The guy I work with called out b/c of insomnia

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

I've had bouts of it, as we all have, and I can empathize. The thing is, I'd have more pity for him if he was getting 1 or 2 hours a night. But he can't seem to function on 5 the hours of sleep he gets a night. Really? REALLY? I understand that we're proofreaders and we need to be able to focus but it's not like we're working for NORAD.

The thing that really pisses me off is that he's taking the week off (albeit unpaid) during our uber busy time so now I have to do most of the work. But God forbid someone brings something to be proofread to our workspace at exactly 3 o'clock when I start my shift. I don't even get to settle in and he says, "Here, you do it." I don't even have my own desk! He pulled that shit with me last week when I had no place to sit (they're doing renovations and I share a desk with the person who works 1st shift; she was still there) and he says, "Sit at my desk. I'm going to stretch my legs." I looked at him and said, "You've got to be kidding!" Later he said that he had done the last 5 jobs b/c the other proofreader wasn't pulling her weight. And this is MY problem?

And God forbid if I'm working on something that takes away from proofreading (read as: I'm working on a project that HE wasn't asked to work on), he'll say to me, "Are you almost done with that? I really don't want to stay passed 8 o'clock" so I have to put what I'm doing aside and work on a proofreading job that MIGHT get in the way of him leaving on time. It's not like we don't get paid for staying late.

He complains that the other proofreader doesn't pull her weight and gets mad when she's looking at say, the new insurance carrier info for open enrollment. At first. he was indignant b/c he was a temp and didn't have insurance. Well, you know what? He got hired and now he pulls the same shit with me. He'll take an hour to look at insurance stuff and not think twice about it. I'm still a temp and sometimes he tries to act like my supervisor. I quickly put an end to that.

Oh crap, I'm late for work; another shiteously busy day at work.

[A.J.]

I would tell him that you can't do his work as you're taking take off time to deal with your own disabilities:

"Carpal tunnel syndrome"? "Lumber lung"? "Juggler's despair"? "Achy breaky pelvis"?

http://www.duffzone.org/framegrabs/3f05/11152002180215.jpg

[Bellyfullasnot]

I completely understand your frustration towards a coworker that is not doing their share. Is it possible the out for a week due to insomnia was a white lie to hide a more serious matter? Either way, a weeks worth of extra workload is hard on a team, but maybe the coworker is dealing with another matter and wants to keep it private.

I went through a bout of depression ten years ago and I wish I could have kept it private from coworkers. I worked for a small company and we were all very close. Everybody knew my biz, and I was embarassed (sp) for months when I came back.

[hurlmon]

If all goes right your employer sees that he isn't a team player by taking the time off when everyone is so busy. They he's gone, your no longer a temp and get to pick your own insurance.

[Neckbeard]

Is 5 hours anight really "insomnia?" I thought it meant you were barely getting any or even no sleep at all.

[Thebazile78]

Fuzzy-P, I feel your pain.

Of course my story is a bit worse: the last person I worked with who tried to pawn their work off on me like that is now a manager. (For another team, true, but still.)

Publishing is an evil, evil, evil industry.

BTW, I don't buy the "insomnia" thing. Many people can function on 5 hours of sleep. (I can't, but it doesn't keep me home from work.)

[Neckbeard]

Yeah, anything less than 6 hours and I'm a zombie, so I agree 5 hours can be brutal, but I don't think that's insomnia. I could easily be wrong, but I thought it wasn't until you were under 4 hours a night where you were truly being deprived of any kind of significant rest.

[grlNIN]

I would also say that it has to be consecutively. Not just 5 hours every other night, yeah that sucks but i'm pretty sure that you could solve that with over the counter medicines.

5 hours is not a lot of sleep(personally) but i thought insomnia was 1-2 hours A night if not every other, etc.

Next time he asks you to do his work tell him you have the best cure-all for his insomnia, youll personally knock his fuckin' lights out.

[NortonRules]

My coworker is perfectly healthy and still doesn't do shit.

[Death Metal Moe]

Is 5 hours anight really "insomnia?" I thought it meant you were barely getting any or even no sleep at all.

I usually get between 5 and 6 hours of sleep per night during the week and I get a little more on the weekends.

This guy is a big pussy.

[ralphbxny]

I have no sympathy for your co worker Fuzzy. I get between 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. No one cares. Buck up is what I say. Its like the people who complain to me about the snow when your in the snow storm with them Suck it up we all have to deal with the same shit.

I will get off my soap box now.

[Death Metal Moe]

I have no sympathy for your co worker Fuzzy. I get between 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. No one cares. Buck up is what I say. Its like the people who complain to me about the snow when your in the snow storm with them Suck it up we all have to deal with the same shit.

I will get off my soap box now.

Oh CHRIST do those people get on my nerves.

Oh, you wanna go home or not even come in because of the snow? Well that's OK, you are obviously the only fucking person in the area who has to shovel anything or risk their lives on the road.

Assholes.

[Freakshow]

I would tell him that you can't do his work as you're taking take off time to deal with your own disabilities:

"Carpal tunnel syndrome"? "Lumber lung"? "Juggler's despair"? "Achy breaky pelvis"?

http://www.duffzone.org/framegrabs/3f05/11152002180215.jpg

He's then just going to grab his belly and moan 'ow. my ovaries.'

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k203/petrina_02/machinist1.jpg


He was actually in yesterday, which completely surprised me since the weather was so crappy out.

"I was finding that staying home to catch up on sleep wasn't really working. Normally I'll lie on the couch and take a nap but I can't even do that. I get 5 or 6 hours of sleep if I take Klonopin but it's not restful. I have an appointment with a sleep clinic."

I swear to God I am not making that up.

And he won't shut up about it. People come up to him and ask him how he's feeling and he gives the same damn spiel. So that say, "How about Ambien?" And he says, "Sleeping pills don't work. I'll sleep but then I'm up at 5 or 6 in the morning." And he won't drink coffee because he's sensitive to caffeine.

I wish he'd just shut the fuck up. He looks like a real pussy to the Union guys, too. I mean, at least LIE about it and say you're getting 2 hours a sleep a night. Don't bitch to the guys who are actually running the print shop that you're only get 5 or 6 hours a sleep when they're there working a double shift because people called out due to the bad weather!

[A.J.]

I get 5 or 6 hours of sleep if I take Klonopin but it's not restful.

I'll sleep but then I'm up at 5 or 6 in the morning."

Pfft. Welcome to MY world.

[walking joint]

is 5 to 6 hours a night considered Insomnia? i never get more then 6 hours. i'm up for work at 4:45 and really can't get to bed until about 10:30-11:00. by the time my son is asleep i need a few hours to do some things. and my sleep time is never a straight sleep either. i'm always waking up looking at the clock. i just figured it was normal, minus an hour or two most people with good work hours get.

[FUNKMAN]

next time he asks you to do his work tell him " you'll sleep on it " and then giggle

or you can say " in your dreams " and follow up with " oh that's right, you don't have any "

[Bob Impact]

is 5 to 6 hours a night considered Insomnia? i never get more then 6 hours. i'm up for work at 4:45 and really can't get to bed until about 10:30-11:00. by the time my son is asleep i need a few hours to do some things. and my sleep time is never a straight sleep either. i'm always waking up looking at the clock. i just figured it was normal, minus an hour or two most people with good work hours get.

As I understand it, yes, if it's chronic. It also depends on the person. He could have what is called a Circadian Rhythm disorder, which is when you have trouble getting to sleep, but have a normal sleep pattern once you go down. He could have simply have poor sleep quality. More likely is the fact that he's a fuckin baby.

I have zero sympathy. I've been an insomniac most of my life and it's a pet peeve of mine when people complain that 5-6 hours isn't enough. Tell me that when you've gotten 3 hours in 6 days. Klonopin is a benzodiazepine with a 12 hour half life, so he shouldn't be "just waking up" if he takes it. If he really thinks he has a problem GETTING to sleep tell him to ask the doctor for Halcion, it's a short half life so it will knock you out but wont help you stay asleep, letting your body take over. You sleep so hard on that shit it's scary (you also trip balls if you fight it off).

[Jughead]

next time he asks you to do his work tell him " you'll sleep on it " and then giggle

or you can say " in your dreams " and follow up with " oh that's right, you don't have any "

:clap::clap::clap::clap:....Funky is the besteeeest...

[TheMojoPin]

Klonopin is a benzodiazepine with a 12 hour half life, so he shouldn't be "just waking up" if he takes it.

Let's call in TheKlonoPin to offer his sound advice. I've heard he's gangsta.

[The Jays]

Tell the mother fucker to join a gym, or buy a pair of running shoes, and start fucking exercising, to the point where he is too exhausted to stay up, and what the fuck, he actually gets 5 hours of sleep? Fucking doctors don't even get 5 hours, and they save lives! Aww, poor wittle guy can't pwoofwead because he didn't get his full nappy time. Fucking rat on that pussy mother fucker, and get his ass fired.

[Bellyfullasnot]

Chief Jay Strongbow would've been able to put him to sleep.

[A.J.]

Maybe he should try this (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65855).

[FUNKMAN]

Chief Jay Strongbow would've been able to put him to sleep.

and the only one that could wake him too...

nice old school callback :thumbup:

[The Chairman]

Kind of makes you wonder: if he has insomnia, what is he doing at home? If he can't sleep, he better not be reading books or something. I understand certain jobs need you to be 100% alert, and I'm sure proofreading requires a brain working on steady, good sleep, but it seems kind of lame.

The best excuse people give me for calling in sick is food poisoning. I've had it and it's unpredictable. What am I going to do, ask them to bring me in a sample of their Snapple poop in a jar to prove it?

The funniest excuse I ever got for calling in sick was someone who said they thought they had the plague. I mean that's one step away from calling in with Potato Famine...

The most unusual excuse I ever used (which was true) was I got a severe rash (and had borderline anaphylactic shock symptoms) after wearing a wooden bead necklace someone brought home for me from Costa Rica. A world famous Harvard doctor diagnosed the cause as Pernambuco Poisoning - basically a really bad allergic reaction to the cheap wood used in the necklace which caused a rash around my neck like I had the worst case of poison ivy ever.

The Chairman

[CofyCrakCocaine]

I think people have been using the term 'insomnia' rather liberally lately. The condition refers to someone who literally cannot fall asleep no matter how hard he tries, often resulting in brief pockets of rest not going past two hours at the most each night/day- if you're getting at least 5 hours of sleep each night, you don't have insomnia, you have bad sleep habits or a body clock problem from midnight sessions of banging cocktail waitresses two at a time too often.

I can't sleep 8 hours or I'm sleepy all day- I sleep less than 7 and a half hours I can get to feeling very tired. I sleep any amount of time after going to bed around 2am or later, and I don't feel rested. My stupid bio clock is something of a cunt in that regard. Then there's this old guy I know who only slept like 3 hours any night and was fine with it. So I can understand this guy being unable to function with only 5 hours under his belt- differs per person- but it's NOT insomnia, and he's just exaggerating his condition.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Fuck him in his fucking ear.

Tuesday I had to come in 3 hours early because he's out. But he comes in at 3pm (the time I come in for second shift) but instead of him leaving at 11pm (when my shift ends), he leaves at 8pm (his regular time). It gets crazy busy after he leaves so when I ask my supervisor if there's anyone to lend a hand he asks, "Where's William?" I tell him he went home! My supervisor just shook his head and said, "I've never met such a wimpy guy."

Wednesday, Annette who works 1st shift (7am-3pm) had to leave early b/c her mom had an accident so I get a call from my supervisor saying, and I kid you not, "Can you come in early? William's overwhelmed." He fucking couldn't survive the 2 hours until I was supposed to come in? Are you FUCKING KIDDING me? When I get there William tells me all about his experience at the sleep clinic. The clinician told him he had a good night's sleep and there's nothing wrong so THEREFORE the clinician is wrong AND an idiot.

Thursday I get called in early because he's out AGAIN. Keep in mind that Tuesday, Wednesday, AND Thursday I'm getting called in early and working until at least 1am.

Today I got a shitty night's sleep because I'm pissed off at him and anticipating getting called in early. Alas, I get to go in at my normal time and HE'S THERE!!! He tells me a woeful story about how he called out but they insisted he come in because Annette's mom isn't doing well so she's out so he DRAGGED himself in at 11am.... and was planning to go home when I came in. I just looked at him blankly and said, "Uh huh" and went to go hang up my coat.

On my way to the coat rack the director stops me and asks if I can work on Sunday. I tell him yes, yes I can (I need to make up for my unpaid holiday on Monday, which, btw. William got paid for). I also ask if it would be possible to sit down with him next week to discuss me becoming a permanent hire? The director says, "Yes, we can sit down to begin discussing the process of you becoming a permanent hire." Fucking hell!

I cannot believe they made this douchebag a permanent hire with benefits. They even let him have a split shift (noon to 8) so he could be home with his family at night. My supervisor who's worked for the company for 18 years can't get switched to first shift so HE can spend time with his family but this asshole gets special privileges? And somehow he manages to get paid for a sick day taken before a holiday, which is against the rules. He's such a weasel too. We used to listen to music at our work area. One day someone else in the office is listening to some shitty disco and he didn't like it. He goes to our supervisor and asks him to ask them to turn off the music. I didn't know he did that until after the fact! So now we can't listen to music either. And he makes sure the work is evenly doled out. If he does one project I have to do a project. The thing is he works a split shift so he's rarely alone during his shift, whereas both Annette and I are alone before he comes in and after he leaves. And he gets all pissy if he's asked to stay past 8pm. So, if I'm working on something and something else comes in that MIGHT jeopardize his leaving at 8 on the dot, he will ask me to put aside what I'm working on and do it. Until now I've been pretty cool about things but my resentment has been building for weeks. This week it's reached epic proportions.

I swear to fucking God his behavior better not jeopardize my chances of getting hired.

He got all pissy when I "jokingly" called him Trent Reznick. :devil2:

[PapaBear]

My God. It's too bad that you aren't permanent yet. If you were, you'd be extremely justified in raising holy hell about this asshole's behavior. I hope you get hired soon, Fuzzy.

[A.J.]

This guy sounds like he'd make a great government employee.

I wonder if the company is afraid he might pull some ADA bullshit line on them so they can't fire him.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Funny you should say that AJ. He's already taken the civil servant test and trying to get a job as a postal carrier.

Can he sue? The clinician said he had a good night's sleep and there was nothing wrong.

This reminds me of a King of the Hill episode where Hank fires a junkie:

Debbie's got the yuppie flu, and Hector claims he has something called priapism. He wants a roomier work station and a view of Debbie.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

I know I'm just bitching at this point but I had it out with him yesterday. Apparently he says I have no right to be mad at him because I'm not his boss and I'm a "free agent" and no one is making me come in to cover for him. He says he's suffering and his back hurts and it's no different than if he was in a car accident and out of work (HUH?) and it's the company's job to get me the help I need when we're short handed. Oh, AND he reminded me that he can proofread a job TWICE as fast as me, so, in other words, he's a much better proofreader than I am.

And giving him shit about it wasn't helping matters, so I'd give it a 50-50 chance that he'll be out today.

I didn't engage with him sheerly because I was floored by his indignation. I wanted to tell him that at least TWO people consider him a wimp (one of whom IS his boss) and that he may proofread twice as fast as I do BUT I've also caught mistakes he's made (had I said that, no doubt he would have blamed it on the lack of sleep). And he's right, I AM a free agent of sorts, so next time my boss calls me in early because "William is overwhelmed" I'll pass.

:furious::furious::furious::furious::furious::furi ous::furious::furious::furious::furious:

[A.J.]

Oh, AND he reminded me that he can proofread a job TWICE as fast as me, so, in other words, he's a much better proofreader than I am.

Tell him to grow a pair, show up to work once in a while, and prove it.

[Thebazile78]

Dude, do you know how hard it is to fire ANYBODY, even when they really, really, really, really, really deserve it?

This prick sounds like he deserves it.

Which means, in a year, he'll be a supervisor.

[Stedman]

I know I'm just bitching at this point but I had it out with him yesterday. Apparently he says I have no right to be mad at him because I'm not his boss and I'm a "free agent" and no one is making me come in to cover for him. He says he's suffering and his back hurts and it's no different than if he was in a car accident and out of work (HUH?) and it's the company's job to get me the help I need when we're short handed. Oh, AND he reminded me that he can proofread a job TWICE as fast as me, so, in other words, he's a much better proofreader than I am.

And giving him shit about it wasn't helping matters, so I'd give it a 50-50 chance that he'll be out today.

I didn't engage with him sheerly because I was floored by his indignation. I wanted to tell him that at least TWO people consider him a wimp (one of whom IS his boss) and that he may proofread twice as fast as I do BUT I've also caught mistakes he's made (had I said that, no doubt he would have blamed it on the lack of sleep). And he's right, I AM a free agent of sorts, so next time my boss calls me in early because "William is overwhelmed" I'll pass.



So you proofread for a living huh? I'd have never guessed.

I fix ice machines and build walk in freezers for a living but when i'm online i tend to not do any of that shit either.

Alice, i forgive you for your run on sentences online. Please don't let me catch you doing that shit anywhere else though or i'll go to work for your company and fuck off for two years just so i can be in a position to fire you.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Yesterday (Thursday) he quit and today (Friday) is his last day. He said that the stress was too much for him; he can't sleep and his doctor had to increase the dosage of his heart medication. This really blows my mind. I mean it can get stressful, especially when jobs are piling up, but it's not THAT bad. Really. And since we have no other duties other than proofreading we can read or surf the Net. I've had nights where I've read a book, uninterrupted, for an hour at a time.

I had a major breakdown 3 years ago and I took this job because the stress level is relatively low. He was WAY too intense about it and would get pissy when he felt that the other proofreaders (myself included) weren't pulling our weight. He kept track on how many projects he did vs. how many we each had done in an 8 hour shift. The thing is, come 8pm, he was out the door and would never do more than an hour of OT when it was super busy. I've worked plenty of 12+ hour days (mostly to cover for him when he called out).

The funny thing is, as I was driving to work, I was thinking how he hadn't called out once in almost 2 WHOLE WEEKS and he was due for a sick day. When I got to work the director called me into his office, told me he was quitting, and offered me a permanent job! HOORAY!!!!! :thumbup:

[PapaBear]

BEST FUCKING SCENARIO EVER!!!!

The pussy "no sleep guy" is gone... And you get a permanent gig! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy for you, Petrina!:thumbup::clap::thumbup::clap::thumbup::cl ap::drunk:

[A.J.]

That's great news Petrina! Congratulations!

[Tenbatsuzen]

Fuzzy, congrats!!

[Furtherman]

This is great to hear Fuz!!!

[Gvac]

When I got to work the director called me into his office, told me he was quitting, and offered me a permanent job! HOORAY!!!!! :thumbup:

Wahoo! Congrats Trina!

Now go get that gall bladder yanked!

[Bob Impact]

Nice! Replace the weak.

[Leticia]

I understand imsomnia, 5 hours a night is not a reason to call out of work.

I've missed class before because I hadn't slept at all and it was the day after at 7pm.

I think that THAT would be acceptable.

But it's fucked up that he's just pushing his work on you as if no one else is trying to work on the same thing.

Boooo.

He gives us a bad name...

I just read the read of the thread,haha.

Fucking congrats!!! Hell yea!

Finally things work out the way they should!!

Let him try pulling this shit off at a new job!lol.

He's got a lot coming to him. Yay.