Dealing with Stupid 17

[frusso110]

We all have to deal with stupidity.

Stupid people.

Stupid specifications.

Stupid bosses, managers, co-workers.

Stupid company policies.

How do you stay sane at work? How do you deal with all of the above?

When a co-workers requests a moronic change to one of your drawings, how do you deal with it? When you disagree with someone, how do you respectfully disagree?

 

[berkshire]

frusso110
"" Just for clarification - I am personally not surrounded by all of these things, but was just writing generically for the sake of stimulating conversation. ""
So you get everybody worked up on a generic question, Isn't that in itself a little senseless?
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[KENAT]

Molten, I was actually expecting flack from those on the more hardcore capitalist/free market/Ayn Rand disciple side of things for implying that being rich might be anything other than good.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[DRWeig]

I think you found teammates instead...

Best to you,

Goober Dave

Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies

 

[SomptingGuy]

This little ditty pops up in my ear whenever I see the thread title:


Happy is the moron, who doesn't give a damn.
I wish I were a moron, my God perhaps I am.

- Steve

 

[frusso110]

@berskshire
I'll just stick to the topic with some examples.

Sometimes things are worth fighting over.

Manufacturing does not like the use of section views in assembly prints. They claim it is too difficult for the assembly people to follow and they confuse everyone looking at the drawing. (There is no evidence of this - the assembly people rarely look at prints anyway.)

It is my opinion that a section view showing the final assembled position of an internal part in my assembly in addition to orthographic and exploded views, is actually a requirement of the assembly. This ADDS clarity to the drawing. IMO if you can't read a section view, then you need to ask someone to help you so you can learn how to do your job. Keep in my that I also have exploded views - the section view eliminates ambiguity as to where parts finally end up. 50 years ago, exploded views did not exist at my company, and drawings had 1/10th the detail that I'm putting into my drawings now.

Sometimes things are not worth fighting over. The guy that collects everyone's garbage always puts my garbage can wherever is most convenient for him - never back where he found it. Every day I need to move it back. I just laugh at this and move on with my day.

For me, stupid problems happen every day. In fact, 90% of all my work is dealing with stupid problems. I deal with it and move on. Sometimes I am bothered for weeks at a time, but eventually I will remedy the situation. Sometimes talk radio is enough. More often then not I need some intense physical activity to feel like myself again. Sometimes I need to complete a home project or have a couple of beers with the guys.

That is the point of this thread. What do you do? A lot of people tend to ignore the underlying issues and are content living in a sub-optimal world.

Do you go and talk to the person or management about the issue? How does one work out problems with uneducated stubborn people without any listening comprehension skills?

 

[KENAT]

frusso, your tail of woe about assy drawings warms the cockles of my heart. I'm so glad I'm not the only one facing those issues - except for the part where it implies I'm enjoying your suffering;-).

Dealing with at least what appears to be 'stupid' can be frustrating. Just so happens I posted about frustration a few years back: thread731-179040.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[ornerynorsk]

Frusso and Kenat, somehow, unbeknownst to me, you must be my co-workers!!! I can always tell whenever one of the production guys has actually dusted off a drawing jacket and looked up something for reference, because the complaint of "your drawings are too complicated and have too much stuff on them" is sure to follow.

We try to mitigate this with blueprint reading training, and try to keep it simple by explaining what a section view or exploded diagram actaully is, and how it's easier to understand, and how to reference the parts list and that the little number balloons actually correspond to the parts list. Concluding with "now get the he!! back to work". I actually only think the last part, but some day the Freudian tendency is going to slip a cog and I'll blurt it out.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?

Because my intelligence is being continually diluted by you guys...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[Maui]

If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?

Because I also have a code of ethics that I adhere to.

Maui

http://www.EngineeringMetallurgy.com

 

[TheTick]

Engineering drawings (especially assembly drawings) are problematic because everybody wants a piece of the action. Every individual wants all the information he needs and nothing else to clutter it up. Nobody wants to look up a BOM or work instructions from the PLM system. Nobody wants to even learn how to properly read a drawing, but they all want the drawing to make "instant sense" at first glance.

 

[monkeydog]

Hi frusso110 - I am your garbage man.
Every day you put your garbage can out of reach for me. I have 300 garbage cans to dump each day. Have to go out of my way to get yours, puts me behind - no one cares I am just the garbage man. Maybe if I put your garbage can where it is easier for me, you will start putting your garbage can there.

Nope - not today - people can be so stupid.

 

[berkshire]

Frusso 110,
The things you describe happen no matter where you go.
It was my turn in this barrel two weeks ago. An Engineer submitted a hand drawn sketch for a job, this was approved and construction started on a very fancy stainless steel kitchen hood. The hood was finished and sitting in the shop awaiting delivery. The contractor then had a hizzy fit and said he could not work off a sketch and demanded drawings to scale ( The sketch had been produced from on site measurements the contractor had assisted in providing.) . The engineer asked me to produce these drawings, which I did.
Everything went quiet for about a week, then the customer came back with several design changes that completely altered the shape, size, and style of the hood. As I said before, it was already made.
So I modified the drawings, they then got these approved by the customer ( Not the contractor.), with an agreement to pay for the changes.
Then I ended up doing detailed shop drawings for the changes, incorporating as much of the existing hood as I could.
The modified hood was finally delivered to the job site Monday Three weeks after this all started.



You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[frusso110]

hahahaha. Well done.

Although to be fair, it's my job to engineer things, not to make garbage collection easier. If I really cared I would have spoken with the garbage supervisor and determined who's responsibility it was to place the can in the designated location.

Still. Great point.

 

[frusso110]

@monkeydog

I just put my garbage outside my cube. ;-)

 

[monkeydog]

Frusso110,

Your response says much of how you see yourself with respect to your interaction with other people.

Good luck to you in the future.

 

[PicoStruc]

Don't argue with idiots. They'll drag you down to their level then beat you with their experience

 

[oldestguy]

Frusso 110

I'm trying to figure out where you likely work. The first place that comes to mind is the White House. The second is Detroit City Government.

 

[BreatheEasy]

On Dustbin day, when I drive home I find my dustbin placed in front of my drive. So I have to get out of my car to move the dustbin before driving my car onto my drive.

It's not a big deal, but it frustrates me that the dustman (not the same guy every time) does consider me. Putting my bin to one side of my drive would mean taking another 2 -3 steps for him, which is obviously too much.

Solution: Do nothing, move the bin myself as it allows me to moan and gives me something to talk about.

Moral: Life would be dull if there were no obstacles in my way.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Place the dustbin/garbage can farther from your drive when you put it out in the morning. He's not going to walk an extra 20' just to place it in the middle of your drive.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[frusso110]

The joking nature of my previous couple comments may or may have actually come through the internets.