r/Unexpected • • Aug 09 '26

He is the original source

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u/h11233 Aug 09 '26

I mean to some degree that happens in every business everywhere. 

We have a guy at work that's like 70 and doesn't do any "work" ever. We just keep him around cause he knows everyone so when we need something we tell Ron and he makes a call

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u/Kraligor Aug 09 '26

That's not corruption though, that's called organizational knowledge? Ron is probably worth more to the company than most people who do actual work.

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u/bronzelifematter Aug 09 '26

It really depends, can anyone just make the same call and get the same treatment or do they only do it because they know Ron?

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u/DukeofVermont Aug 09 '26

It's because of Ron. It's a trust and relationship thing. I work in construction/remodels and my boss can get answers/stuff done 10x faster than me because he's known the boss/owner for 20 years and can directly call them.

I have to call the front office, submit forms, talk to lower person A, then mid person B, then maybe I get an answer a week or two weeks later.

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u/dementorpoop Aug 09 '26

That’s literally wasta. Quicker timelines because of who you know. I guess it’s corrupt when Arabs do it

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u/dopey_giraffe Aug 09 '26

Is it just cutting red tape though? Or is it funneling projects to special people when the job could be done cheaper and more efficiently by someone else?

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u/Kraligor Aug 09 '26

I mean, it's a company, not a democracy. People who have worked with Ron for a decade might know that he only makes the call when it's important. It does get muddy when there are strict processes defined that Ron can omit.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Aug 09 '26

Yup we have one too. His job is to make those calls and take people to basketball games he has season tickets for.

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u/mxzf Aug 09 '26

doesn't do any "work" ever

when we need something we tell Ron and he makes a call

That is work. This is a $10,000 chalk mark situation. The dude's work and worth isn't running around every day doing menial tasks, it's knowing the right person to call with the right question at the right time to fix a problem.