I am currently in a job where two of us started around the same time. They were very specific about our knowledge of Word, Visio, Excel, Outlook, etc.

The other person hired did not really know how to use all of these. They have asked me daily for months how to do certain things and I have been very happy and willing to show them how to do anything they needed to do. I started to notice recently that she would walk over and ask me very quietly to help her. On Friday she asked me how to do something which I walked her through. Her Boss came out a few minutes later her and asked if if she had fixed the problem. She said "oh yes I figured that out." I think I am being played by a younger person who does not have the qualifications and taking credit for actually knowing what they are doing which is fine by me but I do not like the fact that she is doing it in a sneaky manner. Later in the day I just happened to start talking about something and she said instantly "I have to finish this right now." Does anyone have any suggestions in how I should deal with this person. I think I am being used.


Thank you.

smiley8

You definately have to do something about her, your being distracted from your work to help her with the work she said she was capable of doing but shes not. Your work may slip if you have to keep doing this, have a quiet word with her boss or even your own, I know you wont want to make enemies in your work place but she shouldnt have applied for a job she cant do and expect you to do it for her thats not fair, its just like copying your answers off a test in class or making you do her homework, its unprofessional and needs to stop, you just need to approach it in a way you dont come out looking like the bad guy.

zippit

i can tell you how " I " would deal with it
and have delt with it and it works
tell her the wrong way
she will fiqure out your not helping and leave you alone
just make sure it doesnt cost the company any big loss were it comes back to bite you

it was my only answer
if you talk to them they will get a attitude and deny it
you dont want to talk about it to anyone else
and if she comes back and says hey you told me this and it was wrong you just play dumb
it worked in my case

zippit

sometimes there are no such things as quiet words
also the boss may look at it like your trying to target this person
personal vendeta or your kissing up niether are good
i dont recommend it

twinkiedooter

You may wish to have a private talk with the HR person. If your company does not have an HR person, then you might speak to her immediate boss about this but be sure to gently point this out to them that it is taking away from your work time to keep instructing her how to do things that she supposedly "knows how to do" and that you are now finding this intrusive upon your own productivity.

She is going to be in a lot of hurt if you happen to quit or be out ill or vacation time comes around. She won't know what to do.

You didn't state what sort of position she has. This would narrow down my answer a bit more.

I worked in office settings for 40 years and have seen it all from younger girls acting like they know it all on a computer trying to tell me what to do and I used to teach word processing starting back in 1982.

If this has been months now and she still does not know what she is doing and keeps relying on you, the time has come for her to cease this activity.

I had a job as a legal secretary (prior to being a paralegal) many years ago and the dolt that was put into the same room with me would keep using me as her private dictionary. I kept telling her to look up the word herself and handed her a dictionary. She replied that how can she look it up when she doesn't know how to spell it. Complete idiot. She was in her early 20's and obviously had never paid attention to spelling in her schooling. I ended up quitting that job as I was tired of being used even after I complained to the HR about her as that drove me up a wall. How do you spell this? How do you spell that? At first it was an interruption and then it really got on my nerves big time.

You may also decide to do a reverse on her. You can politely tell her that since she's been at her position so many months now that you feel that the time has come for her to "fly" on her own now and stop asking you for help on the computer. If she does not know the programs involved you could suggest that she either take the manuals home and study them or to take a course in that particular software title that she has problems with. Then - stick to your guns and do not help her. The ones who keep asking for help are obviously users and she has used you enough. Time to tell her to go ask someone else as you are busy and don't have the time to spare to continuously keep helping her. Then by all means make yourself busy and don't relent whatever you do. She'll fall on her face soon enough that someone else will catch on that she's lying about knowing what she is doing in the office on the computer.

You've babysat long enough if you ask me. It's someone else's turn now.