My co-worker is jealous of my time off to fly to Trauma Center for Mom. I was gone last Mon/Tue/Wens and it was our 3rd trip out of town to the Trauma Hospital. They called me while we were at the hospital doing X-rays and follow-up appt. with the orthopedic surgeon. The call was about a routine task and was not an emergency. I couldn't believe my ears. My boss probably doesn't know that they called me.
One of the men had been laid off from one of the Big 3 automakers, was close to retirement, and bragged that he just needed a place to coast until he was ready to retire.
And coast he did. It wasn't unusual to see him in his office with his arms folded back behind his head in a relaxed position and his feet up on the desk.
He dipped into the supplies when he had a picnic at home, taking coffee, filters, etc. Made no effort to even be discreet.
Another one had a similar attitude. He was a "rounder" - like doctors, he made the rounds daily. Unlike doctors, he didn't help. He went to different departments walking around talking to people, then back to his office to sit for awhile.
But those were only a few out of a few hundred. Still, I was ecstatic when one of them got laid off, until I heard that he sued for age discrimination.
Some people practice sponging as if it were a career. Well, maybe it is!
I'm wondering if there's a syndrome that involves lack of responsibility and refusal to do the best job one can for one's employer.