Workplace griping, anyone?

[teela brown]

No, imbecile floater, my desk is not easy.

Embedded down in an email string that originated in my asking for a couple of days off, I saw that the floater who was requested to cover my desk in my absence told the HR chief that my desk was easy.

A bit of history on the floater: she used to be a legal secretary here, then was given a chance at being a paralegal. That didn't work out, and her old job was taken, so she was demoted to floater (someone who covers the desks of absent secretaries). I know she doesn't want to be a floater anymore, and damned if it doesn't look like she's gunning for my job.

There's a shit-ton of work at this desk that isn't given to the floaters because it's specialized, I've been doing it for years and I do it at a paralegal level. When I'm out, the attorneys suck it up and do it themselves or save it for my return. So the floater only sees the grunt-work when she sits here.

I've been thinking about asking for a raise or bonus because I do paralegal work, and I don't need this floater telling HR that this desk is easy.

[Sario]

Aaarrrgggh. Grandboss has suddenly decided that the way we do reports is no longer good enough, and now I have to go back over every report done since March and put in some bull shit. All while staying on top of my normal workload

[kaylasdad99]

Two and a half month's worth. Hmm. Maybe we can help. Start an "Ask the (Tell the) Report Fixer" thread, and post the reports there. We'll help you put bull shit in fix 'em!

I figure we could do a good enough job to either get you a raise, or make your Grandboss reconsider...

[Cat Whisperer]

Heh - "floater." Anyone else thinking of the disgruntled floater as a turd floating in the toilet?

[rockle]

There is a sign on the microwave in one of the lunch rooms that says "BROKE." I am thinking of taping a dollar to the sign but I don't think anyone but me would understand why.

[Dr. Girlfriend]

There's a sign on the fridge at work that says "If you didn't put the food in, please don't take it out." There's also a sign saying that the fridge will be cleaned out every Friday evening, and anything left in there at that time will be tossed. Someone is falling down on the job, because there's a partial carton of milk in the fridge that's dated March 1st. It's been with the company longer than I have. There's also some yogurt with April expiration dates and several styrofoam containers that have been in there since I started. Maybe someone's doing a science project?

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by rockle

There is a sign on the microwave in one of the lunch rooms that says "BROKE." I am thinking of taping a dollar to the sign but I don't think anyone but me would understand why.

I'd tape a sign under that one that says, "Will cook food for money!"

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Dr. Girlfriend

There's a sign on the fridge at work that says "If you didn't put the food in, please don't take it out." There's also a sign saying that the fridge will be cleaned out every Friday evening, and anything left in there at that time will be tossed. Someone is falling down on the job, because there's a partial carton of milk in the fridge that's dated March 1st. It's been with the company longer than I have. There's also some yogurt with April expiration dates and several styrofoam containers that have been in there since I started. Maybe someone's doing a science project?

Maybe the person who's supposed to clean it out is taking the sign too literally.

[Jeep's Phoenix]

Originally Posted by rockle

There is a sign on the microwave in one of the lunch rooms that says "BROKE." I am thinking of taping a dollar to the sign but I don't think anyone but me would understand why.

I wasn't nearly that clever when I encountered a handwritten "LOCK IS BROKE" sign on the secure shred box...I just added the "N" with a nice red marker.

[digs]

Originally Posted by Jeep's Phoenix

I wasn't nearly that clever when I encountered a handwritten "LOCK IS BROKE" sign on the secure shred box...I just added the "N" with a nice red marker.

The passive-aggressive Office Maven did almost nothing but make cutesy multi-colored signs in Comic Sans. Her latest was "Coffee Machine IS BROKE...", so I copied her style on my own: "Signs like this are why I'M FRUSTRATE..."

[t-bonham@scc.net]

Originally Posted by digs

Her latest was "Coffee Machine IS BROKE..."

One place I consulted at had an ungrammatical sign like that hanging for weeks. Then someone added a handwritten note: Just like everyone else who works for this chintzy company!

Now that promptly got management attention! Within 2 days, the sign was down and a repairperson even arrived to fix the machine.

[Chimera]

And you didn't all get an email threatening to remove the machine over it, or demanding to know who put the sign up, or just mass threatening everyone's jobs?

[t-bonham@scc.net]

Originally Posted by Chimera

And you didn't all get an email threatening to remove the machine over it, or demanding to know who put the sign up, or just mass threatening everyone's jobs?

This was pre-email.
We did hear that there was some management effort put into trying to identify the handwriting, but the writer seemed to have carefully printed in a non-identifiable way.

It did get mentioned at the next departmental meeting -- the manager said something in manager-speak like 'this could have just been brought to our attention in the normal way (the sign hanging there for weeks didn't do that?) instead of using insults, because we really do care about our employees'. There was a bunch of muttering around the table and a couple of sarcastic "yah, sure's" -- the manager looked up, and then clearly decided to not go into that, and continued with the meeting.

As a consultant, I wasn't there every day -- but this made me realize that the employee morale really was as bad as it seemed. I was glad to get out of there when the contract ended.

A year or two later, the company was bought out by a national company in a hostile takeover, merged with one of their divisions, and most of the local management staff let go.

I ran into someone I knew who had worked there (and still did) and he said the management was quite surprised that the stockholders had voted for the takeover. They thought they were safe because they had put a lot of their pension funds into their own company stock, along with employee 401K funds (which were only matched when put into company stock). So between pension, 401K & ESOP, there was a large block of shares controlled by current employees. The company management was quite startled when those employees voted overwhelmingly FOR the the takeover. But as he said, the employees knew better than anyone how badly the company was being run.

[Jeep's Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Chimera

And you didn't all get an email threatening to remove the machine over it, or demanding to know who put the sign up, or just mass threatening everyone's jobs?

Heh...I modified the sign with my right hand. While I typically write left-handed, only a few people at work know that I can write with either hand; of those, only one or two can identify something I've written with my right hand.

[digs]

Originally Posted by Jeep's Phoenix

Heh...I modified the sign with my right hand. While I typically write left-handed, only a few people at work know that I can write with either hand; of those, only one or two can identify something I've written with my right hand.

Diabolical, and of course brings up the classic Princess Bride quote from the sword fight:


Inigo: I admit it: you are better than I am!

Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?

Inigo: Because I know something you don't know.

Man in Black: And what is that?

Inigo: I am not left handed! [switches sword to his right hand]

[flatlined]

There are wasps in the climate controlled file room. Pest control has been called, everyone has looked everywhere and no wasp nests have been seen.

Third floor, sealed windows, doors that automatically shut and lock. There is no water or food in that area, so how and why are they getting in? Most of them are dead or almost dead but some of them are flying around. We see at least 10 a day.

Is it just me? Do vermin just follow me around?

[Chipacabra]

Looking forward to hearing Wasp King stories!

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by Chipacabra

Looking forward to hearing Wasp King stories!

Just so you know...I hates you!

[digs]

Originally Posted by Chipacabra

Looking forward to hearing Wasp King stories!

And your annoying coworker who grates cheese at his desk? Yeah, we want Cheddar Guy stories, too.

[Ferret Herder]

Originally Posted by flatlined

There are wasps in the climate controlled file room. Pest control has been called, everyone has looked everywhere and no wasp nests have been seen.

Third floor, sealed windows, doors that automatically shut and lock. There is no water or food in that area, so how and why are they getting in? Most of them are dead or almost dead but some of them are flying around. We see at least 10 a day.

Having gone through this in my house last year, with yellowjackets - they're getting in through the ventilation system. We had yellowjackets coming in under the outside siding to make nests, and getting sidetracked into the basement and the exhaust vents for the bathrooms. Have an exterminator take a look at the place.

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by Ferret Herder

Having gone through this in my house last year, with yellowjackets - they're getting in through the ventilation system. We had yellowjackets coming in under the outside siding to make nests, and getting sidetracked into the basement and the exhaust vents for the bathrooms. Have an exterminator take a look at the place.

Thank you! I'm sorry for your house problems, but this would explain it.

I really couldn't understand what was attracting insects to that area. I'll talk to the building management people tomorrow. They have been very responsive, but were baffled.

[teela brown]

I'm ranting on behalf of my husband.

After a six month stint of unemployment, he landed a contract engineering job at a Large Tech Firm here in Silicon Valley. He was told he was replacing another person whose contract was up, and to report to her to be trained for her desk.

Well, no one had told the woman she was going to be replaced. Her first knowledge of it was when my husband introduced himself as her successor and asked for his training.

She was pissed as hell, naturally enough. Her own contracting company should have communicated with her, but they didn't. So my husband has to sit within a few inches of a very pissed off, very pissy and nasty woman, and beg her for training. She's not cooperating, or cooperating only just enough to seem like she's doing what's required of her. The powers that be at the Large Tech Firm are just turning their backs and letting it all sort itself out.

The very angry woman will be gone in a week or two, but in the meantime my husband is in a very ugly spot indeed.

Oh, and he sees why she's being replaced. She's incompetent and has a bad attitude, and her desk is a mess.

[Jeep's Phoenix]

Originally Posted by digs

Diabolical, and of course brings up the classic Princess Bride quote from the sword fight:

Excellent!

I should probably watch that movie someday...

[digs]

Originally Posted by Jeep's Phoenix

Excellent!

I should probably watch that movie someday...

Probably?

[digs]

AND you should read the book. For anyone who hasn't read it, the book's got a whole other layer of storytelling on top of what the (brilliant) movie shows.

From the blurb at BN.com:

Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages...

My girlfriend MADE me read it. The version with S. Morgenstern's original text in red. I've never read anything cleverer.
(And yes, I ended up marrying her)

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by digs

AND you should read the book. For anyone who hasn't read it, the book's got a whole other layer of storytelling on top of what the (brilliant) movie shows.

From the blurb at BN.com:


My girlfriend MADE me read it. The version with S. Morgenstern's original text in red. I've never read anything cleverer.
(And yes, I ended up marrying her)

You are so right. Most books do have more story telling than movies, but that book started getting good with the intro. Yes, I do read the everything.

Missy Mouth might go to the vet tomorrow. She's still not right. I think its because I let her leap around and crash on tiles, Bill is worried about cancer and hip injuries and such. I think she is just sore and will be just fine in couple of days. No matter the outcome, I will never let her leap and fall on tile again.

[flatlined]

Sorry for cat and book chat here.

I found 7 dead wasps today and my minion killed 3 more. I told the building management guy about them maybe be in the ductwork and he looked like me like he thought I was too dumb to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Tomorrow, my minion will be looking at the filters.

The flipping things are getting in somehow and I really don't think its the windows.

[Nava]

The ducts can be an amazing source of nastiness, sometimes. My Dad's last job was as Purchasing Manager in a hospital: he was the second hire. First had been HR-person, third was Maintenance-person. The Maintenance guy was originally a bit surprised when told he had to pay ultra-super-special attention to air ducts, but even before asking "why" he realized that yeah, in a hospital, if you get a source of infection there... ooooooooh SHIT! Therefore, he pointed out that, rather than only having an external company which would come periodically, he'd like to have ar least one of his "plumbers" be an "air duct specialist". Wish granted.



And ok, ok, ok, I've just bought the book. I've been saying "I have to buy it" for ages, now I have it. Next step, actually reading it!

[Nava]

No gripe, but a had to share. Recent email thread.

Boss, last Friday, to the whole team.
Replies galore since, all going to the whole team.
Fifteen minutes ago, letter from boss to the whole team saying "call me". The previous three letters were from three other people.
I've written him alone saying, "pst, who?"
He's answered me telling me who.

I sure hope he's also told the who in question, you know?