# 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:** 185
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3682 "2023-08-01T05:30:56Z")
Back when I worked (heh), our new passwords weren’t allowed to share character strings of some length with old passwords, so I just went with a former pet’s name and a string of numbers that each went up by one digit from the old one - I started out with something like Mittens9201 and followed with Frisky0312. I’d run out of historic pet names and was thinking of switching to cousins instead when I retired. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3683 "2023-08-01T13:04:27Z")
Why in the almighty fuck do people insist on touching the screen when I’m showing them something on one of my monitors??? They’re big monitors with nice, clear print…you shouldn’t have to use your fingertip to read along. And they’re positioned on a very large desk; anyone wanting to touch one of the screens has to lean over at a very uncomfortable angle. Also: yes, the state is in the process of installing traffic circles up and down the road near where we work. This is not the end of civilization, it’s just a new traffic pattern. You’ve known about this since 2018. Please stop screaming about it. (These aren’t even proper two-lane traffic circles; only the inner lane goes all the way around.) ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3684 "2023-08-01T13:34:43Z")
I visited my family shortly after Hillsboro street had converted to traffic circles. I was driving my brother to Cloo’s. As we approached Hillsboro from Oberlin, my brother said, “Now this is a traffic circle, so you need to be very caref-” And then I exited the circle. I don’t understand the aversion to traffic circles. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3685 "2023-08-01T14:07:54Z")
Traffic circles have been showing up in southern Ohio. People do not understand the concept. They stop before entering the circle. The stop in the middle of the circle and put on their turn signal to switch lanes. There’s a small one near my house that has a center that is only a couple inches higher than the road so many people just drive straight over it. I have to go through 2 to get to my Doc’s office. It jacks my blood pressure up as I wait for people to figure out how to navigate a circle. I wish they’d go back to 4 way stops. At least my blood pressure would be lower. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3686 "2023-08-01T14:49:57Z")
Ranting against traffic circles is always justified. Some drivers slow down unexpectedly; others speed up, also unexpectedly. People don’t seem to be very good at judging the time they have and the distance between them and an approaching car. And speaking as a frequent pedestrian having to navigate traffic circles, it’s clear that many drivers don’t look for pedestrians at all. I’m tall and therefore relatively visible, and I move quickly; if I were smaller and slower I don’t know that I’d try to cross them on foot at all. And I don’t think they’re at all safe for bicyclists (I’m one of these too)–they’re certainly not built with bikes in mind. In an ideal world all these circles would go away. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3687 "2023-08-01T15:02:18Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Why in the almighty fuck do people insist on touching the screen when I’m showing them something on one of my monitors I have an online acquaintance who something of a coding prodigy. He met Bill Gates at some conference, his website now has as a subtitle > [@](#): > > Bill Gates touched my Mac Book Pro. because he was explaining something and Bill touched his screen. He was pretty grumpy about it at the time, as I recall. > **[BIT-101](http://www.bit-101.com/blog/)** > > Bill Gates touched my Mac Book Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3688 "2023-08-01T17:19:47Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > There’s a small one near my house that has a center that is only a couple inches higher than the road so many people just drive straight over it. The short curb allows fire trucks and other large vehicles to drive straight over it. That usually means that the turning radius is too small for a fire truck. Traffic circles and roundabouts improve traffic flow (once people get used to them) and reduce air pollution. Vehicles create a notable amount of pollution accelerating from a stop. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3689 "2023-08-01T17:36:31Z")
Don’t know if you’re work from home or in an office where you need your computer to lock when unattended, but a USB mouse jiggler is a wonder for workstations that you need to stay awake without attention. Just plug it into a USB port and it pretends to be an extra mouse automatically moving. > **[Amazon.com: Meatanty USB Mouse Jiggler Tiny Undetectable Mouse Mover with...](https://www.amazon.com/Meatanty-Undetectable-Protective-Multi-Track-Driver-Free/dp/B09NVH8HVN)** > > Shop Amazon for Meatanty USB Mouse Jiggler Tiny Undetectable Mouse Mover with Separate Mode and ON/OFF Buttons,Digital Display and Protective Cover,Supports Multi-Track,Driver-Free,Plug-and-Play Keeps PC/Laptop Awake and find millions of items,... My wife and I both WFH and have one workstation with a dashboard app we need to monitor but not interact with often. It has a setting to move one pixel up-down-left-right so I don’t have a wandering cursor annoying my peripheral vision. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3690 "2023-08-02T01:43:02Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I don’t understand the aversion to traffic circles. Me either! Four way stops make me nervous as hell… Between the people who don’t understand right-of-way and the people who just blast right through the intersection, they’re definitely one of the worst parts of my drive. > [@Kelevra](#): > > People do not understand the concept. I have encountered a few drivers who would either yield while traveling around the circle, or just plow into the circle without yielding. > [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > And speaking as a frequent pedestrian having to navigate traffic circles, it’s clear that many drivers don’t look for pedestrians at all. This is something that isn’t an issue here - unfortunately, these traffic circles weren’t designed with pedestrians in mind. 😕 The existing roads aren’t either; a pedestrian was seriously injured in a collision a few weeks ago near my workplace. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Bill Gates touched my Mac Book Pro. 🤣 Aren’t MacBook screens easy to clean? As awesome as my work monitors are, they have that plasticky anti-glare coating that’s incompatible with all cleaning chemicals, and seems to hold on extra tight to any fingerprints. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3691 "2023-08-02T01:53:26Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I don’t understand the aversion to traffic circles. Around here they are poorly marked - it really sucks to come upon one I’ve not navigated before and find NO SIGNAGE WHATSOEVER that indicates which exit goes where. Traffic calming my ass. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3692 "2023-08-02T11:44:03Z")
In a town near me there’s a “Traffic Circle” that’s so poorly designed it boggles the mind. It’s tiny, and sits between the two directions of the main road, with another major road ‘B’ coming in from a right angle. Traffic on road B get a yield sign, but the main road has no marking whatsoever, and if you weren’t familiar with the intersection you could be forgiven for not even knowing you were entering a traffic circle until you were in it. Which means that practically speaking any vehicles in the circle need to yield to entering traffic, though there is no signage to indicate this, and that’s not how traffic circles are supposed to work. Another town nearby has a big, big circle that has right-angle exits just after entrances (to go that way, you need to cross entering traffic) as well as arbitrary yield signs for vehicles in the circle. A poorly designed “traffic circle” is horrible and dangerous. A proper [roundabout](https://www.ofallon.org/street-division/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-traffic-circle-and-a-roundabout) is a thing of beauty. Wait…how did this end up in the workplace rant thread? Ok, here’s my workplace rant: We all work remotely. Why is my connection to my in-office workstation so absurdly slow? It’s not just me, it’s a whole group, though mine seems to be worst. It makes doing my job very difficult when I sometimes have to wait multiple seconds for the text I type to show up on my screen. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3693 "2023-08-02T21:51:48Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > We are having a baby shower at our office for a woman (Abby) who expressed that she did not want one. Her manager (Becky) arranged it. Except Becky was going on vacation so she sent an email to the staff saying to coordinate with Carla. We had an employee in my department retire after nearly 40 years with the company. She didn’t want a big retirement party and elected to have a smaller one with with just the department. After she left, our director ended up getting a lot of flak from employees outside our department wondering why this employee didn’t get the retirement party as expected. I don’t know if Becky felt any pressure to make sure there was a shower, but it’s possible. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3694 "2023-08-02T22:48:34Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > A poorly designed “traffic circle” is horrible and dangerous. A proper [roundabout](https://www.ofallon.org/street-division/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-traffic-circle-and-a-roundabout) is a thing of beauty. Huh, I didn’t realize there was a true difference; I thought it was a regional thing. By that definition, the road construction near my office is actually for installing roundabouts. I don’t have a workplace rant at the moment, it’s more of an observation…one of the new guys is displaying animal pelts at his workstation. I’m not close enough to know if they’re properly preserved or not. (I’m guessing not; the one that I was told was a roadkill squirrel disappeared last week.) ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3695 "2023-08-03T13:17:32Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > A poorly designed “traffic circle” is horrible and dangerous. A proper roundabout is a thing of beauty. Until you visit [Swindon](https://www.roads.org.uk/articles/the-magic-roundabout). My workplace rant - I work in a university. We have exams in the summer and for any students who don’t pass, there’s a supplementary assessment session in August with a Board of Examiners meeting in early September. All of our academic staff know this. They know when things happen, they know when assessment deadlines are, and know how long they have to return marks and feedback. How come it’s a complete shock to them that we’re asking them to mark a few essays between 14th-25th August? This happens every year, people!! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3696 "2023-08-04T12:46:17Z")
We use an instant messaging system that everyone likes. So the PTB decided to change it to something everyone hates. The one we like really helped us during the pandemic, and we kept it. A lot of us work from home now. We use it a LOT. Was bitching about that yesterday, the answer I got was “You’ll get used to it”. But… why? Why switch when the one we have works great? Why learn a new system? Are we saving money? What the hell is it? So in the mean time, we have two IM systems. I believe I may go on a bit of a silent protest. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3697 "2023-08-04T13:27:49Z")
Every time I log onto an ACE computer workstation (it’s the system we use at USPS), the computer opens up Microsoft Teams. I always close the window with no difficulty, but its persistence annoys me. WHY can’t I just get rid of the damn thing? I have no use for it. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3698 "2023-08-04T13:40:35Z")
My work computer starts up Webex every time. I suppose it’s a registry issue that could be easily fixed but our IT guy got mangled in a car wreck and has been out since February. I don’t want to play with it myself because if I mess it up there’s no one to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3699 "2023-08-04T14:06:50Z")
We have Teams, and I hate it. Why? Because some people in management think the status indicator determines if a person is working or not. “Ahh, Travis is green. He must be working. Kate is ‘Away.’ She must not be working.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3700 "2023-08-04T14:09:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Every time I log onto an ACE computer workstation (it’s the system we use at USPS), the computer opens up Microsoft Teams. You may be able to change a setting in Teams so that it doesn’t open automatically. At least, it worked for me when I had a similar issue. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3701 "2023-08-04T14:39:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You may be able to change a setting in Teams so that it doesn’t open automatically. At least, it worked for me when I had a similar issue. Since we went remote three and a half years ago, this option has been clobbered in our “image”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=184) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=186)