Uncooperative supervisor 1

[renzon]

I have an issue with a production supervisor, his is not my supervisor and really he isn’t a true production supervisor. What I mean by this is that he has no formal training, education, or knowledge of production and was granted the title just because he had been there for many years. He is a closet alcoholic and has been reprimanded on many occasions for the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. Let me also add that we work in an FAA repair station. His usual duties consist of welding and smoking cigarettes and reading the news paper all day. Really I hate seeing how he is able to get away with all his bs everyday. Unfortunately the owners have a soft spot for him and have not fired him even though he should have been on more than one occasion. Needless to say he and I do not get along. I pride myself on doing the job right and having it done on time, while he does very sloppy work which usually ends up causing me to help out in cleaning up his mess. Furthermore he outright goes in the complete opposite direction when I or the other engineer makes any suggestions. Most recently this became a problem when we were renovating a building the company had bought and had very different ideas on the way construction should be done. None the less there has been many times when we have butt heads and have been pulled into the general manager’s office to try and settle the problems and continue with work.

Sometimes I can understand why he acts the way he does towards me. I am half his age and have been in the industry for only a couple years yet I have been involved in more management and policy projects than he has. Also my suggestions seem to be better liked not only by the executive staff but also by his "employees". Most of his employees come to my desk or the other engineer’s office to confirm if what they are doing is correct or if there are better ways to do it. Usually we can find what we feel to be a better way in doing whatever they were asked to do. As you can imagine this causes great turmoil.

While I have tried and tried to keep from getting in his way of his daily routine I can no longer stand his waste of space in the company. I honestly feel it would be best if we was no longer an employee but at least a good wake up call, such as demotion, would also ok. Lets face it people this is a production manager that does not even do the production schedules!! He honestly arrives to the office at 430am where he then proceeds to sit outside reading his newspaper and smoking cigarettes until 630 when most of the employees show up. The rest of his day is filled with creating rejected welds (and this has been statistically proven) and flat out not working.

So really my question is what more can I do? Here is the kicker, this is a family owned business and I am family but, I did not get handed the job I worked and worked hard to get my degree. Maybe that’s why I have so much trouble with it. Sorry for it being so long and I am sure there are plenty of incomprehensible ramblings but I really need help.

 

[TheTick]

Tick's Golden Rule of Business Anthropology:

Bull$#!+ persists because it is allowed to persist.

Your managers know. They are doing nothing. Family owned business? Don't play reindeer games unless you're one of the reindeer.

 

[msquared48]

renzon:

I don't mean to offend you, but from what you describe, I think there may be more to this tale than you are aware of. He has a history with the company, obviously, and maybe with others there in higher management before you came on board.

Putting it bluntly, he may have something on some, or someone, and have reached a "deal". You may be seeing the resulting "confidence in job security regardless of performance" issue. If this scenario is true, I do not know that there is much you can do about that, except do some investigating and risking your own job security.

Obviously thereare other scenarios too... Just thinking.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[renzon]

Mike I understand what you mean, the way it has been explained to me is that when he was asked to do things he would do it with out a second thought. So after 15 years with the company he has been given this "tenure". I just hate feeling that without this guy we could really be doing a lot better than we are. I constantly say that we are a good company but without making some serious changes, i.e. personnel changes, we will never be a great company. As my senior engineer says I am a young dumb and full or c** engineer which will soon become desensitized to the political bs that occurs.

renzo

 

[trainguy]

renzon,

You can only change what YOU can change.

This is beyond your control, so learn to live with it, or move on.

Sorry, but that's life!

tg

 

[jmw]

If you don't win these arguments and won't be allowed to win them, don't have them. It is a time waste and you are building stress you don't need.

OK, so accept that part of your job is putting right his mistakes, for the time being, and griping isn't going to change that nor is going head to head. You've said as much.

Instead of being in his face all the time, try and find out what he is good at. Now all you have to do is try and find ways to get him doing things he is good at or things where he can do no harm. You can even do this without being on his case always. It may even prove beneficial. Sometimes, and some people are like that, they give you grief because you give them grief. It may be that he is producing poor work not because he can't do any better but because he won't do it any better.





JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[rtmote]

Can you get him so highly recommended and recognised and further up the chain so the higher level can sort him out? In the old days, it was 'the less you know, the higher you go', for a reason too..... Get him into a role 'using his vast experience' to report to upper management.

Robert Mote

http://www.motagg.com

 

[bridgebuster]

"...this is a family owned business and I am family ..."

No disrespect but are you the Fredo of the family?

 

[renzon]

the fredo no...hoestly im more a mix of michael and sunny, but they dont just hand things over to me. plus i am "extended family" if that makes any sense. point is we are close enough to make pointed suggestions but with this guys it really becomes a worthless cause.