Help! my co-workers a hack!

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overamped

Member
Location
California
You know the old saying "the person who knows everything never learns anything"! Well that applies to my co-worker. he sounds pretty good to the supervisors who don't know any better but the quality of his work at best shows a lack of skill and carelessness and at it's worst no understanding of the NEC, NFPA 79, basic motor control, grounding or even conduit bending. I generally avoid the guy like a leper but some of his stuff could cause damage to machinery or people.

Should I talk to him privately, within our group or bring it up with our supervisor? This guy has a temper and does not take criticism well at all. Our last boss would not confront because he would yell at him and get mad. I worked with nutjobs before but this guy is the worst. Sad thing is they seem to cause a lot of damage before the powers that be figure them out.
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Should I talk to him privately, within our group or bring it up with our supervisor? This guy has a temper and does not take criticism well at all. Our last boss would not confront because he would yell at him and get mad.

Wait, the guy bullies the boss? Sounds like the boss needs to grow a pair. Are you over him in any way? If he made my work look bad I would definitely let him know it, temper or not.
Call him out on his work, maybe he will get mad and quit...

Just make sure he isn't the type to go "postal"
 

__dan

Banned
I would mind my own business.

If you work under an employment contract protecting your job, I would agree with Iwire. It's the corporation's loss, not yours, and the corporate chain of command is usually adept at ignoring and papering over their losses. It is a game they are adept at playing.

With no contract, open shop or at will employment, the negligence, laziness, and shoddy work of the coworker will threaten your job and your next job. I could go into great detail, enough to just copy and paste to your own complaint.

If you want to work in the industry at a different employer, just put your time in, do not go the extra mile when requested, dodge the bulleeet, document deficiencies as they occur, but do not worry at all if nothing gets fixed. Your fix is to change jobs to a better employer, better industry posting. Don't let them hurt you while you wait and seek a better opportunity to move to.

If you want to stay where you are, I would advise fight and go scorched earth, that's what they will do to you so it's better to choose the same path they are on than to trust. The zebra does not change his stripes. The lazy do not suddenly get up and go, liars do not suddenly discover remorse and make amends. They take pride in their petty crimes.

There are some books on Amazon, expert ways to screw people over. Competent hacks will be reading from that manual, so hacking and dirty tricks come from the same hands. Don't know the titles but there's some famous ones.

You could be more screwed than you realize, thinking you can have him fix his work, but depending on circumstances, the hack and his allies, management, could be threatened by this disclosure and have real reason to fear for their jobs, hence the dirty tricks. Write some emails escalated up, and someone could fear disclosure of this incompetence for liability, their own firing, and take preemptive action to place the blame anywhere else, even back on you.

First try to find some allies on the job who can back you up with management. The hack is probably already beating you at this, sucking up to management expertly.

Your problem has recurred at every jobsite incessantly through history. If you want to gain a clearer understanding, insight, the books are already written, better, more than I could imagine.

Post a few details if you feel you can do so anonomously. If your company is big enough to have a HR or legal dept, do not post the details on a public board, post your complaint to your company's ethics hotline as a whistleblower.

There is a way to play this game to your advantage, but I do not know what that is. Keep the job, if they treat you badly, be sure to do less. Fake it my friend, they are.
 

Sierrasparky

Senior Member
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician ,contractor
Just make sure when you are pointing your finger at someone that there are not three pointing back at you.
Be careful.
Make some suggestions. Like " what do you think about doing it this way?"
 

fmtjfw

Senior Member
You know the old saying "the person who knows everything never learns anything"! Well that applies to my co-worker. he sounds pretty good to the supervisors who don't know any better but the quality of his work at best shows a lack of skill and carelessness and at it's worst no understanding of the NEC, NFPA 79, basic motor control, grounding or even conduit bending. I generally avoid the guy like a leper but some of his stuff could cause damage to machinery or people.

Should I talk to him privately, within our group or bring it up with our supervisor? This guy has a temper and does not take criticism well at all. Our last boss would not confront because he would yell at him and get mad. I worked with nutjobs before but this guy is the worst. Sad thing is they seem to cause a lot of damage before the powers that be figure them out.

Aha, so that's where Carl went, to California.

Orange Neutrals, Boxes not fastened to the wall, unreamed conduit, conductors cut without taping but still connected to CBs, PVC "glue" spilled on rubber roofs, exit lights with the arrows randomly pointed, ....
 
Last edited:

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
he sounds pretty good to the supervisors .

Should I talk to him privately, within our group or bring it up with our supervisor?

I would mind my own business.



Iwire has it right, mind your own business.

Unless you are appointed to be his supervisor then he is not your responsibility.

The best thing to do is to do your own work well, it does show. If the guy really is a hack then just wait for the first lay off or down sizing and see who is the first guy out the door. Supervisors often notice much more than you think. The one thing a supervisor doesn't like is when other people try to do their job for them.
 

overamped

Member
Location
California
Iwire has it right, mind your own business.

Unless you are appointed to be his supervisor then he is not your responsibility.

The best thing to do is to do your own work well, it does show. If the guy really is a hack then just wait for the first lay off or down sizing and see who is the first guy out the door. Supervisors often notice much more than you think. The one thing a supervisor doesn't like is when other people try to do their job for them.

Thanks!!!
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
I agree with the consensus; unless you are this guy's boss, any criticism you level at him to management may do more damage to your reputation than to his. Lead by example.
 

qcroanoke

Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
Location
Roanoke, VA.
Occupation
Sorta retired........
I agree with the consensus; unless you are this guy's boss, any criticism you level at him to management may do more damage to your reputation than to his. Lead by example.

His production may be all that matters to management, if it's more than yours you will be the one kicking the can down the road.
 
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