21 - 07.05.14 in Your Face

Absolutely floored by the stupidity of the woman I work with today. And trust me, she does some stupid stuff every damn day, so this is a big thing for me to say.

Among other things today, she came out to me all in a state because one of the new solicitors was holding a file copy document that definitely didn't belong to the file she had. I said it probably got mixed up, we have a dozen files for that client and his various companies. She starts mumbling about how she doesn't know how to tell the solicitor that she's wrong (because she is GUTLESS... Seriously, she can't even make a damn phone call to save her life). So, as usual and as she wanted me to do, I got up and went into the solicitors office. The solicitor was looking perplexed, and I (nicely) said, so where are we up to? Can I help?

So we start going through the file, and the solicitor says that she can't follow the correspondence pin, because it seems to jump in time and topic and all of a sudden it seems to be talking about something totally different. As she's flicking through it, I notice that the correspondence refers to a solicitor that we wrote to on a totally different file. I take the pin and determine within about three fucking seconds that the other secretary has been filing stuff on the wrong file, STILL, after me telling her month ago that she was putting it on the wrong file. It's not the same client, it's not the same matter. Yes, they are similar, but if you can't distinguish between your files, you are incompetent.

So I reef the incorrect information off, hand it to the useless secretary and explain to the solicitor that she has not only been given the wrong file, but it is full of incorrect correspondence, so it is no wonder that she is confused. The other secretary is bumbling around behind me, with no CLUE what is going on, except that I have stuffed a handful of filing at her (which has HER name on it, because she printed the emails and put them in there, so there is no doubt at ALL as to who put it in there). I go and get the actual file and give it to the solicitor, and I leave the secretary to sort it out. I guarantee that she hasn't, because she was asked to give the solicitor the file she needed and couldn't even manage to do that, so I dread to find where that filing ends up now.

THEN! Later in the afternoon, the useless secretary comes whispering to me that the solicitor had asked her for another file for that client. Useless secretary can't figure out why the solicitor would need it, and says, so should I just let her go? I just stared somewhat blankly and said, well if she wants the file, there's no reason why she can't have it? She's trying to get to know this client and his matters, if she wants it, give it to her. It then comes to light that the useless secretary thinks that the file stuff up was the fault of the solicitor! I am gobsmacked and have to just excuse myself!

I am still shaking my head now, thinking about it. I realise it might make no sense to some of you, but put it this way: imagine being a secretary who doesn't know how to file anything in correct files, or one who can't spell (basic words, I am not talking legalese), or one addresses a letter to the mail box for OUR office instead of our client's? Some days I am not sure how she even manages to get her own shoes laced.

So now I have a dilemma. I had called the solicitor to apologise for the file mix up. She said to me that she is really worried about what is going to happen when I leave, and I said that I understood. My concern had been that she would feel stupid, or as though it was her fault, when it wasn't at all, and I said that. I said that she had been given the wrong file, and that file had incorrect paperwork in it, she was never going to be able to prepare her documents from the start, because she wasn't supported properly. She said she didn't want to say anything about it to anyone and I said that was fine, as long as she knew that I wasn't cranky with her about it - I knew I had been a bit abrupt in her office because I'm so freaking sick of this shit.

I don't feel like I'm in a position to tell my boss, and in any event his response will be, "so tell her the correct file" to which I will reply, as fucking usual, I DID show her, SEVERAL times, I don't KNOW why it seems so difficult for her.

So instead, I am pretty sure I'm just going to ignore it. Just four more weeks, guys, and then it's going to stick out like dogs balls JUST HOW MUCH I cover for her. And it's not even covering for her - I got roasted by my boss over every missed full stop, every dog eared page, every crooked staple. I am now pretty close to a perfectionist now, but I am watching her get away with crap like this because my boss still relies on me and has his fingers crossed that this woman will step up when I am gone. It won't happen. Instead, it's going to be obvious that I was the one keeping shit on the rails, fixing her mistakes before they went out to clients or other solicitors, making sure the billing was immaculate and nothing ever missed. Shame I won't be there to see it. That's the really, really bitchy part of me. I want to see her suffer! Oh, I am terrible. I have to be satisfied with the thought that karma will arrive, and there's never anyone else to blame when karma comes around. I've had plenty of it myself.

She fed me a 15 minute cock and bull story about how she couldn't make a call to a client today because she was going on her lunch break. 15 minutes to tell me this, instead of making the 3 minute call. Whatever, I'll make the call, it wasn't even bad news or anything, it's just that she has no guts whatsoever to just DO something, so she palms it first to one secretary, then another, then another, THEN to me as the last ditch effort to avoid something. It can't last. She's absolutely kidding herself.

This rant is getting far too long. I just am amazed that someone can be 37 years old, and act like they're such a hard ass, and have absolutely no guts, and no fucking idea what's actually going on around them.

I really need a fresh start. It's inevitable that I will get annoyed with someone else, its in my nature, but right now my feet itch too much for me to be able to look past it.