# Workplace griping, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 12, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401 "2010-11-12T06:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 161
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3202 "2012-03-03T17:02:45Z")
Right! I can fire customers, too, but that doesn’t happen a lot. We will be looking into a replacement vendor next week. The new accounting system is up and running on the customer side; now I will have to see if I can figure out how to work the A/P side. The boss had cable run to the building, and we will have good internet and email on Monday afternoon. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3203 "2012-03-03T21:12:27Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > I call those people Third Gamers. You know how teams will play a series of games, and to emerge as champion, you have to win two out of three? If Team A won the first two games, these people would insist on playing the third game. Because it says two out of **three**. And it’s a totally different breed from those who say “hey, since anyway the third game was scheduled, let’s play it for shits and giggles!” and who form conga lines with players from both teams whenever someone scores… Nope, the Third Gamers play in absolute earnest; they play as if winning the third game would somehow avenge any ancestors of theirs who ever suffered an offense, to the nth generation before the beginning of Time itself. Where do I send the royalties for the name? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3204 "2012-03-03T22:26:58Z")
Things seem to have gotten better for me where I work; we had some more management changes (we’ll be on our 5th director in 4 years shortly) and the new guys have a clue finally. What really aggravates me is the abject BULLSHIT that the parent company and the upper management spews about unpopular stuff that they push on us without our choice or consent. For example, when our parent company (a huge insurance company) bought us, they forced a change in our insurance- we went from a standard PPO style insurance plan to this fucking awful high-deductible plan. The real reason, I suspect, is that the first 700 bucks per person per year is on our own nickel, then the insurance kicks in. The abject bullshit reason that they told us is because if we have to pay a greater portion of our own healthcare costs, we’ll be more mindful of them. Which would make a lot of sense if people worked here for a long time, but someone in their 30s with children is probably not going to work here long enough to actually see their costs go up due to obesity, smoking, etc… but they’ll sure see a lot more out of pocket costs for their children as a result of this craptastic insurance. The other one that has chapped my ass lately is that they replaced or reworked all the cubicles on my floor. The real reason is because they have to get more space on our floor for my department, and are too cheap to just rent another floor. The abject bullshit reason is to make things “more collaborative” and a bunch of other retarded-sounding bullshit intended to mask the fact that they made our cubicles smaller, removed any privacy we may have had, and made our work enviroments noisier, more distracting and generally less pleasant. Collaborative, my ass! I really wish they’d just come out and truthfully say why they do stuff instead of coming up with absurd bullshit reasons. I’d have a lot more respect for them if they did. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3205 "2012-03-04T00:43:14Z")
While I’ve known some Third Gamers, I never knew what they were called. Ignorance has been fought today, thank you! **bump** , you have my sympathy. TPTB never think about what is going to happen to the serf’s, they only look at their Big Plan. The microfilm department is going to move to the warehouse. This is as it should be, we are one department, but it involves moving a fireproof vault and a darkroom, along with many historical books and maps. As I’m sure that everyone reading this will understand that dust is a bad thing when one is microfilming documents for long term storage. Dust is also not good for historical books. These books have special cases so that every book can lay on its side. The books fill most of the front rooms in that department. So, the logical thing to do would be to move the books and bookcases first. They will be out of the way and out of the dust. The darkroom should be moved once the bookcases are out of the way. The workstations should be moved with the darkroom. Then, and only then should they move the vault. They are going to have to rip the walls down, it is going to take at least 28 days to move it, the building will be full of drywall dust, noise and botherment while they are ripping it out. Anyone want to take a guess as to what order things are being moved? ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3206 "2012-03-04T02:57:46Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And it’s a totally different breed from those who say “hey, since anyway the third game was scheduled, let’s play it for shits and giggles!” and who form conga lines with players from both teams whenever someone scores… Nope, the Third Gamers play in absolute earnest; they play as if winning the third game would somehow avenge any ancestors of theirs who ever suffered an offense, to the nth generation before the beginning of Time itself. Where do I send the royalties for the name? Yes, you have definitely met some Third Gamers. I honestly no longer remember whether I made that up or heard it from someone, but I keep spreading it whenever I can. I think it’s the perfect appellation for them. ---
**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 5, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3207 "2012-03-05T02:23:57Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > Yes, you have definitely met some Third Gamers. > > I honestly no longer remember whether I made that up or heard it from someone, but I keep spreading it whenever I can. I think it’s the perfect appellation for them. You keep saying that as if it’s a bad thing… (as a ‘Schveitzer’, I was raised by one, and if I don’t watch it, I _am_ one. Hey, we invented the Swiss Army Knife, and Helvetica!) ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3208 "2012-03-05T13:16:40Z")
I work for an Internet-based company. Our phones are VOIP. And yet, we were losing our internal network/phones (suddenly) 2-3 times a week. The problem was diagnosed as an overloaded, outdated switch. Ok, fine. Last Wednesday, they replaced the switch. Today is the **third** day I have come in to no Internet or phone. I have had them drop in the middle of conference calls twice since the new switch was put in. Each time, the outage has lasted no less than 30 minutes. WTF, people??? Seems to me that money would have been better spent on updating our fucking infrastructure than on the office construction and paint job - or maybe even better than buying 20+ new desk lamps so they all match. This makes us look like incompetent idiots!!! I’m just thankful that our client servers are kept elsewhere, and that our customers haven’t been experiencing this too - except when calls drop during training, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3209 "2012-03-05T14:32:51Z")
One of the projects I’m working on is the technology set up for a new building we’re moving into. Today I’m onsite for the first time as people start moving in, just in case there are any issues. This place is beautiful, nicely designed workspaces, collaboration spaces and a huge section of one side dedicated to hotelling workstations so when people visit from other offices they have a space to set up and be productive between meetings. What could I possibly have to complain about then? Facilities people - when you’re setting up workstations specificially for the purpose of single day utilization, perhaps putting power in a location that does not require feeding cords through a small gap and then crawling under the desk and feeding that cord through another small gap to finally reach the power outlet would be an excellent idea. Luckily it’s cold today so I’m wearing pants. Fuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3210 "2012-03-05T16:03:34Z")
> [@digs](#): > > You keep saying that as if it’s a bad thing… > > (as a ‘Schveitzer’, I was raised by one, and if I don’t watch it, I _am_ one. Hey, we invented the Swiss Army Knife, and Helvetica!) Swiss Army Knives are a great thing, but expecting anybody who owns one to use every single blade or gizmo daily is a mite much. Specially considering the amount of gizmos some of those babies pack! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3211 "2012-03-05T18:41:46Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Swiss Army Knives are a great thing, but expecting anybody who owns one to use every single blade or gizmo daily is a mite much. Specially considering the amount of gizmos some of those babies pack! Like [this one](http://www.wengerna.com/giant-knife-16999)? ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3212 "2012-03-06T01:42:47Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Like [this one](http://www.wengerna.com/giant-knife-16999)? heh, didn’t take long for that to show up. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3213 "2012-03-06T07:42:00Z")
I’m not looking, but I have a strong suspicion it’s the one Middlebro refers to as The One Knife. ---
**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 6, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3214 "2012-03-06T13:25:08Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Swiss Army Knives are a great thing, but expecting anybody who owns one to use every single blade or gizmo daily is a mite much. Specially considering the amount of gizmos some of those babies pack! A true Alpinist can get by with a couple of blades (if one of them can open a bottle of wine). BTW, notice how you never hear about Iran or North Korea invading Switzerland? They know enough not to face a couple hundred goat herders brandishing knives that can instantly threaten them with corkscrews _and_ nail files! ---
**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 6, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3215 "2012-03-06T17:31:34Z")
Hey lady: While it’s really nice that all “the girls” go out to lunch for each birthday, I think I’ve made it very clear that I don’t have enough time during my workday to drop everything and arrange one of these lunches. When I attend one of these lunches, I always contribute the required amount to the lunch fund…so you can drop that little insinuation immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3216 "2012-03-06T22:06:11Z")
Afternoon and overnight people, if a guest leaves a package to be shipped, could you leave a fucking note for the morning shift? I come into work today to find a FedEx envelope and a Rentacrate destined for UPS sitting behind the desk. I waited until the AGM who was working last night came in to see if he knew what was up. He didn’t, so we had to call UPS and FedEx to come get their crap. All of which could have been done LAST NIGHT if one or more of you were on the ball. By the way, ever notice that I leave a sticky note on every package behind the desk? There’s a reason for that: so you know what’s going on with it. Please do me the same courtesy. Also, Night Audit Lady, next time you’re hosting an organ concert about whichever part of your body is failing, could you not be stuffing a scone in your face? I almost threw up listening to you chew and talk at the same time. Also, does anything ever go right in your world? I’m starting to strongly suspect you’re a pity whore. ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3217 "2012-03-06T22:53:46Z")
There are behaviors that I think are intrinsically wrong, and I try to speak out against them whenever I see them. There are behaviors that I acknowledge are merely cultural taboos, which hurt no one, and I do not expect people from other cultures to conform to my upbringing. Nonetheless, I am already exhausted today and a particular Chinese colleague is working my last nerve. The lip-smacking and open-mouth chewing in the lunch room I can handle. However, the prolonged and extremely loud conversation that you decided to shout over my head and into my face with your mouth so stuffed full of food that your already difficult accent became uninterpretable - not so much. Also, the last 2 (two) times I have gone to the bathroom, you have been deeply engaged in an animated conversation with another Chinese woman, directly in front of the sinks. The bathroom is a place many of us value our privacy, particularly from tactless co-workers prone to shouting out other people’s personal details (like yourself). Additionally, you’ve clearly been in this conversation for well over an hour now (spanning two bathroom visits by yours truly) and you might consider doing some work. Lastly, your pathological obsession with getting things for free, regardless of whether you need then or whether you are severely inconveniencing other people - it’s getting old. Even your Chinese colleagues think you’re a fucking freak when you wreck an experiment so that you can run across campus for the free pizza. Okay, it felt good to get that out. Now I’ll go back to behaving civilly. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3218 "2012-03-06T23:10:13Z")
Wait … only Chinese people like free pizza? ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3219 "2012-03-07T03:36:05Z")
No, only this particular individual Chinese woman is willing to abandon experiments, thus losing hours or days worth of work, in order to get a free lunch (despite getting paid handsomely). ---
**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:** [March 7, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3220 "2012-03-07T20:01:51Z")
Shoulda included a smiley, sorry. I was just fuckin’ with ya, since you mentioned “cultural taboos.” Dear Grandboss: You have given us many Long Angry Lectures about plates, cups etc. being left in the sink. Now you’re telling us that the random strangers who use our conference room are “our guests” and should not be expected to clean up after themselves, and that when they leave _their_ shit in the sink we are expected to wash it for them. Listen, lady. They’re not my “guests” if I don’t know who in the holy fuck they are. I didn’t invite them, I don’t even know why they’re here, and some days I don’t even know THAT they’re here. YOU wash their goddamn plates. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3221 "2012-03-08T14:44:41Z")
“Can I leave now? I need to go.” “Um, there are still some things that need to be done and your shift still has a half hour to go.” “But I made an appointment to look at an apartment at 2:00!” “Why would you do that? You’re not off until 2:00! And why did you wait until now to mention this? Sorry, your idiocy isn’t my problem. Get your shit done and then we’ll talk about you leaving…” :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=160) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=162)