A coworker who doesn't have to skills to do the job?

Anonymous

April 26,2023 at 5:52PM UTC

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A coworker who doesn't have to skills to do the job?

So, I work for a big tech company. There are 3 of us tasked with a pretty heavy workload and a stream of deliverables.

The thing is, two of us are doing the work of three because the other one does not have the technical skills to do the job.

By their own admission, they were on another team where they did not have the skillset and were asked to find a new place.

My boss brought them on because they said they had the skills for our team when they transferred, which was apparently backed up by their old boss (the one that told them to find a new place).

Now, it is pretty obvious they do not actually have the skills and it is making the rest of us work double time.

To make matters worse, the person without the skills is often messing up what we complete to "look busy" or claiming they "know" better because they have worked with the company for longer. They also like to grab the hardest tasks to prove their expertise, which inevitably falls on the rest of us to complete.

I am not sure what to do here. I work in tech in a company where everything has to be framed in positive messages (so having a frank conversation that this person doesn't have the skills will not fly).

I also work in a tech company where management is pretty disengaged so are not likely to notice a problem unless the work product suffers and someone points it out to them (My boss, for example, is not a tech person. They are a manager of tech people so they don't have tech expertise to spot problems).

I also do not have time to do their work and my own anymore and either does the other people on my team in the same boat.

I have tried doing code reviews that provide resources to explain why it can't be done that way and have spent a lot of time carefully reviewing work or trying to 'learn together' but I am not sure any of this even gets read.

So, what should I do?

I don't want to be marked as a complainer and this person does have more tenure.

I also don't feel that honest feedback is really welcome. But I am drowning!

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AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 6:22PM UTC
Talk to HR, let them know how you feel and that is is counterproductive and demoralizing. Let them know that this person either needs to be trained and supported to get the things they need to not break what you are doing or they need to be moved elsewhere. Don't sit silently by, tenure doesn't make you qualified.
Regina BrownApril 26,2023 at 6:42PM UTC
Speak with your manager immediately and TELL them the kind of training this person needs to be of any help to the team...
AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 7:23PM UTC
Sometimes when a company wants to get rid of a person, they put them somewhere they don't belong and wait for them to screw up. Don't offer training. Keep them out of your work as much as possible and be sure to stress what role you and the other competent person played in it.
AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 7:38PM UTC
It's a reflection on your boss who brought them in and it will show. Pushback on doing their work and ask them to partner with their boss, your boss, and maybe that will allow them to see how much that team member is struggling. Stop covering up their mistakes, how else will this change?
AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 8:51PM UTC
Is there anyway (before work starts, during lunch, breaks, after work) that you could spend some time to train this other person.
I'd take them aside, since they've acknowledge their lack of skills, and offer to train them a bit each day. Maybe you could train on what's being done that day, and work backwards.
That way, they'll at least be proficient enough to help on the current day.
I'm sure they'd appreciate the effort, you would take notes for when your review comes up (remember, if it's not in writing, or on video, it didn't happen).
I know I'd appreciate it and accept the offer knowing someone else cared about how I was doing, rather than only complaining of me.
Try to think of solutions rather than all of the other stuff.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistApril 27,2023 at 3:22AM UTC
Personally, since your company is all about "everything has to be framed in positive messages", I would positively stop doing this other person's job.
I would get together with your co-workers that do know what they're doing and agree that y'all will do your jobs but not the know-nothing's job.
You don't have to say anything (don't want to be seen as a complainer). Don't complain - just when you're asked why something wasn't done - point them in know-nothing's direction.
The sooner you do it the better unless you want to prolong the misery. Stop covering for them - to your boss and those on the outside looking in, everything looks ok because everything is getting done.
AnonymousApril 27,2023 at 12:46PM UTC
I would only complain about YOUR SITUATION and YOUR WORKLOAD. Leave coworker and your opinion out of it. Keep you complaints based on you alone.
AnonymousApril 29,2023 at 12:39PM UTC
Stop covering for this person and let them fail. They don’t know how to do their job and this will become evident when you STOP COVERING FOR THEM. Sorry for the all caps, but I feel it is necessary to point out, it is not your job to cover for your manager or this person’s incompetence!!
GirlBossanova934974April 29,2023 at 12:50PM UTC
I have worked in Tech related roles for more than 30 years. When will people ever learn? Having NON TECH managers trying to manage TECH personnel is beyond foolish. You get problems like the one you are describing. Then you add in the "Happy Face" mentality that these Tech companies now demand. OMG! You may wish to suggest to your manager using your best "Happy Face" that code reviews need to be done for everyone. Where is your QA DEPARTMENT in all of this? Why isn't everyone's work going through your Software QA DEPARTMENT? Your testers are going to catch the work your coworker is NOT doing. It is going to be sent back when it breaks. You must have a JIRA or JIRA like system so use it. So make you MAKE SURE YOUR DEPARTMENT adheres to JIRA or JIRA like procedures for everything your department does. When the projects of your coworker continues to be late, rejected, and such, your NON TECH boss is going to finally figure it out. Make sure you do not go around transferring work around JIRA. The job stays with the developer it was assigned to. Best of Luck!
BeaBoss750792April 29,2023 at 9:24PM UTC
I’ve seen a huge shift in recent years where software QA teams have been gutted and the ownership of the testing process now falls on individual engineers/engineering teams, so the OP’s post doesn’t surprise me in that aspect.
BUT even with a non-technical manager for a team of engineers, they should have certain metrics that they track. And if they don’t have those already, the OP can maybe come up with some that objectively show that the weaker team member has more bugs/closes fewer JIRA tickets/has longer work cycles or whatever than the rest of the team.
Rosa E HearnApril 29,2023 at 1:29PM UTC
The moment I read your first sentence I knew what the issue was without reading this part. "By their own admission, they were on another team where they did not have the skillset and were asked to find a new place."I knew, because I have friends who were moved because they had no choice. If they didn't move to the other team, they were going to get laid-off. If they didn't move, any promotion would be non-existent for them because they reached the max and most likely the teams were no longer needed because their jobs were replaced by automation. I would try to have more compassion and empathy for them. Yes, I know the job is a bit harder because of this, but what if, this was happening to you? That your team was disassembled and you would be out of job? I would hope I had team mates that would cheer me on. Help me along the way or even give me good solid (nice) advice as to what skills I need to freshen up on. They found this person strong enough to keep her. I'm pretty sure they are scared, overwhelmed and feels she needs to prove herself. Find a place with them to help. Helping can only help you too. Now I completely understand the helping falls on management but having great co-workers can make or break your day.
AnonymousApril 29,2023 at 6:15PM UTC
When I worked for a tech company, they called this "passing the turkey." There was a company policy against transferring any employee that didn't rank in the top third of a department unless it could be shown that they were unqualified for that job and would be qualified to perform top-third type work in the new department. I wish I had some solid advice on what to do, but being as lean on talent as you are in this department, having or being a mentor to this employee does not seem to be an option.
KathyApril 29,2023 at 10:41PM UTC
I agree with others who have posted here. Stop doing this person's work. The suggestions to provide training for this person seem to defy reality. It's not your job to train someone to perform their role.
The people that suggested you lack empathy are completely wrong.
There are many free sources of tech training these days. The person without the proper skills can find their own training or talk to their manager and request the manager sponsor training.
FreeCodeCamp has many courses on various tech skills. YouTube has free tutorials. This person needs to help themselves. You need to focus on your job.
You will not get extra credit for helping this person. It will probably backfire on you and you will be be 'blamed'. Sorry for the harsh words. I understand that you in a situation where you don't know what to do. Best of luck.
Zeecil KimmelApril 30,2023 at 1:54AM UTC
This sounds like my previous job doing others' work and upper management closing their eyes as long as the work got done. My recommendation is to find yourself another job because it only gets worse. Management that knows nothing, too few resources, and someone undoing your work - we call that the perfect storm. And when you leave do so with a smile - living well is the best revenge.
Mary PoolApril 30,2023 at 3:05PM UTC
As a manager of tech (and a firm owner), I tell you to stop doing their work! Do you believe covering for this person moves the project forward? Do you think burning yourself and the rest of the team out is best for the company? Do you think enabling this person to make your team fail is a good look?
Divide the work with clear and distinct lines, do your part, and leave the other person’s work alone. Give weekly status reports to management (your boss and to their boss), even if they don’t want them. Provide only the facts, no judgments. “We cannot continue to the next phase because XYZ has not been completed. Please advise on the next steps.” “In a month, we no longer move forward on this project due to the incompletion of XYZ. Please let us know what our next focus should be.” “Will there be a project we can move to or a temporary assignment for the rest of the team while we wait for XYZ to be completed?” “We are planning on moving forward to part B while we wait for XYZ of part A to be completed.”
Of course, you will end up doing the work, but now you have management’s attention to the fact that the work is not being completed promptly. You are throwing the ball into their court. By doing this person’s work, you are contributing to the problem. You are enabling not only lousy management but bad team behavior.
Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. I can tell you unequivocally that your efforts are not appreciated, do not move the project forward, and only hurt yourself and your team. A burned-out tech person has absolutely no value to a company or a project.
As you can tell, I feel strongly about this. I’d be so exasperated at the manager and the team for allowing this situation to continue.
AnonymousMay 1,2023 at 8:36PM UTC
This could be me that wrote this. We have "a weak link" on the team and I end up doing things she cannot. Thing is, I would help her if she had humility and was a decent person (because we all have things we can learn or do better). She has and isn't those things. She is arrogant and acts offended if you point out wrong to her or offer to teach her the correct way. She has been protected for decades by a senior manager. Well, that senior manager is retiring this fall. If his successor is who I think it will be, she will no longer be tolerated, as he has no love for dead wood. In the meantime, I do not help her. I have a full plate and can easily say, "I don't have the bandwidth for that right now." This may not change things...but it keeps me from doing her work.
This situation is identical to that where you have a woman in an abusive relationship. Until she decides to take action, nothing you do will help, the perpetrator will be enabled and they both will end up resenting you for calling the situation out. Toxic positivity in the workplace helps no one! And unless the company outright asks for your opinion, don't give it, because culturally they can't process it.
Liz MilneMay 6,2023 at 4:45AM UTC
Find out what skills she actually does have and give her all those responsibilities instead?