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This is a rant of the Emergency Broad-asked System. This is only a rant.
<rant>
I have a coworker that is supposed to be my boss, but for the past four years he has hardly ever been in the office. Either he is laying out sick, or out taking care of his wife, who is always laying out sick and can't keep a job, or he is traveling to somewhere to help a family member who has laid out sick.
Two years ago he was in a car accident and broke both of his legs, so he didn't come back to work for like three months. Meanwhile he was logging 8 hours a day on his timesheet, even though no work was getting done. He finally came back to work but all he did was pop pain pills and sleep at his desk, then leave early, yet he always logged in 8 hours everyday.
I mind my own business at work til it affects me or the company's deadline, so I ignored his behavior. But I did notice his pain pill usage was going up, not down, because he makes it a point to rattle the pill bottle before taking it. He refused to go to PT because it hurt so much. I'm sure him being ~400 lbs doesn't help.
Fast-forward to a few months ago, we had a very important delivery coming up, and he was still sleeping at his desk everyday and leaving early while we busted our asses doing the work. Then he calls in and says he fell out of bed and broke his leg again. So he's been gone from work for two months, and our boss (above him) asked us to take over his workload. That's when we found out he hasn't done anything for our biggest customer in months.
Myself and another coworker split the workload and took over everything. We met the clients, told them we were now their point-of-contact, started delivering work to them, and they got comfortable with us over the past two months despite everything we heard about how this coworker refused to allow them to have meetings (even though they are the Prime, and we are the Sub), and he apparently has ignored their emails for weeks, etc.
As of Wednesday, we had miraculously made the delivery on time with us working unlimited overtime, and the customer is very happy with us. We also managed to finish a big demo to a huge customer, and they are very happy with what we did. So our boss had an event at a local venue to celebrate, and the owner of the company attended and everything. Kudos all around.
The big boss warned us that this coworker may be back again on Monday, but that he will no longer be involved in any customer-facing projects, and he will not be allowed to ask us what we are doing; all he is supposed to do is answer questions from the government, and he is no longer considered our boss, our big boss is now our boss.
Today we come in and the coworker's wife has delivered him to his desk in a wheelchair, telling us to make sure he keeps the leg elevated and to help him get to the bathroom.
I realize that us saying anything will cause a hostile work environment, so we aren't talking, but frankly, I resent being asked to play nursemaid to this fool who can't do his job in the first place! If he needs a dang nurse, he should have stayed at home!
</rant>
Agree with you. If I was in your shoe, and if I can find another similar job with same or more pay, I will just resign. Sometime in this kind of situation, there's nothing you can do other than to leave the current employer. Every situation is different, and there might be other factors that I do not know about that would hesitate you to look for another job. I know this is just a rant, and I think a rant is usually a sign of frustration looking for a way out.
if I can find another similar job with same or more pay, I will just resign.
I will likely never leave this employer. Our product is the best in the world, I am at the top of my game, with only more space to rise.
This is a right-to-work state, but with this guy coming back from disability, it would not be legal to not let him have his former position. I am fairly certain my boss is just waiting on him to screw up, or lie on his timesheet again, and then he can legally get rid of him.
Like I said, it's just a rant. There's nothing I can do about the situation except wait it out.
Wow, I cannot even imagine!! Do you know why the company is allowing him to get away with not working? Perhaps they are getting ready to fire him?
I would have laughed if the wife asked me to make sure my coworkers leg was elevated. You have not only been doing his job, but now expected to take care of him?
What about going to your new boss and being diplomatic about it? Just saying "I know old boss is going through a hard time. We have helped for the last several years really support what he is going through. However, I can't be asked to help take care of him physically or even keep an eye on his well-being."
Hell no! It’s not your responsibility to get him to the bathroom or babysit his elevated leg. They can hire a home health nurse to come in and deal with him. And they is the employee and his spouse, not your company.
He just asked my boss if he could work from home instead (like he did for months before, lying on his timesheet and no work was done). My boss said, "Nope."
So he says he's just going to come in everyday and stay "as long as he can stand it" then go home. My boss just shrugged.
So yeah, I think this will wind up being a case where he will be let go for absences. But we will see.
My boss is a softie, or has been in the past; one of the many reasons I love him to death. This company treats everyone like family but twice now they've been burned and fired the person taking advantage. So I think my boss is learning.
He just asked my boss if he could work from home instead (like he did for months before, lying on his timesheet and no work was done). My boss said, "Nope."
So he says he's just going to come in everyday and stay "as long as he can stand it" then go home. My boss just shrugged.
So yeah, I think this will wind up being a case where he will be let go for absences. But we will see.
My boss is a softie, or has been in the past; one of the many reasons I love him to death. This company treats everyone like family but twice now they've been burned and fired the person taking advantage. So I think my boss is learning.
That sounds like a positive change! Hopefully the coworker is done for!
Sounds like your boss has things under control, at the very least, is aware of the issues and seemingly has a plan in place to handle it.
I would also ask your boss to contact HR regarding the request to help the co-worker physically. You are obviously not trained health care workers and if someone injured themselves trying to assist this guy, that could be a huge liability headache for the company.
At some point, management needs to address the issue. If the person is out that often with such severe health problems, it's apparent they aren't doing much.
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