Territorial Adults!

[Lust4Life]

At first, I thought that there might just be a chance that she was working at a place full of jerks, but then when she said that everyone else outside the company were picking on her aswell, then I suspected that maybe the problem wasn’t her company and the rest of the world, but maybe a little closer to home.

And now we get the “but this is how I am and I CAN’T change” (As in won’t change).

Well if you really, really can’t change, then you’d better get used to people disliking being around you.

Putting it politely you sound very young for your age,

[purplehorseshoe]

@Diamonds02

I’m the type of person who’s missing a part of the human brain that says “this is wrong!” or “this is inappropriate”. I mean, except for serious shit, of course. Probably due to various environments and maybe an individual personality difference. It’s the way I am and I can’t help it, and have learned to embrace it.

Pick up a driver’s manual at your local DMV. Read the rules. Now, you DO have the part of the human brain that remembers things, right? Okay, then. Do what the rules tell you to do.

Start by fixing the shit you do (or that your boss has told you to do) that is ILLEGAL, then you can work on the stuff that’s inappropriate.

Also, I’m seconding the suggestion made upthread to find out what would happen (in other words, who would pay the ticket) should you get stopped by the police for doing what your boss has allegedly instructed you to do.

[you_with_the_face]

@Diamonds02

Also, while this is definately no clear rule about this, we are informally encouraged to roll through stop signs. This, I do not do, eventhough it’s in the overnight hours. I’m not sure what I’m saying is considered as SO outlandish. Does the timing factor I now mentioned, clear up anything?

First question, what is the rationale behind telling you to roll through stop signs? To save time? Sounds like a bizarre area for cutting corners. Why not just encourage yall to speed and run red lights? It would be just as dumb and reckless, but at least there’s some logic to it.

Secondly, if your job encourages you to do something as bone-headed as roll through stop signs, consider that they are being bone-headed by advising you to park on the wrong side of the road. They obviously are more concerned about making money than employee safety.

[Zsofia]

@Ferret_Herder

I’ll note that my husband is a letter carrier for the USPS, and even though he does get some leeway on parking spots for making his stops, I would be willing to bet very good money that he has never parked facing the wrong way down a street. If something was heavy enough that he would only be able to get it out of the truck and up the walk, he would almost certainly be instructed to drive such that he can park properly-facing.

Last I knew, they’re not supposed to back up on the street either (per their employee handbook), but I would think that pulling out of a parking space facing the wrong way down the street would be more dangerous than backing up, just because it’s such an unexpected move.

My mailman parks the wrong way on my side street all the time, actually. Of course, he’s the World’s Shittiest Mailman, so that may have something to do with it.

[Thudlow_Boink]

@Diamonds02

I’m the type of person who’s missing a part of the human brain that says “this is wrong!” or “this is inappropriate”.

Have you been diagnosed by a neurologist? Or are you using “missing a part of the human brain” to mean “I never learned” or “it doesn’t come naturally to me” or “I have decided not to bother with”?

[Duckster]

Some thoughts for you:
[ul]
[li]Pick up the DMV rules of the road or similar manual that wannabe drivers must obtain in order to take the driver’s test and get their license. Read it and understand it applies to you. No matter how old you are, no matter how many years you have been a licensed driver.[/li][li]If your boss is telling you to break the law, when you do, you will get the ticket.[/li][li]If your boss is telling you he has a deal with the police, that sounds like police corruption to look the other way. In any case, when you break the law in your vehicle, you will be the one in trouble.[/li][li]If you are using a personal vehicle for business purposes and your insurance company doesn’t know about it and hasn’t approved it, at best the insurance company will drop you like a rock. The first time you make a claim they will probably claim fraud and refuse to pay, meaning you pay out of pocket for all damages. At worst, your insurance company may sue you for fraud.[/li][li]If you have a day off midweek, watch how UPS and FedEx deliver, especially this time of the year with lots of package deliveries. I’m betting you will never see them do the illegal parking you are doing. And they still manage to deliver quite efficiently, too.[/li][li]According to my USPS postal guy, they have a legal access from the street to all mailboxes. It’s not posted but it’s theirs. Yes they user flashers when stopped. And there is the rare occasion a driver will illegal drive/stop on the wrong side of the road. My postal guy say they aren’t covered for that, just like you![/li][/ul]
So how old are you (already asked)? And how long have you been a licensed driver?

[purplehorseshoe]

@Zsofia

My mailman parks the wrong way on my side street all the time, actually. Of course, he’s the World’s Shittiest Mailman, so that may have something to do with it.

You should give him a medal or something with that on it for Christmas instead of the usual holiday tip. Or bake a cookie and frost that onto the top!

[Little_Nemo]

@Diamonds02

I’m the type of person who’s missing a part of the human brain that says “this is wrong!” or “this is inappropriate”. I mean, except for serious shit, of course. Probably due to various environments and maybe an individual personality difference. It’s the way I am and I can’t help it, and have learned to embrace it.

Just don’t be surprised when you end up in a jail cell. Because there are limits to how much society will tolerate.

Even if you want to be a rebel, you need to learn the rules so you can break them by choice rather then through ignorance.

[Muffin]

Diamonds, were you home schooled?

[Muffin]

@Diamonds02

I’m doing my job.

@Diamonds02

But, I’m working…I’m not just some random person.

@Diamonds02

Again, I was instructed to do this by my employer

I’m my own boss, so no more traffic laws for me! Yippee!

[panache45]

@Diamonds02

It’s illegal to drive above speed limits but cops can exceed it to respond to incidents. It’s in their job description. Do people get mad at cops for speeding?

And surgeons cut people open. It’s in their job description. And only under rare circumstances does anyone get mad at them for doing it.

[butler1850]

@Diamonds02

US! Kansas City!

I’m rarely honked at, I just noticed they are visually displeased.

Now, we do most of our deliveries before morning rush. It is when I’m running behind I meet drivers. Could this be a factor? Also, while this is definately no clear rule about this, we are informally encouraged to roll through stop signs. This, I do not do, eventhough it’s in the overnight hours. I’m not sure what I’m saying is considered as SO outlandish. Does the timing factor I now mentioned, clear up anything?

So, you’re parking on the wrong side of the road, before the morning rush (and/or overnight hours). This is when it’s DARK. Are you leaving your headlights on? Do you not understand that most folks would consider this something “out of the ordinary, and unexpected” while they are being blinded, and attempting to see around your vehicle to make the pass? Personally, I’m amazed you haven’t come out to find your tires slashed.

If all of these things aren’t a huge glowing, flashing, ALL-CAPS, sign with musical accompaniment that something is not right with this job, then I’m not sure any reply here will help.

I came in thinking this was about small stuff, like using “my cup” that was next to the break-room sink, or you trying to work on something in my area of responsibility, or the like. Wow. Just Wow.

[Diamonds02]

They have encouraged us to speed and roll thru stop signs. Not thru stop lights though. Yep they want us to do all these erratic driving habits to save time and money (they said it :p). Yep they care more about money than our safety and safety of the general population. One of the managers wanted to one guy back in after like 3 days after having his gallbladder removed.

I’m still shocked by some of the reactions in this thread. I discussed this with some people in real life and the reaction was “cool!”.

I don’t think what I’m doing this all that wrong, because of the circumstances. But, looking through the eyes of certain people, it is indeed wrong. This was somehow a major brainfart on my part, I admit. Usually when managers tell me to do something dumb, I tend to question it or even rebel. For some reason, it didn’t happen this time. What they told me made sense, until I read some of the replies in this thread.

Answers to some other questions: I was not homeschooled, but I spent a lot of time alone, growing up. Lots of time in church, and around my dysfunctional family, nuclear and extended. I was either around a lot of conservative uptight Christians, or around my crazy dysfunctional relatives. Not normal people. I have several diagnoses under my belt.

I’m fortunate, though. These days I have a lot of friends, most of them, normal. I can hold down jobs. No alcohol or drug abuse. No jail time. No debt besides medical and financial aid.

No, I cannot change, as a few suggested above. I cannot rewrire my brain or change my past. I can compensate however. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I try to become well-read as much as possible. This is how I cope. But I do still find myself behind on some things.

I will be re-signing soon, though. I’ve decided this over the weekend. A. In the unfortunate event I do get in an accident, I would be liable. I cannot afford that shit. And if I go against their “time saving” techniques, I would run behind and they would fire me anyway. That’s what I’ve been doing. B. This job is making me look unattractive. I’m severely sleep deprived and the weather and nature of the work is very tough on my skin.

[Muffin]

I hope that you can use your experience with your present company to get a job with a reputable delivery company that puts safety first. Good luck.

[Omar_Little]

Another classic Diamonds02 thread. I always crave popcorn when I read one of these.

[Martin_Hyde]

I’m a little confused, are so many people here really this outraged by someone temporarily parking facing the wrong way?

Maybe we live in very different places, but I’m envisioning streets like in low-speed residential neighborhoods. Around here a lot of time when I’m going down a street like that I’ll see someone pulled over against traffic with their emergency lights on, and usually it’s just to chat with a friend of theirs who is standing in their front yard.

I roll my eyes a bit at that, but considering the roads I’m thinking of are flat, have a posted speed of 25 mph and you can see for 5 straight blocks ahead that no cars are coming, I have no problem going into the other lane to get around it.

Again, that’s just what I’m envisioning, would you guys really stop your car and wait for the person to move in a situation like that?

Now if we’re talking a busy city street, then it’s a different scenario and I’d say the OP is committing a big faux pas, but I’ve honestly seen letter carriers, FedEx and UPS people do this kind of thing all the time on the residential city roads I’m talking about.

[purplehorseshoe]

Ha! I’ve heard a lot of reasons - legitimate and otherwise - to quit a bad job, but this may be the first instance I’ve encountered where “it’s makin’ me ugly” is the rationale. Good for you for recognizing the problems you’ll likely soon encounter, OP, and I hope your future bosses don’t flat-out ask you to break laws for them.

[you_with_the_face]

@Diamonds02

No, I cannot change, as a few suggested above. I cannot rewrire my brain or change my past. I can compensate however. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I try to become well-read as much as possible. This is how I cope. But I do still find myself behind on some things.

You sound like a good egg, Diamond. Not everyone can admit to having weaknesses in certain areas, but you can. That makes you better off than a lot of us.

A good rule to follow is that if your employer wouldn’t advertise their business practices for fear of getting in trouble with the law or incurring the wrath of towns folk, then those business practices are more than likely shady ones.

Like rolling through stop signs, I can’t see much value in parking on the left side of the street anyway. You’re not with the postal service so it’s not like you need to access mailboxes from the driver’s side window, right? I can’t imagine that you parking on the right side of the street to deliver to a house on the left would add that much more time to the process. We’re talking about what? Saving a handful of paces? Is this savings really worth the risk of a ticket or an accident? That’s a question you should always be thinking about too, in addition its legality.

[Cheesesteak]

@Diamonds02

I’m still shocked by some of the reactions in this thread. I discussed this with some people in real life and the reaction was “cool!”.

What part of it is cool? The part where your co-workers hate you, or the part where your boss demands that you break a bunch of driving laws?

If it’s cool that your boss wants you to break laws while driving for him, I feel the need to point out that HE is not going to be paying the parking ticket/moving violation. YOU are.

Cool.

[Diamonds02]

It turns out that the co-workers who hate me are jerks, and other people hate them (and like me) too. It’s all good. They like to bully people out of their space, and can’t wait even 2 minutes.

Yeah, I thought it was cool that my employer wants us to break traffic laws. I don’t think you’ll find that many employers who want you to break laws.

Point agreed though. I have been drivng a lot more cautiously lately. And again, I will be quitting soon.