file link/location is always a good idea.

Presumably OP sent the file because she was sending the edits they had discussed. If you cannot have your memory jogged sufficiently by “Here are the edits we discussed yesterday that you wanted to review” then please go to the doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a bad sentence:

"here are the revisions to the document we talked about yesterday.”

Say, "Attached are the revisions to the XYD document regarding ABC that we discussed yesterday afternoon." Then add the necessary action: "Please make edits" if that is her job. Or "Please let me know if you have any questions" Or "Please let me know if you accept the changes and I will send the final product."

Agree. If she reviews the email later, nobody will remember what was discussed “yesterday.” It’s not a good record.

I don’t know who you people are who cannot remember a conversation from the day before?

Depends how many other conversations that person had. And a file link/location is always a good idea.

Presumably OP sent the file because she was sending the edits they had discussed. If you cannot have your memory jogged sufficiently by “Here are the edits we discussed yesterday that you wanted to review” then please go to the doctor.

You must not have dozens or conversations daily (some with same people, some with different people) nor review dozens of documents nor get hundreds of emails and IMs.

I may read your Tuesday email about Monday conversation on Thursday and have no idea what document you are talking about. No, I do not want top open the file - I have 40 files sent to me, I want to open what is clearly marked and is high priority on my list.

When I get an unprofessional communication like that (“here is a doc that we discussed yesterday”), from a peer or a subordinate, I will likely say “Remind me what the doc is for and what specifically you need me to review and by which date.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is a bad sentence:

"here are the revisions to the document we talked about yesterday.”

Say, "Attached are the revisions to the XYD document regarding ABC that we discussed yesterday afternoon." Then add the necessary action: "Please make edits" if that is her job. Or "Please let me know if you have any questions" Or "Please let me know if you accept the changes and I will send the final product."

Agree. If she reviews the email later, nobody will remember what was discussed “yesterday.” It’s not a good record.

I don’t know who you people are who cannot remember a conversation from the day before?

Depends how many other conversations that person had. And a file link/location is always a good idea.

Presumably OP sent the file because she was sending the edits they had discussed. If you cannot have your memory jogged sufficiently by “Here are the edits we discussed yesterday that you wanted to review” then please go to the doctor.

You must not have dozens or conversations daily (some with same people, some with different people) nor review dozens of documents nor get hundreds of emails and IMs.

I may read your Tuesday email about Monday conversation on Thursday and have no idea what document you are talking about. No, I do not want top open the file - I have 40 files sent to me, I want to open what is clearly marked and is high priority on my list.

When I get an unprofessional communication like that (“here is a doc that we discussed yesterday”), from a peer or a subordinate, I will likely say “Remind me what the doc is for and what specifically you need me to review and by which date.”

I’m assuming OP gave that basic background. But if you are important enough that you need to weigh in on edits and then review the edits made, then yes, you should have the cognitive capacity to recall a conversation you had yesterday.

[Anonymous]

I know a person like this and I think it is a combination of either slow processing or an auditory processing disorder. she is plenty smart and capable and when she knows what the plan is she can (slowly!) do it.

TBH I have wondered if there is also an element of entitlement or something too because she doesn’t seem to try to do anything to ameliorate the issue or acknowledge she is making unusual requests. She responds to almost every new statement with “Wait….wait, wait, wait wait. What?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a person like this and I think it is a combination of either slow processing or an auditory processing disorder. she is plenty smart and capable and when she knows what the plan is she can (slowly!) do it.

TBH I have wondered if there is also an element of entitlement or something too because she doesn’t seem to try to do anything to ameliorate the issue or acknowledge she is making unusual requests. She responds to almost every new statement with “Wait….wait, wait, wait wait. What?”

as a person with fast processing (I don’t really say that to brag - I certainly am no work superstar) it can be truly irritating to deal with slow processors. Particularly since I work in a field (extremely detailed regulator) where you would think that fast processors who can quickly grasp the regulations and subject matter would be the ones in charge … but nope. They insist that I am wrong, “we always do it this way,” “they can’t do that” …

Thank goodness for my fast processing colleagues who serve as reality checks for me.

I think that work takes all types of thinking but I do wish people would recognize their limits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt she is confused. This is a strategy for her and it’s working. She’s constantly getting face time and interacting with people. People find her engaged. I’ve always thought my work would be valued by being productive and not being noisy. Nope. It’s always the people who make themselves seen that get ahead and people think they are productive and engaged.

This is exactly it.
Those who quietly and efficiently get things done don't stick in people's minds. Those who email the whole office about every little thing they do and ask constant questions "Wow, what a go-getter." Bonus points if they are young and attractive.