Age Discrimination

I was ecstatic when my boss first told me that I would be getting a team of my own, but that quickly changed when I found out whom I got to manage. The goal of my project is to build a very simple and easy-to-use merchandising tool. In fact, it is so simple that anyone can just pick it up and run with it without any training, as any well-designed tool should be. But, it took me 2 weeks to explain the core functionalities of one very simple page to the new person. The page has 3 major functionalities - create, enter and search for a link. Simple, right? I mean... you create a link, save that in to the library, and search for the stupid link! To be honest, if you were to work in the IT business, it doesn't get any easier than that.

In addition to the intelligence, language, cultural, and personality issues that this person has, I also have to cope with age discrimination. I get that it is difficult to work for someone who is half her age. But, that's just life. She needs to learn to take instructions from her lead and deliver her deliverables on time and as instructed. I can say in good conscience that I have been as patient and cordial as I can possibly be. But, she just refuses to listen.

Last week, I've just lost it. Covering her ass by doing her crap for her while she's disrespecting me is just too much. I have had it, so I went to my boss for help. He wouldn't believe me when I first told him about the issue, but he quickly realized the severity of the problem after sitting in a few of our meetings. Oh, and what's more... he sat down with her to chat about how things have been going for her, and she had the audacity to make up all these stories about me!

The fact that she's worked 15 years and is still incapable of moving up the corporate ladder says something about her. No doubt she's had more life experience than I do, but work is work. And, she needs to accept the reality.