General stuff

[BradMM]

There isn't, that I can tell, a forum for GENERAL STUFF so I keep posting here... hope that's OK.

I have an employee at work who is PSYCHO and files grievance after grievance, keeps a notebook and writes EVERYTHING down and then twists it to use for his own purposes. One RECENT example, I put a quarter in a vending machine, the machine didn't register credit for the quarter, I pushed the coin return but nothing so I hit the coin slot area with my palm to see if it was maybe jammed. The next day he's discussing his latest grievance with my boss and says that I have anger management issues because he saw me "punch" a vending machine. He's told lots of people he wants my job but he has no credibility with anyone anymore so it's pointless but he continues to play this game.

I hate to let a schmuck like that be why I pull the trigger on leaving but my boss won't fire him until he feels we have an air tight case, even though we're an "at will" state. Today's my 57th bday and I've taken off and gone home. I'm trying to enjoy it but here I am writing about Mr. Psycho.

Maybe it's time......................

[Texas Proud]

You can always tell you boss.... either he leaves or I leave....

Then at least one of your wishes comes true.... and you might not care about the other....

[BradMM]

I've seriously considered that... but just today. I may have to sleep on it but I was thinking about what the difference would be leaving now vs maybe Jan.... not much. I'd get the pleasure of seeing the person who HIRED Mr. Psycho (not me) have to deal with him and watching the fun when he sued my boss for not hiring him into my vacant position.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM There isn't, that I can tell, a forum for GENERAL STUFF so I keep posting here... hope that's OK.

Yes, that would be the "Other Topics" forum.

Maybe a mod would be kind enough to move this for you...

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM Maybe it's time......................

Looks to me like it definitely is...

[ChadR]

Well look on the bright side. If you stay a bit longer you should have lots of material to post on the forum and entertain us. Those no longer working will feel happy to not have to deal with the other Mr. Psycho and those of us working might feel better that we don't have one in our company/department lol.

[BigNick]

We have a staff member who constantly introduces requests for info to us in HR which can only be described as vexatious. She finds things in our intranet archive from 2 years ago which say "As a special measure, from April 2009 through June 2009, staff in categories X and Y may benefit from Z." and then gets her boss - who, reasonably enough, doesn't know all of our arcane rules - to sign off requests for her to get Z on the basis that she was in category X for half an hour in 2006. She then says that she "didn't notice" that it only applied to three months in 2009, despite that date appearing three times in the article. And on and on, repetitively, on this and a dozen other cases; and if you get any dot or comma of the reply wrong compared, bang, she's noted that as an acquired right. And each time, my team gets to send her gritted-teeth polite replies when what we want to say is "listen lady, we know exactly what you're about, go **** yourself".

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigNick We have a staff member who constantly introduces requests for info to us in HR which can only be described as vexatious. She finds things in our intranet archive from 2 years ago which say "As a special measure, from April 2009 through June 2009, staff in categories X and Y may benefit from Z." and then gets her boss - who, reasonably enough, doesn't know all of our arcane rules - to sign off requests for her to get Z on the basis that she was in category X for half an hour in 2006. She then says that she "didn't notice" that it only applied to three months in 2009, despite that date appearing three times in the article. And on and on, repetitively, on this and a dozen other cases; and if you get any dot or comma of the reply wrong compared, bang, she's noted that as an acquired right. And each time, my team gets to send her gritted-teeth polite replies when what we want to say is "listen lady, we know exactly what you're about, go **** yourself".

It seems to me a sharp HR department could document her repeated attempts and build a case showing HRassment.

[Amethyst]

If I let annoying, scheming people drive me out of the workplace before I'm good and ready to go, I have basically let Dilbert and "The Office" run my life. Those strips and TV shows are funny because everybody has to work with weirdos.

Retirement is your decision.

Amethyst

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM I hate to let a schmuck like that be why I pull the trigger on leaving but my boss won't fire him until he feels we have an air tight case, even though we're an "at will" state. .

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM I'd get the pleasure of seeing the person who HIRED Mr. Psycho (not me) have to deal with him and watching the fun when he sued my boss for not hiring him into my vacant position.

Apparently every workplace isn't complete without at least one psycho. We have one, and I just ignore him and his antics. It helps that we cross paths for at most a couple of hours a week, but as the others have concluded there is just no sport in engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed man.

That said, once in a great while the temptation overcomes someone and the resulting fireworks are fun to watch.

[chinaco]

While it is an aggravation... you can take some consolation in knowing that someone like that will dig their own grave by alienating many people and creating a situation where few trust him or her.

You should just be careful around the person and understand that they will put a negative spin on anything.

Based on your comment about your boss .... looking for the air tight case... says it all. That fool has already scr3wed sealed their fate.


If the airtight case does not present itself, your boss can do the next best thing.... transfer the @sshole and position it as needs of the company and a "really great opportunity" (albeit no choice on their part).

Maybe he or she will quit!

[Rambler]

I had two of them reporting to me at the same time. I tried coaching them out of their wicked ways to no avail. Both of them had two bosses, me for one, and each their respective global business line head. Both of these bus. line heads only saw their respective psychos once a year. On a CEO visit, the CEO and I agreed that the first psycho had to go. I talked with the other boss for this guy, who disagreed. 6 months later, the CEO visits again and asks why this guy is not gone already. I explained to CEO that HIS rule was that both bosses agree...CEO then over-rode the other boss and psycho 1 was gone. In the case of psycho 2, I told the other boss (who was adamant that psycho 2 was doing a good job...although how would he know since he never saw the guy) that he had to come up with a plan for psycho 2 outside of my business if he wanted to keep the schmuck, or I would send him packing (and demonstrated the result of psycho 1). Within a week, a plan to move psycho 2 to the US was in place. 3 months after the move, psycho 2's other boss (who was a psycho himself) was fired. Not more than 3 months after that (after the expense of an international transfer) psycho 2 got the axe.

If there is anything I've learned in 26 odd years of business, mgmt, and leadership, it is that you have to act quickly when someone is ineffective/inappropriate/psycho, etc. Dragging my feet in these cases (because of the bureaucratic meddling of matrix organizations) cost megacorp at least 6 good employees that I can remember, and maybe even more. Eventually that CEO also lost his job, and new CEO did away with the matrix.

R

[frayne]

Sounds if everyone already knows this guy isn't playing with a full deck so I would advise to just let him be himself and go about your business as usual.

Not worth losing sleep over, that is for damn sure.

[BradMM]

Thanks, folks, I enjoy this group every time I come here!

Yes, a Mod did move my post but I have to say that "other" looked to me like things unrelated to when a person retires:
Popular Topics - Technology, Military, Cooking, Eldercare, Cost of Living

Ok, now I see (said the blind man). I would love to ignore this person but unfortunately he works in my department and all his accusations are about ME!

Recent example: My wife brought some cake and ice cream up to my office because yesterday was my birthday. We had some and left the remainder sitting out for others to enjoy, first come, first serve. At the end of the day, Mr. Psycho walks into my office and gives me a big smile and handshake and wishes me a happy birthday. The next day, he's in my boss's office complaining that he was intentionally not invited to my birthday party because I was retaliating against him! It wasn't a party and no one was "entitled" to food. PSYCHO!

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM The next day, he's in my boss's office complaining that he was intentionally not invited to my birthday party because I was retaliating against him! It wasn't a party and no one was "entitled" to food.

Sounds a lot like middle school - but then so do a lot of workplaces.

[BradMM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler I had two of them reporting to me at the same time. I tried coaching them out of their wicked ways to no avail. Both of them had two bosses, me for one, and each their respective global business line head. Both of these bus. line heads only saw their respective psychos once a year. On a CEO visit, the CEO and I agreed that the first psycho had to go. I talked with the other boss for this guy, who disagreed. 6 months later, the CEO visits again and asks why this guy is not gone already. I explained to CEO that HIS rule was that both bosses agree...CEO then over-rode the other boss and psycho 1 was gone. In the case of psycho 2, I told the other boss (who was adamant that psycho 2 was doing a good job...although how would he know since he never saw the guy) that he had to come up with a plan for psycho 2 outside of my business if he wanted to keep the schmuck, or I would send him packing (and demonstrated the result of psycho 1). Within a week, a plan to move psycho 2 to the US was in place. 3 months after the move, psycho 2's other boss (who was a psycho himself) was fired. Not more than 3 months after that (after the expense of an international transfer) psycho 2 got the axe. If there is anything I've learned in 26 odd years of business, mgmt, and leadership, it is that you have to act quickly when someone is ineffective/inappropriate/psycho, etc. Dragging my feet in these cases (because of the bureaucratic meddling of matrix organizations) cost megacorp at least 6 good employees that I can remember, and maybe even more. Eventually that CEO also lost his job, and new CEO did away with the matrix. R

Can't think of a better case for EARLY RETIREMENT!!! This is the first job I've ever had where I can hire but I can't fire... has to come from the VP level. Guess it's because HR wants to avoid being in court but it's a real problem IMHO.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM Ok, now I see (said the blind man). I would love to ignore this person but unfortunately he works in my department and all his accusations are about ME!

By "ignore", people mean "don't get trolled".

Has this guy done any actual damage to your career or your person or your possessions? Or does he just suck up a lot of your spare time that you'd probably prefer to spend on more productive work?

What if you didn't respond? Would he do any actual damage to your career or your person or your possessions? Or would he have to find someone else who could be tricked into responding? When he's complaining to your boss, does your boss actually require you to defend yourself? Or could you politely hear out your boss with a slightly-raised eyebrow that implies "Boss, are you hearing what you're accusing me of? Seriously?"

I had a co-worker like your psycho. At first he made my life miserable, but then I decided that he was manipulating me. I eventually engaged him some of the time to keep him from making life absolutely miserable for my people, who had work of their own to do while I was distracting the co-worker. But I mostly ignored him unless he actually broke a hard/fast conduct rule.

In the end, my noble self-sacrifice probably prolonged his tenure. After I transferred from the command (and nobody else was listening to his crap) he eventually decided to flame on the commanding officer. Of course he was transferred the next morning.

To nobody's surprise he was eventually diagnosed as manic-depressive.

[obgyn65]

+ 1

Quote:

Originally Posted by frayne I would advise to just let him be himself and go about your business as usual.

[M Paquette]

Being retired, I don't have a workplace like this to interact with any more. I DO have my DVD of "Office Space," though, which I can play any time I get those misplaced longings for the 'good old days' back in an office full of interesting characters.

Milton Waddams: [talking on the phone] And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

[BradMM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Has this guy done any actual damage to your career or your person or your possessions? Or does he just suck up a lot of your spare time that you'd probably prefer to spend on more productive work? What if you didn't respond? Would he do any actual damage to your career or your person or your possessions? Or would he have to find someone else who could be tricked into responding? When he's complaining to your boss, does your boss actually require you to defend yourself? Or could you politely hear out your boss with a slightly-raised eyebrow that implies "Boss, are you hearing what you're accusing me of? Seriously?"

No damage, he has no credibility with anyone. Just sucks up a lot of time and energy. My boss expects me to respond to his grievances and he also has to respond to his official grievances which makes me provide him with the documentation to use in his response. Relevant to this forum, if I were THIS CLOSE to pulling the trigger on retirement, I'd probably just take it in stride as a part of what I have to put up with in the work place but I think part of it is like WHY NOW!?!?! I'd rather just cruise to the finish line.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradMM Relevant to this forum, if I were THIS CLOSE to pulling the trigger on retirement, I'd probably just take it in stride as a part of what I have to put up with in the work place but I think part of it is like WHY NOW!?!?! I'd rather just cruise to the finish line.

It is sort of the same attitude I had to take when dealing with petty bureaucratic BS, or even just sitting in traffic while on the employer's dime. "If that's what they want to pay me to do, then just do it. At the end of the day the paycheck is the same."