Dealing with whiny co-workers?

[Vonkhan]

Begin rant:

I love my job & I have a great boss. My job is mainly in media marketing & advertising research & I'm pretty good at it (got nearly a 25% raise last month as counter offer).

There's a really whiny ad sales guy who knows next to nothing about online ad sales and keeps asking for research numbers that are not possible to get. I explain to him that it can't be done and give him research that is as close to his request as possible.

And the whines begin "oh, but can't you do this somehow - please" ... "oh, I wish you could do it - can you try one more time" ... "please can you do something about it" ... "but I don't understand - is there any other way"

I just want to gag him or hold his down under toilet water so that I don't have to hear his whiny bitchy little voice.

Cliffs:

Whiny needy co-workers need to STFU

End rant

 

[Miklebud]

3/10

 

[jaqie]

Sounds pretty indicative of our society today, to be honest.

 

[yllus]

What's wrong with saying "no", and repeating "no" as many times as needed? Indulging him only furthers the problem.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: jaqie
Sounds pretty indicative of our society today, to be honest.

QFT and FTL.

KT

 

[MegaVovaN]

Knee kick in parking lot.
Show brute force, then the dipshit will be shivering even if you just look at him.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: yllus
What's wrong with saying "no", and repeating "no" as many times as needed? Indulging him only furthers the problem.

that or say something jokingly like "you know if you keep asking me for unrealistic things I'm going to drag you outside and kick your ass down the street and throw you into oncoming traffic"

 

[KeithTalent]

You should just tase him then beat him with a nightstick.

KT

 

[Jugernot]

I just don't think it's right to hear a guy say he wants to gag another guy....

Jugs

 

[krunchykrome]

Make up some bizarre out-of-the-ordinary numbers and give him those. Then see what he says.

 

[JS80]

Your first mistake is you provided him with something after he whined about it. Now he thinks it's going to work and will whine more. Kind of like giving in to terrorist demands.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK

Originally posted by: yllus
What's wrong with saying "no", and repeating "no" as many times as needed? Indulging him only furthers the problem.

that or say something jokingly like "you know if you keep asking me for unrealistic things I'm going to drag you outside and kick your ass down the street and throw you into oncoming traffic"

:laugh: I like this idea.

edit: this one too haha

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
Make up some bizarre out-of-the-ordinary numbers and give him those. Then see what he says.

 

[Skunkwourk]

example of what he asks for?

 

[alkemyst]

was this post an example?

 

[meltdown75]

where's the team mentality? sounds like someone feels a little left out. are you doing a poor job communicating to him what you conveyed in the OP, which is basically that you can't be of further assistance to him?

 

[hanoverphist]

is this guy your boss or in a higher position to you? this sounds like a management technique ive run across before. some people bark, some people ask and some people beg. this guy sounds like a beggar.

 

[paulxcook]

Throw a brick at his head. If he survives he will probably stop asking.

 

[SpiderWiz]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan
Begin rant:
.....
And the whines begin "oh, but can't you do this somehow - please" ... "oh, I wish you could do it - can you try one more time" ... "please can you do something about it" ... "but I don't understand - is there any other way"

End rant

Maybe his asking for some other research, giggty giggty

 

[Vonkhan]

Originally posted by: m0mentary
example of what he asks for?

Ahhh, an example - perfect - since I had to deal with the Whiny Ass (WA) a couple of minutes ago, it's not verbatim but pretty close to the actual conversation:

WA: Can you please give me these numbers from our online subscriber study in this format <shows a media kit from a non-factor competitor>

Me: I'm sorry, the study was carried out 3 weeks ago and these fields (3 out of 6) were not included

WA: Oh no, can you get these numbers somehow and include them in the study?

Me: We can get those numbers from X source, include them and cite them as from being X source - or we could run a **interrupted by WA **

WA: ... but I don't want numbers from X source, I want the numbers from the study.

Me: We'll have to run a new study if you want those numbers - I'll talk to ___ (my boss) about it

WA: ... but I don't want a new study - I like the numbers from this study & I want to finish this today and get it off my desk

:|

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan

Originally posted by: m0mentary
example of what he asks for?

Ahhh, an example - perfect - since I had to deal with the Whiny Ass (WA) a couple of minutes ago, it's not verbatim but pretty close to the actual conversation:

WA: Can you please give me these numbers from our online subscriber study in this format <shows a media kit from a non-factor competitor>

Me: I'm sorry, the study was carried out 3 weeks ago and these fields (3 out of 6) were not included

WA: Oh no, can you get these numbers somehow and include them in the study?

Me: We can get those numbers from X source, include them and cite them as from being X source - or we could run a **interrupted by WA **

WA: ... but I don't want numbers from X source, I want the numbers from the study.

Me: We'll have to run a new study if you want those numbers - I'll talk to ___ (my boss) about it

WA: ... but I don't want a new study - I like the numbers from this study & I want to finish this today and get it off my desk

:|

"If you're not happy with my answer then I suggest you talk to your boss about it because I can't do anything."

 

[spidey07]

No works reallly well. And if they ask again make them look even more stupid - "what part of no don't you get?"

Or just call their boss and tell them the employee is a pain and not a team player.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Originally posted by: Vonkhan

Originally posted by: m0mentary
example of what he asks for?

Ahhh, an example - perfect - since I had to deal with the Whiny Ass (WA) a couple of minutes ago, it's not verbatim but pretty close to the actual conversation:

WA: Can you please give me these numbers from our online subscriber study in this format <shows a media kit from a non-factor competitor>

Me: I'm sorry, the study was carried out 3 weeks ago and these fields (3 out of 6) were not included

WA: Oh no, can you get these numbers somehow and include them in the study?

Me: We can get those numbers from X source, include them and cite them as from being X source - or we could run a **interrupted by WA **

WA: ... but I don't want numbers from X source, I want the numbers from the study.

Me: We'll have to run a new study if you want those numbers - I'll talk to ___ (my boss) about it

WA: ... but I don't want a new study - I like the numbers from this study & I want to finish this today and get it off my desk

:|

Haha I can sense the irritation you must feel but you're not doing yourself any favors though by trying to give him an alternative. I understand the whole "team player" and trying to offer solutions and compromises instead of dead ends, but sometimes a dead end is all there is and this guy just doesn't get it.

Next time just say, "Our software/study doesn't keep track of those numbers, so theres no way to get them. Im not a programmer so unless we get new software/study, theres nothing I can do".

or joke and say

"I wish I could get you the numbers too so you'd stop bothering me about it, but I cant, let me know ahead of time what you want, and I'll ask the boss to see If we can include it in our next study"

He just doesn't get that there no way to get information regarding something you never bothered to record in the first place.

 

[Bryophyte]

"NO MEANS NO!!!!!" (pull out pepper spray)

 

[jaqie]

It's beginning to sound to me like he could be fired for gross incompetence. Maybe it would be wise to speak to his boss about his neverending impossible requests in detail.

 

[xgsound]

Instead of answering in sentences, just say "no" or "you have the whole study" and stop talking. The whiner seems to think that more words from you means there are more things that can be done.

I see that in all your answers to the whiner you keep talking after "no". Stop doing that when there's nothing pertinent (sp?) to add. Some people might consider this rude, but it is only to the point.


Jim