# 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:** 192
**Author:** ![Shoujin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoujin/32/3884_2.png) [@Shoujin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoujin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3822 "2012-06-22T19:35:28Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Question: would if be okay for you to accept cold drinks from homeowners? Okay, I can guess beer would be problematic, but a coke? Or a glass of ice tea or something? Or is that against the rules or would screw up your timing or something? Yes, we can accept beverages from customers. Most carriers, myself included, look favorably upon this kind of generosity. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Shoujin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoujin/32/3884_2.png) [@Shoujin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoujin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3823 "2012-06-22T19:43:51Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Speaking of questions, Iā€™ve been looking for a chance to get a little feedback: > > Whatā€™s your reaction to the street trays with the flats in delivery point sequence? Do they make your job easier, harder, or no change? Good idea, bad implementation. As a door-to-door carrier, IMHO, we should be allowed to sort them w/ residual (manually sorted) mail in office, rather than be required to juggle three bundles of mail while walking from mailbox to mailbox. On mounted (curbside delivery) routes, itā€™s a bit less tedious, but still weā€™re drawing mail from 3-4 sources rather than 2-3. As a rule of thumb (for myself), anything that promotes needless complexity over practicality is generally inefficient. Make it easier to do my job, and Iā€™ll do it faster, and with little to no griping. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3824 "2012-06-22T19:56:26Z")
Just now: A: Iā€™m going to the vending machine room. Anyone need anything? B: {takes out her earbuds} What? Sorry, I had my headphones on and didnā€™t hear you. A: What did you say? I heard something about headphones? B: I didnā€™t hear what ā€¦ wait, what? _tiny sigh_ I turned around, and in my Patented Actress With Stage Presence Voice announced, ā€œB, A is going to the vending machine room. She asked if you wanted anything. A, B was wearing her headphones and didnā€™t hear you, and then you didnā€™t hear her saying she didnā€™t hear you.ā€ A: ā€œPoor **purplehorseshoe**.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3825 "2012-06-22T20:30:24Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Actually, while reading it I was mentally picturing how my grandboss would have handled it and totally followed right along. In fact, weā€™ve had eerily similar situations here. I guess I should 'splain. Iā€™m a purchasing manager, and I quite frequently get offered free stuff. I never allow myself to keep anything (ethics you know), but when they want to give me a bucket of pretzels because I spent $500, well I say ā€œSure!ā€ All this stuff goes to employees. Iā€™ve only been doing this for 30 years. :rolleyes: But the newā€¦ umā€¦ _employer_ could not have me on a shorter leash. They have to micromanage everything. And if a free CD comes inā€¦ They figure I was scheming on how to get it out of the building. :dubious: I was very nearly accused of stealing the thing. The thing about the pretzels, one group was jealous that the other group got pretzels. Then the boss caught wind and asked me why didnā€™t I just get a discount instead of spending money on pretzels. Again :rolleyes:šŸ˜•:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3826 "2012-06-22T20:38:10Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Question: would if be okay for you to accept cold drinks from homeowners? Okay, I can guess beer would be problematic, but a coke? Or a glass of ice tea or something? Or is that against the rules or would screw up your timing or something? When doing political doorknocking in such heat, I have gratefully accepted cold drinks from friendly residents. But that can lead to a bigger problem later, when you need to find an available bathroom! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3827 "2012-06-22T21:08:43Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Oneā€™s a larcenous semi-retired inveterate gambler, the otherā€™s the commander of a host of pestilential vermin. Together, they fight crime! Did you say fight crime? Sorry, I have to plug The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage; origin: [here](http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/lovelace-the-origin-2/). You have to read more than the origin, though, or youā€™ll miss Brunel. (Some of their adventures include workplace griping, so itā€™s not a total hijack.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3828 "2012-06-22T21:21:08Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Oneā€™s a larcenous semi-retired inveterate gambler, the otherā€™s the commander of a host of pestilential vermin. Together, they fight crime! Fight crimes, do crimes - tomayto, potahto. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3829 "2012-06-22T21:28:19Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > (Some of their adventures include workplace griping, so itā€™s not a total hijack.) Itā€™s ok. Since starting my new job, all my gripes have vanished overnight, but I still hang out here. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3830 "2012-06-22T21:55:40Z")
To the IT help desk: Please do not route the tickets I open to me. Yes, I know Iā€™m listed as the technical owner of the front-end application for the system I opened the ticket on. But (a) the issue I was reporting was with the database back-end, which I have no responsibilty for, and (b) if I knew how to fix the problem, I wouldnā€™t open a help desk ticket about it, I would _just freaking fix it_. Thank you. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3831 "2012-06-22T22:38:53Z")
Thatā€™s the dumbest thing Iā€™ve heard all day, **SCSimmons.** ---
**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:** [June 23, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3832 "2012-06-23T00:03:47Z")
Some assnugget put water in the dish detergent dispenser in the breakroom. :mad: Guess Iā€™ll start keeping a bottle of it at my desk. ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3833 "2012-06-23T00:55:13Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Sort of. The company wants to be able to assure our clients (both the consumers and the smaller bankā€™s whoā€™s cards we manage) that associates arenā€™t able to write down any financial info and remove it from the office. So paper (unless itā€™s laminated or in a plastic sleeve) and writing untensils (except for our dry erase boards) are verboten. > > Coffee cups, framed photos, & assorted nick-nacks are fine. ā€œAt the deskā€ includes in the drawers. Every so often why have independent auditors conduct an audit. Which happened this week. As far as everyone knew (including our site VP) knew tissues didnā€™t count (though napkins & takeout menus) did. As it turns out the auditors were talking out of their asses, but for one day it was policy that if you needed a tissue while you were on the phone with a client you had to message a manager for one. I would deal with this by showing up with a fabric handkerchief, using it, and leaving it wadded up on my desk. When reprimanded for having such an unsanitary thing on the desk, I would tuck it into my bosom. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3834 "2012-06-23T05:04:21Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > To the IT help desk: Please do not route the tickets I open to me. Yes, I know Iā€™m listed as the technical owner of the front-end application for the system I opened the ticket on. But (a) the issue I was reporting was with the database back-end, which I have no responsibilty for, and (b) if I knew how to fix the problem, I wouldnā€™t open a help desk ticket about it, I would _just freaking fix it_. Thank you. Heh. Same thing happened to me this week, more or less. I support end use of a piece of software, and the install package was failing without any kind of error. Said it worked, large chunks of it not installed. I told the users to put in a ticket because I couldnā€™t figure it out and the people who maintain the install package needed to be involved. Instead, it got assigned back to me. Um, NO. Just no. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3835 "2012-06-23T05:10:38Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Sort of. The company wants to be able to assure our clients (both the Every so often why have independent auditors conduct an audit. Which happened this week. As far as everyone knew (including our site VP) knew tissues didnā€™t count (though napkins & takeout menus) did. As it turns out the auditors were talking out of their asses, but for one day it was policy that if you needed a tissue while you were on the phone with a client you had to message a manager for one. In my experience, Auditors are complete fucktards who must be fought for every inch. At two different IT jobs I had them telling my bosses that I could no longer be allowed to access files absolutely vital to my basic job functions. In both cases I was fortunately able to convince my bosses to fight this (and we won!) by asking how specific tasks would be accomplished (and by WHO exactly?) if these ā€œrecommendationsā€ were followed. Oh yeah, theyā€™re almost always ā€œrecommendationsā€. I continually pointed that out. ā€œSo boss, theyā€™re ā€˜recommendationsā€™, right? As in not mandatory word of God, right? Then itā€™s time to make some counter-recommendations.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3836 "2012-06-23T05:19:15Z")
> [@Shoujin](#): > > I sympathize. At least Iā€™m outside. The only RatKings I have to deal with is Mrs Smithā€™s lil yappy dog, which I can punt. Pumps fist in the air. Solidarity, Brother. We are good at our jobs. We do the best we can, but stop with the lame ass jokes. Laughing at someone for suffering for a paycheck wasnā€™t funny the first time we heard that lame joke. After hearing it eleventy hundred times makes us have fun (to us) fanatasies about climbing a clock tower. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3837 "2012-06-23T05:26:56Z")
> [@Shoujin](#): > > I just survived delivering mail door to door in 95 F heat for the last three days, averaging 11 hours a day, 3 in office doing prep, and 8 on the pavement hoofing the mail. Yes, the paychecks will be nice, but if one more person asks ā€œIs it hot enough for ya?ā€ Iā€™m gonna jam their mail down their throat. The fact that it looks like Iā€™ve been swimming in my uniform should answer the question! Out here on the central coast I got folks cryinā€™ when it reaches eighty. I just tell 'em I grew up near Redding, that makes them clam up pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3838 "2012-06-23T17:26:22Z")
Co-worker has developed a yen for the cafeteria ice cream. Apparently thereā€™s just not enough time in her lunch break to even start eating it, so she comes back to her desk with a generous cone and eats while pretending to work one-handed. If anyone was wondering, it _is_ humanly possible to slurp ice cream so loudly people two desks over can hear. Iā€™ll have to get back to you on if itā€™s possible to bludgeon someone senseless with said ice cream. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3839 "2012-06-23T18:15:10Z")
> [@campp](#): > > I guess I should 'splain. Iā€™m a purchasing manager, and I quite frequently get offered free stuff. I never allow myself to keep anything (ethics you know), but when they want to give me a bucket of pretzels because I spent $500, well I say ā€œSure!ā€ All this stuff goes to employees. Iā€™ve only been doing this for 30 years. :rolleyes: > > But the newā€¦ umā€¦ _employer_ could not have me on a shorter leash. They have to micromanage everything. And if a free CD comes inā€¦ They figure I was scheming on how to get it out of the building. :dubious: I was very nearly accused of stealing the thing. > > The thing about the pretzels, one group was jealous that the other group got pretzels. Then the boss caught wind and asked me why didnā€™t I just get a discount instead of spending money on pretzels. Again :rolleyes:šŸ˜•:dubious: Start giving them an alternate ship-to address for the extra goodies. PM me if you need any ideas. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3840 "2012-06-23T18:31:54Z")
I have a new job, which is fantastic. Iā€™m now at a large 24 hour a day veterinary hospital that (obviously) deals with emergencies and referrals. We have this one receptionist who seems to be just not quite up to par with everyone else, though. When you page someone, youā€™re supposed to repeat yourself to ensure we all had a chance to hear (which she never does), so sometimes weā€™re left waiting for her to page again, or wasting time paging her back. Earlier this week, she gave me the wrong file for a dog (correct pet name, correct last name, but weā€™re talking about a name like ā€œMax Johnsonā€, of which there are 6, so the wrong file). Yesterday was REALLY frustrating though. As a 24 hour hospital, itā€™s not uncommon to get the Friday Night Transfers from clinics that have critical patients who need to be monitored and no overnight staff. One of the other techs took a page from her, and was told that we had two emergencies being referred from the same hospital (one hit by car, the other ā€œcovered in bloodā€) thatā€™s only 20 minutes away. So we go into full on emergency preparedness mode - catheters ready, crash cart prepped, anesthesia machines checked, monitors plugged in and turned on - and our adrenaline is PUMPING. There are four techs and one doctor, so weā€™re running through scenarios as to who takes on what case first and how should we stabilize and all that. So the first dog arrives (the hit by car), and we hit the front door with the gurney, out to the back of the SUV, and there he is ā€¦ resting comfortably, IV catheter in place, leg bandaged, totally stable. We were SO confused. With a little bit of prodding and questioning, it turns out the dog was HBC at 2:00 PM and has been at the vet since then. So this was a TRANSFER of perfectly stable patient, as opposed to a REFERRAL of a bloody mangled half-dead dog. Second one (ā€œcovered in bloodā€) WALKS in on a leash, a little lethargic. Turns out it had bloody diarrhea and had (as well) been resting at the vetā€™s office all afternoon. Sure, our workload was a lot easier than we thought it would be, but boy oh boy did she cause a lot of unneeded stress, worry, and wasted effort by getting the information really really wrong! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/3841 "2012-06-23T18:35:06Z")
A note to my ā€œteam matesā€ in Bangalore: there is absolutely no frigginā€™ reason to page me at 06:30 on a Saturday morning to check status on a two-week-old expected delivery ticket. The customer didnā€™t provide any tracking information and the receiving log doesnā€™t show any deliveries for them. (And you can check that stuff yourself, canā€™t you? I know you can.) All youā€™ve accomplished is waking me up out of a dead sleep and cost the company 15 minutes of overtime. Granted, thatā€™s some easy money for me, but Iā€™d much rather have the extra shut-eye. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=191) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=193)