Under the Bus

Every now and then, something happens in a workplace, and there's someone who tries to throw a co-worker "under the bus" to make themselves look good.  I realize that in a workplace world, everyone wants to look good in their performance, but what does it say when you're the person who gets thrown under the bus because someone else did something wrong?

I've chatted about my co-worker off and on again, and he's ... something.  Recently reprimanded for something he did incorrectly, he appealed to upper management to get the reprimand overturned.  And for some reason, dragged my name into the whole mess, even though I wasn't working at the time of the incident.

Every corporation has some sort of written guide for job performance.  Sometimes it seems the bigger the corporation, the more guides there are!  And that's certainly true for my own BigBox.  There are detailed guides for dealing with situations that include working with items that may contain hazardous chemicals (pool chlorine, gasoline, nail polish remover), and employees are expected to follow those rules.  We are given information then tested on that information yearly, making sure our knowledge is up to date.  Especially if it's a part of your daily routines.

There's nothing worse than having upper management pull you into a closed door interview, being asked questions.  (For me, personally, situations like this tend to aggravate my BAM and I end up in the bathroom!)  Answering honestly is always the best policy, and of course, citing the fact that when in doubt, it's our job to check the guide and make sure we're following procedure.  With no clue what my co-worker told upper management, I just answered honestly to what was asked.  I gave my opinion at the end of the interview, and now it's in someone else's hands.

I've been working in my same position for nearly 9 years now, and most times, enjoy the work that I do.  I just don't deal well with the people.  As you get older, you realize certain things.  Many years ago, I thought that most people were brought up (like me) and thought (like me) that there was only one way to do things:  the right way.  Much to my shock! and amazement! there are some who get by in life doing as little as possible, in as many shortcut ways as possible, and thinking that it's OK.

That's not me.
Never will be.