Supervisors are a strange breed of people. A supervisor is supposed to be knowledgeable about the job without giving the impression that their way is the only way. A supervisor is supposed to be around to guide and direct, to issue assignments and to see to it that those assignments are carried through by the person assigned to the task.

A supervisor teaches through example, setting a productive atmosphere in which all players enthusiastically perform the work that they are being paid to perform. A successful supervisor has the support of their team members because it is a give and take partnership where fair play exists.

A true supervisor has an understanding of people on the whole and is perceptive enough to see who people are individually. Yet, most supervisors are simply into control.

A person was assigned a task. This person refuses to do the task on a consistent basis. He attempts to pass this task off to other people by any means he can. They hide out until the task is completed, but the way that works best is by coming in to work after the task is to be completed. This encourages another person to arrive late as well because they do not want to do the task either.

The task is a simple task but it is vital to the office. It is the intention of the two people to get the new person to do the task even though there is a person assigned to do the task and they feel justified in their actions.

New person has asked supervisor to assign the task to her, because of the games being played. Supervisor, in her need to feel in control says "no the person assigned is going to do it – do not do the task yourself" then supervisor is not in office for several weeks and the games continue.

After six months of game playing, that causes other supervisors to do the task assigned to another staff, things come to a head. New person attempts to talk to supervisor on the rare occasion she is at work and rather than deal with what has become an issue because the person assigned the task refuses to do it, supervisor tells new person to just do the task and send an e-mail each time new person has to do the task assigned to another person.

New person knows this is useless. If supervisor can not take effective steps to encourage person assigned to the task to actually do the task after six months, what good will it do for new person to become a snitch every time the person assigned to do the job fails to do the job.

If after six months the game is still being played, regardless of direct communication with supervisor letting them know it is their responsibility what is going to change. I’ll tell you what is about to change. The person assigned, seeing new person finally doing what the person assigned wants – new person doing his job. They win, new person loses and everybody is happy except new person.

Supervisor is saved because the job is getting done, person assigned gets away with doing what they want to do and new person is stuck doing a job that has been assigned to someone else who refuses to do it. How is this, the right way to handle this situation – it is not.

What should new person do since all actions and conversation are falling on deaf ears? It would have been just as easy to assign new person the task in the beginning when new person asked to be assigned the task – but a certain level of arrogance prevented that rational act from being done.

It seems new person will have to go over supervisor’s head but hates to get caught up in office politics. New person also hates doing someone else’s job when that person just flat out refuses to do what has been assigned to them to do.

Caught in the middle of madness when all she wants to do is go to work, do her job and get paid on payday but instead has to endure pettiness, indecision, arrogance and poor management skills.

And that’s the way I see it!!!