International Pro's and Ex-Cons - FTW

[GandD 5,966]

Thanks T-Bone!

Yes the snow removal has definitely helped. That's a lot of extra exercise that I probably would not have gotten. I'm shooting for 40lbs total by June 26th. Wifey and I have rented a lakefront house in Maine for that week and I want to look my best in my Speedo.

[TBoneTX 45,595]

Speedo photos or it didn't happen.

Incidentally, "Maine" is the only U.S. state with a one-syllable name.

[GandD 5,966]

May-nah

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

So, we have to let our bookkeeper go. He is such a wonderful guy, really funny, easy to get along with, and eager to please. However, he's pretty incompetent at his job. :-/ When our previous bookkeeper left to move with his spouse to another part of the country, my boss promoted the marketing assistant as a stopgap measure, thinking he'd be able to pick up the basic bookkeeping we need done here (we are an office with one full-time attorney, a litigation assistant and one off-site attorney on contract). But the bookkeeper is forever messing things up, not turning things around quickly enough, doesn't absorb instruction (I have to tell him how to put documents in the fax machine every time he uses it... and he's been here 18 months), and last week sent out a payment to a creditor twice for the same invoice. That doesn't sound like a lot, but my boss and I eat up a lot of time telling him how to do his job, so we get our time eaten into, especially my boss. So even though we like him, we have to let him go. He knows something's afoot, and he asked me on Thursday if he was going to get fired. I had to lie and tell him I didn't know, because it's not my job to tell, and I have to have my boss's back.

[GandD 5,966]

That's a real shame. Hopefully it will be an opportunity for him to find a place where he can be of more value. You hate to see people let go, but its unfair for someone to feel (even it its true) that they're really bad at what they do. That will destroy confidence along with the other good parts of a personality. Assuming they care about their worth, which it sounds like he does. The ones that don't...... you gotta get rid of them too.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

It's been a good experience for him no matter what -- it's his first "real" job in the US (he's a GC holder), and a substantial position to put on his resume. He learned Quickbooks, and he's pretty okay at it now, even with the occasional double payment made. My boss will give him a fantastic reference, and we'll keep him on for about a month after his replacement is hired so he can pass on his skillset. He knows he's not making the boss happy, and he expects to be let go. I am confident he'll get another job pretty quickly.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

It's been a good experience for him no matter what -- it's his first "real" job in the US (he's a GC holder), and a substantial position to put on his resume. He learned Quickbooks, and he's pretty okay at it now, even with the occasional double payment made. My boss will give him a fantastic reference, and we'll keep him on for about a month after his replacement is hired so he can pass on his skillset. He knows he's not making the boss happy, and he expects to be let go. I am confident he'll get another job pretty quickly.

huh? He is incompetent in his job yet he will get fantastic reference from your boss?

I hope his next employer does not feel shortchanged.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

huh? He is incompetent in his job yet he will get fantastic reference from your boss?

I hope his next employer does not feel shortchanged.

Well, it can be problematic to give a bad reference. In California, anything that is a misrepresentation in a job reference opens the former employer up to a potential charge of defamation, so people tend to be wary about giving a bad one, preferring to keep the recommendation to the bare bones of yes, he worked here, he showed up, and these were the dates. But the thing is, before he took this role over, he was pretty decent at the marketing role. If he looks for another marketing position, there'd be no hesitation to recommend him. He wasn't perfect, but he was decent. For the bookkeeping, he'd give a fantastic character reference because this guy is easy to get along with and wants to succeed, but would couch his words accordingly about skill. He's put in a lot of extra time on the weekends to help my boss's wife stage her art exhibitions. He's good at making sure we have supplies well stocked and at answering the phone, and making sure our invoices go out on time. If he had a job where he provided some bookkeeping support, but instead did marketing or office management, he'd shine. I think part of the problem can be the language barrier -- he speaks English nearly faultlessly, but his comprehension sometimes lets him down. Would he do better if he could get deeper instruction in Tagalog? Maybe.

[Operator 1,927]

In the US I thought people were to rise to the level of their incompetence and then work at that level until they retire?*

Why not just bump him back to marketing if it was in his wheel house and hire a proper AP/AR person?

*please note the use of my sarcasm font.

...and psssst Teddy B.....the water in Maine can be really cold!!!!! The Speed-O don't lie!!!!

[Teddy B 17,252]

In the US I thought people were to rise to the level of their incompetence and then work at that level until they retire?*

Why not just bump him back to marketing if it was in his wheel house and hire a proper AP/AR person?

*please note the use of my sarcasm font.

...and psssst Teddy B.....the water in Maine can be really cold!!!!! The Speed-O don't lie!!!!

Right on Ollie, just ask George.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

In the US I thought people were to rise to the level of their incompetence and then work at that level until they retire?*

Why not just bump him back to marketing if it was in his wheel house and hire a proper AP/AR person?

*please note the use of my sarcasm font.

Because my boss is now used to having one fewer employee and would like to keep it that way (and having the position split was an experiment). Also, if he has one fewer employee, it makes the raise I'm about to ask for much easier, so I fully support him in this plan.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Obamajam in town today. :-/ I'll have to leave work early to get to class tonight.

[Darnell 8,478]

oh just leave asap, if not sooner !

[Thanks Obama ! ]

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

G, I found you some socks:

[GandD 5,966]

Frickin awesome. I love them.