In preparation for my vacation (to DISNEYLAND, yay me!) I have to train (re-train, actually) a coworker to do my job for me while I'm gone. You simply cannot imagine how much I dread this process.
I've been through it many times before. Whenever I want to take more than one day off, somebody else has to step in. My job can't go undone for more than one day. The person they've selected to be my backup is probably the least qualified person in this building. He's a 54 year old man with extremely limited computer skills. But he's been around a long time, is a member of the "boy's club" and has a lot of free time on his hands, which the more qualified people around here don't have. My tough luck. He's a nice enough fellow, but he's so far behind the curve, it isn't even funny. I've vowed, based on my experience with him, to NEVER let myself get behind technologically in the workplace.
I'm a big spreadsheet user. Everything I do is on spreadsheets. I get data from many sources, but it all ends up in spreadsheets.
For all you Excel users out there, YOU know what happens when someone who doesn't know Excel very well gets ahold of your linked spreadsheets. That's right. Links go kaboom. And it's all downhill from there.
I've argued til I'm blue in the face that this guy needs some formal training. They have classes in this stuff, you know. Yeah, yeah. We'll send him to class, they say. Hasn't happened so far.
So I'm currently trying to figure out a way to make my spreadsheets Mike-proof. Can't lock 'em up. He needs them to do my job. Guess I'll just have to make copies of everything in case something gets destroyed and has to be restored, and hope for the best.
News update!! (I just had to answer my telephone). It was Mike. Seems he scheduled a dental appointment this morning during our training time. Even though we scheduled this training weeks ago. That's how dedicated he is to learning and enhancing his job skills. I said fine, see you whenever. Thanks for calling.
Actually, I could care less if he shows up at all. *I* know the world won't come to an end if he screws things up while I'm gone. It'll be a big pain in the caboose when I get back, but I know the "boys" will appreciate me even more. Last year, when I got back from maternity leave, they bribed me with my own office and a big raise to ensure I wouldn't leave anytime soon. I wasn't planning on leaving, but I did make a point of letting absolutely everyone know how much I'd rather be at home with my daughter, and if P got that promotion he was gunning for, and if...
It worked, apparently. And I'm still here. Who knows for how long. I'd love to hand my office keys over to Mike permanently. And I wouldn't give a second thought to what he might do to all the data I've compiled. He could blow up the whole damn computer, for all I'd care.
But I'm still here for now. And I really do like my job. And I'm still very protective of all the systems I've got going, and I don't want Mike to break anything! So, I guess we'll start the re-training tomorrow.
Unless he's scheduled an appointment to get nis nosehairs trimmed or something more important like that.
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