I've resolved to not answer the phone when the caller ID tells me its certain coworkers who have a stubborn refusal to use email and instead waste my time with interminable, pointless phone calls. Especially when they wait to place those phone calls until 5 minutes before lunch or before the end of my day. You have email, USE IT!

I have to regret at all about not answering my phone if someone calls me. I don't interact with customers, so it will always be a co-worker.

I wouldn't feel bad ignoring their email or IM until it is convenient to me, I don't feel bad about ignoring their phone calls.

Though if he's in the same location as you, this could prompt the dreaded cube visit.

They're in a remote office, so that's not a problem.

When I started working with this person, it was under the shadow of a looming deadline and not enough time to do anything, where delays meant we'd have to be working weekends to recover. So I was happy to be available to facilitate success.

But it's become completely apparent that I'm dealing with a level of incompetence and failure of communication skills that I was not prepared for. And now that I've gotten my work done, while going out of my way to help her do her work, only to find her trying to lean on me for things that, at her job level, she should be able to accomplish without my help, I've now drawn the line.

Adding to the problem is that the people who work with her at the remote location who should be able to help her with the questions she has learned long ago what I'm learning now. So it hasn't been hard to read between the lines and realize that she's receiving zero assistance from them as they are even more fed up with her than I am. Which I totally understand, but it turned me into a babysitter last week and it sucked.

On the bright side, my manager is well aware of how she operates and by extension how that whole team operates (or fails to operate), so there seems to be no blame on me for her lack of progress.

Oh, this isn't the Total Serious Vent Thread, is it.

Umm, 2010. I'm going to have a baby! Yay!

So far in 2010 I've finished a book, and taken the Metro to work - both things I resolved to do more of. Now to just keep this momentum going.

Nah, your work is done.

I do have finished a book and taken public transit this year. It's like we're twins.

You are? Then why in the heck is CP attending all the showers and the one looking pregnant?