Work is stressful. Work is a pain in the ass. Unless you've settled into a chosen career, one you were guided towards by some infamous beacon of utter bliss instead of grinding out a hard eight like most of us wage slaves, you really have to be motivated to climb out of bed and go to work. So why is it that every place I've ever worked at has some blundering jackass on the payroll? Is it a test of company loyalty? Is it their way of weeding out the burn-outs as they search the crews for potential managers or corporate advancement?

I ask these questions because I currently work with a major zero. Actually, he's the head of his department (a department of one). The fellow is a resident coordinator at the retirement home I work at. Me? I'm in maintenance, security, unofficial security lead, fill-in housekeeping/ laundry, back-up housekeeping/ laundry supervisor, assistant disaster planner/ coordinator... I hope you get the picture. When you work for a state-funded operation, money is tight and you learn to wear a lot of hats with no signs of monetary benefits in sight. So why do I work there? It's close to home and I enjoy the people, the residents who have come to rely on me. It pays the bills and fills my soul with happy, fluffy stuff. But back to my complaint.

This fellow intersects with me on a regular basis. For the sake of time I will refrain from whining over all the major and trivial beefs I have with him. I set up a lounge for a multitude of resident functions. The seniors come to me to make sure their events are ready to go hours before they happen. None of them trust going to the coordinator. They've had to pick up the ball too many times after he fumbled. He's been reported to HR on numerous occasions, had staff write up lengthy lists of blunders and problems, and yet still retains his job. I know that when any of us walk into the HR office to complain we come off like a child telling on his sibling. That, unto itself, infuriates me more then anything else- being reduced to a tattle-tale.

I would like to think that if I were to go to him and talk this out like adults that I could produce some results but whenever I see him I get the distinct impression that he suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome. Would he listen? If he hasn't seen the signs by now I doubt it. And what is HR doing about this? Is he on probation? He continues to flounder from day to day. I would think after being called to the carpet that he would play it safe but as yet has not.

If you run into this kind of individual, my suggestion to you is simple, something I've been doing to ease my mind. No, not planting cherry bombs in his desk or replaying old WB Wily E. Coyote cartoons with his face on the coyote. I document. I keep a running log of each encounter and incident with as much detail as possible. This way if something serious comes up with him involved, something that would not be perceived as trivial, I can wave my notes like the Holy Grail. I don't like playing this game. I'd much rather spend my time planning a writing assignment or actually focusing on my job but the distractions have grown from a mounding complaint to a monstorous pile of agression. Work should never be this complicated. It always makes me wish I'd finished college and did something respectible, something I enjoyed so I could blow off this joker's BS and take on the next task with a clear head.

So to some it up: idiots infect work. Stay in school. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. And tattle-tales are still annoying. Trust me.