I am impressed by almost every person I meet. Sometimes I'm impressed by an individual's strength, or good nature, or intelligence. Other times I'm just impressed by the fact that one made it this far in life without having been hit by a car or drowning in the bathtub.
The latter group, comprised of individuals whom I am continually frustrated by, would actually command some respect from me if they would just stay at home and sulk in solitude. Nothing is more repulsive to me than a helpless victim who is offended and put off by the daily happenings of life.
I've been "blessed" enough to have one of these people work closely with me everyday. We'll call her Noreen the Martyr. I'm certain Noreen wakes up each and everyday and asks herself "how can I possibly elicit the most sympathy and be the least productive today?"
And darn that Noreen, she's actually a goal achieving machine...maybe I should take notes. I am, due to some predestined unfortunate curse, the only one who sees her calculated efforts. Everyone else is continually taken by her.
I often daydream about re-creating that scene in the movie "Office Space," and moving her desk to a 5'x5' basement closet and slamming the door. Ohhh the satisfaction and relief. How liberating it would be NOT hearing about Noreen's problems, and NOT seeing her in her cubicle, seemingly trying to imitate a wounded deer.
So here's the question: Is a complete incapability to handle one's life not a good enough reason to fire an employee? I find nothing inappropriate about my turning to her and saying "hey lady, I'm here to work. What I'm not here to do is give you the attention you are seeking because you weren't held enough as a child."
Now, I'm not an evil person. Someone can give her that attention...just not me. I'm not paid enough for that.
Henry Ward Beecher once said "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble in the road." I think that saying transcends people without a sense of humor (although Noreen lacks that as well). The wagon without springs metaphor applies to people who are overly sensitive, period.
Since it's apparent that the acquisition of springs is unlikely, I can only hope that one day the wagon will hit a boulder and just stop traveling altogether.
I can relate with this entirely! Everyone is the victim of something sometimes, and that is sad. That is quite different from being a victim though. When you are in that mentality, you are just crying for a hero that will never come (or at least not be good enough), and forever trying to make other people out to be the villians. What you are never doing, is actually improving yourself, or giving back to others.
ReplyDeleteI think HR should tell people along the lines of Noreen the Martyr, that they need to seek counseling, and resolve their issues there, as opposed to during the work period, or find a different career. It is not fair to anyone else, and ultimately, they are not helping themselves either.