Turtles at Work: The Ole' Timer

Ok fellow Turtles. It's been a long long time since I posted and I'm very sorry. I have some new material to post that I think you will all enjoy. So let's start in with my bounce-back post below:

I've been at my new company for almost 8 months and it's taken that long to really get the lay of the land. My new company is way better than my past company by far. However there are still the a few characters lurking around that are sometimes amusing and other times annoying.

There is one character at my new company that I'm sure many of you have at the company you work at. This character though is very rare but if you're lucky enough to have an "ole' timer" at your company you know just how hard it is to work with them.

The ole' timer at my company is 66 years old and has been working at my company for over 48 years. Side note: It's kinda creepy when you have someone working at a company for longer than you have been alive. She began working at my company right out of high school and has just hung on over the years.

This lady is completely untouchable as she as seen by the owners of my company as a good and loyal employee. The reality is that she completely annoys the shit out of me and everyone else. Her job title is "unknown" as she is dispatched to do things that no one else wants to do. The best is that she combats any change with a reference of how things "used to be done" back in the stone age. She is so beloved that she even has a reserved parking space right next to the door.

The topper of it all though it how this lady dresses. She is a cross between a biker chick and a hippy. During the summer she wears halter tops without a bra and believe me she needs one. Her boobs actually scare me as they dangle near her waste and flop all over the place yet she is never told about her attire or lack of "support".

If you have an ole' timer at your company that is as beloved as the one I have I have some simple advice for you. You can't possibly ignore someone like this but what you can do is passively listen. This technique, if utilized effectively, makes it look like you are really listening to the ole' timer, but in reality you are not. As the ole' timer is talking make sure you nod or shake your head in agreement. Throw in a "good idea" or "wow" every so often to really make them thing you are interested in what they are saying. You must maintain a balance of this though as you don't want the conversation to draw out. Once you have passively listened enough and given you audible and non-audible acknowledgements kill the conversation by thanking them. If this doesn't work you can also use the "bathroom" or "late for a meeting/appointment" ending.

The passive listening approach when dealing with an ole' timer lets you go away a winner as the ole' timer believes you have "heard" them out and will actually speak highly of you to others, which alleviates you from any bullshit. Now if you have a female ole' time with large, un-ruley boobs like mine also avoid looking at the boobs. The boobs can be like Medusa's hair and paralyze you in fear as they shift and shimmy. Maintain eye contact at all times to avoid this. Remember you are a turtle and you must keep to your turtle principles. You don't want to get drawn too far out of your shell!!