# 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:** 192
**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:** [October 6, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3822 "2023-10-06T02:51:18Z")
I had an employee who sent me an odd question about their benefits. In their message, they wrote that someone had told his wife that even thoug he didn’t contribute to his health savings account that the company might still set aside money for it. But it was phrased in such an odd manner that it took me a bit to understand what he was actually asking. So I replied and told him that his employer will indeed contribute to his HSA. The problem is that for whatever reason he did not enroll in the HSA last year during open enrollment. But I went ahead and let him enroll this month but explained it’s going to be prorated so he won’t get the full contribution. And then I did some double checking, and it turns out he won’t be able to use the HSA funds for expenses incurred _before_ the account was created. He sent me a snippy comment about how it would have been nice if he had that information prior to making his open enrollment selections. So I asked him if he attended any one of our multiple open enrollment sessions last year? Or did he get any of the multiple emails we sent to employee who enrolled in the high deductible health plan and waived the HSA asking them to make sure this was accurate? As he was making his elections, did he read the instructions that specifically advised him to enroll in the HSA if the HDHP was elected? ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3823 "2023-10-06T17:09:52Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > The rest of your post indictates to me it’s time to find another outfit to work for. If you’re not permitted to discipline (as in firing) an employee such as the grandson, you’re not being permitted to do your job correctly. Nah, too long in the tooth for that, and most of the time it’s ok - we’re a mom & pop shop, I wear lots of hats, have been in this industry long enough to develop a thick skin, & grandpa backed me up when I told Junior to stay home. It’s cozy, not too many years to retirement, just gets a little frustrating, but I think the rest of management is starting to listen, I don’t get that frustrated in the normal course of things. > [@Monty](#): > > ’m starting to be convinced today’s upcoming generation is the last one that will enjoy the benefits of the technology they’re so addicted to. Too many of them are refusing to learn anything or are simply incapable of learning. That means they will not be able to repair or even maintain that technology when the rest of us are gone and they have to rely on themselves. Amen, tell it all, brother, tell it all! ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3824 "2023-10-06T21:50:09Z")
TL;DR: Newegg and UPS are being a pain. I ordered a part. It arrived, but was defective. That happens, no big deal. Setup a warranty exchange with the vendor, they sent me a shipping label, and I sent the part off. They got the return and shipped a replacement. Seems normal, right? The tracking number for the replacement sat in “shipping label created” for a week. Called the vendor, they said they’d investigate and get back to me. Didn’t hear from them for another week, so I called back. They again said they’d investigate. This time a new shipping label was created. It was picked up by the carrier. The carrier attempted to deliver it, but there was an address exception. They attempted to deliver again, but there was another address exception. Since 2017 all deliveries to campus go to a single location, so even if the package has my building’s street address, the carrier should know it goes to the distribution center. They’ve been successfully handling the redirect for over 6 years. Called the carrier, they don’t want to talk to me. Called the vendor. They’ll have that one returned, and send me a new one. “Make sure you get the correct address from me before shipping the new replacement!” Nope. New shipping label is created. I call the vendor. Their phone lines are closed, even though it is within their stated office hours. Oh well, we’ll see if the carrier properly delivers this package. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3825 "2023-10-13T16:28:51Z")
Everything sucks. In addition to all of the other things that are bad at work, now Pantone is requiring a monthly subscription to use their color books with Adobe apps and our website CMS is doing this new delightful thing where text that’s pasted in from Word has a lot of weird html formatting. I’m so tired of everything. I need a nap and a bottle of juice. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3826 "2023-10-13T17:38:33Z")
Maybe a binky too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3827 "2023-10-13T17:49:48Z")
I might start sucking my thumb. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3828 "2023-10-14T00:28:57Z")
Fuck subscription models. Autodesk did this with their products, and as a result no longer offers the cool AutoCAD/Inventor LT bundle. Even though it was the ‘light’ version, Inventor LT was very capable of opening pretty much any 3D file format you could throw at it. Now I can’t open 3D models at work. 😠 ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3829 "2023-10-16T19:50:46Z")
Our firm seems to go for ‘toilet roll of the month’ which is usually incompatible with ‘toilet roll dispenser of last month’. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3830 "2023-10-17T00:09:13Z")
As an IT guy, you have NO idea how much Autodesk’s new subscriptions have made our life difficult. Prior to this, we could have a pool of 50 licenses, which would EASILY serve at least 200 users. Why? Not everyone logged in at the same time. You could probably serve 300 users, if some people didn’t mind being asked to log out because someone really needed it. Now? The licenses are Named User. The person must have an account with their name, and have a license assigned to that name only. It means you can’t have 50 licenses for 200 people. You need a license for each user that wants to use the program, and then that license stays with them. You’d have to unregister each user, unregister the license, and then reassign it to another user. And they probably track to see if someone gets assigned/unassigned too frequently. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3831 "2023-10-18T23:11:50Z")
Now _that_ sounds heckin’ messy. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3832 "2023-10-19T17:52:10Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I haven’t been allowed inside a postal processing facility since August 23. This has to do with the fact that my Deep Brain Stimulation pulse generators required adjustments to their pulse frequency/intensity and were unable to provide even a modicum of control of my essential tremors (the one in my left breast had actually developed an open current path, so I might as well have had it turned off and saved myself the trouble of keeping the battery charged). My union steward has been working on trying to get my suspension converted to administrative leave, and has filed a grievance and an EEO complaint. > > Two weeks ago, I got my PCP to sign documentation supporting my request for Reasonable Accommodation, and I’ve been invited to participate in a phone meeting in two more weeks to discuss what that would look like (what it would look like is that if I need to work in any energized equipment above 50V, someone else would cover that task for me. _Narrator: This happens maybe twice a year, if that_). Now the twist is that last Monday, I got to go in and be seen by a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders (I had originally been told to expect to wait until next July for an appointment), and she reassigned an unused wire to fill in for the open one. She also tweaked the settings on both pulse generators, and I was immediately able to go out and eat a bowl of soup (seriously, I haven’t been able to eat soup or cold cereal with a spoon since May, at least). I wasn’t able to get in to my PCP again until yesterday, but he did sign me off as fit to perform all my duties. I got that form to my union steward immediately, and I’m waiting to hear back from him as to how long I should expect to wait until I’m back on the job. > > Even if I return to work tomorrow, though, I’m keeping the grievance and the EEO open until I get made whole for the time I’ve spent in an unpaid status, and (knock wood) the funds I had to take out of my TSP account to get me through September (I also had to ask my sister and BiL to loan me $2K to make sure I could get through October. It would be nice, if unlikely, to get the USPS to pay them back). [_continuing the thought that opened this paragraph_] TPTB really screwed the pooch by deciding to treat this as they would a disciplinary matter, rather than a medical/administrative one; and I feel they should see some consequences, so maybe they’ll think twice before pulling this crap on the next guy. Yesterday morning I had the phone meeting with the Reasonable Accommodations committee (nine of them and one of me - the union steward nixed my suggestion that he be part of it). One of the participants was the manager who had placed me on unpaid leave. I asked why the nurse had disregarded my PCP’s finding that I’m fit to return to unrestricted duty. They said that was beyond the ambit of the meeting. I sailed through the meeting, giving the details of my corrective actions, and the dates of everything, and basically let it be known that I don’t need any accommodations at this time. I also asked what’s the worst case scenario for how much longer I’m going to be going without a paycheck. _Beyond the scope of the meeting._ So I asked my manager to take my phone number and call me with some information after the meeting. To her credit, she did, and told me that I could come into work tonight (well, now last night). So now I’m back at work. Yaaaay! This isn’t over, though, and it won’t be until I get those eight weeks of pay back. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3833 "2023-10-19T18:06:43Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I’m so tired of everything. I need a nap and a bottle of juice. Pro Tip: ferment the juice 1st. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3834 "2023-10-20T04:17:47Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Pro Tip: ferment the juice 1st. I’m going to need a lot of that fermented juice! I don’t know what I’ve done to anger the gods, but it must have been really bad. I found out who my new boss is, and it’s not good news. It’s someone who is in another department in my company. My interactions with her have not been good, and I’m dreading working with her. In our last encounter, she was not respectful, and I don’t have much hope that we’ll have a smooth working relationship. Anyone who’s been reading these workplace griping threads for a while might remember that I worked for a horrible boss for years, and I really do not want to go there again. So if it gets bad, I might be looking for a new job. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3835 "2023-10-20T05:05:24Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > So if it gets bad, I might be looking for a new job. If you can scrape together the mental energy and bandwidth, start taking those steps now. Brush up Ye Olde Resume, at least. These situations almost never get better with time, and we all know it’s far easier to find a job when you’re gainfully employed, and not desperate & scrambling. ---
**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 20, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3836 "2023-10-20T22:18:43Z")
You’ve got a pretty good think tank here, if you need ways to turn the tables and get an unfair supervisor exposed/embarrassed/fired… ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3837 "2023-10-27T18:19:09Z")
Somewhere in the the new people that arrive every fall at an academic institution, we’ve picked up a non-flusher. I don’t know who it is, other than presumably it is someone in possession of a penis. It’s now routine to find the urinal mellowing. The flush mechanism works perfectly, so it isn’t a matter of needing to know the secret handshake to get it to empty. Just pull the handle, let the water do the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3838 "2023-10-27T18:35:10Z")
Originally posted in minirants, but really belongs here. The revolving door of new people at work continues. New guy started last week; nice enough guy. Seemed to get along with everybody, pleasant, liked what we do and seemed to enjoy it. But…I guess someone higher up either noticed his 3" high “SS” neck tattoo, or someone pointed it out to them. I’m surprised it wasn’t noticed before as I did right away, but someone observed that we work with people with a lot of tattoos, so maybe nobody bothered to take a closer look. Either that or they didn’t know what it was. Anyway, he got called to the office mid-afternoon yesterday and walked out of the building carrying his hardhat not long after. So we’re shorthanded still. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3839 "2023-10-28T00:13:25Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > we’ve picked up a non-flusher. I’m _very_ glad that didn’t head in the direction I was expecting. 😧 (There are a few people at my workplace who need to learn that it’s ok to flush twice.) ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3840 "2023-10-28T02:55:31Z")
I think a lot of this non flushing stuff is so they don’t get their delicate hands dirty. IMO that is what soap and water is for. I also dislike hoverers, one I worked with claimed she never sprinkled. 🙄 We’ve also had people who don’t turn off the spigots, crap on the seats, pee on the tank, walls, floors, etc. Yeah, gas station bathrooms are a trip to keep clean, but we try really hard. Oh yeah, we’ve had people steal our plungers, and air fresheners. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638/3841 "2023-10-28T04:06:45Z")
Oddly enough, they’re probably stealing the wrong kind of plunger for their home toilets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=191) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-and-unimproved-workplace-rants/734638.md?page=193)