Re: MS Word 2003 - Working without a template

[Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

I do agree with others about the benefits of the template. I've always worked with one but never spent more a few weeks to create. In a different situation - without regular deadlines - I too might spend a lot of time on customizations and automations. 
  Spending a lot of time tweaking a template while sacrificing regular deliverables is a problem. And if your freelancer was hired as a writer and instead is acting as an editor - that's also a problem. 
  It's your company's responsibility to define what the freelancer does and to what degree and also to set priorities and define his deliverables. 
  It sounds like this has not happened or else you are unaware of what he is expected to accomplish.
  I'd recommend sharing your concerns with whoever manages this freelancer. Ask what he is expected to accomplish and what you can expect from him. If you want to make an argument about changing his focus from template tweaker to tech writer - then I'd bring up costs. Do a bit of research - and then let mgt know of the cost difference between buying a template from a vendor or Word expert vs. how much company has spent & continues to spend for the freelancer to perform this task. 
  In my experience when a company grows, it's common for writers to remain understaffed while other areas get staffed up. Likely most experienced writers have had to deal with this at least once. Sometimes you can get mgt to increase staff - sometimes you just have to cope as best you can. I think that using quitting as an ultimatum to get something (no matter how deserved) - that only works in the short-term. I would strongly recommend that you try different arguments in future. 

       
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