# 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:** 37
**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:** [March 1, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/721 "2011-03-01T22:31:20Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Good lord, I’m glad that this isn’t the norm! I’d never pay extra for a pet room simply because there is no reason why that room would need extra cleaning any more than a room that had, say, toddlers or college students in it. As for the allergy thing, do you also try to make sure that there is no mold, mildew, pollen, etc at all in your rooms? > > Fortunately for me, since I stay in a motel room about 3 days a month, there are plenty of places that don’t charge me extra for daring to travel with dogs. Not that anyone would be able to tell there had been a couple of dogs in my room after I left. You don’t think they would. You’d know different if you had pet allergies. Next time I’m in a hotel and my lungs seize up, I’ll think (not fondly) of you. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/722 "2011-03-01T22:59:29Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > You don’t think they would. You’d know different if you had pet allergies. > > Next time I’m in a hotel and my lungs seize up, I’ll think (not fondly) of you. > Roddy I do have pet allergies, as well as being allergic to pretty much anything else I can snuffle up, and some food allergies. However, I not only get treatment for these things, I don’t expect the rest of the world to bend to my needs. If I did, I’d demand that the motel do something about that baby that cries all night, or the girls basketball team that stomped, giggled and dropped things until the wee hours over my head. Or how about the police actually issue citations for that “music” that is shaking the windows? Those are things that seem to me would be a problem for far more people than those with untreated allergies, yet no one is automatically charged extra for things like getting pizza grease out of the linens & carpets, or the broken ice machines. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/723 "2011-03-02T00:04:55Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Good lord, I’m glad that this isn’t the norm! I’d never pay extra for a pet room simply because there is no reason why that room would need extra cleaning any more than a room that had, say, toddlers or college students in it. As for the allergy thing, do you also try to make sure that there is no mold, mildew, pollen, etc at all in your rooms? > > Fortunately for me, since I stay in a motel room about 3 days a month, there are plenty of places that don’t charge me extra for daring to travel with dogs. Not that anyone would be able to tell there had been a couple of dogs in my room after I left. I’m not trying to be dismissive or condescending here, but really: You are charged “extra” for pet rooms, even if no extra fee is attached to your room. Maybe you stay at a hotel chain that doesn’t charge a pet fee - La Quinta, for an example off the top of my head. I’ve worked at that chain before - in fact, at the one across the street from the property where I currently work. Per corporate standard, they aren’t allowed to charge a pet fee. But there’s a reason that the property across the street from where I work has a standard (“rack”/BAR) rate 60% higher than ours. (And yes, I do know what La Quinta’s mortgage is vs. ours. Not 60% higher. I also know their pay scale - lower than ours - there’s a reason I don’t work there anymore! :).) Really, it’s not so different from isolating smoking and non-smoking. In either case, the business is trying to maintain rooms that will make the maximum number of guests happy, while still keeping out costs down. I don’t expect my non-smoking guests to be happy in a room that smells of cigarette smoke, nor do I expect my non-pet-owning guests to stay in rooms that might smell of dog/cat/gila monster. And I say that as a dog owner, and our owner/manager says that as a dog and cat owner. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/724 "2011-03-02T00:29:27Z")
Sorry, **Lacunae** , you lost me at “gila monster.” Why would anyone complain? Them things smell _deee-licious_. 😃 ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/725 "2011-03-02T00:33:31Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > Your pet fees sound _totally reasonable_, **Lacunae Matata**. Ten bucks? Sign me and my cat up! I’ve heard about much higher fees and that’s when the hotel _knows_ about the animals. > > People get _so offended_ when I have to tell them we don’t take dogs. “I’m afraid we don’t take pets. No, not even a little one. I’m sorry. I love dogs, but it’s not up to me!” “He’s a little dog!” “I’m sorry, but we don’t take any at all. I’m sure your dog is great, though.” (While I am actually a lot more sure that their little dog is the sort who will yap and pee on everything, which is the last thing I’d want in a hotel room. Please note that little dogs who act like that, I blame the owners, for not treating their dogs like actual dogs, not so much the dogs themselves.) I’ve never encountered this where I work. We have, however, had a few people swear up and down that Floofy McFloofersons is a service dog when there is no way in hell it is.\* However, we are prohibited from asking for proof that McFloofersons is indeed trained as a service dog, so we just go with the lie. I’ll take this tangent to share a funny story that happened last week: I was at the desk, doing my thing, when I heard the front doors open and close. I finished adding up my column of numbers, looked up, and saw something blonde walking down the hall. I thought it was a little girl (my view was partially blocked by a couch) until it got a bit further on down the hall. It was a big yellow dog. I went in back and got the manager on duty and he chased after the dog and escorted it out the back. Five minutes later, it walks back in, goes all the way around the lobby, and back out the door with the manager hot on its heels. The last we saw it, the dog was heading up the street. Then the power went out. I was all for blaming the dog until the UPS lady said that high winds knocked a few lines out. \*I am under the (possibly mistaken) impression that service dogs aren’t prone to bark their fool heads off. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/726 "2011-03-02T00:40:30Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Sorry, **Lacunae** , you lost me at “gila monster.” Why would anyone complain? Them things smell _deee-licious_. > > 😃 Especially deep-fried. Or braised in a port reduction.😃 ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/727 "2011-03-02T00:55:07Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I do have pet allergies, as well as being allergic to pretty much anything else I can snuffle up, and some food allergies. However, I not only get treatment for these things, I don’t expect the rest of the world to bend to my needs. If I did, I’d demand that the motel do something about that baby that cries all night, or the girls basketball team that stomped, giggled and dropped things until the wee hours over my head. Or how about the police actually issue citations for that “music” that is shaking the windows? > > Those are things that seem to me would be a problem for far more people than those with untreated allergies, yet no one is automatically charged extra for things like getting pizza grease out of the linens & carpets, or the broken ice machines. Thanks, but rather than taking medications that would be unnecessary 99% of the time, I prefer to control my environment to limit my exposure to allergens. I can’t do that if I am given a room that may or may not have had pets in it the night before. You don’t expect the rest of the world to bend to your needs, but you apparently do expect them to bend to your need to have pets with you (i.e. other people should take medication so you can keep your pets in your room). And yes, I would complain about all those things that you mentioned. If I’m paying for a hotel room I expect to be able to sleep there. Call me unreasonable. Roddy ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/728 "2011-03-02T01:04:16Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Sorry, **Lacunae** , you lost me at “gila monster.” Why would anyone complain? Them things smell _deee-licious_. > > 😃 > [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Especially deep-fried. Or braised in a port reduction.😃 _“You got a hot plate in there?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/729 "2011-03-02T01:32:45Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Thanks, but rather than taking medications that would be unnecessary 99% of the time, I prefer to control my environment to limit my exposure to allergens. I can’t do that if I am given a room that may or may not have had pets in it the night before. > > You don’t expect the rest of the world to bend to your needs, but you apparently do expect them to bend to your need to have pets with you (i.e. other people should take medication so you can keep your pets in your room). > > And yes, I would complain about all those things that you mentioned. If I’m paying for a hotel room I expect to be able to sleep there. Call me unreasonable. > Roddy Give it up. You won’t win this one. I promise you, this will just devolve into a multi-page headdesk event. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/730 "2011-03-02T01:53:43Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > Oh, no. Not this again. We have to have another BS “come to Jesus” meeting. I hate these. > > Apparently my co-worker, busybody, and her employee, minion, tattled on me because of a comment I made. Said comment was almost verbatim, “Hey, I wanted to get a refresher on our call center process, so I sat in on some calls. While I was there, the department manager said that she’d be interested in having us implement an easy fix so we get 100% of their business instead of just 50%. I know you guys have complained about our list being incomplete; this would solve the problem. Would you like to do that?” > > The comment was apparently interpreted as, “You guys are idiots and don’t know what you’re doing. We’re implementing this fix and eliminating all your other referrals and lines of communication. I’m also going to restructure the department. Bwahahahahah!” > > I’m so pissed I can hardly see straight. First, this is the third time in the past 6 weeks I’ve been thrown under the bus for something competely unfounded. Second, I have absolutely no authority to restructure the department in any way. Third, it irritates the hell out of me when my comments are completely misrepresented and taken out of context. **overlyverbose** , I think your problem may be talking to these idiots like human beings. My vote is for just ignoring their very existence from now on (but I’m sure they’ll still find a way to make your work life hell). ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/731 "2011-03-02T03:15:49Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Really, it’s not so different from isolating smoking and non-smoking. Those who smoke are not charged more for their rooms than non-smokers. > [@](#): > > In either case, the business is trying to maintain rooms that will make the maximum number of guests happy, while still keeping out costs down. I don’t expect my non-smoking guests to be happy in a room that smells of cigarette smoke, nor do I expect my non-pet-owning guests to stay in rooms that might smell of dog/cat/gila monster. And I say that as a dog owner, and our owner/manager says that as a dog and cat owner. Smells of dog/cat/gila? You actually have had people complain that their rooms smell of departed pets? If so, would you do the extra cleaning if I complained that a room smelled of departed guests’ perfume? > [@SpazCat](#): > > \*I am under the (possibly mistaken) impression that service dogs aren’t prone to bark their fool heads off. Unfortunately, some service dogs are not very well trained. Also, service dogs are include those that do things like seizure alert, so those dogs may be even less well trained. [QUOTE=Roderick Femm] Thanks, but rather than taking medications that would be unnecessary 99% of the time, I prefer to control my environment to limit my exposure to allergens. I can’t do that if I am given a room that may or may not have had pets in it the night before. [/quote] Shrug. If you would rather suffer than take a pill, that is your choice. Since you say it is unnecessary 99% of the time, sounds like your allergies are not that bad and I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up places that a pet was in the night before rather frequently and never even know it. > [@](#): > > You don’t expect the rest of the world to bend to your needs, but you apparently do expect them to bend to your need to have pets with you (i.e. other people should take medication so you can keep your pets in your room). Nope, I would just like pet owners to not be singled out for bogus extra charges. This stuff doesn’t even apply to me since I travel with a service dog, which means I could bring him into a room in a hotel that doesn’t even allow dogs. But because I show others the consideration that I wish they could show half of to me, I don’t do that. But, a point which you completely ignored, is that there are a large number of people out there that suffer from allergies to a large number of things other than pets, yet the hotel gets away with charging an extra “cleaning” fee only to pet owners. > [@](#): > > And yes, I would complain about all those things that you mentioned. If I’m paying for a hotel room I expect to be able to sleep there. And it would get you nowhere in most places - babies are not to be bothered, the hotel cares more about the 20 rooms the team is in than your one and the police would laugh their asses off if you complained about the level of rap “music” driving around out there. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/732 "2011-03-02T04:13:57Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Those who smoke are not charged more for their rooms than non-smokers. > > Smells of dog/cat/gila? You actually have had people complain that their rooms smell of departed pets? If so, would you do the extra cleaning if I complained that a room smelled of departed guests’ perfume? > > Unfortunately, some service dogs are not very well trained. Also, service dogs are include those that do things like seizure alert, so those dogs may be even less well trained. > > Shrug. If you would rather suffer than take a pill, that is your choice. Since you say it is unnecessary 99% of the time, sounds like your allergies are not that bad and I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up places that a pet was in the night before rather frequently and never even know it. > > Nope, I would just like pet owners to not be singled out for bogus extra charges. This stuff doesn’t even apply to me since I travel with a service dog, which means I could bring him into a room in a hotel that doesn’t even allow dogs. But because I show others the consideration that I wish they could show half of to me, I don’t do that. But, a point which you completely ignored, is that there are a large number of people out there that suffer from allergies to a large number of things other than pets, yet the hotel gets away with charging an extra “cleaning” fee only to pet owners. > > And it would get you nowhere in most places - babies are not to be bothered, the hotel cares more about the 20 rooms the team is in than your one and the police would laugh their asses off if you complained about the level of rap “music” driving around out there. Without getting into too many “you are totally full of shit” moments… Yes, our smoking rooms do actually carry an extra fee. If you travel with a service animal, why do you not declare your second dog as a pet? (From your prior reply of “Fortunately for me, since I stay in a motel room about 3 days a month, there are plenty of places that don’t charge me extra for daring to travel with dogs. Not that anyone would be able to tell there had been a couple of dogs in my room after I left.”) Or do you have two service dogs? Because - as someone with a service dog - I’ve never seen that instance. Maybe you just need lots of help? Oh, and per federal law, we aren’t allowed to charge extra for service animals, nor ask for proof that those animals are actual service animals. Thus, you aren’t really that special - the hotels where you stay simply eat the cost of you and your (how many?) dogs. If you’re sneaking an extra one in there, you may be defrauding the business, though, depending on a particular hotel’s policies… No, we don’t charge extra for allergens that normal human beings (including toddlers and college students - ages many of us have survived) may carry. If you are so special as to be sensitive to pizza or tots, perhaps you shouldn’t stay in hotels. Meanwhile, a significant portion of the population is sensitive to, say, smoke. Or cats. Or dogs. Therefore, some businesses try to be sensitive to those people’s needs. It’s a weird business model, but it works for us. And, despite the width of your paintbrush, some hotels actually do ask guests to turn down loud music, or loud TVs, and some have even been known to contact the police if someone else’s noise is disturbing a guest… ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/733 "2011-03-02T04:28:24Z")
Hey, I’ve got an idea - why don’t you start a new thread about pet room charges? ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/734 "2011-03-02T05:25:21Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Without getting into too many “you are totally full of shit” moments… > > Yes, our smoking rooms do actually carry an extra fee. Ah, I had not hit that ever. My husband smokes and when he travels with me I haven’t paid more for a smoking room than a non smoking one. > [@](#): > > If you travel with a service animal, why do you not declare your second dog as a pet? If the second dog is a pet, I declare it as such if I plan to have it in the room, but I haven’t traveled with a pet in quite some time. Right now I am training a replacement service dog as my current one has been diagnosed with a heart condition, but I don’t always take the dog-in-training with me. Of course, none of my dogs are strictly pets but I realize that hotel folk are not aware of the difference. > [@](#): > > Because - as someone with a service dog - I’ve never seen that instance. Apparently, you don’t train your own dogs? The way you are acting, I am having trouble believing that you have a dog with much training at all, much less a service dog. > [@](#): > > Oh, and per federal law, we aren’t allowed to charge extra for service animals, nor ask for proof that those animals are actual service animals. Thus, you aren’t really that special - the hotels where you stay simply eat the cost of you and your (how many?) dogs. I don’t recall saying that I was special, and I cannot see what extra cost any hotel has had to “eat” due to the presence of my dog(s). You claim to be a dog lover, yet you act like a dog in a room must mean the room requires far more cleaning than _any_ room without a dog in it. Falling back on the claim that you have to do so because of the chance of someone with an allergy doesn’t seem to hold water since people are also allergic to mold, mildew, pollen and assorted other things that can be carried into a hotel room - do you go to extra lengths to clean those out too? And charge for them whether or not they appear? > [@](#): > > No, we don’t charge extra for allergens that normal human beings (including toddlers and college students - ages many of us have survived) may carry. If you are so special as to be sensitive to pizza or tots, perhaps you shouldn’t stay in hotels. Meanwhile, a significant portion of the population is sensitive to, say, smoke. Or cats. Or dogs. Therefore, some businesses try to be sensitive to those people’s needs. It’s a weird business model, but it works for us. :rolleyes: Fine, be defensive and ignore a significant portion of your clients. Or rather, it appears that from your attitude, a significant number of potential clients will ignore your hotel. Your leaps of illogic about what I have said show that you have no desire to be reasonable, which is why I avoid places like yours, as do the hundreds of thousands of others traveling with pets. > [@](#): > > And, despite the width of your paintbrush, some hotels actually do ask guests to turn down loud music, or loud TVs, and some have even been known to contact the police if someone else’s noise is disturbing a guest… The low frequency of it happening makes it not worth trying anymore. **Cat Whisperer** - learn to use your scroll bar. That is what I do when people discuss things I have no interest in. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/735 "2011-03-02T13:36:24Z")
As someone who has had to travel with pets on occasion, I find a $10 pet fee entirely reasonable, in fact, I find it absurdly low. And I haven’t traveled with any animals for over 20 years! I’d be delighted to find a hotel that accepted animals, period. And, I wuv my kitties, but the fact of the matter is that they DO shed, and I can’t guarantee that they won’t be destructive if they’re stressed out. Humans can also be quite destructive, but most people aren’t allergic to other humans. Again, a $10 fee for cleaning seems reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/736 "2011-03-02T14:51:50Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > **Nava** , I’m trying to make sense out of your post, but I honestly have no idea what’s going on. That’s fine, I don’t think The Gatekeeper knows it either. He’s worried that there could be interference between some hours reporting Maintenance needs and HR time-worked reporting (in theory the two parts could be connected, but that connection needs to be set up specifically and we have very specifically made sure nobody even got near those screws and bolts), HR knows what we’re doing and is fine with it, The Gatekeeper is running circles after his own tail. I do think we should make him bring the coffee to Friday’s meeting. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/737 "2011-03-02T17:12:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > **overlyverbose** , I think your problem may be talking to these idiots like human beings. My vote is for just ignoring their very existence from now on (but I’m sure they’ll still find a way to make your work life hell). Oh, yes. New annoyances cropped up just today. Ignoring them is a good suggestion. If I don’t, my head will explode. Another option is looking for a new job. Sadly, the job market isn’t terribly great, but if something comes up, I’m not going to say no. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/738 "2011-03-02T20:39:44Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > First, this is the third time in the past 6 weeks I’ve been thrown under the bus for something competely unfounded. Second, I have absolutely no authority to restructure the department in any way. Third, it irritates the hell out of me when my comments are completely misrepresented and taken out of context. Ugh. Good luck with that. In my prior job, the Toxic Shithole from the Depths of Hell and Incompetence, you could not make suggestions. About anything. Ever. Because a suggestion meant that what you were really saying is that the person who came up with the previous method was a fucking retard and you were so much better than them. So keeping old, stupid, inefficient, and outdated methods was the way we operated, because otherwise you’d _hurt someone’s feelings_. > [@curlcoat](#): > > I’d never pay extra for a pet room simply because there is no reason why that room would need extra cleaning any more than a room that had, say, toddlers or college students in it. Jesus christ, **curly** , go eat a fucking napkin sandwich. Nobody cares about your entitled, ignorant, selfish-centered whining. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/739 "2011-03-02T20:54:25Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Ugh. Good luck with that. In my prior job, the Toxic Shithole from the Depths of Hell and Incompetence, you could not make suggestions. About anything. Ever. Because a suggestion meant that what you were really saying is that the person who came up with the previous method was a fucking retard and you were so much better than them. So keeping old, stupid, inefficient, and outdated methods was the way we operated, because otherwise you’d _hurt someone’s feelings_. I’m just using your post as a springboard, not refuting it, but I read this and it makes me think of my recently-departed employee. She believes she was canned for trying to make suggestions and therefore intruding on management’s power trip, when in reality she was canned, in part, for approaching her shift manager and saying, “You _will_ do X from now on, do you understand me?” (There were other reasons too, but that kicked things off.) It’s really funny that she thinks it’s just because management’s power-tripping; I’d listened to her some time ago on some problems she had with my management style and adjusted my behavior accordingly, so it’s not like history was on her side. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/740 "2011-03-02T21:57:33Z")
Haha, have to love the truly clueless. My situation definitely wasn’t one of those. In fact, I think it was when, at a meeting where my manager was complaining about a particular bottleneck in the process that was causing a lot of problems for my team, and I said, “Have you considered having the folders go from the writers to the proofers to the editors, instead of from the writers to the editors to the proofers?” and he looked at me as though I’d just shot his mother, shat on her, and then raped the shit-covered body in front of him, that I got my first inkling of how fucked up the culture was in the department. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=38)