# 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:** 133
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2642 "2021-03-24T22:19:04Z")
OMG, I felt utter rage just reading that. I will happily hold that person down so you can beat the snot out of him/her. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2643 "2021-03-25T13:46:55Z")
That would be incredible. I cannot tell you how unnecessarily intense this person is about responses to email - it makes me absolutely bonkers. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2644 "2021-03-25T15:11:46Z")
Could you tell him “Something I’ve learned from you is your commitment to email. In fact, from now on, I’m only paying attention to emails. All questions regarding an email must be communicated in the form of an email.” “So if I need to know if you’ve read my email yet…?” “Send me an email. It’s so much more professional than IM or a phone call, don’t you think?” ---
**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:** [March 25, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2645 "2021-03-25T23:45:53Z")
We have two IM options where I work – Jabber and Teams. Lately, people have taken to using Teams because of the animated emojis. This doesn’t really bother me, except for when someone IMs a question that requires a bit of research (say, opening a report to compare some numbers), then begins sending me various animated emojis to “get my attention.” 😡 These people need to be lined up for a swift kick in the rear alongside the people who think it’s funny as hell to approach you while you’re leaning over your desk reading or writing, and shout “Hey, wake up!!!” ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2646 "2021-03-26T01:10:15Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > We have two IM options where I work – Jabber and Teams. Lately, people have taken to using Teams because of the animated emojis. This doesn’t really bother me, except for when someone IMs a question that requires a bit of research (say, opening a report to compare some numbers), then begins sending me various animated emojis to “get my attention.” 😡 What kind of person does this? I try to be very patient at work, but I would lose it if someone did this to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2647 "2021-03-26T01:29:55Z")
Oh God, that’s insane. It reminds me of something that happened at one of my first entry level jobs. Me and the other worker bees had been trying to get some sort of concession out of our supervisor…some sort of alteration to our break schedule, IIRC. She wouldn’t budge. We decided to go on a strike, of sorts…we couldn’t go on a real strike because we all really needed our paychecks. So we decided we would just ask all sorts of questions about every single freaking little thing and reply to all her answers with another question…in other words, we all acted like your employee. It took us a little over an hour before we got everything we wanted. She was like “You win, whatever you want, just make it STOP!” It was a remarkably effective negotiating technique. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2648 "2021-03-26T15:11:51Z")
That sounds absolutely horrific. Given that I just gave this person a bonus, I sure hope that’s not the goal! I asked this person about their IM habits once and the responses was, “Oh, I just wanted to make sure you saw it. I know you’re busy and manage six other products.” I pulled her off my list of contacts that can break in when I’m on do not disturb so she can’t interrupt me constantly anymore. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2649 "2021-03-26T22:12:02Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > “Oh, I just wanted to make sure you saw it. I know you’re busy and manage six other products.” That’s beyond obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2650 "2021-03-26T22:47:26Z")
I had a customer today who went on a bit of a ramble about how she doesn’t by “white” salt because she’s convinced it’s been bleached. She prefers Dead Sea Salt because it’s cleaner and purer and doesn’t have pollution in it that requires it be bleached. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2651 "2021-03-26T23:47:52Z")
And it’s from the Holy Land, to boot! … We have some Mont St. Michel sea salt that’s got a grey hue, and it’s very tasty… BECAUSE of the pollution! All sorts of minerals, impurities, and dead sea creatures… and their poop, probably. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2652 "2021-03-26T23:56:07Z")
Oops. Wrong thread. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2653 "2021-03-26T23:57:57Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > The Nobel prize winning poet Mr. Dylan being born in 1941. Did you want to post that in the “OK, Boomer” thread? If not, go do so. My post from a few minutes ago quoted Mr. D as “rebelling against the previous generation”… (I almost amended my Dylan post to say “And when was he born, BippityBoppityBoo?” knowing you were about to post that). eta: Absolutely NO problem, Boo. Makes for much Doper fun! ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2654 "2021-03-27T00:00:39Z")
I tried to but the discourse nanny wouldn’t let me. Forgiveness requested, I’m new to posting. Thanks. You remembered how much this Boomer enjoys and admires him. Throw Joan Baez in there too. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2655 "2021-03-27T14:17:23Z")
Between that guy and the customer service rep who sends every single email with a read receipt (including the ones where he details how he pranks the new customer service rep), I’m really surprised that I haven’t let anyone know how I really feel. Yet. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2656 "2021-03-27T16:09:14Z")
Here I was glad I’ve retired and not subject to this crap… when just minutes ago, a friend (referenced upthread) sent me an email asking me to proof something. I was five minutes into the task when he sent a new revision, then IM’ed me that he’d sent it, then called to ask if I was working on it. “Well, I will be as soon as I get off the phone…” “Oh, right. Okay.” _click._ ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2657 "2021-03-29T18:54:28Z")
It’s only Monday, and I’m already feeling the stress. I’m editing a long document on an impossible timeline, and the person I’m editing it for keeps asking for more. I told him we would get to formatting issues in the next round of edits, and he sent me a list of edits that, you guessed it, includes a lot of formatting edits, including some things I specifically told him I would do later. Sigh. This is the problem with being a nice, helpful person. If you don’t complain, people keep asking you to do more. On top of that, I have some things that are now on the wrong layers, and I have to figure out how to fix that. And I have a piece of text that is refusing to be the right color. 🤬 The recent Big Sur/Adobe update is causing a lot of problems. I’m still trying to get an answer from Adobe on why objects are moving to a different layer when they’re unlocked. I did get a response on Twitter, but as usual, after a few tweets they’re not responding now, and the issue has definitely not been fixed. I’m stress-snacking, and I had a big cup of coffee, so now I’m jittery and snappy. ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2658 "2021-03-29T19:02:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > “So if I need to know if you’ve read my email yet…?” Send it with a Read receipt, then you will know. Don’t call me to ask. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2659 "2021-03-30T16:23:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I was five minutes into the task when he sent a new revision, then IM’ed me that he’d sent it, then called to ask if I was working on it. “Well, I will be as soon as I get off the phone…” “Oh, right. Okay.” _click._ Sorry about that. My employee has struck again. Her job is to make business cases for new services our clients want, build the product and make it easy to sell those services. In other words, product management. She gets the invoices for the cost of making this stuff. She gives me a budget every year so I know what to tell my boss we’re going to spend and what we’re going to make. So, as bosses are wont to do sometimes, I asked her to send me her profit/loss statement for the last couple of months 'cause I need to make sure we’re making what we said we would and not costing a buttload extra. She comes back with, “I didn’t think I needed that anymore.” Wait, what? In what universe would you not need that? Does your budget get whipped out of your butt every year? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2660 "2021-03-31T05:05:39Z")
I hope you told her _well, you do. Get it to me ASAP._ Later on there’ll be an opportunity to unearth what passes for her thought processes. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/2661 "2021-03-31T13:58:14Z")
Oh, I definitely did! Fortunately for her, she got something to me yesterday. I didn’t have a formal deadline, but I had a one on one this morning at 7:30 with my boss and her first question was, “Oh, did you get those statements? Why don’t you share your screen and let’s see what they look like.” Next I’ll be having the conversation about why, particularly since my boss and I went through in excruciating detail all the requirements of this particular role and sent out documentation afterward, clearly stating, “This is part of the job.” Nowhere did it say, “Except for X, she doesn’t have to do that anymore.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=132) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=134)