Personnel Issues

I’m trying not to enter “vindictive bitch” mode. The electricians are giving me a hard time and I need them to work with me on my project.  I'd heard rumors of how lazy they were, but I haven't spent a lot of time with them professionally to back up the stories (they're generally great to talk to).  Their task was to enter a tunnel (a confined space requiring a written permit and an air monitor) with 12 inches of water in it, remove dead lighting and install good lighting. Then the hole watch (one of the electrical guys) was to hang around until the scaffolding guys (one of whom is Italian and smells fantastic) could put in a ramp over the gas piping I don’t want damaged.  Cuz, ya know, if's full of GAS.


The first 2 guys decided after the pre-job brief that they didn’t wanna do it and took the rest of the day off.
The second 2 guys decided to do it, and 4 guys got involved. They strung up beautiful new lighting.  While standing on the gas line.  (oy).  Nobody died, so I asked them to remove the dead lighting.

They said no.
I said yes.
They said there was already lighting.
I said I know- let’s get rid of the bad stuff.
They said it’s out of the way.
I said I’d really appreciate it.

I then waited until we were outside in front of their boss and HIS boss and repeated myself. Then they HAD to do it. And they were pissy about it.

Meanwhile, the scaffolding guys came by. We said hold up- electrical’s gonna finish and then you can do your thing.

“How long?” they asked.
“30 minutes”, the electrical hole watch said.

I knew it was bullshit; removing the lighting was 5 minutes of work. But I wanted to talk to their boss (who had left by this point) so I left them alone.

For 5 minutes.

When his boss and I went back to confirm the hole watch was still there, he wasn’t. (But you saw that coming.) Everyone was gone, excluding the scaffolding guys but including the confined space permit. The boss went hunting. I handed him a rifle.

I went back to my desk to drop off my coat and threw a minor tantrum, complete with jumping and shouting. It wasn’t serious, but it was impressively juvenile of electrical to run when I wasn’t looking. It held up my job. So when I tracked him down, I stood there while the scaffolding guys did their work. I had to notify the guy when the air monitor went off. It gets all flashy and beepy and the hole watch had no idea. Cuz he wasn’t WATCHING.

I’m going to get nothing done while my tunnel job takes place before Christmas (D-day is December 19). I’m going to be standing guard over my guys.  The ones I'm bringing in special.