Is There One In Every Bunch?? Isn't There?

I have a co-worker who drives me absolutely INSANE!
He's never done anything to me, he's actually been quite nice to me in the past years. This past summer he took some time off. Quite abruptly too.  As it turns out, we've learn (mostly from him calling the office to tell his story to whomever will listen and then ask to be transferred to the next person) that he had a minor mental breakdown. *sigh*
Fair enough, I think a few of have been there. I know I have.

Background.
He runs, manages, sits in his office ignoring his staff or walks around the building telling stories about he is so-effin-busy. Instead of disciplining the inept staff he has into getting some work done.

While he was away the company hired a new warehouse manager, one who actually has experience dealing with a union staff.(lazy jerks) Advising the old one, prior his return, he'd make the same amount of money but would have way less responsibilities. SCORE!!!.. Or so you'd think. 

Now that he is back (a few months now) he is pissed off -all-the-time.  Upset he's not included on emails regarding areas that no longer have anything to do with him. Demands he's kept in the loop and isn't verbally shy about expressing his unhappiness and stress levels to anyone who will listen. *sigh*.

He's been told several times now, that he deals solely with receiving/shipping, the other manager will deal with the staff and all other majors.  So to email him about any issues that he does not directly deal with would be a waste of time management and inappropriate. Not to mention mirco-managing. Which this company is a big fan of at times.

Back to today/yesterday/this month......
He walks around A LOT, will stand in front of your desk, whether or not you're on the phone, in a closed meeting and will just walk in, stand there and *sighs*. Ignore him, he *sighs* some more until you acknowledge he's upset about thing. Or sometimes he will simply walk up to your desk, hunched over, sigh loudly and shake his ahead mumbling something about how busy he is and cant get any work done. *sigh*.

It's enough now that when I see him coming, I grab my coffee cup and walk away from my desk, cos I'm growing a very short tolerance for him. Or to sit at my desk and watch him approach staff in the parking lot (before their shift has even started) to ask them whatever. Shit, let them get settled and have a coffee first, geez! If we did that to him, he'd throw a hissy fit, with lots of shugged sighs and arms waving about.

Yesterday I was alittle short fused with him. I have many days where my down time will drive me bonkers, but that is in no way an invite to come talk to me. I've learned early on, to smile, nod, and pretend like you give a shit...it's in my unwritten job description as I sit in the front office and the first person most people see.

Sorry, detoured. Yesterday....
He walks up to my desk, lets out a very heavy sigh, and starts telling me how he had spent most of his day at the hospital. Okay you have my attention now. I mean I don't have to like him but I don't want anything bad to happen to people.  Starts off telling me how HE spent the last 6 hours at the hospital, how HE waited to be seen, and now much of an imposition it was on him and how backed up and busy he is now. etc..Then to learn it's actually about one of his staff, NOT HIM!...

Very annoyed that he stole the thunder of an injured co-worker, I let him have it.

"WHAT?!, you've been standing here for 10 mins telling me of your visit to the hospital and it's not even about you, although you would have led me to believe it was!

You are in a management position and it if extremely unprofessional of you to be discussing the status of your employees well being with anyone outside of the HR department! Let alone make it sound like it was your ordeal! And although I'm part of that team, I'm not management.

If you are so behind, then I would strongly suggest you stop walking around all floors telling a misleading story, that you shouldn't be discussing in the first place and go back to the warehouse and get the jobs you're so-far-behind-on, done!" 

He grumbles something under his breath at me and walks upstairs to retell his story. I emailed a few people on a different floor to warn them he was making the rounds again today.  We send out these warnings among the office cos sometimes they are so frequent, it takes away from you completing your own job.

An hour goes by and I'm slowly starting to feel really bad for scolding an old man (61 this month, he will remind you daily) who is probably lonely and just wants to talk to anyone, about anything.  (hangs head in shame) I reallllllly need to get a better poker face when it comes to dealing with certain staff and their oddities.  I remind myself I'll be old one day and will probably chat up the younger co-workers and tell unsolicited stories about whatever.

When it comes down to it, it's the lack of work ethic he has that bothers me so.
How he's lasted here for 20 something years and has yet to be fired is a mircle to me.
He is always here, rarely away, rarely late....but while he is here, he's rarely working.

I guess there is one in every group. *sigh* ;-s