I think my new coworker is functionally illiterate? Help!

[Anonymous]

I have have been assigned a student teacher who is like this for the next year. It is grim, OP.

I have already started a file of printed emails and minutes of meetings I've had with her. While she doesn't appear to retain or understand verbal instructions, her email replies are gibberish, like something written by a very young child. However, it is important to build up a paper trail. Is your coworker responding to basic emails you send her? If not, try to phrase some emails so that they require a response. Keeping those things is essential in a case like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op was she fired?
Your descriptions remind me of someone with FAS.

I once worked with an employee that was similar to what OP describes, and my theory at the time was that it was FAS. The person had the FAS appearance characteristics. My office hired the person because they came from another federal agency with a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, that is often how federal offices get rid of people like this.

Fetal alcohol syndrome? How does someone who has FAS even know the process for applying for work? She would have had to write a resume and cover letter and have references etc. These things take a lot of executive functioning….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op was she fired?
Your descriptions remind me of someone with FAS.

I once worked with an employee that was similar to what OP describes, and my theory at the time was that it was FAS. The person had the FAS appearance characteristics. My office hired the person because they came from another federal agency with a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, that is often how federal offices get rid of people like this.

Fetal alcohol syndrome? How does someone who has FAS even know the process for applying for work? She would have had to write a resume and cover letter and have references etc. These things take a lot of executive functioning….

I've worked with people who have FAS. There is help for resumes, job search, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op was she fired?
Your descriptions remind me of someone with FAS.

I once worked with an employee that was similar to what OP describes, and my theory at the time was that it was FAS. The person had the FAS appearance characteristics. My office hired the person because they came from another federal agency with a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, that is often how federal offices get rid of people like this.

Fetal alcohol syndrome? How does someone who has FAS even know the process for applying for work? She would have had to write a resume and cover letter and have references etc. These things take a lot of executive functioning….

DP, but it varies in severity. There's something called FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects) that is milder. I strongly suspect that of my cousin's ex (including appearance). He doesn't KEEP jobs for terribly long, but he can get them and sometimes does a passable job. Manual labor, though. Reads at an ES level. My aunt thought ADHD but no way (I have ADHD, this had some overlapping symptoms, but not many).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't functionally illiterate an oxymoron?

not the same as OP's situation but when I was in college, I worked retail and had an illiterate manager. She told me when I started organizing training for adult literacy classes and teaching them myself. I asked her how she did her job and she showed me the forms and reports and she just remembered how to move things from point a to point b. She did it for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't functionally illiterate an oxymoron?

not the same as OP's situation but when I was in college, I worked retail and had an illiterate manager. She told me when I started organizing training for adult literacy classes and teaching them myself. I asked her how she did her job and she showed me the forms and reports and she just remembered how to move things from point a to point b. She did it for years.

That took some guts for her to admit it-- an older retail manager revealing that to a young college student employee. Good for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have have been assigned a student teacher who is like this for the next year. It is grim, OP.

I have already started a file of printed emails and minutes of meetings I've had with her. While she doesn't appear to retain or understand verbal instructions, her email replies are gibberish, like something written by a very young child. However, it is important to build up a paper trail. Is your coworker responding to basic emails you send her? If not, try to phrase some emails so that they require a response. Keeping those things is essential in a case like this.

But she's coming out of a college program with a Bachelor's degree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op was she fired?
Your descriptions remind me of someone with FAS.

I once worked with an employee that was similar to what OP describes, and my theory at the time was that it was FAS. The person had the FAS appearance characteristics. My office hired the person because they came from another federal agency with a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, that is often how federal offices get rid of people like this.

Fetal alcohol syndrome? How does someone who has FAS even know the process for applying for work? She would have had to write a resume and cover letter and have references etc. These things take a lot of executive functioning….

DP, but it varies in severity. There's something called FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects) that is milder. I strongly suspect that of my cousin's ex (including appearance). He doesn't KEEP jobs for terribly long, but he can get them and sometimes does a passable job. Manual labor, though. Reads at an ES level. My aunt thought ADHD but no way (I have ADHD, this had some overlapping symptoms, but not many).

I see, but in OP's case, this employee would have had to shine at an interview...so why she was hired is anyone's guess!

[Anonymous]

Have you considered that she may be messing with you?

[Anonymous]

OP, you need to consult with your boss ASAP. If I were your boss and learned you were enabling this person instead of talking to me, I’d be annoyed. Document in writing, print out examples of your instructions and her resultant work product, and take contemporaneous notes on your discussions with the coworker. You could also send her follow-up emails to commemorate what you discussed.

[Anonymous]

People - the post is from 2016 and OP updated the woman is gone.