When you graduate to Harasshole, you come talk to me, okay?

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060605/060605_snakes_vmed_10a.widec.jpg

Doesn't seem like you're an ass to me, you just take your job seriously.
There's always a clash when people who care meet up with people who are only there because they need the money and don't particularly give two shits about the job itself.

You're not exactly doing anything wrong in my opinion, it just seems like you're on your way to a promotion faster then anyone else.

Dude, I cannot tell you how much your post speaks to me. As an IT technician, we have one simple rule at my workplace for when users need help. Call in a ticket. I try to explain to my users that 1) by law, I cannot make a change to the network without proper documentation, 2) By putting in a ticket, every change is tracked and everyone is accountable, and 3) it helps justify my position as well as 3 other positions who's responsibility is to answer the phones at the helpdesk.

But do my users do the IMPOSSIBLY simple task of calling in their problem or writing a simple email? Fuck no. Instead, they would rather stop me in the hallway, complain to me about how their computer is slow/program is broken, etc, taking up my time, and delaying me when I'm on my way to helping someone who *has* followed the correct procedure and placed a ticket. I will bend over backwards to help some one or point them in the right direction, but if there is procedure in place, then that comes first; especially when it could come around and bite me in the ass. (ie. security permissions, etc.)

Sadly, I too have become an asshole, as I refuse to help anyone until they follow proper procedure. I have begun to time how long they take when they stop me in the hallway and bitch, and then use that same amount of time explaining to them policy and procedure AGAIN(!), why their thinking is flawed, and what they can do to avoid doing it again in the future.

Sometimes you HAVE to be an asshole because that's the only way some people will learn.

>> ^berticus:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos
/060605/060605_snakes_vmed_10a.widec.jpg

I wouldn't say I'm a psychopath. Like, I don't step on people to get where I'm going. I don't throw anybody under the bus. I'm just reactionary to those wanting to circumvent procedure. And yes, I'm cocky about it.

The problem is, I feel that incompetence in the office needs to be met with some sort of action.

While you are busy toiling away in what you mistakenly think is a meritocracy, your more incompetent coworkers are doing the gladhanding and backstabbing necessary to climb to the top.

>> ^danbutton:
The problem is, I feel that incompetence in the office needs to be met with some sort of action.
While you are busy toiling away in what you mistakenly think is a meritocracy, your more incompetent coworkers are doing the gladhanding and backstabbing necessary to climb to the top.

I just talked to the CFO, apparently that's exactly what is happening. He seems to understand the situation and I've told him I'll do better to handle things in a more diplomatic fashion, but he understands that my heart is with the company.

>> ^videosiftbannedme:
But do my users do the IMPOSSIBLY simple task of calling in their problem or writing a simple email? Fuck no. Instead, they would rather stop me in the hallway, complain to me about how their computer is slow/program is broken, etc, taking up my time, and delaying me when I'm on my way to helping someone who has followed the correct procedure and placed a ticket.

This is what happens when you let statist bureaucrats run things. Mindless regulation just builds up unnecessarily, and when some libertarian heroes decide to disregard these unjust fetters on their liberty, and instead of helping them, you tell them to fall in line. Before you know it, you're going to inevitably become a jackbooted Nazi forcing everyone to follow procedure, or go to the gas chamber.

If I were you, I'd set aside your authoritarian statist ways join those people stopping you in the hallway in their righteous protest against the never ending encroachment of these rules, and go Galt.

Seriously though, I sympathize. Lots of people out there have some tremendous aversion to filling out forms, or even just going through an intermediary when they need things. Just explain to them that you're "not allowed" to do anything to help them until they go through the proper process.

I have a hard time saying no to people who make simple requests of me, but the easy trick I've found is to basically say you have to get the request properly or you'll be "in trouble" in some way. Then they can think of going through the extra hoops as helping you, instead of just red tape.

I can tell you all from experience working with rottenseed that he is an asshole, but his heart is indeed in the right place. I also used to be his boss. Haha

When I first joined the military eleven years ago, things were still fairly old school (there were a couple years left to go before the Canadian Forces made a conscious turn towards a "kinder, gentler" M.O.) In my unit, at least, there was a lot of sledgehammer leadership -- lots of yelling and verbal disrespect from the Sergeants / Master Corporals / senior Corporals etc towards those of us lower on the food chain. That was the way things were done; to get the troops doing something, yell, and if they're not doing it fast enough or properly, yell louder and start swearing and call people "numbnuts" and so on. I wouldn't say any of it was actually abusive (you'd have to go back before my time for that), but the model basically was "to get troops to get the job done, apply unpleasantness".

Anyway, when I was in positions of leadership for the first several years I was loud and snarky (just like everybody else) and I never had been like that before. I wasn't power-tripping either -- I didn't enjoy it, although after awhile I did get good at it. But after those first years I realized that I didn't like doing it that way, which was also about the time I slowly cottoned on to the fact that there were other, less adversarial ways of motivating people. Also around then we had a large turnover of senior NCO's (Sergeants etc.) and the ones who replaced them were less old school and less irascible, so the entire tone of the unit mellowed noticeably in the space of less than a year.

So yes, I was more assoholic for those first few years, but that's past. I'll still deliver a blast if I have to sort out some troopie, but it's rare that it gets to that point -- they usually just listen pretty well.

EDIT: I now realize I didn't answer your question -- let me think about that one.

I started Henry Miller's "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" today. It's a collection of short stories and articles.

The first article talks about how great it is to be around people that you can relate to, and I realized that such a thing is very difficult in modern times.

Yet, when I go home, and get on the internet, the first thing I want to do is go to the places where I can interact with someone. Text, video, audio.

I notice that there are many people sitting at home, getting on the net, and looking for someone to play with. And yet, sometimes, we look at each other in flesh to flesh situations and can't relate at all.

I really think it might be easier to unite us all than it ever has been before.

If we could only keep the net open, and keep Rottenseed from closing it down for us all, and/or resurrecting the dead as he once promised on the hind-end of a tequila drunk.

.....we build tension in our yoga practice so that we can better deal with tension in our daily lives.......

you certainly sound like an asshole.
but i dont really have coworkers so much
so maybe i just cant relate
or perhaps you really are just an asshole
either way

Assholes' one of the many hats any human should become comfortable wearing in this life filled with a variety of chapeau, each suited for whatever occaisio is necessary- If one travels tunnels they may burn out, fade away, or remain blind in their dissolution, desolation, and desperation-

Perhaps "working well with others" should be qualified: Others who are able to hang with the big dogs without whimpering or crying foul, when their defective comfort zones are breached by having their minds chalenged-

action/reaction, is for knuckle-draggers-
Action/response, and that proper response according to right livelihood and a solid moral compass, well....that's rare in the land of programmed monkeys.