The Trials and Tribulations of Starting a New Job During Quarantine

A New Style of Incompetence Gives Us a Whole New Way to Fail

More than ever, forces beyond your control determine your success or failure

I started reflecting on when I was a teacher. Could you imagine if your teacher in any class walked in and started the class, “Well, any questions?”

Do you think that will be a productive class? Do you think the students are in a place to know what to ask? Is the teacher considerate?

That’s what it was like starting my new job working from home during quarantine.

The company I went to work for was small. A tight-nit group of about 10 people who had worked closely together for at least a year. It became clear that they had not developed a strategy for working through the quarantine.

They were quick to praise their own methods and unable to see their own blind spots. I was sent various 30–100 page documents to read so I could “train myself.”

Guess what I’m thinking

Even though I realize that companies really don’t want to spend 1 minute training new employees, even though I know that companies in the same industry do things differently, and even though I have nearly 10 years’ experience at the job, this “train yourself” attitude struck me as particularly unwelcoming.

I think I was a good sport. I wasn’t about to point out how they were setting me up for failure. I knew that I was competent and would be able to pull through. I didn’t realize how egotistical some people are. There are people who are not open to the slightest hint of criticism. Even implying to my boss that I could use some general guidance earned me an exasperated, “I thought you knew how to do the job.”

I quickly learned not to ask my boss for anything. Unfortunately, I thrive on open communication between all team members. At my past position, when I was supervising, I made a special effort to make sure that everyone was on the same page, that everyone was included.

As it turns out, knowing better turns out to be more of a detriment. I was not in a position to give my boss advice on how to manage and lead his team. I would only come across as arrogant on top of being needy.

Questions unwelcome

I was passed off to another teammate to bring me up to speed. Our first meeting made me reflect back to when I was a teacher again. She was speeding through, speaking at a million miles an hour, flipping between tabs with various screen shares. She seemed to be in a hurry to get through the training as quickly as possible so she could check that box on her task list as completed. Mission accomplished.

I sat there speechless trying to focus on both her words and the screens that flashed in front of my face. Then, I started to drift off, reflecting on the techniques make an effective teacher. Slowing down, pausing, asking questions to make sure you are understood, giving your students time to take notes all came to mind.

I asked a couple questions when given the opportunity. That was a mistake. Any question I asked was chalked up to my potential inadequacy and/or incompetence. Asking her to slow down so I could take notes frustrated her. She obviously had a tight schedule that did not include getting outside of her own head and actually attempting to train the new guy.

The language I would use to describe her training would be “teacher oriented.” That isn’t what you’d want to hear from an observer in your classroom. You want to create an engaging student-centered lesson, involving your students in their learning.

However, I realized again that I, the new guy, was not there to teach her how to teach. Unfortunately, I was there to learn. I was to learn without asking questions, or taking notes, or being given the time to absorb the information being thrown at me rapid fire.

How could I, without asking questions, without face-to-face interactions in a proper office, figure out what this company wanted from me and how to perform at my job adequately?

It’s over before I begin

Unfortunately, I could see my short future with this company unfolding before me. I would be invalidated, my ability to perform the tasks of my position constantly questioned. I saw that due to the organizational structure and the main characters I was supposed to rely upon that I would never be seen as competent and capable of doing my job.

That frustrated me as I have more experience than this second person who was supposedly training me. However, she was my “superior”. Again. It’s strange how many inferior superiors I have had in the workplace. It’s also strange that I build up skills that are supposedly valued, like communicative ability, just to have that skill immediately discarded by people like these.

Being mindful and aware of the people in your surroundings as well as the ability to reflect, stepping outside of yourself setting aside your ego to look at a situation from another point of view, supposed “soft skills”, are sorely lacking in the workplace.

I’m not sure that most companies know what I am talking about. I don’t get hired by companies that know these simple things for some odd reason. I get hired by companies that look at me as if I’m green if I bring up basic ideas like these.

This is going on your permanent record

Smacked down by my boss, I had no choice but to turn to this second person with my questions. Due to her inexperience and her desire to prove herself, she was quick to question my abilities. She assumed that every question I asked was a reflection my total knowledge in the field, which quickly got her to brand me as incompetent.

Having more experience across various companies was a detriment. She had only worked for this one company and was unaware that there could possibly be more than one way to do things.

Even worse, every question I asked her, she cc’ed my boss when answering. Every minor question I asked got put into my permanent file. I had been at the job for only 3–4 days at this time.

I hate to point out the obvious larger picture here. I don’t like to point out the absurdity of egotistical stubborn people going out of their way because of their assumptions to prove to themselves that I couldn’t’ do the job. It’s insane. How can these people believe their bullshit? Can’t they see they are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy? Can’t they see their part in this production?

I’m here to document your incompetency

It wasn’t long after that that everyone on the team was tasked with two additional weekly reports, thanks to my ineptitude. Everyone now was required to report twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, what they had accomplished that week.

There were several qualifications, however, as to what was considered a work task. The boss only wanted to hear about specific activities while discarding about half the tasks that make up the job. This became a fruitless feedback loop because these two people are the ones who assign the tasks to begin with.

Naturally, the first week of reporting, I had nothing to report because I wasn’t assigned any of the tasks he wanted included on the report. In fact, the tasks they had assigned me on that Monday morning were all of the variety he specifically said he did not want included on the twice-weekly task list.

It looked like an amateur attempt to set me up to be fired. I was less than two weeks on the job. Apparently, they hadn’t heard about the studies showing how companies are at fault in situations like these.

At my last job, I was in a Director position. I supervised 25–30 employees. Here, I was watching Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum screw up on some of the most basic elements of project management without being able to tell them. My experience and knowledge here would be most unwelcome.

Who the hell are you?

It doesn’t help that I have never seen the faces of any of my coworkers. Even though we have three regular weekly team meetings, the cameras are always off. Another feature of my new job is that the Monday meeting is held using a software program that requires me and everyone else to be late. It’s a 9 a.m. meeting that does not allow people into the conference room at 8:59 a.m.

There is nothing I can do about that, either. I am required first thing every Monday morning to show my rebellious “fuck you” attitude by being late for the first meeting every week.

Oh, will you look at the time. I didn’t realize that I’ve already written so much. As is usual in cases like this, I have a lot more material. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Companies need to at least give their new employees a chance. They could try communicating with them before creating a personnel file. Especially under Covid-19 quarantine circumstances.

You don’t know the extent of the damage done

This situation really ticks me off because I tried. I came in with a happy, go getter positive attitude. I wore a huge dorky smile on my face the entire first day at the job. By the second day I had that boot securely placed on my neck killing my motivation and happiness.

I tired to be transparent and keep communications open and honest, including all relevant stakeholders as necessary. I didn’t know that I was working for insecure people who expect the worst then go about forcing the worst to become true.

It’s situations like these when my eventual punishment, and potentially a year of unemployment before getting another job really stings. I do not deserve my eventual termination. I am working for insecure, younger people with less skills and less experience than me. They don’t recognize what they are doing. They are the ones winging it where I have actual experience and skill. Why should I be the one who has to suffer?

America has wasted enough of my talent and ambition already. It would be nice if, for once in my life, I could go to work for a company that knows all this. You’d be surprised (I think?) how few companies actually do.

I expect to be bitter for a very, very long time

I’ll likely be dead and gone by the time the effects of this idiocy come back around to smack corporate America in the buttocks, so I am not concerned for myself, but I am deeply concerned for the future of a country that operates like this.

What a tragic waste of human potential is occurring daily in corporate America as the talented and competent are sacrificed at the altar of mediocrity by self-serving, self-destructive, egotistical idiots. Something has got to give. This farce is unsustainable.

It was about 20 years ago when America threw away critical thinking skills and shut off their ears. May I be so presumptuous to suggest we reinstate these abilities to their former place of value and prominence? I think it would help, but what do I know? It’s hard to tell with everyone assuming and no one asking.