Engineers / Managers - What would you do?
 

One of the engineers in my office is creating drawings and releasing them with my name as the creator. This guy is a moron, so most of these drawings have errors. So far there haven't been any serious problems, but I figure it's only a matter of time before some serious rework is incurred due to these incorrect drawings, and I get fingered because my name is in the title block.

Obviously I would like this to stop, as it is both unethical and bad for my reputation.

My question is, how would you handle the situation if you were me, and how would you handle such a situation if you were my manager?

The engineer needs to take credit for his work. If you are a PE and the other engineer is not I could see serious problems for you.

I would mention it to mymanager to make sure he is there to back me and is not blind sided by this behavior.

Yes, this needs to be addressed ASAP for the reasons stated above. Where I work, our title block is populated by the PLM system and has to have digital signatures due to the regs we work under. I know this is an aside but maybe your company needs to move in this direction.

As far as the employee goes, where I work, that is grounds for firing.

James

Immediately take this to management and raise Hell.

Ask the guy why he's doing that and if the reason isn't acceptable, tell him to stop. If he doesn't, bring it to your manager.
If I were your manager, I'd ask him the same question.

Oh HELL NO! This has all kinds of negative repecussions! Not to mention the fact that should your company do nothing that whatever would get laid on you as bad data/performance is most likely actionable in the courts.

I'd be Indian Pissed on this...

Here is what you do.

Go to his desk and say..." stop putting my name on your drawings"

If he contiues go to your manager and say..." Moron keeps putting my name on his drawings"

As you leave the managers reminds you to put a cover sheet on your TPS reports.

Maybe he's just reusing the base file which has you info in the title block. Just go talk to him and ask him not to do it. No need to escalate the matter. I would casually mention it to your supervisor so that you are covered while not create a big problem for the other guy or you firm.

What Souk said, but do this using email. You want a record.

I'm an engineering manager. If the reason for doing this was anything other than an innocent mistake (like Souk's scenario), I would put that employee on notice that continuing to do this may lead to him/her joining the ranks of the unemployed.

Ask him to step outside.....

I would send off an e-mail to him and CC his manager and yours, instructing him to stop this fraudulent practice and include a read-reciept for all parties.
I say use an e-mail so that you have it in WRITING!

Save it, print it off, forward a copy to your home computer.
Above all else, cover your butt and don't let others have an opportunity to throw you under a bus.

If this were happening in my group, I'd want to know about it asap.
Using an existing drawing as a template and creating a new one with no attention paid to title block is no excuse.

Get the guy in contact with your manager and have the situation documented. Unfortunately, once an inept designer or engineer becomes "accepted" within an organization- it is extremely difficult to get rid of them.

Good luck.

How do any of these drawings get through an Engineering Document Review cycle without comment?

There must be a reason. If you are not his manager, did you train him? Are you his technical leader? Or were you the one who create document/formfor your group? Maybe he is using one of your templates? Ask him and mention this to your manager.

Sleep with his wife

And then?

I'll have to hear how it goes first :)

But seriously, is there more to this story? I know lots of firms that use "underlings" to do the actual work and require the signature of a certified higher up to actually submit it. Is this the case? Are they asking you to review his work prior to release?

I suggest you do a combination of the above suggestions:

1) Ask him to step outside
2) Sleep with his wife
3) Tell him to stop
4) Last but not least, follow Sammy's suggestion precisely then,
5) Sleep with his sister.

Pics of the sister please?

Doesn't someone sign the drawings? I expect it is lazy re-use of another drawnig as a template. But I would definitely speak with him and get the drawings that he's done corrected to remove your name. I would definitely let your supervisior know what is going on.