# New and Unimproved Workplace Rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 14, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638 "2015-10-14T15:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 108
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2141 "2019-09-26T15:58:10Z")
How long will the container full of rotting vegetables sit in the staff fridge? It’s been in there at least six weeks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2142 "2019-09-26T17:00:44Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > How long will the container full of rotting vegetables sit in the staff fridge? It’s been in there at least six weeks. Kimchee. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2143 "2019-09-26T23:40:49Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > How long will the container full of rotting vegetables sit in the staff fridge? It’s been in there at least six weeks. Throw the whole thing into the garbage. Whoever it belonged to obviously isn’t concerned with losing the container, and so they should. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2144 "2019-09-27T01:12:10Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Throw the whole thing into the garbage. Whoever it belonged to obviously isn’t concerned with losing the container, and so they should. If it starts to smell bad, it’s going in the trash. If I’m feeling nice, I might dump the rotten vegetables in the trash and leave the container in the sink. I’m not washing it, though. Then we’ll see how long the container stays in the sink. Probably forever. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2145 "2019-09-27T01:35:03Z")
My company makes cutting-edge big data analytics and machine learning software. Why am I spending hours each week manually updating budgets and forecasting staffing needs across three Excel spreadsheets, Salesforce and our time entry system? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2146 "2019-09-27T02:10:51Z")
It’s not just Monday. ☹ Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2147 "2019-09-27T02:38:11Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > My company makes cutting-edge big data analytics and machine learning software. Why am I spending hours each week manually updating budgets and forecasting staffing needs across three Excel spreadsheets, Salesforce and our time entry system? Cobbler’s children have no shoes? ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2148 "2019-09-27T10:28:25Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > If it starts to smell bad, it’s going in the trash. If I’m feeling nice, I might dump the rotten vegetables in the trash and leave the container in the sink. I’m not washing it, though. Then we’ll see how long the container stays in the sink. Probably forever. There’s a sponge on a stick that’s been in our work sink for over two years. I’m afraid to touch it. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2149 "2019-09-27T12:03:48Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Kimchee. Only if you like kimchee made from very brown celery. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2150 "2019-09-27T23:37:21Z")
My workplace holds an annual fridge clean-out the week before the Thanksgiving potluck. Last year, the designated cleaner uncovered several unlabeled containers that had been in there so long that _things_ were growing in them. When it became known that some of the abandoned containers were good brands (Pyrex and Pampered Chef), people were practically storming the break room hoping to scoop up some ‘nice’ cookware. > [@Catamount](#): > > There’s a sponge on a stick that’s been in our work sink for over two years. I’m afraid to touch it. One of the managers decided it would be a good idea to start placing bar mops at the sink in the break room, with the idea that excessively soiled ones would be placed in the designated bin under the sink for laundering. This rarely happens. I made the mistake of touching the bar mop one day; I had to wash my hands with dish detergent to get the smell to go away. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2151 "2019-09-30T12:49:23Z")
It’s Monday. I just got to work and found out that our IT people have made it so updates will be installed automatically. I am not happy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2152 "2019-09-30T18:50:24Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > It’s Monday. I just got to work and found out that our IT people have made it so updates will be installed automatically. I am not happy. We all know this will not end well. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2153 "2019-10-01T13:27:34Z")
Required updates have been applied to your workstation and it will be rebooted in 10 minutes. Please save your work. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2154 "2019-10-01T13:31:46Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Required updates have been applied to your workstation and it will be rebooted in 10 minutes. Please save your work. I work for a European company, in America. That means that when the IT department applies the updates, “outside of working hours” they mean outside of working hours in Europe, or maybe Bangladesh. Whichever, it’s always at about 10 AM Pacific time. So that’s when I take my coffee break. Sometimes it lasts until noon. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2155 "2019-10-01T21:04:30Z")
So I’ve recently started a new job, which is generally going OK, I think, in a chaotic sort of way. It’s in a college, which means the level of paperwork is somewhat more extensive than I’m used to, and one of the tasks I’ve been given is keeping track of risk assessments. These are all submitted on the intranet, which has a database of all the college risk assessments (on 8 sites). There is a circle reserved in heck for the person who designed this database. Each risk assessment has a code number. Is there a spot to search for this number? There is not. But wait, I hear you cry, you can use ctrl + f! Hah! Well, not really. For some arcane reason, you can’t get a complete list of all the various assessments, you have to search through each category separately. Almost all of the activities could come under multiple categories some, potentially, in as many as 5 different categories, but they are only listed in one. Some categories are completely empty. Many overlap. Two are identical. I have, so far, found ones for my department in 8 different categories. Also,although I’ve been given the task of checking they’re all up to date, the teaching staff are often (as they should be) submitting new, updated versions, as the old ones come up for review. These are given new numbers and sometimes slightly reworded new titles and are not in any way tagged to the documents they’re replacing. No-one has kept records of those which have been updated since last year (which is why I’m doing it) so the numbers and exact titles are, apparently, unknown. There is often no way to find them short of scrolling through the lists, looking for similar wording. There are entries (for 8 sites! All jumbled!) going back to 2013, and they’re not displayed in chronological order. May the person who designed this (and the person who signed off on it) accidentally vacuum up a crucial piece from their favourite board game. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2156 "2019-10-02T03:37:51Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > One of the managers decided it would be a good idea to start placing bar mops at the sink in the break room, with the idea that excessively soiled ones would be placed in the designated bin under the sink for laundering. This rarely happens. I made the mistake of touching the bar mop one day; I had to wash my hands with dish detergent to get the smell to go away. That’s nasty! Not surprising, though. I’m sure most people know how to keep their houses clean, but they forget all of that when they go to work. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2157 "2019-10-16T23:02:49Z")
The camels back has finally broken, just filled out an application for a new job today. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2158 "2019-10-16T23:29:15Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The camels back has finally broken, just filled out an application for a new job today. Good for you! May you get a brand new camel with a strong back right away. Keep us posted! ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2019, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2159 "2019-10-17T02:29:49Z")
While having my own lunch alone in the break room, another coworker came to the lunch room to get her large Starbucks iced coffee that she had stashed in the fridge. She had set her drink on a shelf and someone else had knocked her drink over, probably while putting something in or taking something out of the fridge. It was spilled all over the middle shelf, wetting several lunch containers of other coworkers, and also pooling in the bottom of the fridge below the pull out containers. (No- I wasn’t the one who knocked over her drink. I told her this at the time and showed her that my lunch box was wet from her coffee drink.) She was hopping mad about the careless coworker who knocked over her drink, but also declared that since it wasn’t her fault, she was not going to clean up the mess. It’s still there- 2.5 to three weeks later. Interestingly, the pooled coffee at the very bottom of the fridge has dried up, cracked into pieces, and now largish chunks of dry, plastic-y looking coffee pieces with the edges curled up cover the bottom of the fridge. I’ve cleaned the fridges at work probably literally a hundred times or more over the last 20-25 years I’ve worked there but I’m just not going to do it this time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2019, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2160 "2019-10-17T10:33:29Z")
Teaching your new minions the meaning of “freelancer” before you let them loose on the databases would make sense. The good news is, if you’re a freelancer you can always use “clearly has no idea” as a filter to know it’s time to hang up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=107) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=109)