cchris

I work for a large transport company and we use a labour hire firm for our casuals that come in each day.
My shift is afternoon and before I go in I ring them and book the required amount of guys needed.This works well and if the guys are not up to scratch then it's basically my decision on whether they come back the next day.
(Out of the 15 or so involved,five are about to be made permanent and I will have a major influence on the makeup).

The office next to mine has a group of ladies that do data entry and various clerical duties that require them only for a four hour per day time frame (same firm) and most of them are friendly and there's not much drama as they all are ongoing and have second jobs.
I know all of them on a first name basis and interact each day.We all get on and laughs are at a premium.
Except for one.
This Woman has been there for ages and has always avoided eye contact and has never even said hello to me.
Nothing,zippo,zilch.
Ever.
In other words,she wouldn't give me the air out of her arse to cool my coffee.

Until yesterday.

I'm sitting at my pc minding my own business when she leans over the partition and says with the sweetest little voice.
Hello how are you today?
Great blah blah blah.
I was wondering if you could help me out as my husband is working in a job that brings him home exhausted each night due to the high amount of physical labour involved and he has signed up with (said firm).
Ummm,do you think that you could get him a start out on the dock with your guys as he is a good worker and he won't let you down.Yadda yadda yadda.
Hey sure,I'll see what I can do.
To cut a long story short,he started today.

He bundled up to me at the start of the shift and thrusted his handshake upon me and nearly crushed my hand.
The guy is 6' tall and 2' wide.
He is built like a brick shithouse.
I'm not being cruel here but lets just say that when he finally spoke I could put him into the category of "he's not very bright,but he can lift heavy things".
Man this guy can lift a pallet in each arm and throw the fucker twenty feet in front of him.(They weigh 40 kg each).
I took the time to run him through what we do and how we do it but it became obvious that he was only going to be an "arms and legs" type person that cannot grasp the concept of learning.
The guy is not up to it and I seriously need switched on people that can think for themselves and be mindfull of the safety issues involved when working in this environment.
It all went in one ear and out the other.
The business needs to function and I am at a loss as to why my instincts failed me.
I am more at a loss however with the concept of compassion Vrs fitting the guy in as he just goes hard all the time.

The clincher was when I walked past "Her Magesty" tonight and it was back to normal.
She didn't even smile or say hello.

I'm fucked if I know what to do here and am struggling to think rationally.

Am I too harsh?

What to do?

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quadro2000

Look, it's not like you are going to be losing a major friendship with this woman if her husband isn't called back for the next day. You did a very nice thing here - you did her a favor even though she's never been nice to you. Don't regret that move. It's good karma and it's what makes you a good person.

Forget about the bitchiness of the woman, it's not an issue here. She sucks but it's irrelevant.

If you want to be nice about it, and if you can afford to do so (both financially and in terms of safety), give the guy a few days to see if any of it sinks in. Who knows, maybe he had first-day jitters. Maybe he can turn it around. After a few days, if he's not getting it, let him know why it's a problem and what he'll need to do if he expects to keep working there. If it continues to go in one ear and out the other, let him go. It's what you would do for any other employee. Hell, you probably wouldn't even give them more than a day or two. To give this guy a bit of extra time, if you can afford to do it, might be what helps keep things "smooth" at work - the woman won't be bitching that you never gave him a chance, etc.

Good luck and keep us updated with what you decide to do.

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Peetster

She used you to get an in for her husband, but that isn't his fault. Now you know something you didn't about the ice queen. Give him a shot at a second day, and make sure he understands how important the instructions are. If he doesn't work out, let him go. Make sure he understands why you let him go, but expect relations with Mrs. Ice to get even frostier.

Do you have someone you can team him up with, that knows the ropes? Perhaps a mentor might make a difference. He sounds like a hard worker.

wannabenakid247

Yes it does seema shame if hes keen and strong. He may be really good if you give him some time to get used to the job. Maybe it was nerves.

I wouldn't worry about the ice queen though. You did her a favour its up to him now.

rogue49

Yes, I agree with Pete...maybe he was distracted, etc...make sure that you've given a more than fair shot...this is some company politics in play.
You might want to take a brief time to explain things to her, if it comes down to not having him.
She could make things awkward by saying things behind the scenes, if not to you.
Document everything and explain the judgement call to those who need to know.
Thus, you are covered...and if she says things...then she'll be the one who looks bad.

In the end, business is business.
You tried, it didn't work out. period.
Otherwise...it seems like you really don't have to deal with her on a daily basis...no big loss.
Just another person who doesn't fully appreciate you...we all have those.

GoldenOuroboros

Most of the jobs I've been to I've had a probationary period where they let you get to know the job then see if you can work hard.. yada yada yada.. So yeah, give him a chance and see what happens And if he's not up to scratch, well there's not much else you can do really..

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Mephisto2

Give him a fair go.

If he fucks up, get rid of him.

Everyone deserves a chance and you showed yourself to be a "good person" by providing that chance. The woman just sounds like an annoying cow. Ignore her.

Mr Mephisto

tecoyah

dont risk safety and productivity...as one who hires and fires, I would term him.

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empu

Be a man about it and take some time off in the hope your boss will fire him while you're gone.

cchris

I'm going to spend a bit of time with him and whilst the future isn't bright here I can organise a different place of work where he will be more suited.
The enthusiasm and effort shown tonight shows that this guy is worth the extra yards.


Thanks for the advice guys.

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TIO

Just give him exactly the same treatment you'd give anyone else. Anything more, and you're not doing the right thing by your company and your other employees. Anything less, and you're not doing the right thing by him.

But if he's a serious safety hazard, get rid of him right now.

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Strewth

Nazggul

Yah, separate the business need from the personal situation. She has nothing to do with it at all at this point.

I run my own business and I will always give the person who cares but isn't so bright the benefit of the doubt and the extra chance. The ones that are bright but don't give a shit are the ones on the fast track out.

If he's busting his butt for ya, I think he deserves a second chance. Make sure he know exactly what he needs to do in order to succeed.

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-- Editors

homerhop

Give the guy a chance.We all had to start somewhere, and a guy who never made a mistake never worked a day in his life.
In a few days he should have a good grasp of his working area and how things go.

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its evolution baby

Happyland

God girls can ramble

I could'a said that in three words

anyway i don't think air from someone's ass could cool coffe off at all

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someone else here must like Walton & Johnson too

Cycler

As has been said before, business is business and damn the rest.

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"I assure you we're open."

seethreepo

when you fire him just be ready to duck those pallets.

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rub it and see.

MSD

Yup, be a man by running away from it

I'd give him another two days. If he doesn't shape up by then, he's not worth your time or effort

Sparhawk

Well, considering this thread was started 3 weeks ago, how about a follow-up?

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ashap

Hey man, you gotta do your job first and foremost. If that woman is back to her ice queen ways - so be it. Who cares? You did her the favor and gave her man a chance - what else can she expect?