Just want to vent. I'm wondering if other admins also talk to thick people in their daily work, meaning people who are really obtuse or dumb. If so how do you cope with it? I find they twist the simplest of words into something beyond comprehension and it's so difficult getting information across.

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Yep! I’ll vent with you as it’s been one of those days! Had an admin that was not part of my team but had to liaise with my team on certain types of work that crossed over. She was dumber than a box of rocks. Her partners would complain to me about her work all the time and ask me to help with things that were her job and not things my team did. My leader, who was also her leader, would constantly ask me to “spend some one on one time to help her get up to speed.” Trying to train her was painful because you could tell her, show her, write things down with screen shots, create video tutorials, and she still would struggle with the simplest of tasks. After 7 YEARS of dealing with her incompetence, my team eventually refused to work with her anymore because she couldn’t follow the simplest of instructions and would try to shuffle all her work off on them. Ironically, there were layoffs last month, and guess who got let go and who kept their job? That’s right…she is still employed and I’m out of work all because she “costs less” than I do (even though I generate revenue in my role and she doesn’t). Her partners, who had no say in who was let go, have been reaching out to me asking what happened, saying they wish I was still there and not her, and asking how can they help me find another job. 🤦‍♀️

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I feel for you and I can see how I might end up in the same boat. I am well paid for what I do and live in a hike cost of living area. The company has lowered their standards for administrative positions so I know I am appreciated by those who I work closely with, I can see how somebody who is just a number cruncher will say we need to get rid of this one because we’re spending so much money on her and we can get someone with less experience for less money. Maybe it’s time to change careers and go into underwater basket weaving. I can charge thousands of dollars for presentations at executive retreats! 😂

funny

Oh yeah, I talk to some real boneheads on a regular basis. But what really gets me are some of the people I have to email with. They make grammatical errors that make me wonder how they got through middle school. I have a theory that some companies will purposely hire stupid people because they'll do what they're told. I have yet to be disabused of that concept!

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Yes I agree they do want order takers. But sometimes I wonder, like wow, maybe these leaders are just as dumb. The personality hires at least have social skills and use them to their ends but when you have to work with people that are as dumb as a noodle it's beyond me. I wonder if it mostly happens in our field

My problem is talking to people who don't want to hear the truth. They want to hear the "nice" version of the truth. The nice version of the truth is: Yes, I can multitask. The real truth, medicine has proven humanity can't multitask like a computer. I have the personality of "Don't ask the question of you don't want to know the answer." Do I know how to use how to use MS Office Suite? Yes I do, I also know 5 or 6 other office suites. Us Admin. Assistants know a lot in how to use different software and techniques because of our jobs. But every time we get a new job it's like we have to mentally contourt ourselves for it. We don't get the respect we deserve.

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Do you think that these people are stupid or that they do not have clear life or professional goals?

Thank goodness I thought it was just me! Don't have any good tips to navigate it beyond having someone outside of work to have a good rant to

Only those of use who have done this job can understand the rant. Believe me, we understand.

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