My colleague and Thanksgiving Day

Last month, my manager decided to give a task to a colleague. I had to supervise her.

This colleague is a contractor. When I first trained her, I noticed that she couldn't follow a procedure properly. She'd do a few steps, skip a few, and resume doing a few.

I didn't get it.

With this assignment, she had to write a document from scratch. She had to poke around a software application on her own and ask questions if she didn't get it.

She isn't good with self-exploration. She never asked for help from software developers. It was to the point where I had to point her in the right direction within the application.

When it came down to incorporating my changes, she couldn't do that successfully. She is not great with details.

My manager asked me to copy him on all my exchanges with her. He was not impressed.

The company is downsizing its staff. Her contract will be terminated at the end of November.

It's bittersweet. As a person, she's okay to hang out with. As a colleague, she is horrible. I have spent a lot of time making sure that she has incorporated all my suggested changes. I shouldn't have to.

The crazy thing is that I recently did a presentation where I told writers to not copy and paste everything you get from developers. What did she do? She copied and pasted everything a developer had provided to her as feedback and didn't bother to at least reword it.

One word: ugh!

It is Thanksgiving Day right now. I am thankful that I have the day off.

Yesterday, I made a Thanksgiving meal for my parents and me. They enjoyed it so much that we all took a nap afterwards... haha!

I love leftovers and look forward to using them up in creative ways.

My colleague needs a lot of help

Earlier this year, I trained a woman who was supposed to replace a writer. It turned out that this woman was equally as bad. Our manager decided to terminate the first writer's contract.

This second woman's birthday is three days after mine. Yet, we are so different on so many levels. I call her the fake Cancerian, as she does not express a whole lot of empathy towards anyone and doesn't exhibit any traditional Cancerian traits. Everything is also centred around here, which is not Cancerian in nature, either.

I noticed during training that she was not good with details. She followed steps 1 through 4 in a procedure, skip a few, then do steps 7, 9, and 12. I found her lack of following sequential steps to be odd.

My manager recently gave her a task to create a document from scratch. I would be supervising. 

She isn't the best communicator. When we had our first demo session on the application, I asked questions. She didn't.

When I looked at her first draft, it was incomplete. She was given a playground to create and delete items -- literally play around with the application in a safe environment. She never did that. She simply used the data that others had provided. 

I noted a typo in a screenshot and asked her to replace it. She couldn't create a new item to fix the typo. It was almost as if she was intimidated to explore.

She called a meeting with the software developer who provided the demo. He called a few other folks. She didn't ask any questions. It's her downfall.

I have provided constructive feedback on her first draft. I have yet to see her incorporate my changes. I don't get her. I don't know why she is reluctant to make the changes.

She just sent her second draft out. She claimed that she included all topics. I didn't see that. Neither did the developer.

Our manager revealed to team leads yesterday that there will be a staff reduction. She is the one who will be let go. It's mainly because she does a mediocre job with tasks and she has poor communication skills. She is also under contract.

I don't know when he will break the news to her that she will be out of a job. Perhaps she knows that her time with our department is coming to an end. She applied for a job with the company in Ottawa.

I know the hiring person. I hope that she seeks an account about this candidate from me or my manager. She will face the same issues with this writer as we are.

It's interesting that this post was not the one that I had intended to post. It is nice that I have this outlet to share some weirdness going on. It also motivates me to write here more frequently.

Courses are fun

At work yesterday, we had our weekly team meeting. Our manager indicated that we had a couple of courses to take as a group.

I have re-inherited a writer who needs to be hounded because she can't work independently. She has told me for over a month that she has work for me to review. I have yet to do any reviewing because she has been working on "last-minute changes" that apparently stretch for weeks.

She used to be a part of my team years ago. She got a different team lead. Due to a bunch of assignment shuffles, I now take on more of a team lead role and I lose writing new software enhancements. I basically have half the team under my wing.

Change is good. Inheriting this woman again isn't good, though.

Anyway, this incompetent person had this exchange with our manager in the meeting:

"How about Cutiebootie? Did she complete the courses?" she asked.

"Of course she did. It goes without saying," he replied.

It was odd that she asked if I did. It actually made the females on our team look bad. The males are doing much better in the course completion department. I'm the only female who has completed them.

My manager knows how I tick. Give me a course to take and I will do it as soon as I can because I like learning. It's that simple.

Weekend and a pro

Yay, weekend!

I got an extension on the last-minute work that I couldn't complete by Friday. I'm good not killing myself.

I got a nice request from a fellow colleague to edit his work because he needed "a pro" to help out. I appreciated that compliment.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A colleague saying hi and sending a virtual hug

On Friday, a colleague whom I haven't chatted with for a few months pinged me on Teams. She said hi, wanted to know that I was good, and sent me a hug from afar. It was so sweet of her.

On the whole, our working relationship has been decent. I've been at this company for nearly eleven years and she was there when I started.

We had some rough waters when she transitioned from a quality assurance team lead to a program manager on my team. She was so stressed out that she took some of that out on me and I wouldn't have it.

Eventually, another colleague took over my role on those two teams as I moved over to reviewing everyone's work on our writing team. When this colleague resigned, I had to step back in and complete the work that she hadn't done. That's when the program manager realized how valuable my contributions were and our working relationship went back to what it was before. I completed everything that the previous person had left behind and the program manager was thankful.

Late last year, she was involved in a serious car crash. My manager let me know about it because he knew that we had worked closely together. I sent her e-mails of encouragement and let her know that I was pulling for her.

It's great when you have a lovely chat with someone on a Friday afternoon. She is doing much better these days, which is wonderful news.

Letting go of a colleague

A person that I trained back in April hasn't worked out. He hasn't taken his work seriously, so he is being let go from his contract.

It's a bit sad that a bunch of us have invested so much time to help him out. I trained him for 1.5 hours, starting at 8 am each day for half the day. My friend and colleague, and another colleague, were his co-team leads, and basically handheld him.

This person was being monitored for two weeks, which coincided with my two-week vacation. I got the news officially today that he was being let go when I was asked to take a look at potential candidates to fill this person's position.

It is bittersweet, but it's the right call given how unproductive he has been.

First day back at work

In a few hours, I head back to work. Vacation is over and I need to pay for all the outings that I did over the past two weeks! It's nice working from home and not commuting.

I will be in a supporting role training a new colleague. I tend to do the training on my team. However, I went on vacation and my manager had no choice but to give that task to my colleague that I have trained twice. He was an intern and returned as a full-time employee in May.

I have a feeling that I'll be going through my inbox for half the day. Here's hoping that it's not a crazy first day back and that my work laptop is operational!

Weekend and errands

The weekend is here. Next week is my last workweek before I go on vacation.

It's nice that I have a backup to train a new colleague. In the past, I'd have to work my vacation around training. The fact that I take my vacation during the first week of July made this decision easier to have my friend and colleague back me up.

It'll be a fun, busy day today. I'm running a bunch of errands. It's also the second full weekend where we are easing out of lockdown in Ontario. I haven't visited a ton of non-essential businesses. I still do grocery stores, bakeries, drugstores, and takeout from eateries.

I suppose that online shopping has helped during this pandemic. I still like hitting stores, but I don't have that spark right now.

Weekend reflections

Blink and just like that, the weekend is over.

I got two free bubble tea drinks on Saturday. I cooked and baked on Sunday. I also trimmed my bangs and can see again. It was been nice, relaxing weekend.

The spot on my arm where I got my vaccine injection is a tad sore. It's not horrible. I can sleep on it just fine. I only notice it now and again.

My friend and colleague checked up on me after I got my shot. She's sweet that way.

Have a great week, everyone!

Weekend and my friend's apartment move

The weekend is finally here. Yay!

My friend and colleague is moving into her new apartment this weekend. She took Friday off from work and let me know through text messages. She has invited me over to her place once she's settled and it's safe to visit friends again.

Getting an apartment in the greater Toronto area does get expensive. She told me that she had asked our boss for a raise. I hope that she gets one, as her starting salary wasn't as great as it should have been.

For the past year, she lived with two roommates. It didn't work out and she prefers having her own space. I get it. We are similar in that regard.

I am happy for her.

Bonus pay, relief, and friend

I gave my presentation online for work yesterday. It went well. I always feel great and relieved after it's done.

It's raining right now. I like rain at night. I find it soothing.

Yesterday, I got my bonus in addition to my paycheque. It feels good being temporarily rich. I have put the bonus towards paying off my debt, which continues to go well.

It's Friday at long last. I am seeing a friend, who is also my colleague, on Saturday. We haven't seen each other since last September. I am excited to catch up with her.

My friend, elephants, and a case

My colleague and friend returned home to be with her mom, who was sick, in late November of last year. My friend has been away from work for nearly two months. Her mom is doing much better.

On Monday, my friend returned to work. She got me a present. I let her know quietly that she shouldn't have. She got me a cute bag with elephants on it. She knows that I love elephants. It was thoughtful and sweet of her.

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a case for my cell phone. Last week, it arrived. I ordered it in rose gold. I got a grey and green one. Obviously, my order was messed up.

I tried putting the case on my phone. It fit. The problem was that the volume keys were on the other side of the case. I basically could not use my phone with this case on.

I contacted support on how I could return the item. The company refunded my money and said that I could keep the case. It was generous, but what do I do with a phone case that it useless to me?

I didn't know what phone model this case was for. It certainly was not for a Google Pixel 2XL.

I brought this case into work. I asked my friend whether it would fit her iPhone 8 Plus. It was like Cinderella's slipper, but for a phone. It fit! I gave it to her. She was happy. So, I was I to have her back.

Snow tires and annoying people

On Wednesday, I got my winter tires installed on my car. It was an odd day.

I didn't get my usual service advisor. He was there. There were tons of customers, likely all getting winter tires installed.

I got a new advisor. I didn't like how he insisted that I was wrong. Well, I had to ask him to look up my records. If you don't believe me, check the facts that you have in your database.

This theme carried on to my incompetent colleague, who accused me of telling another colleague something incorrect. She wasn't even in my conversation. I had a text conversation with her other team lead. I copied and pasted it. I had proof.

I then told her to have facts before making ridiculous, nonsensical statements. She said that she was "merely asking a question." A question doesn't go into false accusations.

She's an idiot. Sadly, I have to put up with her.

Seeing myself in my friend's conversation

I have been sitting here, trying to figure out what I want to write. It's not that I haven't got a topic. On the contrary, there's a lot going on in my head that I really don't where to start.

Work is busy. I noticed the other day that my friend had to interact with our incompetent colleague. I could swap my friend out for me, and it's the same song and dance.

At one point, my friend said to her, "Don't twist my words." I have said something similar to her on multiple occasions. I apparently told her to do something when that never happened. She is delusional.

I look forward to the day when I do not have to interact with her. I don't enjoy talking to her. I don't like hearing her talk. Her thoughts are jumbled and incoherent. I don't even like to say goodnight to her when I leave work. It's that bad.

My friend spent some time venting to me on Monday. It's mutual that we vent and listen.

Fortune about only the wisest and stupidest people never changing

On Saturday, I went to a Chinese restaurant for a late lunch. At the end of the meal, I got a fortune cookie.

Here was my fortune:

I don't think that it's just men. My incompetent colleague fits this scenario, for instance.

Perhaps it can also be applied to my ex-guy. He has broken up with me three times. I should have known that he had issues and wasn't going to change the first time he broke up with me.

Of course, it's easier to look back and observe. This fortune was interesting that way. It's all about perspective and interpretation.

Working from home again and taking a break from the incompetent woman

I am back to my regular schedule this week. I am working from home today and tomorrow.

It has been a grind going to work every day for over three weeks. I don't mind hanging out with colleagues that I like, including my student. It is dealing with the sheer ridiculousness spewing out of my incompetent colleague that puts a damper on things.

She has this tone in her voice when she gets excited. She sounds like she is constipated and I cringe every time I hear her. She did that taking a phone call at her desk, which isn't exactly professional. We all sit in an open area and can hear her while we are working.

It'll be nice to take a break from her. Everything that she does seems odd.

Fixing my incompetent colleague's mistakes and enjoying Blizzards

I dislike dealing with my incompetent colleague. She showed just how clueless she is about everything. I had to undo her work, which is sadly regular work.

On a good note, I drowned my sorrows in ice cream after work. Dairy Queen offers a BOGO (buy one, get one) promotion. You can buy a Blizzard and get a second one for 99 cents. Yay!

Once the sugar high dies, I'll hit the sack.

Plans to let my incompetent colleague go

I had my usual bi-weekly talk with my manager on Tuesday. We talked about my development goals, which are coming along nicely.

He talked about my problematic colleague who is on my team. He has decided that after two years of putting up with her incompetence and tardiness that he wants to let her go.

I am currently training my student intern. Things are going well. My manager is hopeful that my intern will be successful in taking over her duties, allowing my manager to let her go from the company.

It will be an interesting rest of the year. We'll see what unfolds.

A break from incompetence is nearly here

My incompetent colleague is going on vacation. Today is her last day at work before I get relief from her for over a week.

She proved to me this week that she does not know how to do her job efficiently. She spent more time than necessary getting a software release out the door, making rookie mistakes, and not planning her tasks properly. She has been doing this work for over half a year.

My manager stays at work late. She was with him the whole time. He shot me an e-mail, indicating that she was taking more time than she should. I agreed and pointed out that she can't prioritize her work on top of not being efficient.

She's good at blaming other things or people. She does not take responsibility for her own actions. It's painful dealing with her.

Although her attendance has improved slightly within the last few days, she sent an e-mail yesterday that she will be at work at 7:30 am today and leaving at 3:30 pm. She cannot get to work by 10:00 am on a good day. She lives a lot closer to the office than I do. I dream of getting to work in twenty minutes.

We'll see what happens later on today. I am looking forward to a break from her.

Evening outing, with good food, company, and a hand massage

Tonight was a clear, summer evening. I went out to a little function that had little desserts, pasta, meatballs, Indian curry and naan, and more. It was nice.

I brought a colleague with me, who is also a friend. She is the little sister that I never had. She had a good time. I did, too.

I got a hand massage at this function. Considering that I type a ton at work and right now, it felt so good afterwards.

Hand massages are good. I need to have more of them.