GatewayRedbirds.com

Does everyone just sit around eating ice cream cake or something if you aren't in the office?

Actually, my other two coworkers are fantastic. Really good, talented, fun to work with. One was also new, so I was carrying two new people at once, but he put in effort, and learned quickly. First week was rough, 2nd was easier, by the first month, he had most of it. The other coworker was out for 2 weeks (training and vacation). Now instead of almost exploding, I can laugh it off, because there are other people to help.

Today's fun: "So I entered the information on the file and I saved the file, can I close it or will it get lost?"

Last week, she logged herself out of her email somehow, and thought she logged herself out of the computer, even though when I went over, the email login screen was right on top. So I told her to use her email password instead of her computer password. She laughed for a few minutes about how confusing it is to... I don't know, read or something?

Pass me the ice cream.

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lol

her: "Its asking me what type to open the file... adobe, excel..."

me: "what file are you trying to open?"

her: "XXX, its an excel file"

me: "... open it in excel..."

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You sound like an ass.

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After 10 weeks of this, how else should I realistically be expected to respond? 10. Weeks.

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I'm typing instructions sheets.

Two of the last three bullet points that I wrote were:

-To log in, click on the "log in" button near the top right corner of the page.

and

-To create a new email, click on the "create new email" button.

And I have pictures with big red circles around the buttons. Seriously.

I mean, this program is so incredibly user friendly and obvious that I can't intellectually understand how someone (who has worked in offices for 40 years) can't at least figure out the basic functions. (Seriously, I can't accept it. To me, its the equivalent of someone not knowing how to mail a letter... pesky stamps, don't they go in the letter? And I put my favorite color on the address line?) To me this type of document would offend me. I would be offended that someone would think I was so stupid that I couldn't figure out what to click... but I was asked to give this level of detail. "Tell me what to click on" etc.

And I've worked with many, near retirement level coworkers who manage to know how to read a webpage and click on stuff. Maybe not advanced stuff, but they know that "log in" means "log in" and "create an email" means "create an email".

Just, wow. The computer is the single most utilized tool in an office. What if your carpenter didn't know how to use a hammer or an electric drill?

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When I worked at Menards, we had to use computers regularly to do things like check inventory, special order products, etc. The system we had was old and archaic, but you had to use it with such frequency that the procedures eventually became like second-nature to you.

Anyway, one of my workers was an older guy in his 40's or so that, up to that point in his life, hadn't ever really used a computer before. He was a moderately-intelligent guy overall, reasonably capable in most of his job duties. However, he was so overwhelmingly intimidated by computers that he had to ask for help every_single_time he needed to use one (hourly). The fact that he did not catch on was baffling and frustrating.

I eventually just concluded that he had some sort of anxiety when it came to using computers. He was so afraid of people judging him, so intimidated by this new, foreign undertaking, that he suffered from some sort of mental block that legitimately prevented him from learning about computers. Or at least, that's my best-guess. I was really sympathetic at first, but over time it was frustrating and annoying.

BRAIN SURGER!

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I've given notice, and am gone in 2 and 1/2 weeks. We have this major project to finish. Like so many other things, even though its this (person I've been referencing above) person's responsibility (They've been here 5 months now), I've been doing it until I was asked a few months ago to stop taking the lead and let this person do it. What I was able to figure out in a day or two with zero instructions and information, just from staring at information and putting pieces together and figuring it out (so, making a fraking effort), this person has been unable to get figured out in 3 months, even though the project is half the size right now. I was asked to take over the "technical" parts (so, update the electronic information/documents), which I finished in a couple of hours. I was told specifically to not to work on the physical files.

So two more weeks go by and the physical files are not fixed and prepped. I'm told, "could you help and make sure this is done", I say yes, and suggest a course of action (mostly me just going through said files and come up with a list of things for people to divy out) and I'm told "no, don't do that". I'm also told not to take charge of the situation since I'm leaving and this person needs to learn to do that... which is fine, but I'm told I need to make sure something gets done, but I'm not allowed to work on it, and the person you're ultimately trying to motivate, the highly paid manager, just doesn't do anything.

What the hell is my role then? How can I assure something gets done without getting involved in it? Do you want me to just remind that person occasionally to do their job? When I do that, they end up asking me to do everything for them, but I'm not suppossed to do those things for them. I've written instructions, and dumbed them down to the point where I would be offended at them, and I've handed said instructions to this person 3-4 times, and they just refuse to read them and make an effort. I don't get it. What am I suppossed to do? I get the impression I need to do nothing, but in doing nothing, make someone else magically be capable and not lazy.

Seriously, what am I expected to do here?

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