Didn’t Survive His Apprentices***

Me: “Hey, can you pass [report], please?”

Apprentice: “No.”

Me: “Sorry?”

Apprentice: “I said no. You always get me to do stuff around here.”

Me: “Yeah, it’s called your job.”

Apprentice: “Well, I, err… I want to be doing other stuff, interesting stuff.”

Me: “You know what? I will get the report myself.”

I walk around to his desk, and he knocks the report to the floor.

Me: “Real mature.”

It’s only a small office, so everyone notices. People stop talking to the apprentice, and he eventually goes for a break and doesn’t come back. It gets late in the afternoon and I have forgotten about it, until the boss comes into the office and addresses us.

Boss: “I’ve had a phone call from [Apprentice]’s dad, claiming that he’s being bullied and that we are not giving his son any actual, meaningful work. Does anyone want to explain?”

The office is a bit tense and no one wants to say anything. Out of the blue, an older woman, the sort of grandma type — she actually bakes cookies and brings them in — speaks up.

Coworker: “He’s a lazy little s***. He’s rude, arrogant, and doesn’t want to be here. Don’t bring him back, [Boss].”

Boss: “Okay. I, err… Well, I will certainly pass on that message.”

True to his word, he did, and the apprentice never came back. We eventually took on another who was great and stayed on for years afterward.