HR tells veteran barge tower not to be "inflexible" and to listen to their ideas of their younger crew members, they step back and watch things unravel: 'I was told I should listen to crew and perhaps I could learn some "new and improved" ways to towboat'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Apr 8, 2025 11:04 PM EDT

Working knowledge and experience are invaluable assets when it comes to getting a task done quickly, efficiently, and—most important of all to just about every company: profitably. You can't just barge into a job and expect to have everything nailed down right away, it takes time learning, and patience to be able to handle a task effectively. The problem is even when you do have the necessary knowledge and experience, part of just getting by in this world is handling the folk who think that they have a better idea of things than you. And these people really don't like being told otherwise, so sometimes you just have to sit back and quietly watch things fall to pieces before people are going to be willing to listen to you.

That's pretty much what was happening in this classic time-tested tale of malicious compliance where this weathered and wisened veteran barge tower was advised by the towing company they worked for's HR department (probably the owner's cousin) that they needed to be more equivocal and let other people, namely an upstart deckhand (probably the owner's nephew) have his say on how to get the day's work done. The barge tower decided to let HR have it their way, and the next time the situation presented itself they stepped back and let the others take charge… to, well, predictable outcomes.

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    Cheezburger Image 10491916288
    via Justin Wilkens

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    "OK Boss, we can try it their way."

    Let me say up front, I loved my job in the barge towing industry. After 50 years in the industry I have done it all, and done all of it almost every way possible. I know how long it will take to build tow, connect the barges together after clearing them out of the fleet moorings, but mainly I know the easiest and quickest way.
    via Acceptable-Promise-9
  • 03
    Our story begins on a nice hot summer day, 3 barges to clear out for a refinery run to pick up product. I explain to the crew where our barges are in the fleet moorings and my plan on how we/l will get them out to build the tow, seems simple right, I've done it multiple times before, but it's hot and keep getting feedback form one of the hands about how if we do it his way it would take "way less time". I know better and shut them down and we do it my way takes about 90 minutes and away we go. H
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  • 04
    Two weeks later after returning to work I get called into HR(well what we had for HR at the time) about how I was inflexible and not open to new and "better" ways of doing things. I was told I should listen to crew and perhaps I could learn some "new and improved" ways to towboat.
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  • 05
    The day arrives, get orders, same 3 barges to put together for refinery run, same deck crew so lets try some HR advise on building tow. Ask the crew, "How you guys want to do this"? Tell them where the barges are and ask which one should we clear up first and where do you want to build the tow? Ninety minutes in we have 1 barge cleared and temps are high 90's. Quiet hand says on radio, "It didn't take this long last week", I said someone went to office and said I was taking too long and would no
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  • 06
    After the break the crew came up and admitted their way was taking longer and could we just get it over with and "do it your way". I asked just to be sure I did not do anything to disrupt your plan or make it harder? I don't want to be called into the office again next week for not giving you guys a chance. Took another 60 minutes to finish and get underway. Told the crew to cool off and we will have a meeting about what happened. I explained if they wanted before every job we could have an litt
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  • 07
    A few years after this incident one of the alphabet agencies that regulate and tell us how to do our jobs made those meeting mandatory and they had to have paper forms filled out in duplicate. Retired 3 years ago I miss the work and many of the people I worked with, it's a great career for the right person willing to watch, learn and never be at home for long periods of time.
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    Cheezburger Image 10491916032
    via Stephen Rheeder

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    Beneficial_Test_5917 Barges are nifty. Much harder, I guess, to operate than it appears to an outsider like me. :)
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  • 10
    coffee-jitters-503 With my junior engineers, my first meeting speech contains the line: "I've worked very hard to become this lazy, but if you figure out a better way to do something, tell me." They look shocked every time. It's just someone doing this since before you were born being brutally honest...
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  • 11
    Barcata Once your second sentence hit, I began reading this in a stereotypical old sea captain's voice. 10/10
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  • 12
    BassInYourFace71 So typical of rookies/junior employees who think they're smarter than someone who has been there longer than they'be been alive...
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  • 13
    StudioDroid You ever moved a barge full of molasses?
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  • 14
    OkStrength5245 old timer mentality. you know because you had experiences. you did it all, and select what work best. but your crew didn't had that experience. you don't learn by seeing someone do it, you learn by doing yourself. in any technic there are features that are counter-intuitive. It SHOULD work, but it doesn't. it is where the expertise is. knowing the exception into the exceptions. It is the same for computer network configuration or emergency trauma or food treatment.
    via Acceptable-Promise-9
  • 15
    Lylac_Krazy I have seen stories from barge op's several times over the years, and I'm always impressed that every single one seems to love their job. Wish I looked into something like that back in my working days
    via Acceptable-Promise-9
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    Pale-Jello3812 Yeah don't listen to the guy who knows how to get the job done right & fast, what idiot's enjoy the heat.
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