# It's Lab Week! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204 "2006-04-25T21:21:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/1 "2006-04-25T21:21:55Z")
The week in which all us upper management slave drivers recognize all the hard work that gets done. Raffles, games, prizes; everything from pens to gift certs to portable DVD players (it’s been a REALLY good year, so I went a little overboard on the spending for raffle gifts. Screw it, this week is Christmas for the lab employees). Today was a scavenger hunt and Mont Blanc pens to everyone on the winning team. Tomorrow is a barbecue and raffle, Thursday is lunch from the sales team, and so on. To everyone at the SDMB who works in a lab: I hope you’re having a great Lab Week. You guys knock yourselves out doing very important work without recognition all year long. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/2 "2006-04-25T21:23:14Z")
Hide the boom boxes, we don’t want a repeat of last year’s drama. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/3 "2006-04-25T21:36:11Z")
Heh. Since the drama queen is no longer with us, this shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/4 "2006-04-25T23:36:20Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > The week in which all us upper management slave drivers recognize all the hard work that gets done. … I keep reading this sentence over and over but it still doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I need a translator… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/5 "2006-04-25T23:39:35Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > I keep reading this sentence over and over but it still doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I need a translator… “The week…” refers to this week. “…all us…” collectively “…upper management…” you know who you are “…slave drivers…” works employees too hard “…recognize…” throw a bone our way 🙂 “…all the hard work that gets done.” experiments, data analysis and more data analysis between cups of coffee. There you go. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/6 "2006-04-26T01:22:21Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > I keep reading this sentence over and over but it still doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I need a translator… Yeah, it was clumsy. Sorry 'bout that. I had margaritas at lunch and was pretty giddy. I’m sober now, so let’s try again. Lab week is something that’s celebrated annually. It’s lab management’s way of thanking their employees for all their hard work. It serves as something of a morale boost as well, because most of the rest of the time all they hear out of management is “I need this now. No, NOW. No, actually, I need it last week, but I guess I’ll have to settle for now, so do it.” Various activities are planned, and usually the head of each department organizes one day. Friday’s reserved for a group gift from the owner and a really good lunch. I’m very excited about this year because, not only did I get to order the gifts and giveaway goodies, there’s no one around to steal anyone else’s raffle prize. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/7 "2006-04-26T02:17:46Z")
We got a granola bar and one of those spring-loaded ID badge clip thingies. Woo. Oh, and a pin. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/8 "2006-04-26T02:27:23Z")
Yeah, I’m not getting anything. But then, I’m technically still just a student, and not a real authentic technologist yet. I got to spend the day at the urinalysis bench. Working with pee. Dear God, how I hate urinalysis. Least they can do is give me a nifty highlighter and a pat on the back. Hmph. ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/9 "2006-04-26T02:42:13Z")
MT here at a hospital core lab. I’m on vacation but I’ll go back in Thursday. We usually go all out - food, food, food, more food, drawings, giveaways, gifts, games "Best (fill in the blank) nominations (whitest shoes a la "The Office type, not “Fastest Manual Diff Counter” type) no uniforms required, jeans allowed on swing and graveyard shift. This year we’re also awaiting CAP survey people to show up sometime this month, so we’re a little subdued with the decor and dress code, but everything else is in play. I really like what I do, and for some goofy reason, I go nuts about lab week. We’re treated pretty well, normally, but they really do a lot for us this week. It makes it really nice. Happy week to all the other MT/MLT/Phlebs/anyone else hiding in the basements of the MOB’s next to the actual hospital. (This has been the case in all five hospitals I’ve worked at.) ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/10 "2006-04-26T02:54:03Z")
Aw, it just won’t be the same without a psychotic hosebeast around! ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/11 "2006-04-26T03:48:59Z")
No, please excuse me and the sarcastic bitterness. Sorry about that. All I’m getting for Lab Week is Not Fired but I shouldn’t rain on anyone else’s parade. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/12 "2006-04-26T04:13:22Z")
Sorry, I didn’t know you worked in a lab. I’m really kinda floored. And ticked off on behalf of you, **Smeghead** , and **Antigen**. Lab Week is a big deal, you guys deserve to be appreciated. Especially after being told to stop what you’re doing to run a stat dig level because it’s more important than whatever else you’re doing about a dozen times a day every day you go to work. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/13 "2006-04-26T04:20:12Z")
I was REALLY hoping this would be about puppies. Way to be slightly disappointing. I wanted to hear about lab puppies. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/14 "2006-04-26T04:48:52Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Sorry, I didn’t know you worked in a lab. I’m really kinda floored. And ticked off on behalf of you, **Smeghead** , and **Antigen**. Lab Week is a big deal, you guys deserve to be appreciated. Especially after being told to stop what you’re doing to run a stat dig level because it’s more important than whatever else you’re doing about a dozen times a day every day you go to work. Well, I for one don’t work in a hospital lab. It’s a big reference lab, so just about everyone in the company is a lab worker. We’re not special; it’s not like we’re constantly being abused by doctors and nurses or anything. They do do a fairly large celebration, but it would be expensive to give all of us any real gifts, since we’re almost all of the company. Besides, I’d prefer they save the money and give us a larger quarterly bonus instead. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-lab-week/354204/15 "2006-04-26T14:40:16Z")
Lab Week is totally pissing me off right now because they are bombarding us with all kinds of food and I want to lose just 5 pounds before going on vacation in a couple of weeks! I actually do secretarial work in a medical lab, which means I get to reserve a conference room, order the food, pick it up, spread it out…then remind myself that I want to lose just 5 pounds! Grrrrr…