UKH

My team has recently employed a guy as an admin assistant. Everything started off alright but gradually things have been going a little sour. He started coming in late, leaving early, taking very long lunches, taking time off in lieu when he has none etc. One of the seniors talked to him about it (but not his line manager who doesn't want to know) and so things like that have changed but his attitude is becoming really bad.

He makes me feel terrible whenever I ask him to do anything for me and half the stuff he does do I have to check because he only does half the work. I have a background in admin so I know what a crappy job it can be but equally I know how essential it is for the people you're working for. Just wandered if anyone had any admin woes or admin angels?

In reply to Zygoticgema:
only admin angel, but shes old enough to do a good job! (old enough to at least be my mother)

get someone to tell him that its simplly unacceptable and that he needs to pull his act together or get lost

In reply to Zygoticgema: I used to delegate the employment of admin staff to my senior programmer - until I found out that his conscious policy was to employ people who couldn't possibly get a job anywhere else.

His best catch was a large girl who, if she wasn't given specific tasks to do, would never go looking for work , however busy the rest of us were ... she could sit perfectly still, without doing anything at all, for a full 7 hours. It was quite impressive, in its way.

In reply to Zygoticgema:
I had one who sounds similar. He was overqualified, and bored, but I pointed out that I could only give him more interesting work if he finished the dull stuff which needed doing. On the other hand, I have had admins who were equally bright, but appreciated that they had taken on the job, and took pride in doing it well.

The best was actually a guy who had only worked as a labourer before. I had to explain the absolute basics to him, but he was prompt and conscientious and never needed anything explaining twice. Brilliant.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

one of my team did much the same for a technical author. He selected the worse candidate on the grounds they were less likely to leave.

this was true, it took redundancy to get rid of them.
Still havent forgiven him.

In reply to Zygoticgema:

Raise it in your next team meeting... Otherwise put laxative in his coffee/tea... You'll soon see him 'run'... Pun totally intended...

I am a PA so know that it is very important to get things right the first time...

In reply to Zygoticgema:

Get this sign printed up in large letters and stick it on his desk;

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IF A JOB IS WORTH DOING, IT IS WORTH DOING WELL.

If you don't want to do it, please close the door when leaving.
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