“Easy” Doesn’t Always Mean “Right”

[Coworker #1] has worked here for years. Everyone goes to him for how to do things. But after properly looking into it, it becomes apparent that [Coworker #1] is only doing things the fast way, not the right way. While it gets things done, it causes huge delays for others later down the line.

[Coworker #1], however, is completely in denial. He knows best and everyone who tells him differently just needs to listen to him.

I walk in halfway through him telling a story

Coworker #1: “So, I tell him, ‘That’s the way I’ve been doing it since before you even started.’”

Coworker #2: “What did he say?”

Coworker #1: “Oh, something about the new process being better. But what does he know?!”

Coworker #2: “Yeah, some manager comes in and tries to change everything. He should do the job himself for a while and learn it himself!”

Me: “You’re not talking about the customer requests, are you?”

Coworker #1: “Oh, has he had a go at you, as well?”

Me: “No, I’ve spent the last three days going through each of them and setting up their contact details.”

Coworker #1: “Sounds like a waste of time to me.”

Me: “It’s a waste of everyone’s time. That’s why he’s asking you to spend two seconds filling out the system properly. It takes us hours to go back and fix things.”

Coworker #1: “Well, if it’s such a problem, why hasn’t anyone said anything before now?”

Me: “The sales team used to spend hours every day messing around trying to find the info and not selling.”

Coworker #1: “Well, let them. They get paid enough.”

Me: “They get paid to sell, to make the company money, not do your job for you — nor do I.”

Coworker #1: “I’ve been doing it this way for years, and I’m not changing anything!”

Three weeks later, [Coworker #1] was pulled into Human Resources as he constantly ignored his manager’s instructions. He was told to do it the right way or be disciplined. He still tried to get away with doing it his way and was given some unpaid time off work to consider his position at the company.

A few months later, everyone was doing it to process and the sales guys had the time to actually sell and did show more sales.