Why are people such idiots at work?
I’ve spent the better part of my day today cleaning up other people’s thoughtless messes, and I’m tired of it. I realize that my job includes doing this, but it gets under my skin that people can’t use a little thought and attention and save me a whole lot of trouble. Especially the ones who have been asked, politely, to please do their own jobs properly so that I can do mine.
Today I have chased after engineers who can’t be bothered to fill out 5 blanks on a one page form correctly (usually giving it to me half empty - whaddya think, the other blanks are there for decoration???), re-done work that was originally done correctly by me because it had been written incorrectly by the engineer who originated it, cleaned up the mess someone left on the photocopier, and got told by my supervisor that I would have to chase the engineers even more than I do now, because, apparently, even though everyone knows they’re screwing things up, the last thing anyone wants to do is ask them to get their collective act together.
(BTW, this rant isn’t particularly directed at engineers; it’s aimed at people everywhere who think that pulling down a big salary means that they are above making any small changes that would make someone else’s job easier. I just happen to work with a lot of engineers.)
And another thing - would it freakin’ kill you to push the plainly labelled “clear” button on the photocopier when you’re done making your 35 copies of legal-sized, stapled pink documents? And maybe, as an added bonus, actually take both your originals and your copies with you so that I don’t have to deal with them?
And, to make my life just peachy-keen, why don’t you try discussing things that concern me WITH me? I got the message that my office was being moved when I showed up at work and it was moved, but a little bit of warning would have been nice. Oh, and just so you know, when you assign other duties to me, and people come in expecting me to help them with those duties, both you and I don’t look quite as stupid when you tell me in advance that you have added more duties to my day.
Ahh, that feels better. I should do this more often 
Well featherlou, now that I’ve posted you now hold the record for greatest views-to-posts ratio! Don’t you feel special?
This happened to me too. I got an email one morning saying that we were going to have some office moves and that the affected parties would be informed as needed. I went to lunch and when I came back all my stuff was gone. I had an important presentation to give that afternoon and it was imperative that I find my computer. I went running from office to office trying to figure out where I was suppose to be sitting. It was rather sureal. Apparently an email sent out while I was at lunch let me know about this stuff. But since my computer was gone when I came back I didn’t see it.
Hehe, I do that. Bad me. When I fill out my time sheet wrong (like I did yesterday) the accounting people have to come hunt me down and make me redo it. Usually it’s a small change like moving the 8 hours to a different column and I wonder why they won’t just do it themselves. I guess I never thought about them having to do that stuff all the time.
A similar thing happened to me too. Except they changed the entry code for the back door. They sent an email that night they changed it (after 5pm mind you) and when I tried to get in the next day I had the wrong code. So I had to walk all the way around to the front of the building and wait for the secretary to come back to the desk so she could buzz me in. Small annoyance, but one none the less. (Is that one word?)
Since this **IS[\b] the pit, I feel I must respond on behalf of the engineers (Note- this is really a rant about the people giving me the forms at my location, not necessarily directed at featherlou- I don’t know the situation there …
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Since I don’t have access to the accounting/parts system, I’ve got to go through YOU to look up the part numbers and job codes- so why should I fill it out??
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I’ll be here for 14-17 hours, working my butt off to finish a project … 15 minutes on a form means 15 minutes less sleep tonight! Why can’t you actually help the company by finishing the form for me instead of yacking on the phone to your friends, or instant messaging the people at the other building, then leaving at exactly 5:00pm?? When I’m not so busy, I don’t mind filling out the whole thing, but sometimes I’ve got a deadline promised to customers!
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I’m getting paid a salary over 5 times yours - who costs the company more in spending 15 minutes looking up numbers for the form? Especially if I have to wait while you find them for me, so I can be the one to write them down (remember, I don’t have easy access to the accounting/parts system). I’d probably get yelled at if I told my boss I still hadn’t finished something because I was spending too much time hunting down part numbers to put on forms …
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Is all this necessary when I’m just taking a 0.05 cent resistor from inventory? The paper form itself costs more!!
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And some of the blanks are there for decoration, apparently, since there is no budget for most projects, it doesn’t really matter what project code is entered! No one has ever gone back and totaled up the cost for parts removed by engineering, so why bother filling out what project it was taken for?
Just providing the other side, right or wrong
PS - and don’t get me started about timesheets! I can’t help it if
- You require me to enter in 8 hours of holiday despite the fact that I worked on the holiday
but …
- I worked over 16 hours on the holiday, but the timesheet software won’t let me enter more than 24 hours for a single day.
Arjuna34
Umm, I was too busy to preview - yeah, got a deadline- that’s my story and I’m sticking to it
Arjuna34
That depends on how many people the administrative assistant/clerical person has to do this for, and get her/his own job done in addition. And if it is part of your job to fill out these forms, why don’t you have access to these codes, and why not ask for them in the first place instead of handing in the incomplete form and having the person have to track you down?
And in featherlou’s situation, she is a temp, and may not be paid as low a wage as you might think.
Having said all that, I am sure there are people in almost every job who take advantage of others and their position. It’s too bad people can’t treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated.
Alright - suits vs skirts!
Ooo, them’s fightin’ woids. Fortunately, I’m too much of a lady to respond to such a derogatory stereotype. And in my case, the forms are so complicated that only an experienced engineer can accurately complete them. If I could fill it out myself and get on with my day, that would be the highlight of my existence. No, really, it would.
You would be universally loved by your secretarial staff if you ever say that to them And if you’re looking at it that way, you’re the one costing the company money by leaving your forms incomplete so that they interrupt the flow of work. Maybe you could point that out to your boss in the hopes of getting your own access.
**
Actually, they’re so complicated only a CPA could fill them out … I think our common enemy is the accounting department
Actually, I am universally loved by them since I’m the one who keeps their computers running after they install all sorts of wacky things off the internet (a task that I spend much more time on than it would take me to fill out the forms, and is completely outside my job). I have to give them something to complain about, though, and I do have to maintain the engineer reputation about those forms
For more insight into our accounting department, visit this site.
Arjuna34
Backstory: I work at a nursing home, am 22, and i have a coworker whom I loathe.
She is easily in her mid fifties, and is not popular with any of the other aides.
She has a tendency to micromanage, and if i did not go out of my way to avoid her, i would have ripped her a new one by now.
She had to tell me that the 19th was payday.
She had to remind me that before we could get our paycheck, that we had to go to the meeting, even though there was a sign saying so right by the timeclock.
She has to tell me about having enough lids even though there is a shortage of lids.
She insists on reminding me that my bangs are too long , no matter how often I tell her that I am growing them out to the same length as the rest of my hair.
She gets pissy when I sit and give someone a second glass of juice when there is enough to go around .
She gets mad when I get the LAST cart and it does not have enogh cups or lids.
She seems to think that I can lift the people who are two-person lifts by myself.
She feels the need to remind me to do my charting every single day.
i know i am not the most congenial person in the world but it’s like i am less than dust as compared to her.
My residents think i am a darling girl and that is all that matters.
Anya, maybe you should become a little more assertive. You could start by capitalizing your ‘I’ more often.
Stick up for yourself. Start calling your co-worker Mom “by accident.” It’ll work wonders.
She: “Anya, dont forget blah blah…”
You: “Yes, Mom. Oops, I’m sorry. You sound just like my mother.”
Don’t forget the huge cheesy grin to go with it.