Inexperienced colleague

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

I feel awful but I work with an EA who's fairly young (guessing mid 20s maybe late) but she seems incompetent and doesn't seem to trouble shoot stuff. Trying to send me an iCal invite which I can't open... I say to her, "ask the sender to forward it via Outlook or pass me the details and I'll ask them to do this". I have to look for workarounds. Maybe she's just inexperienced. To me, troubleshooting, proactiveness is second to none...

Not the only stuff she does wrong either. Loves to pepper invites and emails with funny emojis which I find a bit... .

I know you say it’s not that you don’t like her but that is why these objective forums are good as we can give an outside opinion, op it does sound like you don’t like her, we all work with the odd person that isn’t the best etc but it’s down to the line manager to sort otherwise they’re gonna wonder how you have time to be monitoring her and give you extra work lol.

DS is 26 and struggling with his younger colleagues. New recruits that haven’t got a clue. His cohort were more with it, but the recruitment process changed and they are arriving without basic skills. If you manage to train someone up on your job, they get popular and are nabbed by someone else and you start training again!

He’s struggling with their lack of initiative and problem solving. It’s all a bit spoon fed. People spending hours on basic tasks, and when queried they’ve basically used a pencil and paper instead of any of the tools they are supposed to know about.

? You’re the one that can’t open the message- you need to have your system updated so you can open them. YABU

In my mid 20s (30 years ago) I was responsible for training the new entrants and I would have said exactly the same, had exactly the same frustrations.....except for the emoji 🤣

We’ve all been new once.

If the trained up staff keep getting nabbed perhaps they aren't getting paid enough

oh ha ha! The message was sent through for security reasons so it couldn't be opened not that I couldn't open it!

It needs to come to me as an Outlook invite as it's for an Outlook calendar, this was sent through quite easily by another colleague

ha - yeah I get you - I feel I've been too harsh on her now.

I guess I'm comparing her to how I was. And don't mean to boast, but was a quick learner and well trained. It just seems like she's very much learning on the job.

Actually looking at her, if she wanted to, she could quite easily work in a city bank, law firm etc - she's got the right attitude there. She needs to up her game if so. But maybe she's happy in this job to just coast etc cos of her kids.

Within the company- picking teams situation. They are all on training contracts, so training is expected, but they are starting from a very passive position. They don’t ask the person next to them or google, or try things out. Lack of curiosity- ‘surely there’s a better way to do this relentless tedious task, I’d better ask.’

They’ll get there, they just seem behind, apparently.

Lift people up. Be professional.

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain Youre again sounding very preoccupied with her personal life.

I'm not honestly.

I just get a bit tired of seeing people slacking off. Anyway our contracts both end soon or mine does and hers end of next month so we'll both do our thing.

I see this a lot. They don't ask for help or try things out. Part of this is due to WFH and only needed 2 days in the office.

I hate to break it to you, but your approach to work is the exception not the rule. Most people just do enough to get through the day and be paid.

It can be frustrating but you have to learn to let it wash over you.

Yes... I understand that. But when as I've stated a few times here she expects me to pick up the slack, trouble shoot for her, do her extra work (even when she's online and working) then that's a PITA, don't you see that? If she wants to slack off and just do the necessary then fine but don't pile my day with your mess-ups.

I was interested to see DS talking about his own generation and those following along, the same way. He also recognises what older people are seeing.

she probably has her own agenda, and may well go far by her attitude

Yes I see that, that's why I said:

It can be frustrating but you have to learn to let it wash over you.

Yes I used to hate this - didn't have Teams then but Instant Messaging. Very irritating as often they were "poking" to get your attention usually for something non-urgent - when they could have sent you an email. I think at one point I just disabled Instant Messaging 🌹

What do you mean by 'EA'?

Executive Assistent

Oh I thought Estate Agent at first then Employment Advisor!

In the olden days an executive assistant needed to be very well skilled and experienced, sounds like that's another mangling of the language. She is surely no more than an unqualified admin assistant.

Proper Executive Assistants are often part of the management team, being bridge between staff and management.

In the past I’ve been part of the management team, yes. Didn’t always relish that side.

I do hope this person either in this organisation or elsewhere fulfils her potential. She certainly isn’t stupid by any means.

I hate when people do this- until they say the actual message I ignore it, otherwise you get caught in a conversation. Everyone knows when u get a hi with no message its a request coming! lol