Are you done yet? Are you done yet? How about now?

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, we had 2 new hires in our division, both in my branch. I have the pleasure of being assigned to mentor our new microbiologist (MB) - you know, get her acclimated, make sure she knows how things are generally done and where to get good ice cream sundaes. You know, the important things. Our new engineer (EN) is being mentored by the idiot Patsy someone else.

As I work at home on Wednesday, I got a flurry of emails from MB asking me to check over her review, which she is frantically trying to get finished because EN keeps asking her if she's done. I was having a hard time understanding this since MB told me that she had until the end of the month to finish it - at least that's what the request sheet said. Apparently, EN's mentor told him, more or less, that it would be good if the document was finished and a letter sent out by Friday (day after tomorrow) since the document has been in house for *GASP* 15 days already.

First of all, for the type of document it is, 15 days is way early. Second, I have no idea why EN's mentor is rushing since he has shown himself incapable of keeping track of his own timelines. But most importantly, how is anyone supposed to work when there is someone in your doorway every 5 minuntes asking, "Are you done yet? How much longer? When do you think it will be done? How about now? Now? What about now?"

MB emailed and called me and asked whether this was the way things usually are. Whether this breathing down the neck was normal. She's new, obviously she doesn't know. I reassured her that it's not always like that, and the fact that her due date was moved from the end of the month to the end of this week was unacceptable. More unacceptable was the annoyance.

It became very clear that this was a sore point for me, particularly because it appeared that EN's mentor was the source of the problem. I have a major problem when there is a lack of respect of a person's workload and timelines. If the person in charge of the document screwed up a due date, it's his own damn fault. Ask to see if something can be done to expedite, then leave to allow work to get done. Really.