# I Am New and I Am Special **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333 "2011-10-11T18:30:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![uuaschbaer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@uuaschbaer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uuaschbaer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/41 "2011-10-11T23:07:43Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > I am sorry but I really did laugh out loud at your post. I don’t mean to be nasty, but you’re are presuming a great deal from a simple post. Just to clue you in a bit, I helped get this company off the ground 16 years ago, we have grown, expanded and are extremely successful and when someone gets hired on here, they only leave if they get terminated, retire or they are forced to relocate due to a family issue. I receive regular calls from employees of my “competitors” asking to work for me. I rarely have anything but the lowest spots open because when I hire someone, I take care of them as they grow and take care of my business. Just this month, I had calls from two people that moved and have moved back to the area and have requested their positions back. I know what my number one greatest resource is, my staff and I make sure they know it. Doomed is not the word I would use to describe my relationship with my people. > > Would I show him this? Of course not. I am venting to strangers and getting opinions. He may be facebooking right now on how I am a bitch and won’t allow him a special chair and sneakers. I don’t expect him to show me that either. I wasn’t asking whether you would show him this thread, I dared you to. I know you won’t because it’s complete emotional exhibitionism. Rather, it was complete emotional exhibitionism, now it’s unguided and deteriorative defensiveness. If you really think you can conclude from the fact that you have employees that your behaviour here doesn’t betray an inability to deal with people you are very fantastical. Hell, you can’t even deal with a little criticism from someone you don’t know. But somehow, for all your self-satisfaction, I think you wouldn’t want shareholders (if you guys have them) to read this thread either, because–and I’ll emphasize this–it really doesn’t reflect well and I think you can see that too. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/42 "2011-10-11T23:10:52Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > So, I will put it out there… Would you have let the guy bring in his own executive chair? I have to say for a new guy he sure is wasting no time testing the limits. I’d say no to the chair. For reasons you’ve already stated and for the sake of office harmony. Office politics is a strange beast. Nip this one in the bud or he’s going to turn into George Costanza and have a carpenter come in one day and build a bunk bed and alarm clock shelf under his desk so he can take naps at work. Good luck with the special flower. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/43 "2011-10-11T23:15:40Z")
> [@uuaschbaer](#): > > I wasn’t asking whether you would show him this thread, I dared you to. I know you won’t because it’s complete emotional exhibitionism. Rather, it was complete emotional exhibitionism, now it’s unguided and deteriorative defensiveness. If you really think you can conclude from the fact that you have employees that your behaviour here doesn’t betray an inability to deal with people you are very fantastical. Hell, you can’t even deal with a little criticism from someone you don’t know. But somehow, for all your self-satisfaction, I think you wouldn’t want shareholders (if you guys have them) to read this thread either, because–and I’ll emphasize this–it really doesn’t reflect well and I think you can see that too. Many people talk about things on this website that they wouldn’t share with others face to face. They talk about it on this website precisely _because_ of that. Additionally, managers are perfectly allowed to ponder and discuss issues regarding their employees without their employees’ input and there’s nothing shameful or wrong about that. It looks like you’re just on a general anti-manager kick, mistaking a few ground rules for suffocating oppressiveness, and just reading far more into the situation than is there. You’re being exceptionally antagonistic for no reason I can see, and your assertions are wild and unfounded. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/44 "2011-10-11T23:33:42Z")
> [@Dorabella](#): > > Hmm. You posters who think he should be allowed to bring in his own chair must never have worked in offices. You are going to have an office full of envious and resentful co-workers. How long until someone sabotages it or ‘borrows’ it? In my office, people can have special chairs in certain circumstances (OH&S issues) but these chairs are bought by the firm and no-one would be allowed to bring in their own furniture. I remember working with a special snowflake once who thought it would be a good idea to have an evaporator filled with lavender oil. I have hated the smell of lavender since. I think you were right Foxy40. I work in a large government office. There are 6 thousand people in the building and about 100 offices on my floor. Here are some things that people have in their offices: Coffee maker Tea kettle Giant framed pictures of their favourite sports team A pantry (cereal, soups, bread…) Shoe rack Fan Heater Microwave A 6 foot stuffed giraffe Plants and photos galore All purple accessories And lots of other things that I can’t think about. Nobody gives a shit. It makes people happy and they work better. ---
**Author:** ![uuaschbaer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@uuaschbaer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uuaschbaer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/45 "2011-10-11T23:34:42Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Many people talk about things on this website that they wouldn’t share with others face to face. They talk about it on this website precisely _because_ of that. Additionally, managers are perfectly allowed to ponder and discuss issues regarding their employees without their employees’ input and there’s nothing shameful or wrong about that. > > It looks like you’re just on a general anti-manager kick, mistaking a few ground rules for suffocating oppressiveness, and just reading far more into the situation than is there. You’re being exceptionally antagonistic for no reason I can see, and your assertions are wild and unfounded. Well, thanks for the review. As I said before, my contention is not with the matter of this thread––whether the chair should or shouldn’t be allowed––but with way the Thread Starter behaves, one undignified for an employer but embarrassing for any human being. My dare is not to protest against the lack of input by the employee but to illustrate that the TS wouldn’t be proud of her own behaviour if she had to take responsibility for it and to let her recognize that. Please, a list of wild and unfounded assertions that I made. (Whenever you’ve got the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/46 "2011-10-11T23:37:57Z")
> [@uuaschbaer](#): > > It a chair. Unless you’re employing four-year-olds there’s no reason to worry about that. > > Good. Why? Because uniformity tends to appear more professional, send a message of cleanliness, etc. Is that important, OP? Do clients/customers/vendors/prospective business relations come through that area? > [@](#): > > It’s a chair. It’s not a jacuzzi-toaster combination. Unless you’re going to give this just and serious consideration people will think you capricious and authoritarian. Submitting the original question and wading through all the responses would seem to be serious consideration – or at least consideration. Just? I dunno. Due? Yeah, kinda. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/47 "2011-10-11T23:38:53Z")
> [@uuaschbaer](#): > > Please, a list of wild and unfounded assertions that I made. (Whenever you’ve got the time.) Already done, I quoted them in my previous post. I suggest that if you are so sensitive that a flippant thread title upsets you this badly, you may benefit from having a quiet lie-down in a dark room. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/48 "2011-10-11T23:54:46Z")
I doubt that Snowflake understands the message he’ll be giving off to his co-workers on the day he rolls that fancy executive chair into the office. In the long run (hell, in the short run) you’re doing him a favor by saying no. Totally agree with the decision. ---
**Author:** ![uuaschbaer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@uuaschbaer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uuaschbaer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/49 "2011-10-11T23:57:15Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Already done, I quoted them in my previous post. > > I suggest that if you are so sensitive that a flippant thread title upsets you this badly, you may benefit from having a quiet lie-down in a dark room. Hahaha, I wasn’t kidding, a list, please. You think I’m overreacting, I think you’re underreacting. I’m not upset at all, btw, just relatively aggressive to disagreeable things. As one should be. Especially when you’re invited to give your opinion, and you’re blessed with one; what excuse do you have left then? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/50 "2011-10-12T00:05:52Z")
> [@uuaschbaer](#): > > Hahaha, I wasn’t kidding, a list, please. I know you weren’t. It’s cute. > [@](#): > > You think I’m overreacting, I think you’re underreacting. I’m not upset at all, btw, just relatively aggressive to disagreeable things. As one should be. Especially when you’re invited to give your opinion, and you’re blessed with one; what excuse do you have left then? It’s pretty apparent that you are indeed overreacting in that you feel confident in denigrating the OP’s ability to properly manage her employees based on what you perceive to be a single insult. This is not unusual in workplace-related threads, where a single complaint from an employee frequently leads posters to conclude that they are not only dismally unhappy with their job, but also incompetent, and should quit immediately for the sake of everyone around them. But I will say this much for you: you do indeed have an opinion, and you are indeed aggressively pushing it. I certainly can’t gainsay that. I’ve let this drag on long enough, my apologies **Foxy**. ---
**Author:** ![uuaschbaer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@uuaschbaer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uuaschbaer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/51 "2011-10-12T00:13:07Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > Submitting the original question and wading through all the responses would seem to be serious consideration – or at least consideration. Just? I dunno. Due? Yeah, kinda. Please, this thread looks to have been led by a quest for the words “you’re right” from the start justified with feeble reasons to defend the OP’s position blatantly made up on the spot that are so bad I’m still not sure they weren’t meant as a joke. The TS doesn’t show to have put as much thought into the matter as the average commenter or much more than barely any at all. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/52 "2011-10-12T00:16:48Z")
It’s a very long time since I worked in an office environment but IIRC, the size of the chair was symbolic of the seniority of the person sitting in it. Won’t the other office sharers feel pissed off at the newbie with the big status symbol chair, regardless of where it came from? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/53 "2011-10-12T00:17:10Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > If it swivels or rolls or does stuff that the other chairs do not do, it will engender bad feelings towards New Guy, which is not good for overall morale. Bwuh? Really? Swivelling gets people in a snit? Now I have this mental image of someone sitting at a desk stewing because Peterson’s chair swivels but they have to twiiiist all the way around when _they_ need to get something from the printer. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/54 "2011-10-12T00:18:59Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Bwuh? Really? Swivelling gets people in a snit? Now I have this mental image of someone sitting at a desk stewing because Peterson’s chair swivels but they have to twiiiist all the way around when _they_ need to get something from the printer. Status symbols are like that. It doesn’t have to actually be useful, just a feature it has that the others don’t. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/55 "2011-10-12T00:25:55Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I work in a large government office. There are 6 thousand people in the building and about 100 offices on my floor. Here are some things that people have in their offices: > > Coffee maker > Tea kettle > Giant framed pictures of their favourite sports team > A pantry (cereal, soups, bread…) > Shoe rack > Fan > Heater > Microwave > A 6 foot stuffed giraffe > Plants and photos galore > All purple accessories > > And lots of other things that I can’t think about. Nobody gives a shit. It makes people happy and they work better. I see something missing in that list. CHAIRS. I think most office managers couldn’t care less about decorations. And they may turn a blind eye to things that may actually be policy infractions (like space heaters) just to keep the peace. But furniture? I work in a huge office building myself, and we all have the same chairs. Unless we have a documented medical condition. Or unless we’re a high-level manager. The big-wigs probably have fancier chairs than the rest of us. But I know we aren’t supposed to mess with the furniture or the computers. (Well, now that I’m thinking about it…there are a couple of people who have couches in their offices. Why go through the trouble of moving in big-ass furniture, I don’t know. But even those few people use the office chairs while they are working. The couches are just (nice) accessories.) ---
**Author:** ![uuaschbaer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@uuaschbaer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uuaschbaer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/56 "2011-10-12T00:26:23Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I know you weren’t. It’s cute.It’s pretty apparent that you are indeed overreacting in that you feel confident in denigrating the OP’s ability to properly manage her employees based on what you perceive to be a single insult. This is not unusual in workplace-related threads, where a single complaint from an employee frequently leads posters to conclude that they are not only dismally unhappy with their job, but also incompetent, and should quit immediately for the sake of everyone around them. > > But I will say this much for you: you do indeed have an opinion, and you are indeed aggressively pushing it. I certainly can’t gainsay that. > > I’ve let this drag on long enough, my apologies **Foxy**. Still no list. Plus I didn’t say what you say I said. I said I don’t believe that the TS’s attitude doesn’t ruin her cooperation with other people. I don’t understand how anyone could get by with it. To me it seems a skewed, stressful, dishonest and childlike way to connect with another person. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/57 "2011-10-12T00:28:17Z")
You let your staff have CHAIRS?!! ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/58 "2011-10-12T00:28:24Z")
I agree with the decision in regards to the chair, but am curious about the shoes. They all have to wear tennis shoes, right? What is unacceptable about his new tennis shoes? Is it aesthetic? Or an issue with the sole or something? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/59 "2011-10-12T00:31:27Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > \ The chair would look very odd (if it even fits). There would no doubt be grumbling if the new guy was sitting in a big executive chair and they had their normal task chairs at their desk. No doubt in my mind. Fair enough. > [@Foxy40](#): > > \I also want our office space to be uniform.\ Also fair enough. > [@Foxy40](#): > > Yes, I do think you are right. I had to fight the “what are you some kind of idiot” look when he asked to break dress code permanently for his new cool sneakers. Every employee in the clinic area wears the same non skid white tennis shoes. He was provided with the dress code before he even started. I can’t believe he actually asked the question. This is fair enough, too. I have no problem with, “My office, my rules.” When Special Snowflake runs his own company, he can order any chairs he likes for it, and wear whatever he likes. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Bwuh? Really? Swivelling gets people in a snit? Now I have this mental image of someone sitting at a desk stewing because Peterson’s chair swivels but they have to twiiiist all the way around when _they_ need to get something from the printer. There’s a reason so many people enjoy the movie “Office Space” and Dilbert comics - there is no doubt in my mind that there are people working in offices who will get upset if one chair swivels and another doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333/60 "2011-10-12T00:35:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Bwuh? Really? Swivelling gets people in a snit? Now I have this mental image of someone sitting at a desk stewing because Peterson’s chair swivels but they have to twiiiist all the way around when _they_ need to get something from the printer. I don’t know if “snit” is the word, but if I found out that a co-worker had a chair that could be adjusted in height or that you could rock back and forth in (I don’t know if they make office chairs like this, but I would buy one!), I would be wondering why I have such a crappy chair. Though I probably wouldn’t say anything out loud, especially if I knew the chair was brought from home. I think it kind of depends on the nature of the office. If the workers are in cubicles or closed-off offices, that’s different than if it’s an open area and you’re kind of forced to look at what the other guy has. If New Guy can roll over to the printer in his special chair while the rest of us shmoes have to actually use our feet, we might want to kill New Guy or break the chair. Or both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-new-and-i-am-special/599333.md?page=4)