Dealing with Clueless People: My Frustrating Experience

In summary: The "Cargo Cult" people are those who are uninformed and need help with using the circuit pricing system. The solution is to provide them with a checklist to follow so they are not overwhelmed and can understand the system.
  • #1
Evo
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I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless. A girl I work with is constantly coming to me for help with using the circuit pricing system. I have walked her through the same process probably 50 times, seriously.

Yesterday she insisted I show her "one more time". She had already started a quote, but couldn't figure it out. The quote was listed by the company name which started with a "P". She opens page "1" these are customer names starting with "A". Then she clicks on page "2", these are customer's starting with "C", then she clicks on page "3" AARRGGHHH. Ok, you have 10 pages of quotes listed alphabetically, you might want to try page 8 or 9. She clicked on every page one at a time looking for it.

Sorry, I just had to rant. I have no door on my cubicle and I'm supposed to help people, but dear god, there is a limit.

I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?
 
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  • #2
Evo said:
I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?

Institute an IQ test criterion for hiring.
 
  • #3
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless.
What do you mean?
 
  • #4
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless. A girl I work with is constantly coming to me for help with using the circuit pricing system. I have walked her through the same process probably 50 times, seriously.

Yesterday she insisted I show her "one more time". She had already started a quote, but couldn't figure it out. The quote was listed by the company name which started with a "P". She opens page "1" these are customer names starting with "A". Then she clicks on page "2", these are customer's starting with "C", then she clicks on page "3" AARRGGHHH. Ok, you have 10 pages of quotes listed alphabetically, you might want to try page 8 or 9. She clicked on every page one at a time looking for it.

Sorry, I just had to rant. I have no door on my cubicle and I'm supposed to help people, but dear god, there is a limit.
You have my condolensces.

Evo said:
How do you deal with people like this?
I tend to avoid people like this. My company would not hire such people.

I work alone, except when visiting the main corporate office or clients' sites.

At my previous company, we did have nut-case, who did not get it. We pretty much left him alone, but I did have to occasionally deal with him when he stood in the doorway and stare into my office, that is when he wasn't pacing the back and forth in the hallway outside my office. :rolleyes:
FredGarvin said:
What do you mean?
:rofl:
 
  • #5
You wind them up until they get soo fed up that they don't talk to you again. I did that on friday and the guy still hasnt talked to me and we work on ramps that are next to each other.
 
  • #6
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless. A girl I work with is constantly coming to me for help with using the circuit pricing system. I have walked her through the same process probably 50 times, seriously.

Yesterday she insisted I show her "one more time". She had already started a quote, but couldn't figure it out. The quote was listed by the company name which started with a "P". She opens page "1" these are customer names starting with "A". Then she clicks on page "2", these are customer's starting with "C", then she clicks on page "3" AARRGGHHH. Ok, you have 10 pages of quotes listed alphabetically, you might want to try page 8 or 9. She clicked on every page one at a time looking for it.

Sorry, I just had to rant. I have no door on my cubicle and I'm supposed to help people, but dear god, there is a limit.

I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?
Do you mean the "Cargo Cult" people? The ones that need a detailed ritual to perform because they have no idea how the system works, why they do what they do, and no idea what happens if they deviate from the ritual they perform.

You write a detailed checklist they can follow and pray nothing ever happens to disrupt the routine. That never actually works, of course.

I used to work space surveillance and we had a person on crew who analyzed the shape and attitude of the objects we tracked. One night, he came on crew, followed his checklist to the letter, and found nothing at all unordinary that every object we tracked had the exact same shape and each object was incredibly stable (i.e. - he had flat lines across the screen for every object he analyzed for 8 hours straight - this is equivalent to driving 8 hours straight and not noticing that your speed and the scenery haven't changed). He worked an entire 8 hour shift without realizing his console wasn't working. When they send people like that to you for corrective training, you're tempted to ask, "Can I use a bat?"
 
  • #7
BobG said:
this is equivalent to driving 8 hours straight and not noticing that your speed and the scenery haven't changed

Have you ever driven across western Texas? :rolleyes:
 
  • #8
BobG said:
Do you mean the "Cargo Cult" people? The ones that need a detailed ritual to perform because they have no idea how the system works, why they do what they do, and no idea what happens if they deviate from the ritual they perform.

You write a detailed checklist they can follow and pray nothing ever happens to disrupt the routine. That never actually works, of course.
This reminds me of a guy I worked with in New Jersey. He didn't last very long. When you first turn on your work computer, there is a statement saying that access to the systems are restricted to authorized users only. He would call out "it's telling me again I'm not authorized to use this". Oy.

He worked an entire 8 hour shift without realizing his console wasn't working. When they send people like that to you for corrective training, you're tempted to ask, "Can I use a bat?"
It's mind boggling. :bugeye: How do these people get hired?
 
  • #9
jtbell said:
Have you ever driven across western Texas? :rolleyes:
:rofl: :biggrin:
 
  • #10
BobG said:
Do you mean the "Cargo Cult" people? The ones that need a detailed ritual to perform because they have no idea how the system works, why they do what they do, and no idea what happens if they deviate from the ritual they perform.

That sounds like my mom on the computer. She insists that she needs to write everything down and when she does it enough times she will remember it and it will all be fine. If I worked like that I wouldn't be past second grade. Memory is great, but there's a limit...
 
  • #11
jtbell said:
Have you ever driven across western Texas? :rolleyes:
Oh yeah - from SA to EP - as fast as possible. Time - less than 7 hrs - probably closer to 6. Passed every car.
 
  • #12
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless... How do you deal with people like this?
And all these people are allowed to vote. That's what bothers me most.
 
  • #13
Chi Meson said:
And all these people are allowed to vote. That's what bothers me most.

Atleast, you're lucky that they aren't the ones who you're supposed to vote for.
 
  • #14
siddharth said:
Atleast, you're lucky that they aren't the ones who you're supposed to vote for.
Unfortunately in some cases they are. :rolleyes:
 
  • #15
Evo said:
I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?
For situations like this, I write a crib sheet out for the person as I'm explaining it. Then I leave the crib sheet with them. If they come ask for help on the same thing again, I ask to see the crib sheet, and have them use it while I watch. Once or twice is usually enough to get them doing it on their own.

But I do know what you mean, though. Reminds me of the guy who used to re-type URLs that people sent him into his IE address bar -- even the *really* loooong ones! When I showed him how to Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V copy/paste the URL text into the address bar, he was dumbfounded. :rolleyes:
 
  • #16
Astronuc said:
Unfortunately in some cases they are. :rolleyes:

Yes, that's the situation I'm facing.
 
  • #17
Threads like this make me hate humanity even more :cry:
 
  • #18
berkeman said:
For situations like this, I write a crib sheet out for the person as I'm explaining it. Then I leave the crib sheet with them. If they come ask for help on the same thing again, I ask to see the crib sheet, and have them use it while I watch. Once or twice is usually enough to get them doing it on their own.
Unfortunately, you have to first understand what you're trying to price before you can use the system.

Me: What are you trying to price?

her: He said he wants black fiber.

Me: You mean dark fiber? We no longer sell it.

Her:Oh, or an OC12

Me:An OC12 to what?

her:I don't know, he says he wants to buy 6 strands off it.

Me:We don't do that. Did you ask him what he's trying to do?

her: No, I guess I should have, I was just so confused. Can you talk to him?

This is typical of every conversation. :grumpy:
 
  • #19
Wow. Now I'm really starting to feel your pain. That kind of person wouldn't last very long here at my work. Time for a little hire/fire action, isn't it? You're not working in France, right?


(EDIT -- oops, er, no offense to the French.)
 
  • #20
Evo said:
How do these people get hired?
hmm..possibly there are just fine for they job they are hired for, but then the Peter Principle kicks in when they get promoted?

Your first post about the woman navigating through the last names in the system reminds me of some of the things I see at work. (Sometimes I have to go out and troubleshoot so I have to watch what people are doing at their workstations.) For instance, I have seen more than one person create his/her capital letters when typing by first pressing Capslock, typing the letter, pressing Capslock again, and then proceeding.:bugeye:
 
  • #21
Math Is Hard said:
Your first post about the woman navigating through the last names in the system reminds me of some of the things I see at work. (Sometimes I have to go out and troubleshoot so I have to watch what people are doing at their workstations.) For instance, I have seen more than one person create his/her capital letters when typing by first pressing Capslock, typing the letter, pressing Capslock again, and then proceeding.:bugeye:
I can definitely feel your pain. This week, I've been running an experiment that's pretty complicated, but I've been giving people some easy tasks to help out, because I can't physically be in two places at once (unless one of you physicists wants to tell me about some fantastic discovery you haven't revealed yet). The task is simple...watch the collection tubing, make sure it doesn't get clogged, and watch the test tubes on the fraction collector to make sure the right one is in the right place at the right time. If anything, it's tediously boring, but not hard. For the first two days, every time I got a chance to walk back into the other room, it seemed the arm on the fraction collector was in the wrong position (it catches on the tubes...I know this, I explained this to the help, it needs to be repaired, but we didn't have the luxury of sending it for repair before needing it). Then, it seems one post-doc (a post-doc, not even an undergrad or tech, but someone who has actually managed to obtain a PhD) cannot troubleshoot ANYTHING. Every time there was a clog in the line, she comes running to get me to fix it. By the time she gets to the room I am and tells me and I get to the room it's in, we've missed 3 samples, not to mention however many were missed while she's staring at the clogged line deciding it's clogged. It's not a very challenging set-up to fix...check each connection one-by-one, and when you open the one up that let's everything flow again, change the connector to one that isn't clogged. :rolleyes: She's now watched me do this I don't know how many times, yet still can't seem to just do this herself. :grumpy:
 
  • #22
Math Is Hard said:
For instance, I have seen more than one person create his/her capital letters when typing by first pressing Capslock, typing the letter, pressing Capslock again, and then proceeding.:bugeye:
I presume they use Caplocks rather than the Shift key to do a single capital letter. Caplocks would be appropriate for a TITLE of other STRING of capital letters. On the other hand, I tend to use the Shift key, holding it with my pinky while typing ALL CAPS.

I sometimes get some strange questions regarding Word (or other Word/Text Processors) and Excel - from people who are supposedly trained. :rolleyes:
 
  • #23
You should put a panic button on her keyboard and tell her if she presses it someone will come shortly to help her. It may take a few times, but eventually she'll get the message when no one ever shows up.
 
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  • #24
Moonbear said:
It's not a very challenging set-up to fix...check each connection one-by-one, and when you open the one up that let's everything flow again, change the connector to one that isn't clogged. :rolleyes: She's now watched me do this I don't know how many times, yet still can't seem to just do this herself. :grumpy:
That's amazing. Seems like something even a workstudy assistant would be able to handle.
Astronuc said:
I presume they use Caplocks rather than the Shift key to do a single capital letter.
That's exactly what I mean.
You should put a panic button on her keyboard and tell her if she presses it someone will come shortly to help her. It may take a few times, but eventually she'll get the message when no one ever shows up.
:rofl: Almost as much fun as convincing them the new printer/fax/copier is voice-activated. :biggrin:
 
  • #25
Buy her a "Dummies Guide to . . . ." and see if she gets it. :rofl:

Maybe she won't, but you can still have a good laugh.
 
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  • #26
I have no idea what anyone is talking about.
This thread is about polticans it should move to P&WA
 
  • #27
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless. A girl I work with is constantly coming to me for help with using the circuit pricing system. I have walked her through the same process probably 50 times, seriously.

Yesterday she insisted I show her "one more time". She had already started a quote, but couldn't figure it out. The quote was listed by the company name which started with a "P". She opens page "1" these are customer names starting with "A". Then she clicks on page "2", these are customer's starting with "C", then she clicks on page "3" AARRGGHHH. Ok, you have 10 pages of quotes listed alphabetically, you might want to try page 8 or 9. She clicked on every page one at a time looking for it.

Sorry, I just had to rant. I have no door on my cubicle and I'm supposed to help people, but dear god, there is a limit.

I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?

Now, imagine having to teach a whole semester of physics to some people like that...

Do you feel better now?
:wink:
 
  • #28
nrqed said:
Now, imagine having to teach a whole semester of physics to some people like that...

Do you feel better now?
:wink:
I could NEVER teach. Every person that has been assigned to me to mentor, I've fired. My boss said he wasn't going to assign anymore to me (he was joking) he gives them to me to give the thumbs up or down.
 
  • #29
Evo is the new decider.
 
  • #30
Math Is Hard said:
:rofl: Almost as much fun as convincing them the new printer/fax/copier is voice-activated. :biggrin:
That sounds as fun as convincing the new 2nd leuitenants that their monitor could be turned on and off by clapping.

The officer on the crew was supposed to monitor the commands one of his crew members sent to the satellite, however, occasionally the commands being sent to the satellite were classified. Since the feed to the officer's monitor also went to a physically separated room for engineers, there was no way for the crew to know who was watching the monitor. The crew member sending the commands to the satellite would disable the feed when he had to and the officer was supposed to walk over and watch over the crew members shoulder.

Of course, the most common use of the switch was to get the newbie to spend his entire first mid shift clapping (amazing how even the slightest noise could turn the darn thing off, but it was so much trouble getting it to turn on) :rofl:

And then, of course, around the vernal equinox or autumnal equinox, you had to explain to the new guys that the reason the solar arrays on the satellite weren't generating any power was because it was a cloudy day, to which way too many would respond, "Oh, duh! That should have been obvious". (There are no clouds in space - because of the Earth's tilt, you just don't get the Earth between the satellite and Sun very often.)
 
  • #31
Moonbear said:
She's now watched me do this I don't know how many times, yet still can't seem to just do this herself. :grumpy:
Have you considered you watching her do it?
 
  • #32
Evo said:
I just can't understand how some people can be so clueless. A girl I work with is constantly coming to me for help with using the circuit pricing system. I have walked her through the same process probably 50 times, seriously.

Yesterday she insisted I show her "one more time". She had already started a quote, but couldn't figure it out. The quote was listed by the company name which started with a "P". She opens page "1" these are customer names starting with "A". Then she clicks on page "2", these are customer's starting with "C", then she clicks on page "3" AARRGGHHH. Ok, you have 10 pages of quotes listed alphabetically, you might want to try page 8 or 9. She clicked on every page one at a time looking for it.

Sorry, I just had to rant. I have no door on my cubicle and I'm supposed to help people, but dear god, there is a limit.

I guess we are all surrounded by these people, I'm just NOT a patient person. How do you deal with people like this?
That girl reminds me of myself...:frown:
 
  • #33
Evo said:
This reminds me of a guy I worked with in New Jersey. He didn't last very long. When you first turn on your work computer, there is a statement saying that access to the systems are restricted to authorized users only. He would call out "it's telling me again I'm not authorized to use this". Oy.
Things like that make me nervous. I feel like big brother is watching over me. Like when you pop a VCR in and get a message telling you the video has been specially formatted to fit on your TV screen. How is it that they always know what size your TV screen is? :confused:
 
  • #34
An appropriate quote,

They only taught me to think outside of the box. I'm not trained for circles. :rofl:

from a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen (www.glasbergen.com)[/URL].
 
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  • #35
The kind of clueless people I hate are those that are senior to me :grumpy:...any other clueless people are idiots for sure, but when all hell is breaking lose and I have to figure out what is causing my nightmares; the stupid questions asked by my *supervisor* designed not to rule out certain possibities, but instead to clarify for him yet again what it is that isn't working, and why it isn't working (as though I'm just pretending I don't know what's screwing everything up yet) just to feed his curiosity and make him look all supervisor-like...really really p*ss me off!...It's even worse when if I know that the consequences of not solving the problem will be really costly, get me a severe bollocking and he just tells me to calm down

he's no longer my supervisor anymore because I left that job
 
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