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Subject:RE: In the Trenches, A Bit of Venting From:"Sharon Burton-Hardin" <sharon -at- anthrobytes -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Nov 2002 07:31:05 -0800
We had a client about 2 years ago with a group of 3 staff writers. My 2
writers went onsite half time to write, half time off site to write. We were
hired to help meet an impossible deadline. In 4 months, my writers not only
finished all their work, they helped the other writers finish their work.
However, one writer did not actually seem to write. He also did not
understand the tool they were using. We were never clear what he actually
did.
At about the 3 week point, we found out that he made my writers work vanish
off their server so that it did not get included in the build. After the
first phone call from the client asking me what the heck my writers were
doing and what were they being paid for, it was pretty obvious what was
happening, like network access logs that he didn't know existed.
He, of course, denied that he did anything. But time went by and he also
missed all of his milestones (my writers, of course met theirs early). He
also was gossiping terribly and telling all the other employees made up
stories about my writers. He also tried to get my writers to agree that I
was a witch. Like they wouldn't call me and tell me what was going on.
Within 2 months, the management decided they did not need the services of
this staff writer. The project went better and smoother after he was gone.
To this day, he thinks I got him fired. He never saw that not creating
content and sabotaging my writers were his downfall. And he did all by
himself.
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-71429 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-71429 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of
kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 9:05 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: In the Trenches, A Bit of Venting
I'm with Andrew, Bonnie.
Remember, Andrew's not the guy making the MFA look like a moron. Mr. MFA
is doing that all by himself.
The cold hard truth is that sometimes you get stuck with coworkers who
simply aren't very good. At first you give them the benefit of the doubt,
even try to help them. But when it becomes clear that they either cannot
or will not do the work, you do your employer no favors by masking that
fact. Do your gig, and let them crash and burn. Then maybe they'll hire a
coworker that you can work with more productively.
This is not advice for managers. This is advice for in-the-trenches
writers who get saddled with coworkers who don't pull their weight.
Survival of the fittest, baby.
Keith Cronin
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