Do people run in your office?

[roger thornhill]

"Office" as in workplace, not room.

Here in Hong Kong, it's quite common for subordinates (even high ranking middle management) to break into a canter when the boss wants something done. We're not in emergency services or news, by the way.

I never encountered this in England, and wonder if it happens a lot elsewhere.

[roger thornhill]

Mod, please catapult this over to IMHO.

[Donovan]

No. Even when something major has happened and someone needs to go across the building to look at a down server/switch/whatever (and sometimes we are looking at cases where every minute counts), noone runs - everyone saunters.

[cckerberos]

I've never seen it in the US unless the task was an urgent one. I have seen it in Japan, though.

[Agent Foxtrot]

I've jogged through my office before to get something done in a hurry. Never broken out into a 100-meter dash, though.

Adam

[Typo Negative]

We've walked at a brisk pace, but there's never any running. Running is verboten.

[lissener]

There was a woman at my last place of employment who ran EVERYWHERE. Drove me nuts. Come to think of it, there was a running woman at the place before that. Drove me NUTS.

[AngelicGemma]

I did it at one place. This is because it was my job to answer the phone on the reception desk. So if I was in my bosses office and the phone rang, I ran. (If I didn't answer it in 4 rings, it diverted to someone elses phone.)

[MaddyStrut]

Only to catch the elevator.

[bughunter]

The only time I've run in my office was when I was expecting a phone call and I was standing at the printer, on the other side of a row of cubicles.

The phones here ring three times before going to voice mail... so I dashed around the row, scaring a half a dozen people in the process, because no one runs here. (And few people realize how quickly I can move when I want to... and a 280-lb man suddenly moving very rapidly can be an intimidating thing.)

Of course, I was just in time to miss the third ring.

[Bippy the Beardless]

Running would seem unprofessional, it shows that you are somehow late and panicking, also the risk of knocking into someone else and causing an accident at work would give lawyers orgasms (and we don't want that now do we).

[roger thornhill]

Health and safety considerations seem to go out the window when the boss wants something done, even though we have procedures for everything (well, they look good on paper) as we're constantly updating our ISO status. Even saw the tea lady darting around yesterday.

[Valgard]

Sure, I jog and run from time to time. Make it a rule to sprint up the stairs (exercise) and if there's an emergency, server outage, major partner needs something 5 minutes ago, etc, I hurry it up.

[six_personalities]

I do office aerobics :)

[TeaElle]

I recall running in my workplace on three occasions:

1.) One of our IT guys ran when someone screamed "My monitor is on fire!" His fast action probably saved tens of thousands of dollars and perhaps some lives, as the monitor was indeed spewing sparks and smoke and ready to ignite.

2.) A co-worker ran to the phone when informed that her son was on the line. We were all unaware, but it turned out that he had walked away from his job and his apartment, simply disappeared to parts unknown, without a word to anyone. The call was the first communication the poor frantic woman had received from him in more than six months.

3.) On 9/11, two co-workers who had loved ones working at the WTC ran to the conference room (where we had television news on the big screen) when they were informed of the tragedy. Later, a few people ran from the same room when the first tower fell, as they were overwhelmed.

[ParentalAdvisory]

I myself run from the office.

[MEBuckner]

:Runs into thread:

"Moving...[pant, pant]...to IMHO!"

[RickJay]

Nobody runs in my office; in fact, I think there's a rule against it. It's unsafe. You could hurt someone.

[BMU]

I've seen people jog about the office, but only when there's free pizza to be had... :)

[Hyperelastic]

I used to work for a Japanese company with a very jumpy guy who used to do sort of a Fred Flintstone run (erect stance, arms at sides) when one of the big bosses would summon him. I still chuckle when I think about it.

[TVeblen]

-->admires the effect of Buckner's aerobic output<--

Ahem.

Running in the workplace here'bouts is reserved for balls-out prevention of global holocaust. An outright jog implies a serious emergency, with implications of things going straight to hell in a handbasket despite prudent plans to the contrary.

Brisk hustling is sometimes allowable, though often suspect.

The default gait is a rapid but controlled forward motion.

[Peter Doubt]

No.

And in my former job, (emergency services) No. If you saw us running, we were running away. Interested parties were invited to join in and pass if possible.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

I worked one summer in an IBM plant. At the time (maybe still) IBM had a strict policy against running, it was forbidden except in dire emergencies (like fire). This was clearly spelled out even to us summer hires.

There was one Japanese guy, though, who used to run everywhere. It was explained to us that he was actually an employee of IBM Japan, which didn't have a policy against running, and so he was allowed to run if he wanted to. :dubious:

At my current job, no running except
1. Actual emergencies.
2. Leaving work.
3. Free donuts.

There is one woman were I work who does everything at a very brisk walk, clicking along in heels. I have also seen her break into a near run once or twice. I normally don't have to hurry but I can walk pretty fast when I want to and at times I have walked down the hall in front of her just fast enough that she can't pass me. I swear it is a competitive thing with her that she feels she has to walk faster than everyone else to show how much more important her work is.

[TellMeI'mNotCrazy]

Only to catch the elevator.

The same people, it should be noted, that refuse to hold an elevator for two seconds so that anyone else can get into it.

[jdc]

At a company I used to work for, certain folks would run down the corridor full speed when paged by a demanding VP, only to slow to a walk before rounding the corner where they would come into her view.

Since the large, open-plan office had a false floor for all the computer wiring,
the run would shake all of us on the perimeter as the dashing underling would fly by.

[DoctorJ]

At the hospital, interns will often run to codes, at least until the resident tells them to stop doing that. My teaching is that a successful code starts when you walk in the room--you stroll in, put on a pair of gloves, and announce your name in a way that says, "I'm here, I'm in charge, it's all good." Coming in all out of breath sets the wrong tone, and it's not worth the 30 seconds you might save.

Free donuts, on the other hand, we run for.

[Chefguy]

It's difficult to run when your knees are jerking so hard.

[kidchameleon]

When I was a clerk at an office supply store I once ran after a shoplifter. As a chemist, it's very dangerous to run in the lab. Of course when I was a lifeguard we could run, as long as it was in slow motion. :p

[tremorviolet]

There is one woman were I work who does everything at a very brisk walk, clicking along in heels. I have also seen her break into a near run once or twice. I normally don't have to hurry but I can walk pretty fast when I want to and at times I have walked down the hall in front of her just fast enough that she can't pass me. I swear it is a competitive thing with her that she feels she has to walk faster than everyone else to show how much more important her work is.

Huh, it almost sounds like you work in MY office. I walk really fast (and at my old job would occasionally run) because I think getting from place to place is kinda boring. I wanna be there now. I generally don't run now because I work in an office and wear heels. Plus I keep almost colliding with people who aren't paying attention (or who don't see me; I'm too short to stick out much above the cubicle walls). Anyway, I'm not hurrying bcause I'm afraid of the boss or anything, I'm just bored...

[rocking chair]

oh yeah, there is running. many things can cause running.

items needed in a conf. room after the meeting started.
from computer to computer to print out stuff for someone on the way to the airport/cab/car/subway etc.
trying to beat the fed ex pickup.
trying to catch the fed ex person before the elevator arrives.
trying to get to the fed ex drop off before it closes.
free food.

there have been some very close near misses and some really humourous crashes.

one time 2 people crashed around a corner, both managed to keep on their feet. the woman was about 4'10" and the guy about 5'8." he ended up with a bright magenta lip mark in a interesting place on his light grey and white sweater. after much blotting we got the mark down to dull roar. the stain never went away completely. the crash happened at 9:30 in the morning and he had to walk around with it until lunch when he was able to get to a store.

then there was the pant ripping incident...

[JayElle]

Well, I do admit to breaking out in a trot occassionally, but that's my boss's fault.

Boss lady is at the other end of the hall from my office. Instead of picking up the phone and requesting my presence, she has the annoying habit of bellowing, "Hey! JayElle! Hey! JayElle! Come here, JayElle!" over and over and over. I trot into her office just to make the yelling stop. I consider it a service to my co-workers.

[Klaatu]

Not quite the office, but when I worked at oil refineries back in the '70s, you could get fired for running. Unless the plant was about to blow up.

Running was not allowed, as it would scare people.

For an anecdote, I was working at a chemical plant in Houston back then, unloading stuff under a unit where a lot of welding was going on. My work partner and I notice all the hands climbing down and figure we didn't hear the lunch whistle.

When the first dude hit the ground and yelled "Fire up yonder" then started running toward the pasture we said "Oh shit" and took off.

Fortunately, the firewatcher put out the fire and the plant didn't blow up.