Co-workers

Co-workers are a phenonemon unto themselves. I've had some very good ones and some not so very good ones. Then I've had some horrible ones.

When I went into the hospital with a life-threatening condition, two co-workers sent me a package of magazines -- mostly sports magazines -- to keep me entertained. Included in the selections was a Playboy. I laughed so hard I nearly caused the machines connected to my body to malfunction.

But I've had some...I don't know, but perhaps I inspire it unconsciously. My first job as a professional included two people who worked in concert to hide documents sent to the office that I was to process. Until one of them left the firm, we didn't see that he had secreted the documents in his office drawer. Since his best buddy was the office manager, she had to know as well. The ironic thing is that she touted herself as a born-again Christian.

At another stop, one of my younger co-workers decided that he wasn't responsible for calendering things properly and in fact blamed it on me. He claimed that he had done me a favor -- despite the fact that this was a firm client -- and even tried to claim that I had misdocketed the continued date. He was later caught by various co-workers of backdating letters, a huge ethical violation. So when it came time to pare staff, I was the logical choice.

My most recent entry involves the twin demons of a person with the same amount of experience as I have and one who has one-seventh the amount of experience that I have. Apparently, neither believes that I can write letters: The older one told me how to write letters to clients, claiming that they didn't understand paragraphs and that I should bulletpoint instead. Furthermore, I shouldn't explain why I needed something from them because, well, clients are too stupid.

The younger of the two tried to tell me how to write a letter within the first two days I was with the firm. Even more annoyingly, he necessarily involves himself in any conversation I'm having with another co-worker so that we could all benefit from his brilliance. There is nothing this man does not know -- expertly. It's like he's the Shell Answer Man on steroids.

For whatever reason, in each instance, the head of the firm refused to see the facts and dismiss or discipline the perpetrators. If ever I get in a position of authority to deal with such people, I won't be so forgiving.

(c) 2012 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles