Assistant Update - Day #3 at the end...(mrstjohnson)

wow. That stuff shouldn't have been any problem for well.... anyone. Good luck with the new girl next week, and good luck to your coworker with the unicorn.

btw. When I was reading through your description of her my first thought was.. How many cats does she have?

Wow Lisa, that is bad.  What is she doing all day then?

So I was ordering some new checks for myself today and I saw this and immediately thought of you!  I bet dollars to donuts that your assistant has some version of these:

Good grief - at least make some effort!  Was this woman hired as a favor to someone?  I can't believe she'd wow them in the interview and then be so incompetent once she actually got the job.

Like someone said previously, document everything.  I can just see this woman filing an age discrimination grievance and threatening to get a lawyer.  Maybe her M.O. is to go from job to job, stay long enough to collect unemployment after she gets fired, and just leave a mess in her wake.  Find out who her last employer was and discreetly do some poking around.

Soft heart or not, you need someone who can get the job done

I just HAD to google and see if I could find Unicorn purses online.  Wouldn't you know it. 

She could wear this one if she's feeling a little "goth":

Make sure she has this site saved in her Favorites: http://unicornmania.com/

Chuffy

I feel bad for her in a way, because I have a feeling she has very low confidence which can't be very pleasant for her and may have held her back a bit.

You may be right, but I've worked with people with low confidence and they usually at least try to get stuff done, even if they don't do a good job of it. The fact that she isn't even making an attempt would really concern me. My first thought was if I had a doubt about doing it right, for example - making the edits on the first task, I'd simply save it as a copy, make the edits as best I could and then if I'd made an error, just delete it and start over with the original. The same would be true for the spreadsheet. I'd be in a panic if my boss gave me 3 tasks to do and I couldn't complete even one of them.

g33

I just HAD to google and see if I could find Unicorn purses online.  Wouldn't you know it. 

She could wear this one if she's feeling a little "goth":

 

Make sure she has this site saved in her Favorites: http://unicornmania.com/

ROTFL!!! People in my office are now wondering why I just suddenly cracked up laughing.

Chuffy

 

I have been following this thread.  I feel bad for her in a way, because I have a feeling she has very low confidence which can't be very pleasant for her and may have held her back a bit...I hope the new girl goes well!

You know, I am poking fun, but I also have some compassion for her.  And there is something sweet about a 40 + year old who has an affinity for something so innocent and childlike as a unicorn.  It just doesn't seem to work for the corporate environment, and that is the incongruency that I happen to find pretty hysterical.

SalemsMom

How many cats does she have?

No joke...10!!!! 

cakana

Chuffy

I feel bad for her in a way, because I have a feeling she has very low confidence which can't be very pleasant for her and may have held her back a bit.

You may be right, but I've worked with people with low confidence and they usually at least try to get stuff done, even if they don't do a good job of it. The fact that she isn't even making an attempt would really concern me. My first thought was if I had a doubt about doing it right, for example - making the edits on the first task, I'd simply save it as a copy, make the edits as best I could and then if I'd made an error, just delete it and start over with the original. The same would be true for the spreadsheet. I'd be in a panic if my boss gave me 3 tasks to do and I couldn't complete even one of them.

Yeah, me too.  Sometimes when it hasn't been clear what I am meant to do I have a go then, "save as" and I call it "Blah blah blah DRAFT".  Because I think if I've done SOMETHING it looks better than nothing, and if I've done it wrong, well next time they will make it clearer, at least I had a go! 

But I was just thinking maybe this woman didn;t feel "brave" enough to even attempt the tasks.  Or maybe she dithered and ummed and ahhed so much on the first tasks that she just didn't get very far, again going back to low confidence.... 

It sounds like a poor match anyway, between her and the job and between her and Lisa, maybe she knew taht at the outset and that knocked her confidence and caused her Footimouth disease.  Sometimes you can "feel" a job isn't right when you get in the door and the discomfort makes you do totally stupid things that you cringe about later!

SalemsMom

g33

I just HAD to google and see if I could find Unicorn purses online.  Wouldn't you know it. 

She could wear this one if she's feeling a little "goth":

 

Make sure she has this site saved in her Favorites: http://unicornmania.com/

ROTFL!!! People in my office are now wondering why I just suddenly cracked up laughing.

You should send her this as a Leaving present!  Hee hee hee!  ooo I am so cruel! 

Chuffy

I have been following this thread.  I feel bad for her in a way, because I have a feeling she has very low confidence which can't be very pleasant for her and may have held her back a bit...I hope the new girl goes well!

Yeah, one of the reasons I am giving her some time to adjust is because I know I can be very overwhelming and intimidating and it probably didn't help that she's already seen parts of me that most of my friends have never seen.  I work in sales and I work with men, so I tend to be very up front etc. and it is intimidating especially if someone is on the shyer side.  I think what turned me off was her initial attitude.

I'm pulling for both of you, Lisa! 

OMG!  When I was a kid I had a babysitter that would make us stay in the basement with 14 cats until our parents came to pick us up then all the cats got to go in the "Pink" house.   I only got to go in the house 1 time and I remember everything was pink and you couldnt sit on the furniture! 

I have to say Lisa I have read this all for the 1st time and I would just be throwing a hissie fit right now.  I am usually a very calm laid back person but if some one is going to represent that they have the skills, knowledge and experience then by golly they better have it or they are outta here!  You will end up teaching her stuff  then turn around 2 weeks and 3 days later ( my guess date) starting over with someone new!

Good luck.....  and the saga continues.....

All I have to say is, "Is it legal to ask if a person is a DOG person before you hire them"?