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Subject:Re: In the Trenches, A Bit of Venting From:"Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Nov 2002 11:05:48 -0500
> --- Bonnie Granat <bgranat -at- editors-writers -dot- info> wrote:
>
> > I agree with that, but if such a situation existed in the department that
the
> > poster is working in, would he in fact be in his present predicament? It
> > sounded as if the other writer had *already* dropped the ball, that nobody
but
> > the poster noticed or cared, and that there was no oversight of the
writers by
> > anyone else.
>
> All the more reason to distance yourself from an underperforming co-worker.
If
> management ever stops by to see how things are going, if they see you mired
in
> the same incompetence as your co-workers they may just rid themselves of all
of
> you and start over.
For sure. I certainly don't recommend making this guy his ally!
> You're right that we don't know all the details. And you're within bounds to
> speculate. I don't know if the poster has tried to reason with Mr. MFA or
not.
> But I do know that at some point, reason isn't enough to make people do
their
> jobs correctly.
Yes. I know exactly what you are saying. There was a contractor at my last job
whose work I had to reorganize and rewrite before I could have anything worth
editing.
>
> > But what writer in a department has the authority to negotiate
responsibility?
> > Maybe you're talking about very small departments that have one or two
people
> > in them and function autonomously. That's the only situation in which I
could
> > see where working it out locally is the best choice.
>
> Authority is not handed down from above, its earned. Most organizations that
just
> blindly hand out authority to whomever has stood around the longest usually
> regret such decisions.
>
It really depends on the organization, but my point was that unless those
writers there are self-governing, I think they should work with others in the
organization to figure things out.
> > But a manager's responsibility is to assure that everyone knows what's to
be
> > done and how to do it. A documentation manager who shuts her door and lets
the
> > writer's brawl over how to approach their tasks isn't much of a manager.
>
> The poster's "get it done" attitude may very well make him manager soon.
>
It depends on who he reports to, who judges his performance, and so forth,
don't you think? I bet he'd be happier just writing, from the sound of his
post.
> > I wonder now if I still might have a job if I had not done exactly what
you
> > suggest.
> > I might have been among the survivors in the department. Next time, I will
not
> > keep silent and wait for management to notice.
>
> You also may have been fired even quicker. Did you ever think of that?
>
Well, Andrew, if there is a difference between being "fired" and being laid
off with 33 other people one lovely September morning without notice four days
before September 11, 2001, then I claim that difference now. I wasn't *fired*.
Laid off, thankyouverymuch.
> Andrew Plato
>
>
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