krisk, let me see if I've got this right:
- You've taken a job for which you are overqualified-- receiving and scheduling work orders?
- The two yahoos who are supposed to complete the work orders show little to no inclination to do so
- By job description, they out-rank you (I'm guessing this part) or at least they think they do
- They are contemptuous of you because you're new, female, etc.
- There's a backlog of work orders of at least a month
I don't think you can do anything about their performance if you aren't their supervisor. However, I do think you can offer, as politely and neutrally as possible, to help clear the backlog. Offer to your supervisor, not to them. This may accomplish several things:
- Give you some more meaningful work for a bit
- Give your supervisor a basis of comparison for how long these jobs should take
- Clear some of the backlog so you won't be so embarrassed to pick up the phone
- Line you up for possible promotion, or at least enhance your value within your workplace
- "Show them, show them all!"
The critical thing for this plan is to give the appearance that "somehow" things have gotten backlogged, without pointing fingers, and that you "only want to help out." Let your work speak for itself. Resist the temptation to be smug at how quickly you get your work done. Don't let anyone take credit for your work, but it shouldn't be necessary to call attention to it, either. Later down the road, you might suggest some kind of tracking system per work order, for "quality improvement." But it has to be done without seeming to point fingers at anyone in particular. Pointing out the failings of a co-worker is almost never productive, no matter how much it might seem that they deserve it.
