Thursday, February 05, 2009

$93,803 for doing nothing

I just read this article about a state employee who gets paid to sit around. Apparently there is some discrimination going on and someone doesn't want this guy doing anything. He can't get fired. It is an interesting article.

He spends much of his workday at the State Insurance Fund donning headphones, listening to rock 'n' roll, blues or classical tunes and his superiors are cool with that. His work agenda involves placing his feet up on his desk, staring out his office window and counting cars on the New York State Thruway. He arrives at 7:30 a.m., leaves at 3:30 p.m., sees no one and talks to no one. He never does any work. It's been this way for Hinton for most of this decade.

Obviously the first thing I thought of was, "sweet! I could study chess all day long in that job!" He says he's been sitting there at his job for most of the decade!! He could be a GM by now. Doesn't it take about 10 years to become a master at something?

But the gentleman in the article has more gumption than I would in that scenario and he is actually trying to "rectify" the situation (after almost 10 years!)

3 comments:

  1. He says: "I have no Internet access, ..., no laptop,...". Makes chess study a bit more difficult in our times, still you can read books and move pieces on the board (maybe).

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  2. Those little people! Just give the man some work, maybe just to alphabetize the clients dossiers.

    @ Rolling Pawns

    If he can put up his feet at his desk then he can put a chess board on his desk aswell. With a chessbook in hand he can study chess like in the old days.

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  3. Anonymous11:32 AM

    A friend and I were debating how much sympathy the no-work guy deserves.

    The fact he doesn't have Internet access probably should have decided it right there.

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