Jim Thompson (jthompson@taii.com)
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A good friend recently related problems their spouse is having at work. Two slackers who work in the same department have apparently decided to attack this spouse for actually being productive and doing a proper job. The slackers have been there over ten years and this newbie of two years’ experience in the company is making them look bad.
You know my work ethic. You know how this makes me feel. I saw this happen to a person very, very close to me a number of years ago. She jumped at the chance to take an early retirement package and now she has been happily employed in a professional environment for five years.
So, in today’s climate, where it is hard to find another job, what do you do? You are probably going to have to tough it out. This means be productive, keep your mouth shut and spew out big piles of useful work pleasing to your boss. Remember, bosses want volumes of high quality work, no problems. If your tormentors go to your boss, make sure they have nothing substantial on you.
Hence, that is why you keep your mouth shut. It is also why you should never keep anything of value, sentimental or monetary, in your work place. These thugs will steal it just to torment you. Also, put a password on your computer so they cannot access it when you are not around.
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Never try to argue with such thugs. They will just twist your words around and use them against you—they cannot be persuaded, their objective is to destroy you (more on this a bit later). A friend once told me, don’t get into a pissing contest with a skunk (pardon my language, but I didn’t know any other way to say it).
Now there are a couple of things you can do to send a message to your boss that you are (pleasantly, of course) all business. You can purchase one of our “Spinning the Invoice Printer” cups and use it as a conversation starter with your boss and anyone else who asked about it. If the thugs steal it or break it, I’ll send you two more. Or, you can get the “Spinning the Invoice Printer” Lapel Pin. When someone asks what it is you can tell them, and tell them after you explain it, “When you look at me, I want you to remember I am all business.”
Another idea is to carry around a small tape recorder and openly display it on your desk. Always take it with you—it will be stolen otherwise. And, along the same lines, get the new iPhone App (if you have an iPhone) that is called “Heard.” It records all the time. But, you’ll need to talk it up, let people know you have it.
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Now, the cautionary part. Work thugs don’t play nice. In fact, depending on how demented they are, sometimes they are downright felonious. So, you need to be careful. Many years ago, on the production floor of a paper mill in Green Bay, Wisconsin, several employees who had stolen some extension cords killed an informant by tying concrete blocks to him and throwing him into a pulper. Just this year, in Texas, two members of a district attorney’s office and a spouse were killed by a disgruntled employee. Sometimes you are playing with fire.
This situation so upsets me, that if you are having such a problem, please call me, +1.678.206.6010, and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.
For our quiz this week, what have you done about office thugs? You can take it here.
For safety this week, the office thug situation probably makes you most vulnerable to a safety mishap while driving home from work. Keep control of your emotions, they are after you because they are afraid of you. Don’t forget this.
Be safe and we will talk next week.
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