# 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:** 29
**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:** [February 2, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/561 "2011-02-02T14:10:57Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > \ Hypocritical, greedy, narcissistic, arrogant self-righteous bastards. Aren’t those the guys who decide on their own pay rates? I sure wish I could decide on _my_ own pay rate - I think I’m worth a good $200,000 per year. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/562 "2011-02-02T15:42:49Z")
Well, I guess I just saved a lot of work… I’m supposed to “sell” the usage of a certain computer program to my client’s different divisions. We are in the middle of one such sale. Everything the division has asked for has been a “no”: using two things which are part of the program’s standard setup? (Lots of data involved, but minimal configuration and no programming) No. Getting the list of upcoming work in a visual fashion with descriptive text instead of a list of codes? No. Updating some fieldnames on a custom form which are mistranslated from the original? No. If I was the person in charge of “my” part in this particular division, my response would be “fuckall, I’m sticking with excel: less work and it actually does what I want and presents stuff the way I want it.” How the fuck am I supposed to sell a system which takes more work than the old way and gives less functionality? No. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/563 "2011-02-02T15:51:08Z")
How does the fact that you’re being tasked to come up with an effective sales pitch for a product with no observable benefits wind up _saving_ you work? It would seem to be a lot MORE work, from my POV. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/564 "2011-02-02T15:51:09Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Aren’t those the guys who decide on their own pay rates? I sure wish I could decide on _my_ own pay rate - I think I’m worth a good $200,000 per year. Yep. And whenever it’s pointed out to them, they reply that they’d like to take the same pay and benefits cuts as everybody else, golly gee they would, but the rules just don’t allow that, darn it. And who makes the rules? They do, of course. Nice work if you can get it. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/565 "2011-02-02T15:56:35Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > How does the fact that you’re being tasked to come up with an effective sales pitch for a product with no observable benefits wind up _saving_ you work? It would seem to be a lot MORE work, from my POV. Computer programs aren’t sold to corporations on the basis of rational cost-benefit analysis. They’re sold to executive vice presidents, at the golf course. At least that’s how it was with our new communications program, I understand. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/566 "2011-02-02T18:44:07Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Our state legislators 1.) Why are you still working for the state if your pay is so abyssmal? 2.) I certainly hope you and your coworkers are working in some way to get all of these people elected out of office. Have you considered getting a local news provider involved? A compare/contrast of the legislature to other state employees could be an enlightening article or TV segment. ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/567 "2011-02-02T19:49:35Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > …no state employee, including those with college degrees, should make more than any public sector part-time fast-food workers. Somehow I’m not convinced a college graduate who doesn’t know the difference between the public and private “sectors” is worth more than $8/hr. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/568 "2011-02-02T22:08:40Z")
Going on two solid months of my boss coming in in the morning and sitting in his office behind a closed door. All day. Like a petulant child. Everyday for two months. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/569 "2011-02-02T22:26:53Z")
You sure it’s not just because of the weather? I know that our offices stay a lot warmer if you keep the door closed. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/570 "2011-02-02T23:03:34Z")
> [@Nadir](#): > > Somehow I’m not convinced a college graduate who doesn’t know the difference between the public and private “sectors” is worth more than $8/hr. :rolleyes: So a typo negates years of experience and qualifications? Yeah, right. I’m sure you’ve never made yourself one and you’re worth your weight in platinum. :rolleyes: yourself. But on a philosophical level, that would be our legislators. According to them, no full-time public employee should make any more than the average private sector employee…private sector including part-time workers and minimum wage workers. It’s all the same thing to them. Job-to-job comparisons have been done. State workers with a college degree earn less in the public than the private sector, and a higher proportion of state workers have college degrees than in the general public. My pay is about 2/3 what I’d earn in the private sector. I love the job, which is why I do it, but the constant lies and hypocrisy from the legislature and knee-jerk hate from the public make it tough at times. I didn’t vote for any of the bunch who are in office now. Sadly, state-employee bashing resonates with the general public. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/571 "2011-02-02T23:14:04Z")
Nitpick: a “typo” is what happens when the person at the keyboard strikes the wrong key. Using the wrong word entirely is more of a malapropism. I’m not going to give you any grief about either error though, beyond a minor smirk. May I ask what state you live and work in? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/572 "2011-02-02T23:22:47Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > So a typo negates years of experience and qualifications? Yeah, right. I’m sure you’ve never made yourself one and you’re worth your weight in platinum. :rolleyes: yourself. > > But on a philosophical level, that would be our legislators. According to them, no full-time public employee should make any more than the average private sector employee…private sector including part-time workers and minimum wage workers. It’s all the same thing to them. > > Job-to-job comparisons have been done. State workers with a college degree earn less in the public than the private sector, and a higher proportion of state workers have college degrees than in the general public. My pay is about 2/3 what I’d earn in the private sector. I love the job, which is why I do it, but the constant lies and hypocrisy from the legislature and knee-jerk hate from the public make it tough at times. > > I didn’t vote for any of the bunch who are in office now. Sadly, state-employee bashing resonates with the general public. I don’t know about knee-jerk hate from the public; some people have a philosophical objection to paying taxes for things they don’t agree with. You choose to dip your snout in the public trough, and then complain that it isn’t full enough. Sorry, no sympathy here. If the only kind of job you can love is in the public sector, well, tough. I don’t disagree that your legislators are probably self-serving assholes, since that is true of 99% of that ilk (percentage pulled directly out of my ass) anyway. That doesn’t change my view of many public sector employees and their supposed entitlements. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/573 "2011-02-02T23:34:13Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > So a typo negates years of experience and qualifications? Yeah, right. I’m sure you’ve never made yourself one and you’re worth your weight in platinum. :rolleyes: yourself. Just checking. I’ll concede that. My bad. Coming from someone ranting about all their degrees, you might admit it looked like a good nit to pick! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/574 "2011-02-02T23:54:19Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > You sure it’s not just because of the weather? I know that our offices stay a lot warmer if you keep the door closed. Nope. We have the suckiest zone heating system. It’s significantly colder in his office with his door closed. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/575 "2011-02-03T08:41:53Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > How does the fact that you’re being tasked to come up with an effective sales pitch for a product with no observable benefits wind up _saving_ you work? It would seem to be a lot MORE work, from my POV. Well, since there’s no way this particular division will buy it, I won’t have to set it up. But that doesn’t get me unemployed: it gets me to do the same thing for the next division. We’ve got enough divisions for the next couple of years and that’s because my team works only within the EU and only for 1/3 of the corporation’s divisions. There’s other teams doing the same elsewhere and for the other 2/3rds. What irks me is that this is one of those things that stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of an important concept: this is a very big company, with very different processes, location sizes, etc. There’s divisions doing construction in the US, telecom divisions in Indonesia, soil reclamation divisions in Germany, factories in South Africa… Any “standard process” defined for such a corporation should be like a hardhat: the outside is rigid, but it’s got a part inside which is both bouncy and size-adaptable; there should be options, and then once you select the option that fits your needs best you stick to it (unless and until the needs change). They’ve opted for the steel helmet, one-size-doesn’t-fit-anybody approach instead. For those people whose needs are smaller than the helmet, it can work (discarding un-needed parts is ok): the problem is when you run into someone who’s going above and beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/576 "2011-02-03T15:45:20Z")
> [@Cyren](#): > > publicly humiliate us. (I need to add here: the woman actually wears a tiara. I swear to the sweet baby Jesus - she has an assortment of tiaras in her office and prances around telling us all that she is the Queen). Do you work for a government agency in NY with a boss who was written up for bullying? This is my former boss! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/577 "2011-02-03T16:29:15Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > You choose to dip your snout in the public trough, and then complain that it isn’t full enough. Do the words come out this way from the beginning, or do you have to run them through a retard filter three or four times? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/578 "2011-02-03T16:57:57Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Do the words come out this way from the beginning, or do you have to run them through a retard filter three or four times? Ooh, flicked you on the raw a bit, did it? ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/579 "2011-02-03T17:12:21Z")
> [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](#): > > Going on two solid months of my boss coming in in the morning and sitting in his office behind a closed door. All day. Like a petulant child. > > Everyday for two months. The joke’ll be on him when it turns out that productivity goes up when he’s unavailable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/580 "2011-02-03T18:57:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Ooh, flicked you on the raw a bit, did it? Oh yeah, you \*completely \*struck a nerve, what with me working for a non-government, publicly traded company, earning probably in the top 2% for my position. Sure got me there, chum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=30)