"[Office Story] The man who doesn't listen...." Topic

Disclaimer: you know the drill….

So I have a warehouse manager (We'll call him "C")…

Story goes like this…

We have a piece of software that Corp has purchased FOUR licenses for each plant to have it installed, due to cost and the fact that it's not "installtion friendly".
If they need more than four installs, they have to purchase any additional licenses out of their plant budget.

So for the past two weeks I have been at the Ohio facility, getting it ready to come online.
I see "C" everyday.

On Monday, I finally get the NET guy to remote in and installed the software on 2 of the four requested PC's. We can't do J's laptop because he wasn't there, and we couldn't do AP's PC because it has an issue with the remote application. We got that fixed and coordinated to have it installed this week, (any time after this past Tuesday july 9th)…

So on Monday evening, I let "C" know what we are doing. "I will tell you tomorrow what our status is." I inform him.
He nods his head "Okay…" He says.

Tuesday morning…Grand opening day. I walk up to him while he's standing there, and say "Would you like to know the status of the install process?"

He nods his head "Okay…yeah. Okay."

So I go to tell him EXACTLY what we did and what we have planned, (to include AP's pc, etc.).

He nods his head "Okay…yeah. Okay."

Fast forward…1 1/2 hours later…
I get an email…cc'ed from the plant director…"Wanting to know what is going on?" AND "to please coordinate with "C" on this…"

I read the email thread…seems that "C" 'decided" to send his boss (the plant director), an email saying that he "didn't understand WHY the installation was taking so long, etc…and didn't know what was "going on".

Essentially he tried to throw me under the bus.

I quietly got up and found him down in his office.

"What was THAT email about?" I asked him.

He looks at me.

*blink blink* "What email?" *blink blink*

"Oh..the one you sent to "B" about the software install."

"Oh! That one!" he says.

I look at him. "Yeah. THAT one."

He says "Well I didn't know what the status of it was."

I shake my head. "Dude! I just told you about an hour and a half ago EXACTLY what was going on! I told you which units had the software, which printers were working, etc…The email you sent made it sound like you had never even heard what I told you earlier."

He looks at me…*blink blink*

"OH!..Okay…" he says…"Well…I just needed some type of….documnetation, to see what was going on." He says to me.

I shake my head again…"Okay..so if you needed documentation for what we are doing, WHY did you sent this to your boss and NOT either ask me to provide it, or CC me in on it?"

Now he knows he's been caught in a lie.

"Uhhh…"

So I shake my head. "I'll provide you documentation. Just don't try to throw me under the bus again."

"Oh…okay….thanks."

So I leave….go back to the cubicle, sit down, and write a nice email to him that started with:

"C;
In reference to the F2F conversation that we had on this same exact topic 1 1/2 hours ago, HERE is what I informed you of in detail."

And then I proceeded to list it out to him.

And then I cc'ed a copy of it to his boss, AND the HR lady…

So that's that….all is good…

Grand opening is up and running and all is good.

The next day I do my final walk through…I check EVERY department. I even see "C".

"Is there ANYTHING you need before I leave? I won't be back for a couple of weeks."

"No..we're good to go! Thanks for your help!" He says to me cheerfully.

So I leave and go home…all is good…

Until yesterday….

I open up my email and there is a request ticket submitted by "C" and assigned to me to install the SAME software we have already coordinated to install on the two PC's we have already coordinated to have it done on!!!…
AS WELL AS INSTALLED ON HIS PC!!!!

I get a call from my corp guys. They want to know about this…
I have to explain it to them what is going on, simply because of this yahoo, it looks like I am not doing my job….
When I finish and they are satisified with the answer, I send "yet another" email to "C"…

In this email I once again explain to him:

A: Each site only has four licenses. To install it on your PC would be a fifth installation.

and most of all…

B: I was there and saw you EVERY day for almsot two whole weeks and not once did you ever bring up to me that you needed this on your pc. WHY did you wait until I left to decide to request this?

Delivery receipt shows he opened it and read it…no response…

So I contacted "AM" (The hr lady), and said "I gotta have an informal meeting with you on something."

That's what I get to do this afternoon.

All because this guy just. doesn't. listen….

*submitted respectfully*

Murphy

At one point in my career, I managed a group of
warehouses and distribution points.

The people I was given to 'manage' them were not even
knives, much less the least sharp in the drawer.

Took a while to weed 'em out.

What I learned to do (which I despised) was to e-mail
each one every day, detailing the coming day's events
and clearly outlining expectations, and CC'ing my
boss.

She finally asked me 'Aren't these people taking up a
disproportionate amount of your time ?'

I smiled, acknowledged that that was indeed the case,
and set the wheels in motion to get shed of 'em…

Murph, sounds as if 'C' fits that profile.

That's a piece of cake. Wait until I find time to diagram our procurement process, or rather lack thereof. I half half million taxpayer dollar coaches sitting for weeks waiting for approval to buy brake shoes.

What Ed said… Start that Pearl Harbor process.

Story of my IT life…

The 2/98 rule runs like this: on a normal day, 2 percent of us take care of 98 percent of them.

On a bad day, it is the 1/99 rule.

Dan

Sounds like "John" from where I was working! Hang in there, Murph; virtue(?) will triumph!

Basic office rule I hammered into my trainees: whatever you've discussed, however well you think you know the other party, however much you think you explained everything clearly, WRITE UP everything you've discussed, PUT IT IN A MEMO and SEND IT TO ALL INVOLVED PARTIES. and always start it, "As we discussed on ***[date]*** , "

A couple more handy phrases: "As we agreed on …" and "Just to confirm that you agreed to …."

Some of them, innocents that they were, didn't see the point and were badly burned when they couldn't prove what had been said. (I worked for someone who never hesitated to blame someone else for his mistakes; he never forgave me for following everything up in writing.)

I just used this on another post but it is justas applicable here

No one is as deaf as the man who will not listen.

Murph,
Tell the HR person you know someone that will in the drop of a hat do a better job.
Me!