# 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:** 170
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3382 "2012-04-10T18:23:55Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Also, when I say it will take about a minute, I’m not kidding - there are four quick questions. To respond, “Can you come back another time? I’m just not in the mood right now.” is your right, of course, but instead of having me spend half an hour leaving and coming back, how about you just take a minute right now when we’re both here? Here in ‘Merica, we only need to give you a count of how many people are livin’ in our house. Anything else is a violation of my privacy. It’s right thar in our Constitution. [QUOTE=Article I, Section 2, Clause 3] The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. [/QUOTE] So my answer is 3 and piss off. At least, that’s how Glenn Beck told me to answer back in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3383 "2012-04-10T20:06:05Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Be greatful that you don’t live in the land of “We don’t need any goberment watchdogs”. People were outraged when the mailed questioneer asked how many toilets were in the home. (are sewer upgrades needed in areas) The illegals refused to respond because they were afraid to be deported, so the schools which are already underfunded didn’t get the money they deserve and need. > > I was at a friend’s house when a census worker knocked on the door. He didn’t want to answer anything because it wasn’t the evil goberment’s business. I went out to talk to the nice lady, told her that I didn’t live there, but could answer her questions. The poor lady told me that she couldn’t take my answers because I didn’t live there and that she would have to come back. > > The next weekend, I saw her car again, ran out and told her that I was only visiting my home and that I actually lived in Tony’s home. She was able to take my answers then. I know that she knew that I was lieing, but oh well. Huh - they actually _can_ ask neighbors etc. for information; a Census worker was having trouble getting hold of my across-the-street neighbors and knocked on our door. I don’t think she asked about toilets, just the number of people living there. No names were even requested. I can understand the illegals not wanting to answer, but assuming your friend is legal, he was being foolish. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3384 "2012-04-10T20:35:07Z")
Somebody brought their sick kid in today! WHY do people do that. I know she doesn’t need the money and she needs to be home with her sick kid, hacking all over everything. i don’t like really little kids in the office, anyway, you get nothing done, but to have her sick on top of that is terrible. I hate people. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3385 "2012-04-10T23:17:54Z")
_hands **Mika** some preventative orange juice and chicken noodle soup, and an admonition to gargle with warm salt water to kill off the germs before they get started_ _smacks co-worker who drags in sick kid, then fades back into Internet invisibility_ ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3386 "2012-04-11T05:43:57Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Somebody brought their sick kid in today! WHY do people do that. I know she doesn’t need the money and she needs to be home with her sick kid, hacking all over everything. i don’t like really little kids in the office, anyway, you get nothing done, but to have her sick on top of that is terrible. > > I hate people. I used to have a boss that would bitch us all out if we took sick time, but would bring her crying brats to work when they were sick. Its been 7 years and I’m still angry about that. Today, I got to really point and laugh. I think I mentioned that the warehouse roof is shaped like this ^^. Of course, the water pools up in the middle. The seam leaks a lot. Facilities came out to repatch it last week and today, they came back to test it. They filled the middle with water, looked at the inside for a while, then said that the roof was fixed and left. They also left the middle full of water. A couple of hours later, my boss and her boss were looking at the repairs when the roof opened up and I suddenly got an indoor swimming pool. I had to run to another room and hide because I was laughing so hard. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3387 "2012-04-11T14:38:34Z")
That’s what the kids these days are calling an “epic fail, man.” Awesome. Don’t ever stop sharing. At this point, I wouldn’t even _care_ if your stories turn out to be made up or embellished or whatever. They are too funny for words! ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3388 "2012-04-11T15:24:54Z")
My two suitemates have been discussing this topic for the last half-hour: “Annoying earworms you love to hate: DISCUSS!” … complete with singalongs. Of each one. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3389 "2012-04-11T15:41:55Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > My two suitemates have been discussing this topic for the last half-hour: “Annoying earworms you love to hate: DISCUSS!” > > … complete with singalongs. Of each one. ☹ Thanks. I needed that. Hilarious! ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3390 "2012-04-11T16:33:11Z")
The cleaning lady is bringing her brats to work with her again. So far, they’ve only stolen one set of headphones. From the descriptions I’m getting, it sounds like she’s letting them run around in the production area during the night shift. :rolleyes: I think this is the same lady whose car leaks such massive amounts of fluids that a cleanup crew has to be sent out about once per week to take care of her parking spot. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3391 "2012-04-11T19:39:41Z")
Wait, somebody has to clean up after the cleaning lady? How does she keep her job, what with the accusations of theft and all? ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3392 "2012-04-11T23:27:16Z")
Yep…the fluid spills are so extensive that they are deemed an environmental hazard. I don’t know how her car is still operating, much less how she still has a job. I wasn’t even aware the kids were back until a manager asked me if I was missing anything. ---
**Author:** ![living\_in\_hell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@living\_in\_hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/living_in_hell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3393 "2012-04-12T01:50:54Z")
Holy fuck. Things at work have reached such a high intensity that we are shutting down for 3 hours tomorrow for a meeting with the most important people. The kicker: I’m completely detached. Everything they’re complaining about has been my hell since I started my job 6 months ago. I am going to sit back and watch. Gripe? Why do things have to reach such a horrible level before change is entertained? I’m so sick of everyone’s misery and side conversations. I really hope this meeting changes something–in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3394 "2012-04-12T03:58:19Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > That’s what the kids these days are calling an “epic fail, man.” Awesome. Don’t ever stop sharing. At this point, I wouldn’t even _care_ if your stories turn out to be made up or embellished or whatever. They are too funny for words! If I could make this shit up, I wouldn’t have to work. I’d be sitting at home writing best selling black comedy books. Have I shared the story about getting wrote up for sexual harressment? I don’t want to bore people by repeating things. > [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > …snipped…The kicker: I’m completely detached. Everything they’re complaining about has been my hell since I started my job 6 months ago. I am going to sit back and watch. It sounds like you also need a “I’m just here to point and laugh” t-shirt. Its much easier when you don’t care. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3395 "2012-04-12T04:14:21Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > If I could make this shit up, I wouldn’t have to work. I’d be sitting at home writing best selling black comedy books. Have I shared the story about getting wrote up for sexual harressment? I don’t want to bore people by repeating things. Wasn’t that the story where the guy who reported you went on to sexually harass you, thinking he was safe because he thought you couldn’t say anything, and then you threw him into a fountain? You can tell it again. It was a long time back in this thread, and new details often emerge when a story is retold. 🙂 Besides, I’ve been wondering if he’s still there or if there were other encounters. And you mentioned something about a loading dock a while ago … ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3396 "2012-04-12T04:43:20Z")
Wow, **Morgyn** , you have a better memory than me. I honestly didn’t remember if I had shared it here. I have never touched the “Good Christian” who reported us and he’s still working. He’s in a protected class, so will work until he retires. He is being shunned, though. But here’s the story again: I used to take smoke breaks with a guy who was 11 years younger than me. We were coffee buddies. We would go out in the parking lot and drink coffee, smoke tobacco and admire mods that we had done to our vehicles. One day, we were walking out to indulge in our sinful habits when Mike stopped and looked in the mirror in the break room and complained that his zit was interferring with his sexiness. I patted him on the rump and told him that nothing could interfer with his sexiness and he turned around, grabbed me by the waist, pulled me close so he could give me a couple of pelvic bumps and a loud kiss, then said that I could park my bike in his garage anytime I wanted. We then went out to smoke and drink coffee. Roger, who is such a good Christian that he has to tell everyone, saw us and complained bitterly. My boss and Mike’s boss tried to settle things down, but Roger also complained to HR. All of the incoming employees had to go to a sexual harrassment class, so Mike and I had to go to them again. We weren’t allowed to drive together, we were supposed to sit on the other side of the room and my boss took my phone away because she knew that we would just text snarky comments under the table. And we got wrote up. Mike quit a year later and is now a rockstar. Not a major one, but his band has their own bus. They stay in motel rooms (instead of sleeping in the bus), he has groupies and we get together whenever he’s in town. When he hits the bigtime, I plan to remind him that I was the one who tossed him in the fountain back in the day 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3397 "2012-04-12T06:55:56Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > my two suitemates have been discussing this topic for the last half-hour: “annoying earworms you love to hate: Discuss!” > > … Complete with singalongs. Of each one. ☹ güiiiiii ar de champions mái fre-eeeeen an güiiiiil kipón fáitin to di eeeend güi ar de chámpions güi ar de chámpions laaa la la laa la cos güiiiii aaaar de chaaaampions… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3398 "2012-04-12T07:37:37Z")
If you’re not list on a credit card account (or any financial account) you can’t do anything with that account, we can’t discuss anything about the account with you (including telling you who is listed on the account). It doesn’t matter that you are the spouse/parent/child/grandchild of the account or that you’re “the one who handles the finances”. We need to speak to the primary, and only they can add you. It doesn’t matter if s/he doesn’t speak English (we have translators), can’t hear or speak (we have a TTY line), is easly confuse, is blind, or is senile/in a coma/overseas. Spouting off the primary’s personal info (when no one asked you to) isn’t going to help. Complaining about how horribal a company we are won’t help. Threatening to close the account (which you don’t have authority to do) won’t help. Nor is threatening to sue us\* (if we did what you asked then we’d open ourselfs up to a lawsuit). Just saying “I have Power of Attorney” doesn’t help us either if you never bother to send the damn paper into to us. Yes it needs to be notarized, no you can’t fax it in (you can’t fax a seal), yes it can take up to 2 or 3 weeks from the time you mail it to when we recieve it to when a legal officer reviews it to make sure it’s real & complies with the laws of your state. I’m sorry you apparently don’t have such a paper and every other company but ours just take’s your word for it. :rolleyes: You can’t just keep escalating your call until you get our CEO either. You get to speak to the rep taking you call, then a manager. You don’t get speak to the manager’s manager, the manager’s manager’s manager, etc. Only the first 2 are even onsite or deal directly with the public. Oh, and here’s something that should be blindly obvious, but no one can tell you directly. If your voices matches the primary’s demographics & you all there personal info you can just lie, impersonate them, and save everyone (inlcuding yourself) alot of hassle. \*Threatening to sue us over the phone is particulary stupid since the rep (or even a manager) is then required to stop trying to service the call, flag the account, and direct you make all future comunication with us in writing. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3399 "2012-04-12T13:26:43Z")
> [@living\_in\_hell](#): > > Holy fuck. Things at work have reached such a high intensity that we are shutting down for 3 hours tomorrow for a meeting with the most important people… Hope you’re taking notes. We want to hear, especially if some self-important middle-manager makes an ass of himself. Ooh, maybe there’ll be a meltdown! (Extra credit if you instigate it). ---
**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:** [April 12, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3400 "2012-04-12T17:21:40Z")
Fuck _notes_. YouTube that shit. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3401 "2012-04-13T00:14:16Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > If you’re not list on a credit card account (or any financial account) you can’t do anything with that account, we can’t discuss anything about the account with you (including telling you who is listed on the account). It doesn’t matter that you are the spouse/parent/child/grandchild of the account or that you’re “the one who handles the finances”. We need to speak to the primary, and only they can add you. It doesn’t matter if s/he doesn’t speak English (we have translators), can’t hear or speak (we have a TTY line), is easly confuse, is blind, or is senile/in a coma/overseas. I could’ve written this myself when I worked at the credit union. I handled death claims… Even if I absolutely hated the deceased customer, I could handle the greiving families well enough. It was the greedy families who really pissed me off. I had a lady once threaten to sue us because we wouldn’t give her access to her deceased father-in-law’s account. He had a surviving spouse who was a joint owner, but the DIL hated her stepmother and wanted to grab the account for herself. The DIL actually admitted to me that she attempted to use FIL’s credit card, she was throwing a hissy fit because the card got denied. I told her that if she tried to sue us, I’d turn around and file fraud charges against her. She stormed out of my office, my boss heard the whole thing and applauded. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=169) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=171)