You have made your opinions known to your direct boss and she agrees with you. Your work is done. My advice would be to stay out of this - keep your head down and out of the way of anything flying around the office.

I agree, really, it's not your business. Stay out of it. Maybe they have other reasons, unknown to you, why they want her gone.

Yep, that's my thinking also. Speak the truth and leave the rest to the powers that be.

Smiles:)

I'm presuming you are not in a supervisory role over the "dim bulb." In that regard, I don't think it would be appropriate for you to address the situation at all. It sounds as though you have let your direct supervisor know about the questioning coming down through the main office, and that open communication with your supervisor is all that's required of you, I would think. If I continued to receive inquiries/comments from the main office about this woman, I would handle them just as you have been - update your supervisor as needed - but if I were you, I'd just keep my head down and keep doing my own job to the best of my ability. Whether or not someone is trying to pin mistakes on her is not your concern, and I feel that if you insinuated yourself into the situation any more, it could reflect very poorly on you.

Just my thoughts ... I know every office has its own dynamics, so take my advice with a grain of salt, and best of luck! These things aren't always easy, I know.

I think the big boss sounds like a wimp. He could have asked your boss to talk to you and then met with your boss to hear a filtered version of what you had to report; your involvement in a firing should be as remote from his as is your salary and the amount of hiring authority you exercise. Would he have reached down to ask you to interview the dim bulb's replacement? Probably not. He probably keeps the fun part for himself. The boss should overstep the authority of his subs and reach down to their people to praise and encourage only, and not for negative reasons, and especially not for negative issues that aren't even yours.

This is a hot button with me. Bosses should take responsibility. What are they getting the pay and the titles for? He probably thinks somebody made a hiring mistake with dimbulb, and maybe somebody did.

But that's not what you asked.

You asked whether you should forewarn her. Gosh, does she really have no idea? Has no one addressed her previous mistakes with her? It sounds like you never work in the same office at the same time as she does? I don't see how you would get the opportunity to casually mention that someone had asked about an error she made (and mention an actual error) to slightly lessen the shock she might be in for.

ON the other hand, I worked with someone similar and she took the firing in stride. It had happened before, I guess, and it phased her not one bit, and she got another job before long.

Since you're low on the "totem pole," I wouldn't say anything to the lady. You don't want to be known as the office busy body. Too many repercussions.

If you told her, she could run to anyone blabbing her mouth that it was all YOUR fault. Just play dumb like her. lol

What a touchy situation though!

Them: "Well is there anything else that we should know about?"

To me, that comment sounds like they would love to find a witch, any witch.

I would stay totally out of it. Where is your boss in this scenario?

There are 3 offices:

The main office which is one big cluster________. W/ a ton of people all milling about. My direct boss and I joke that they're like a herd of sheep trying to find their way out of a paper bag.

Our little office (just 3 of us).

Another small office.

This girl and I don't ever work in my office at the same time. My direct boss gets really annoyed w/ her but she's here such little amount of time I don't let it bug me.

The big boss has questioned my direct boss too in the same manner as me and my direct boss feels and says exactly the same thing that I do over and over.

I just hate when people aren't treated fairly. I don't care if I do think that she's from another planet.

And yes - my direct boss and I would love to see a spine suddenly grow in somebody in the main office!

I hate it when someone is treated unfairly too. However, in this situation, I think it is wise to stay quiet. The higher ups are definitely not handling things correctly - questioning you in that way. Do you have an employee relations person/committee, anything like that? The only thing I can think of is to document these incidents and keep it to yourself unless it becomes absolutely necessary to become involved.

I know I am lucky (and even spoiled) with my job (I've been there forever! LOL), but I just can't imagine working in that type environment.

Best of luck!

tina

My first reaction when I read the post was to wonder if the person was someone's special friend. If so, I wouldn't worry about her getting fired.

Sounds like the main boss is looking to fire the girl and it doesn't matter what you say or don't because it's just a matter of time before she's gone.

Seems to me that an employee would know their days are numbered. I've never been "that person" but I've been in an office with a few of "those people" and the vibe is terribly uncomfortable. So if she is a "dull bulb" and her work is unsatisfactory, does it really matter what individual things she gets blamed for if the overall work performance is lacking?

I guess I mind in the fact that her mistakes have never been addressed w/ her and when they've tried her in a different position it's always been prefaced in a 'Hey - would you be interested in_______position?'. Now I'm not one for hand holding by any means but I do believe that one should be given a chance to correct mistakes by knowing what they are.

When either my direct boss or I have noted an ongoing issue w/ her we've taken the steps to alert her immediate supervisor which is our Office Manager ('The Big K') over all of the offices. What I get back is a list of questions (seriously a list) of how things work in our office. Worst manager that I've ever had anywhere but the big boss hides his head in the sand about it. Big K bleeds money out of the seams of this business and the big boss seems totally and blissfully unaware. Direct boss and I are convinced that we are in the midst of a secret buy out over the course of the next few yrs.

These are some of the many reasons my direct boss wants to open her own practice and take me w/ her.

This is the first time that I've ever worked in a small independantly owned place of business. What a difference!!!!!! Whew!

Suero - LOL! I can't tell you how many times people across both the main office and ours have wondered about 'special friends'. There seem to be a few! Eeeewwwww.

Why does a part of you seem to want to help her now, by giving her a heads-up?

When the Big Boss was talking to you, you had an opportunity to pass along important, key information--which did not reflect badly on this woman, that "She was never trained as a front desk person, nor the marketing person and sort of fills in wherever she is needed regardless of what job it is."

But you didn't. It would've been an easy thing to say that--and even though you would think everybody in the office knows that training has fallen through the cracks, would it have been a bad thing to say it aloud at that time? To say "I think someone should sit down with her and go over procedures" (even though I'm sure you and everybody else there is busy.) Wouldn't that have been fair, too?

So what do you think this gal would do if you did warn her that she's under the microscope? Would she focus a bit more? Ask more questions?

I doubt that would help. It seems like this is a slow-moving process that will end the way you believe it will. I think you missed any possible chance to help this person, so you might as well just stay out of the way.

But don't be surprised at what's going to happen to her replacement if that person, too, doesn't get adequate training. And how that new person's work will affect your work.