Ok, so in my job I have 34 locations that I am responsible for. My duties include HVAC, electrical, lighting, plumbing, carpentry, and all forms of maintenance. I am required to be at each location once a month to do a "PM" or preventave maintenance work order. While I'm there I change air filters, repair lights, check the landscaping, check the cleaning, and do any type of maintenance work that they need. (Squeaky desk drawers, broken door knobs, etc. Basically anything that is broke, I fix it.)
There are 80 of us "Service engineers" that cover most of the east coast, so if a guy is out we cover for him and run his route or do his emergency work orders. We all look out for each other and try to help each other as much as we can. For example, if a Window unit needs to be changed out I can call one of my neighboring techs and he will come up to help.
Ok, so about a year and a half ago one of our guys had a heat stroke and basically retired. He was of retirement age and I was happy that he was able to retire. He was a really good guy, and a really good tech, and while he was out sick two of us ran his route for a couple of months until they could hire someone to take his spot.
Well they hired a guy, trained him, put him in a van and cut him loose. After about 3 months he started getting behind and couldnt keep up. We helped when he needed it and kept his job caught up. Then, he claimed he hurt his back and went out on medical leave. So again we split his route up between three guys and covered his area until he came back. Well, what we found was bad. We are required to date and inital air filters when we change them, and I found filters in units that hadnt been changed in a year, since the last time I changed them because they had my name and date on them! Lights out everywhere, landscaping was bad, cleaning was bad, it was all going downhill fast. I had no choice and had to report him to our supervisor. There were many many complaints from each site, and from other employees so it wasnt just me. He made excuses at some of the branches of why he couldnt do jobs and left things broken. He would say he was in a hurry to get to another job and had to go. Maybe that was the truth, I dont know. And I should point out that I'm no doctor so I dont know if his back is out or not. But our job requires us to be on ladders, in attics, on roofs, bend, stoop, climb, so if he has a bad back I can see where it would be difficult for him to do his job.
Ok, all that to say this......he is out again, and again we are covering his route. My company says I am not to have contact with him (none of us are) and his case is being handled through HR. But he is one of my friends on FaceBook and several of the other Techs are as well. Some of the guys are beating him up pretty bad on FaceBook, and are really giving him a hard time. After several months of doing his job I can relate. He posted pictures on FaceBook of him working in the garden and planting vegies and of him out on the boat fishing.
My buddy at work hates his guts and is sick and tired of doing his job while he is at home working in the garden. I have to admit I have some resentment myself, when I walk in one of the sites and the air filters havent been changed in a year and the unit is so stopped up it cant blow air.
Is it fair to us to have to do his job? Is it fair to him for the guys to give him all this "tough love" on Facebook and bust his chops? What would you do?
All I can say from experience is be careful..you company will soon realize that you can do his job just fine and they will completely eliminate his position..
and...his job will become yours along with you previous duties.
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Its sad but your caught up in a situation that has become very prevalent in the work place. It is so darn easy for people to play the system. You know, common sense knows, your fellow employees know that the guy is playing the system. I'm sure your company and HR knows exactly whats going on. Heck, a trained chimp can figure this out. But to get rid of a professional like this guy is is going to be tough. Expensive no matter how they approach the problem.
Its just another case of free lunches for the losers out there at the expense of good employers and their great associates like you.
Don't get caught up in retaliation on this guy. Keep you fingers off the Facebook keyboard and let HR handle it.
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In this day and age, firing somebody is difficult without documented proof of failure to do the job, a history of bad reviews, etc. Sit down with your supervisor and voice your concerns that you and the others' routes are suffering because of having to cover for him on what is turning out to be a long term basis. It won't hurt to mention that its getting tough to do the extra work while watching him fishing on his facebook page. That, BTW, is the type of proof they need. They can make him see a Doctor of their choice. Give them a chance to make it right.
You sound like a talented, hard working guy that probably wouldn't have a hard time finding a similar job, if it comes to that. You're the only one that can make that decision.
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My first move would be to cut the Facebook ties to him, as in delete him. If and when this blows over and everyone is happy again, tell him that you were cleaning house and he accidentally got deleted and you didn't realize it. Or, if he and the company part ways and you no longer see a place for him in your life, just delete him and be done with it. I've had to do this to a distant relative who was ALWAYS negative. Haven't looked back since. I would be concerned that since you were instructed to not have any contact, HR could construe Facebook as disregard for a directive, and fire you.
HR will handle this situation as needed. the rest is childish beating him up on facebook etc.
if he injured himself on the job and he is dealing with workers compensation etc. then it is a long time before they can 'fire him and put someone new' on the job. It is just a system that has to work itself out between lawyers, WC and insurance etc.
It is his personal situation between the company. Not anyone elses so stay out of it.
Least said, soonest mended. Sounds like he's got hold of enough rope and is now hanging himself, you don't need to help. Suggest you start referring to "his job" as the open position and let anyone you consider a good candidate know it may soon be available. Good luck! It stinks to be required to help out and fill in for a co-worker who is a slacker to begin with. And it seems like they are the ones who continually need to be covered for. Happens where I work occasionally and I try to view it as helping out the boss, the company etc.....anyone but the co-worker.
My advice is to change the setting on your face book for him to Add friends to your Restricted list. That way there will be no hard feelings. Then just do your job like you always did and hope management does their job. Sounds like there is more to the picture.
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