By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer
Everyone always thinks they have it worse than the next guy. Your boss is always the nastiest; your co-workers are the most annoying; and there's no way anyone has a more awful cube mate.
Until now.
The sad truth is that there's nothing like learning about other people's troubles to make you feel better about your own. Just when you thought you had it bad, someone else comes along to make your problems seem irrelevant.
The terrible employees from CareerBuilder.com's second annual list of "Worst Employees of the Year" are no exception. Last year's employees stole, cheated, scammed (欺诈), assaulted, lied, got arrested, used illegal drugs and committed lewd (下流的) acts. The qualifiers (符合条件的人) from 2008 showed more of the same.
In no particular order, here are 10 of 2008's worst employees and the extreme things they did. (They will make your crazy co-workers seem like angels.)
Worst employee No. 1: Marie Cooley, architect
The story: After seeing an ad in the paper for a job that sounded like hers, Cooley thought her company was planning to fire her. For revenge, she attempted to sabotage (破坏) theJacksonville, Fla.-based business by destroying $2.5 million worth of computer files. Cooley told investigators she went into work over the weekend, got angry, disconnected internal power cables and deleted files from the server. She was arrested and charged with damaging computer equipment. (Source: News4Jax.com)
Worst employee No. 2: Charlena Graham, deputy coroner (验尸官)
The story: Graham,of Augusta, Ga., plead guilty to stealing $325 in gift cards from a deceased woman. Graham obtained the woman's personal belongings after her death; her family alerted authorities that the gift cards might be missing. Graham was sentenced to seven years probation (缓刑). She was also ordered to pay back the $325 within 90 days and pay $5,000 in fines. (Source: NBC Augusta.)
Worst employees No. 3: William Vinyard, Christopher Stephens, Stacy Vining and George C. Phelps, firefighters and EMTs (EMT: emergency medical technician 急诊医士)
The story: Four employees of the Marion County (Fla.) Emergency Medical Services Alliance were arrested and accused of grand theft for collecting pay upwards (趋升：数量、程度或职位的提高) of $20,000 per person for hours they didn't work. A police news release stated that several part-time EMS paramedics (护理人员) were clocking in (用打卡机记录上班时间) for each other, exchanging badges (徽章) and not actually working the hours for which they were paid. All employees have resigned or been suspended without pay from their full-time jobs. (Source: The Star-Banner, Ocala, Fla.)
Worst employee No. 4: Judge Robert Restaino
The story: Restaino was hearing domestic violence cases in his Niagara Falls, N.Y., courtroom when a cell phone rang. After no one owned up to the phone, Restaino "snapped" and jailed all 46 people who were in the courtroom. New York's top court removed him as a city court judge, saying punishing innocent people is "inexcusable." (Source: Associated Press)
Worst employee No. 5: Karen Baer, teller (出纳员) supervisor
The story: In an FBI affidavit (宣誓书), Baer admitted to taking $10,000 at a time over several years from the Westminster, Md., bank where she worked as a teller. She told investigators that she used the money for vacations, bills and college tuition for her kids. She is facing federal embezzlement (盗用, 侵占, 挪用) charges of more than $1 million. (Source: Baltimore News)
Worst employee No. 6: Jarrod Hankins, court bailiff (法警)
The story: Hankins forgot to remove a woman from a courthouse holding cell in northern Arkansas when he failed to contact the sheriff's office transport personnel to take the woman back to the county jail, according to officials. She spent four nights locked in a room without food, water or a toilet. Hankins was suspended for 30 days without pay. (Source: 4029TV.com)
Worst employee No. 7: Robert Irvine, chef and TV personality
The story: Irvine embellished and fabricated the more impressive parts of his résumé, including claiming to have cooked for the British royal family; catering to four U.S. presidents; and helping to make Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake. His contract with the Food Network was terminated ( 终止). (Source: St Petersburg (Fla.) Times)
Worst employee No. 8: Jamie Day, bartender
The story: Day was arrested after a patron at a bar in Alton, Ill., called police to complain that Day was bartending in her birthday suit. She was charged with misdemeanor lewd entertainment. The county suspended the tavern's liquor license for 30 days and fined the owner $500. (Source: Fox News)
Worst employee No. 9: Pythias Brown, transportation security agent
The story: Brown was allegedly stealing items from checked luggage in the back rooms of the airport in Newark, N.J., where he worked, making off with more than $200,000 worth of travelers' belongings. The stolen goods included a camera belonging to a CNN employee who found it for sale on eBay. Police discovered 66 cameras, 31 laptops, jewelry and more in Brown's home. (Source: Yahoo! Technology)
Worst employee No. 10: Patricia Villegas, beautician (美容师)
The story: Villegas was convicted of giving two clients fake cosmetic injections, which resulted in facial disfigurement (毁容). The women paid $2,000 for what they were told were beauty enhancers using collagen (胶原质) and cortisone (可的松), but were actually similar to silicone (硅树脂). Villegas, of Flushing, N.Y., was found guilty of assault, reckless endangerment and scheme to defraud. She faces up to 14 years in prison.
Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
Last Updated: 23/11/2008 - 9:24 PM