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My wife works for a good paying company but they have this 1 employee that she is a peer with who is getting away with some ridiculous circumstances. Over the years, this guy has hurt himself in the server room (no witnesses) requiring months of missed days, hurt his head on his own missing more time, and his most recent excuses - saying his dad was on life support - on 2 different occasions. And now there's bereavement. There's been more but I can't recall at the moment. Unfortunate circumstances for the last 5 years? Hard to believe. His manager doesn't even speak with him anymore because of a previous disagreement. Not only is he taking advantage of this firm, getting paid when he's just slacking the entire time, but my wife has to do the work that he should be doing. The manager agrees, but there is upper management who doesn't seem to be able or willing to do anything.
Can a company just let him go because of missing a lot of time? It seems he uses medical excuses because he is legally protected and he's even lawyered up in the past with them. What does it take? I'm asking because I'm curious what it actually takes to get fired from a job. You'd think it wouldn't take much undesirable behavior. NY is an at-will state.
This is what I tell co-workers who complain about other people not getting fired.
It is the company's money. The company can decide how they want to spend it. As long as the company is spending some of its money to pay me it is none of my business what they do with the rest of it. If they want to spend some of it on slackers. Not my problem.
This is good news for your wife. She will always look like a shining star as long as this guy still works there. Let it shine!
She will likely be ahead of him for any raises/promotions unless some real special favoritism is coming from upper management but what is concerning is that she is having to pick up he slack and this impacts her directly Many companies have people like this, Always late, complaints from vendors/customers and staff and many remain for years until they slip up bad and finally the straw breaks the camels back. She does have a valid right to be aggravated with his performance-Or lack thereof.
Some companies have different politics. I posted more then once how 2 employees in the retail company I worked at many years ago got into a brawl in front of customers-Not a shoving match, A UFC style smack-down. They got a quick reprimand and remained there for a long time though eventually one was transferred. where I am at now there is a guy who is always late and has shown up wearing jeans where suits and formal attire are required at all times when in the building-Fortunately I don't work directly with him but these are examples. Maybe they don't want to bother searching and training for another person. Who knows.
^ I say she is a peer only because of position (3 of them are under her manager and these 2 others started as temps). She's way ahead of him in seniority & pay and has nothing to worry about as far as that goes. It's more about having to do his job too because of his BS.
^ I say she is a peer only because of position (3 of them are under her manager and these 2 others started as temps). She's way ahead of him in seniority & pay and has nothing to worry about as far as that goes. It's more about having to do his job too because of his BS.
She should be thankful they've given him enough rope to hang himself with, figuratively speaking. Unless the added work is causing her health problems or something, she shouldn't make waves because she's setting herself up for good things -- especially if she's already leading in seniority and pay...and the manager won't even speak to him
She should be thankful they've given him enough rope to hang himself with, figuratively speaking. Unless the added work is causing her health problems or something, she shouldn't make waves because she's setting herself up for good things -- especially if she's already leading in seniority and pay...and the manager won't even speak to him
ITA.....this will end for him soon. I can see where co-workers would be frustrated having to take up the slack and not being compensated, but she has to look at the big picture.
She just told me he was supposed to be in this week but isn't because he had to be rushed to the hospital due to a reaction with medication. Nice week to have off isn't it?
Can HR request proof? Meh... he probably knows someone...
I feel for your wife. There are few things as maddening as "the rules apply to some people, but not all the people." It's bad enough to work a poor job, but when other people are clearly receiving favored treatment, it is maddening.
The company can, in theory, get rid of him at any time unless he has strong union protection or is otherwise able to threaten a lawsuit. Some of the stuff they won't risk, and I can understand it - it is possible the guy really did hurt his head, have his dad in the hospital a bunch of times all at once, etc. But if his performance is just terrible and he's made no effort to make up the work or even try (as you describe), the company could get rid of him. Heck, companies love to get rid of people who work really hard, too, so it's not as if that would make this guy immune.
Is he relatives or friends with the people at the top? That can grant immunity. I've worked with plenty of clowns like that over the years:
1) Son of a VP who trashed a rival's office on the company dollar while the rival was on vacation. Nothing done to him, of course.
2) Various relatives of mangers (son, husband, etc.) who do absolutely nothing useful all day and yet still have a job.
3) Hunting buddy of senior management who does almost no work and screws up what little work he does. Well-paid, granted immunity for his actions, and regularly receives "employee of the month" bonus checks for doing nothing.
Those are just a few examples, so if he's connected, forget it. He'd have to burn the place down before they'd even consider firing him.
Hard to believe? Maybe. Impossible to believe? Certainly not. Sounds like you are a little to close to be objectionable. I have worked with several " if it wasn't for bad luck they wouldn't have any luck at all" guys. Neither you or your wife know if this guy is "getting away" with anything, let alone something "ridiculous."
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