Not sure this is going to work

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

My replacement, that is.

I honestly don't know if she can actually do the job - and I'm not sure what to do about or if I should even do something about it.

It's not just about learning the job - it's about being able to learn it. A LOT of the job is working with Microsoft Office (Excel, mostly), and even though she says she used to use Word at her old job, I find myself explaining basic commands to her over and over (like how to copy/paste, do a simple search, etc.). She is the type of person to get overwhelmed if she has more than a couple of windows open on her computer at once, she prints out emails to read them, etc. In other words, she cannot use a computer. Like I said, a lot of my job (like 95% of it) is done with the computer, so that's kind of an important skill.

Now the thing is, I don't know if I should approach her boss about it or not. I really want to give her a fighting chance, but at the same time, I just don't see her becoming proficient enough to really do the job any time soon.

Also, if I'm being honest, it won't really affect ME if she screws up (like she can't really mess up my files or anything), so telling boss lady wouldn't really benefit me - but I'm afraid it might make me look bad - like I'm trying to bad mouth the competition or something, you know? Which is why at this point, I'm tempted to not say a thing.

So if you have any comments, advice, words of wisdom - by all means, do share. 

JaysonandKristin

Let your boss know that I'm available to complete the job remotely...  from CA.  I'll negotiate salary...  just put in a good word, mmmmkay?

NativeFloridian

I mean, a certain level of proficiency is required for the job, whether it will ultimately affect you or not.  But I'm thinking her lack of computer skills will almost certainly cause problems in some capacity, and if you're the one who was expected to have prepped her for the work it may impact your image negatively.  Can you discreetly bring up your concerns to the boss without making it seem like you're trying to skewer her?

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

How do you all think it would sound if I told Boss Lady something along the lines of "She is trying very hard, but I she could really use some basic Excel training"?

bundymommy

NativeFloridian:

I mean, a certain level of proficiency is required for the job, whether it will ultimately affect you or not.  But I'm thinking her lack of computer skills will almost certainly cause problems in some capacity, and if you're the one who was expected to have prepped her for the work it may impact your image negatively.  Can you discreetly bring up your concerns to the boss without making it seem like you're trying to skewer her?

This was my first thought. You don't want to sign off on her as an okay replacement if she's clearly not capable.

melissa0726

bundymommy:

NativeFloridian:

I mean, a certain level of proficiency is required for the job, whether it will ultimately affect you or not.  But I'm thinking her lack of computer skills will almost certainly cause problems in some capacity, and if you're the one who was expected to have prepped her for the work it may impact your image negatively.  Can you discreetly bring up your concerns to the boss without making it seem like you're trying to skewer her?

This was my first thought. You don't want to sign off on her as an okay replacement if she's clearly not capable.

This was my first thought as well!

I see absolutely nothing wrong with going to your immediate supervisor to say, in the nicest way possible, that she seems to be a bit challenged with the basics and you thought that her training would have progressed further by this point.  And perhaps she would benefit from some basic excel training sooner than later.  Sounds like an issue with the basics, so better to tackle it now than closer to when you're leaving.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha

melissa0726:

bundymommy:

NativeFloridian:

I mean, a certain level of proficiency is required for the job, whether it will ultimately affect you or not.  But I'm thinking her lack of computer skills will almost certainly cause problems in some capacity, and if you're the one who was expected to have prepped her for the work it may impact your image negatively.  Can you discreetly bring up your concerns to the boss without making it seem like you're trying to skewer her?

This was my first thought. You don't want to sign off on her as an okay replacement if she's clearly not capable.

This was my first thought as well!

I see absolutely nothing wrong with going to your immediate supervisor to say, in the nicest way possible, that she seems to be a bit challenged with the basics and you thought that her training would have progressed further by this point.  And perhaps she would benefit from some basic excel training sooner than later.  Sounds like an issue with the basics, so better to tackle it now than closer to when you're leaving.

Yeah that's the angle I'm going to go for, I think. That way they can't say I didn't warn them, yet I am not coming off as trying to skewer her, as JnK put it. And hopefully I don't end up in the same situation as Crash with her temp.

Thanks for the input ladies. 

mgarza1231

I was in a very similar situation when I left my job to SAH with DD. Luckily, I worked in very close proximity to my immediate supervisor so he could tell very quickly that it wasn't going to work. He approached me and bluntly asked me if I thought she would be a good fit and I told him that "She is trying very hard, but after training for weeks I'm not sure she will pick it up in time." 

He was very glad that I was honest so he could find another replacement before I left. I would try to be polite but also honest. I think your boss would appreciate that.