Pre-trip stress level going up....
 

And it's not going up because of the trip itself - I think we have everything covered. At work, however, my supervisor has decided that I should train a graduate assistant (I work at a university) in how to do my job. One project has at least 10 steps to accomplish correctly and after a year of working on it, I'm just now feeling comfortable in how the process works, and I'm supposed to train a student. In two days. Like that's going to happen.

It wouldn't be so bad if a) I didn't have quite enough to do already, b) this had been suggested a month or so ago, or c) if the rest of the staff was held to this type of requirement. I have a clerk in the office who seems to come and go as she pleases. She took a week and a half off, was expected back last Wednesday, came in and after 15 minutes decided she didn't want to be at work, so she called our supervisor and told her she was going home for the rest of the week. Then, when she should have been here on Monday, she called off sick (today, too).

I think the panic my boss is experiencing is because I do my job AND the other person's, and I do both well.

Oh, well, just venting..... Two more days and I'm out of here, and I don't give a flying you-know-what about what happens after that!

twina49 - You should see the Quack immediately and get a shot of Neurobian. It's a high voltage VitB complex that kicks a punch feedingyour nervous system - in three days you could feel like 16 again! Try to fit in at least 2 injections.

Hopefully you have created some kind of documentation that your substitute can use for reference. Does your boss also know your processes? If so, your substitute can also ask for help if needed.

Your manager, as well as you, should have been planning to cross-train someone anyway - it could have been something more sudden than a vacation that required your substitute's help.

The cross-training was suggested in the past but rejected from both sides - supervisor and clerk, because it is recognized (or assumed) that the clerk can't handle things. Probably could, but claims, "That's too hard for me to learn," and gets away with it.

I know what this feels like - last year, before embarking on our 3 week trip to Europe, my boss decides rather than bringing in a customer service rep from another location (which is what he told me he would do when I told him about the trip 5 months beforehand), he went ahead and hired a new employee. She started on Monday and I left on Thursday. And of course, *I* had to train her. I basically told her - I don't care how many piles you make on my desk, if you have questions about something, just leave it for me until I get back!! I couldn't believe, on top of all of the stress I already had with the trip, that I had to deal with that curve ball!!

<<I have a clerk in the office who seems to come and go as she pleases.>> well, that is why YOU get paid the big bucks! Suck it up.

One would think you have enough in your plate to be noticing what somebody else does.....

Jen - that's pretty much exactly how I feel. The leave slip for this vacation (15 days in Scotland - YIPPEE!) was signed months ago. I've had this happen before - the supervisor panics, then I'm supposed to train someone green on how to do my job, then I come back to mistake after mistake that I have to fix.

Viajero - well, I hope that kind of response gives you a warm feeling.... ;)