Most people that I know believe Information Technology (IT) has nothing to do with people. They think it is only about computers and networking, with very little human interaction. Having been in IT myself for many years, I can tell you that is not the case. IT doesn't exist in a vacuum. The needs and wants of people are what drive IT. We don't put data centers together because they are shiny and cool, we do it because they serve the needs of a lot of people. Unfortunately, most people suck.
Most people aren't brave enough to say that people suck. They can't say it to others, and might even deny it to themselves. I can somewhat understand where they are coming from. It's not very good business to go around saying your clients suck, or your boss sucks, or even the coworkers at your company suck. It bruises egos, hurts working relationships, and costs business. But that doesn't change the fact that, by and large, it's true. People need to face up to the fact that they suck, so they can perhaps grow and get past it. Sometimes there are complicating factors, like nepotism.
Here is a real-world example: An office manager hires one of her own children to do some simple task. They manage to be "good enough" for the task, but their performance is never exceptional. Honestly, it often fails to make the grade, but the poor performance is seldom corrected and never punished. Eventually the sub-standard employee-relation is rewarded with a full time job position, including benefits. In fact, their pay and benefits exceed that of the other employees that are professionals in the field and have been with the company for a lot longer. On top of that, they are given very few additional duties beyond that one simple task they were originally assigned.
As a full time employee, they do not shine. They come to work late, take lots of personal time off, and leave early whenever they feel like it. It appears they do not need to account for their time the way everyone else is expected to. They wander around the place of business, doing inconsequential things, socializing, or hanging out in their mother's office. They pull other employees away from their duties to discuss trivial matters.
That all sucks, but I don't blame the employee-relation in this. It's the office manager that sucks. The office manager created the suck out of thin air through nepotism. The new employee was given a false-sense of the value of their work, and was taught that aiming low comes with big rewards. They learned they can get away with behavior that others would be terminated for, and there are no consequences for wasting time and resources.
At the same time, the other employees were learning, too. They learned that their skills and dedication to the company aren't appreciated. They may have learned that, as far as their jobs are concerned, they are expendable. If not, they are certainly replaceable by anyone they company sees as less expensive. The "good enough" standard has diminished the effect of pride in one's own performance. There is no reason to set high standards and work hard when poor performance will be rewarded instead.
So, to that nepotistic office manager: You suck. Cut it out. Stop doing these things. You're not helping anyone, and you are hurting everyone. It's not really so much about you hiring your kid as it is giving them preferential treatment. Of course, if you applied fair treatment to all your employees, you probably wouldn't have hired this person in the first place. Would you? Honestly, no, you wouldn't have, and you know it. Step up. Do the right thing. Just say no to suck.
But I know tomorrow isn't going to bring swift changes. You probably aren't going to change anything, even if you agree with everything I said. It's easier to just keep on. And that is the real reason why you suck.
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