# 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:** 325
**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:** [November 14, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6482 "2013-11-14T02:57:13Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I have a large, prominent infected spot on my face. Probably a pimple gone really wrong. I’ve been doing everything in my power to make it go away (short of seeing a doctor), but without success. > > What does this have to do with work? Well, Not just yesterday, but today, my boss actually commented on my infected spot. It annoys the fuck out of me, not only to have this problem, but to have people both notice AND comment on it, and more than once too! It embarrasses and annoys the fucking living hell out of me! Try saying this – it usually shuts them up: \*“If your damn company would provide decent health benefits for employees, I could go to a doctor anf get it taken care of for good!” \* ---
**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:** [November 14, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6483 "2013-11-14T03:02:58Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > For the first time in my life, I was fired today. Ever since my first job at 15, I have always been the one who chose to leave. We have a mortgage, two car payments, my student loans, credit cards, and three kids. I’m giving myself two days to rest before slamming into job hunting. My first reaction: Well, **Avarie** wins with the biggest Workplace Gripe. Hang in there. I had that happen (with no warning) in a similar situation. Hunting was a lot of work, but worth it: I ended up with a much less toxic job. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6484 "2013-11-14T03:12:07Z")
Best wishes, **Avarie**. I have been fired a couple of times and one of the keys is to get right back into the market without sitting around thinking you somehow deserved getting fired or won’t get another job. You will get another job, I bet it wasn’t your failure, and you’ll probably get a better job. Like **digs** , I ended up each time with a much better job in a better environment. Anyhow, good luck. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6485 "2013-11-14T03:17:58Z")
I guess I’m pitting myself here but it really bugs me when certain co-workers can’t be bothered to show up until 30 seconds or so before the start of their shift. Seriously, if Bob is scheduled in at 8:00 you can bet your ass he’ll be walking in the door at 7:59:30. (Of course he clocks in right away but then he has to fart around for 4 or 5 minutes before he’s situated which would technically make him late but whatever…) ---
**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:** [November 14, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6486 "2013-11-14T06:16:29Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Try saying this – it usually shuts them up: > > \*“If your damn company would provide decent health benefits for employees, I could go to a doctor anf get it taken care of for good!” > \* Except **EmilyG** is in Canada and can go to the doctor any time she wants to. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6487 "2013-11-14T06:44:51Z")
Finished the eighth day of training at this new call-centre job and after 42 warnings about not bringing your goddamned cellphone; it’s not that I am tired of warnings but if I get fired cause some dumbass mf clown couldn’t follow simple instructions I might have to choke somebody. I AM NOT FUCKING AROUND HERE. We’re supposed to be adults, lets get our shit together!!! I can hear your phone, ya douche, AND I for one, an not going down with YOU, just because you have to bring the fail. I will kick your ass, break your phone and beat some fail out of you. We have been told 42 times and we are on the 9th day of training. Get it with it, or fuck off already!!! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6488 "2013-11-14T13:12:21Z")
> [@stegon66](#): > > I guess I’m pitting myself here but it really bugs me when certain co-workers can’t be bothered to show up until 30 seconds or so before the start of their shift. Seriously, if Bob is scheduled in at 8:00 you can bet your ass he’ll be walking in the door at 7:59:30. The other side of that is employers who try to require you to be there 10 minutes early to get all of that shit out of the way before you “start”. Which is illegal. If you require someone to be there, you have to pay them for that time. I cannot tell you how many employers and supervisors I’ve had this conversation with other the years. “You need to be here 10 minutes before the start of your shift!” “Then you are legally required to pay me for those 10 minutes. Or at some point this will come back to bite you and the company in the ass. Most likely in the form of a settlement.” So while I am usually the kind of person to be 5-10 minutes early every day, you damn betcha that if my employer is being a dick about it, I’m going to sit in my car and walk in the door 10 seconds before I need to clock in. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6489 "2013-11-14T14:51:20Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The other side of that is employers who try to require you to be there 10 minutes early to get all of that shit out of the way before you “start”. > > Which is illegal. Sort of. It’s illegal for them to require you to be there for more time than they are paying you for but it’s not illegal for them to require you to clock in on time when you are ready to work. Clocking in on time and then futzing around putting your coat and stuff away is also time stealing just in the other direction. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6490 "2013-11-14T15:34:35Z")
Well, yeah. I had a co-worker in the call center repeatedly disciplined for that. He would run in at the last second, boot up and sign in on his computer, then take 10 minutes putting his coat away, going to the restroom, getting something to drink, chatting people up, etc. Of course, his defense was that he was “on time”. :rolleyes: But it’s like the policeman’s lawsuit earlier this year or last year. They _required_ him to be there 10 minutes before his shift, and then didn’t pay him for it. If you require it, you have to pay for it. Likewise, I have a current fellow employee to very frequently spends the last 10-15 minutes of his shift in the restroom. Very annoying for me, because when he leaves, I’m the only person on our team in the office for the next hour. So if I need to use the restroom, I need to use it before he wanders off, or I have to go after he leaves and then risk people complaining that no one answered the phone (hasn’t happened yet, but still). Also annoying because deliberately being in the restroom for that long at the very end of your shift on a regular and ongoing basis cannot possibly be a physical imperative, it has to be a choice. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6491 "2013-11-14T17:47:14Z")
Is his name Sheldon Cooper? Maybe he has a restroom schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6492 "2013-11-14T19:47:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Wore a Doctor Who t-shirt to work today. My boss was in the office, which he is about once a week. He tells me I can’t wear it, too casual, and if one of the senior management people see it, they’ll have a talk to me about it. > > Nearby is a senior management person’s office. Two levels above my boss, different org. She walks by, sees it, smiles and says “Doctor Who!”. And keeps right on going. > > 😛 Boss was right - management talked to you about your t-shirt 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6493 "2013-11-15T02:23:59Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > So while I am usually the kind of person to be 5-10 minutes early every day, you damn betcha that if my employer is being a dick about it, I’m going to sit in my car and walk in the door 10 seconds before I need to clock in. Mr. J had a job for 5 years where they flat out told him his hours were 7:55-5:05 because “too many people had abused the system” (most likely 1 person; it was a small business run by a paranoid jerk who couldn’t be bothered :mad:). ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6494 "2013-11-15T02:29:44Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > For the first time in my life, I was fired today. Ever since my first job at 15, I have always been the one who chose to leave. We have a mortgage, two car payments, my student loans, credit cards, and three kids. I’m giving myself two days to rest before slamming into job hunting. Go ahead and enjoy the hell out of these 2 days. Relax. Sleep late if you can. Watch crappy movies, take a long walk, whatever, and then move right on up into the next big thing. If I hadn’t been laid off from 2 good jobs in a row, I would still be stuck in the same old job that I knew was below my potential. As a long termer, I never would have gotten the visibility or opportunity that a new person gets. I now work fewer hours, commute less, and have the best bosses I’ve had in a very long time\*. I wish you the same. All the best in your job search! \*doesn’t mean I won’t gripe once in a while… ---
**Author:** ![Melaleuca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Melaleuca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melaleuca)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6495 "2013-11-15T02:32:19Z")
EmilyG: va te faire foutre ---
**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:** [November 15, 2013, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6496 "2013-11-15T11:35:04Z")
> [@Melaleuca](#): > > EmilyG: va te faire foutre Doesn’t sound any more classy in French. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6497 "2013-11-15T14:25:08Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > Doesn’t sound any more classy in French. Well, as they say in France… _“Mon ami! Pourquoi you are parlez-ing en français because of you are how-you-say **Not French**? Zoooot alors!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6498 "2013-11-15T14:28:45Z")
So…minor, really, but my boss accidentally sent out our salaries to the office. In practice it’s not a big deal, it’s a tiny office. But I make less than everyone, and i knew this, it’s not a surprise…but it was a surprise to my coworkers. And now they are looking at me with pity and maybe a little condescension that I “stayed here so long”. Thing is, it’s a relatively low salary but it’s not too low to live off, and eat with or anything, or even have fun, and combined with my SO’s salary we do well enough. Plus I am trying to better myself and go back to school to get more. But I am not particularly fond of that squeamish feeling of when others know your salary and are sorry for you. It’s caused some drama, too - one coworker is really miserable with her salary, to the point of tears, when compared to others. But thankfully that has nothing to do with me. Oh well. I can’t do anything about the way they think, can I? And you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Sorry, **Avarie**. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6499 "2013-11-15T17:22:26Z")
[Moderating] I’ve gotten a ton of thread reports on this this morning, so I’m posting this here to hopefully forestall any more. > [@EmilyG](#): > > Though I did stop short of saying “fuck off,” partially because I don’t want to get in trouble, and partially because I don’t know how to say “fuck off” in French. > [@Melaleuca](#): > > EmilyG: va te faire foutre Guys, he’s not insulting **EmilyG** , he’s giving her the translation she (sort of) asked about. That said, **Melaleuca** , we do ask that posters on the SDMB do not make posts entirely in languages other than English, if for no other reason than we can’t moderate posts we can’t read. No warning issued, but please try to include an English translation for posts you make in other languages. [/Moderating] ---
**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:** [November 15, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6500 "2013-11-15T17:47:44Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > So…minor, really, but my boss accidentally sent out our salaries to the office. In practice it’s not a big deal, it’s a tiny office. But I make less than everyone, and i knew this, it’s not a surprise…but it was a surprise to my coworkers. And now they are looking at me with pity and maybe a little condescension that I “stayed here so long”. Thing is, it’s a relatively low salary but it’s not too low to live off, and eat with or anything, or even have fun, and combined with my SO’s salary we do well enough. Plus I am trying to better myself and go back to school to get more. > > But I am not particularly fond of that squeamish feeling of when others know your salary and are sorry for you. > > It’s caused some drama, too - one coworker is really miserable with her salary, to the point of tears, when compared to others. But thankfully that has nothing to do with me. > > Oh well. I can’t do anything about the way they think, can I? And you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. > > Sorry, **Avarie**. That’s not all that minor - that would be automatic firing offence at many companies (even telling co-workers your salary is a firing offence at many companies). I guess the plus side is, you now know what all the other jobs in the office pay (for comparison purposes, if you were going after a job like that). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jesse\_Pinkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@Jesse\_Pinkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jesse_Pinkman)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/6501 "2013-11-15T18:48:06Z")
To the company that laid me off in February: Please stop blowing yourself on LinkedIn. You went through three rounds of layoffs this year, some insignificant award from a publication no one reads doesn’t mean you’re doing well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=324) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=326)