# 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:** 300
**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:** [August 23, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5982 "2013-08-23T21:43:42Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > And now, I’m being Shahghai’d, Hangzhou’d, Zhengzhou’d, Xinxiang’d, and Beijing’d. > > Um. At least it’s not for a 1-day trip anymore, I guess. sheesh. Ah. This is the business trip version of “Hey, while you’re up could you…” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5983 "2013-08-23T22:54:31Z")
Look on the bright side, you get to travel to an exotic location on your company’s dime! I’d start looking up local hotspots and restaurants and make a mini-vacation of it ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5984 "2013-08-24T00:25:24Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > Ah. This is the business trip version of “Hey, while you’re up could you…” We call that a “sensuous” ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5985 "2013-08-24T01:56:43Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > And now, I’m being Shahghai’d, Hangzhou’d, Zhengzhou’d, Xinxiang’d, and Beijing’d. While you’re in Hangzhou can I give you a list of suppliers and components for you to negotiate on for me? Just a couple of cargo containers full. And for my rant. Reply to all. 1000+ names in the cc field. Where’s my damn clue-by-four. ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5986 "2013-08-24T21:54:16Z")
I’ve always described vacations as… You’re drowning in the ocean. A boat comes along and the owner says, “I’ll give you some time in the boat but then back in the ocean you go.” ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5987 "2013-08-24T22:30:58Z")
I’ve got 7,000 of them ---
**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:** [August 25, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5988 "2013-08-25T02:18:44Z")
The parent corporation of the company where I work has some kind of connections to Gulf Coast barges. At the beginning of each hurricane season, the Gulf fleet goes on alert; even the slightest storm gets immediate attention from a response team that is responsible for monitoring the storm and keeping the fleet updated. The guy currently in charge of sending out the updates seems to think that “the fleet” translates to “the entire goddamn company” – I’ve seen this guy send out three or so updates an hour to every email address in the company. This includes locations that are ridiculously far from the Gulf coast. I ended up marking the guy as a spammer to stem the constant flood of emails. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5989 "2013-08-25T02:51:24Z")
Under which (electronic) rock is the job postings thing hiding now? (Internal job postings are printed out so people can see them, but must be applied for online. Except they appear to have changed things so that I can’t find where they hid them online. Which is a medium big deal-- there’s no way I would have gotten the one I couldn’t apply for today, but one I really want might come open soon, and if I can’t find the link, I’ll be pissed. ) ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5990 "2013-08-25T02:52:52Z")
Oh, and in other news, customers-- if you want something we don’t have, saying that it’s weird that we don’t have it, especially when it’s a “seasonal” item is annoying. I know you are disappointed, but I don’t agree that it’s weird that we don’t have _paper calendars_ just because we’ve got dry erase ones. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5991 "2013-08-26T16:14:30Z")
Agree on the benefits of vacation. Even if it’s mostly spent on your front porch. Mine had dogs and books and a view of a park and a breeze from the lake… and Multiple Microbrews. Too bad I had to take a vacation from the Pit, but I just wasn’t getting analog stuff done. School starts today, so I’m back! But I’m gonna pace myself Dope-wise. On Topic: spent half the summer in Bureaucracy Hell (College prof version). Got a call that I was getting decertified because my Prof. Dev. Hours weren’t input on the right sub-website. Which I couldn’t do, and only ONE person in the whole multi-campus system could fix it. He never returned a single email/call/text/post-it. I finally tracked him down in person on the day I was to be kicked out. His reply? “Oh, that’s a shame. Well, y’know what you should do? Send me an email…” ARRRRGH! I stormed out, got an HR minion to look at my list of hours (150% of what I needed) and manually mark my record “certified” just before the deadline. Whew! ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5992 "2013-08-26T17:17:58Z")
> [@digs](#): > > \ > I finally tracked him down in person on the day I was to be kicked out. His reply? “Oh, that’s a shame. Well, y’know what you should do? Send me an email…” ARRRRGH!\ That’s when I would ask (as sweet as pie), “Can I confirm your email address? The ones I already sent you didn’t seem to get through.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5993 "2013-08-26T17:58:33Z")
Dear Idiot Maintenance Guy, Please do not spray herbicides 3 feet from where I’m eating my lunch. Thanks! K ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5994 "2013-08-26T18:39:55Z")
I don’t want to get all “blame-the-victim-y” here, but why are you eating your lunch in the weeds? ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5995 "2013-08-26T19:27:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I don’t want to get all “blame-the-victim-y” here, but why are you eating your lunch in the weeds? If her office complex is anything like mine, what you call “weeds” is actually 3’x3’ section of grass and Canada goose droppings in the out-of-doors, with a ratty old splintery wooden picnic table in the middle of it, which is the only place where one can go without actually leaving the “business campus” to get away from the smell of octopus-and-Gorgonzola-curry coming from the communal kitchen and gradually filtering through the air vents like a weaponized high-grade neurotoxin destined to kill us all. But, really, it’s the dinosaur signs that are creating a hostile work environment. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5996 "2013-08-26T19:39:32Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > If her office complex is anything like mine, what you call “weeds” is actually 3’x3’ section of grass and Canada goose droppings in the out-of-doors, with a ratty old splintery wooden picnic table in the middle of it, which is the only place where one can go without actually leaving the “business campus” to get away from the smell of octopus-and-Gorgonzola-curry coming from the communal kitchen and gradually filtering through the air vents like a weaponized high-grade neurotoxin destined to kill us all. I definitely used to work there. Only there was also some kind of stinging-insect hive hanging from the underside of the picnic table. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5997 "2013-08-26T21:30:44Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I don’t want to get all “blame-the-victim-y” here, but why are you eating your lunch in the weeds? There’s a nice picnic table on a stone patio. Unfortunately there were some weeds that just needed killin’ growing between the stones. The only logical time to spray them is at noon when the table is in use. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5998 "2013-08-26T21:37:38Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > There’s a nice picnic table on a stone patio. Unfortunately there were some weeds that just needed killin’ growing between the stones. The only logical time to spray them is at noon when the table is in use. :rolleyes: Of course, just like when I worked in the Call Center with 200-300 other people and the ideal time to close down the restrooms by the lunch room\* was right at lunch time! And no matter how many complaints they got, it never changed. - one of two sets available, the other being at the other end of the building. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/5999 "2013-08-26T23:29:29Z")
At my workplace, the picnic tables are on the loading dock. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6000 "2013-08-27T00:49:38Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > At my workplace, the picnic tables are on the loading dock. Who needs herbicides when you can have diesel exhaust! ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6001 "2013-08-27T02:52:12Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I definitely used to work there. Only there was also some kind of stinging-insect hive hanging from the underside of the picnic table. Those stingie-thingies are worse than they ever were, now that they’ve sprayed them with Raid and made them extra-powerful and immune to basically everything except nuclear weapons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=299) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=301)