# 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:** 452
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9022 "2015-06-02T16:45:12Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Three. One to do the counting, and one to say “_ONE! One light bulb! TWO! Two light bulbs! THREE! Three Beautiful Burnt-out Light Bulbs! AHH-AHH-AHHH!_” And one to make the thunderclap sound effect with the sheet metal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9023 "2015-06-02T17:05:33Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Three. One to do the counting, and one to say “_ONE! One light bulb! TWO! Two light bulbs! THREE! Three Beautiful Burnt-out Light Bulbs! AHH-AHH-AHHH!_” And one to make the thunderclap sound effect with the sheet metal. Hee! I’m doing a particularly tedious task today, I think I’m going to start counting slides with the appropriate sound effects. You may have just saved me from madness! ---
**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 2, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9024 "2015-06-02T23:23:08Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > How many people does it take to _count_ a lightbulb? Just one guy today…he would look up at each light fixture, and point to the bulbs with a pen while counting them. When I told him what had happened to the dead fixture in my office, he made a noise at me that I think was supposed to be his approximation of a ballast failing. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Three. One to do the counting, and one to say “_ONE! One light bulb! TWO! Two light bulbs! THREE! Three Beautiful Burnt-out Light Bulbs! AHH-AHH-AHHH!_” And one to make the thunderclap sound effect with the sheet metal. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9025 "2015-06-03T03:29:24Z")
A friend of mine works in crop prediction. When he joined the field, the people in it were… mad-scientist wannabes. They used all these complicated machines for everything. How to count apples? Take a 360º photograph of each tree, then have a computer program count red spots. But what if an apple is hidden in the foliage? What if it’s seen from several angles? What if it’s one of the varieties that get picked while green? More programmer time, yay! Photometers to measure energy received by the trees, aerials to measure distance between trees… Carlos, he’s a farmer’s son. And grandson (both sides). And gggggg… probably until the first guys who took a look at the area and said “this doesn’t look like a bad spot for a bit of farming!”, but they said it in some proto-variant of Iberian rather than in English. When he first presented his idea for research, he proposed using: pen, paper, a seamstress’ tape, a metal tape, and one or more fingers. Eyes are also needed, but they are assumed available (touch can substitute for some of their functionality, such as determining whether it is sunny, but finding apples by touch is not recommended). “Never underestimate the power of the Counting Finger!” ---
**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 3, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9026 "2015-06-03T23:15:20Z")
The lights were supposed to be fixed today…they were still out when I left well after 5, and there was no electrician or service truck in the parking lot. (The company typically has major repair work done during off hours.) To the little shitstain in customer service: the next time you decide to show up in my office and man-splain my job to me, please take a moment to observe the neatly framed papers hanging on my wall. I’m an engineer, you’re not. I’ve been working here for over 8 years – much longer than you, by the way – and I think my manager would have let me know by now if I was doing something wrong. Now tell me again how easy it is to revise those reports that took close to a week to research and write. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9027 "2015-06-07T03:51:55Z")
We’ve gone live. The support team that’s been ignoring meetings, ignoring mails, ignoring invitations to fly here… have suddenly realized that ohmymollygollygosh they will start getting support requests from this site any day now! They’re nitpicking the requirements. And the solutions. And the processes. And the printouts. And sending mails to the users saying “oh but you shouldn’t use screen A, you should use screen B! Nava can fix it so it doesn’t look so bad any more, see attachment” and in the attachment they show the original screen and then several alternative proposals… and hey you bloody blind moron, I already adapted it for them back in January! Of this year, not next! You’re looking at the wrong screen, Man-Bat! Add that for some reason I keep being pulled into conversations about issues which are Not My Job but that it turns out I solve them and yeah, I guess that’s why I keep being pulled in, but damnit my rates aren’t high enough. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9028 "2015-06-09T15:30:33Z")
It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game How Not to Get That Job! Today’s entrant is a young woman who came in with her baby in a carrier and then proceeded to fill out an application. She also wins the bonus lightning round for it being a fussy baby in need of a nap! Congratulations, young woman, you are **Not Getting That Job**! ---
**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:** [June 9, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9029 "2015-06-09T17:24:33Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game How Not to Get That Job! > > Today’s entrant is a young woman who came in with her baby in a carrier and then proceeded to fill out an application. She also wins the bonus lightning round for it being a fussy baby in need of a nap! > > Congratulations, young woman, you are **Not Getting That Job**! Oh god y’all, the game isn’t over yet. She came back, still carrying the kid. She sat down on the couch in the lobby with the kid and proceeded to **change his diaper.** When the GM was talking to her she mentioned that she was desperate for a job. Gee, I wonder why. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [June 9, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9030 "2015-06-09T18:05:08Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > It’s time to play everyone’s favorite game How Not to Get That Job! > > Today’s entrant is a young woman who came in with her baby in a carrier and then proceeded to fill out an application. She also wins the bonus lightning round for it being a fussy baby in need of a nap! > > Congratulations, young woman, you are **Not Getting That Job**! Not seeing the outrage. If she gets the job, presumably she can then afford childcare, but until then, yes, mothers tend to get jailed if they leave kids alone, so I don’t see bringing the baby with her when she’s just filling in the application to be a sackable offense. Diaper changing in front of the GM isn’t the best idea ever, but clearly - she’s desperate. She needs a job. No need to mock her situation and honesty. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9031 "2015-06-09T19:18:31Z")
> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > Not seeing the outrage. If she gets the job, presumably she can then afford childcare, but until then, yes, mothers tend to get jailed if they leave kids alone, so I don’t see bringing the baby with her when she’s just filling in the application to be a sackable offense. > > Diaper changing in front of the GM isn’t the best idea ever, but clearly - she’s desperate. She needs a job. No need to mock her situation and honesty. And you’re failing to register that the totally inappropriate place for the diaper change reflects poorly on her judgement? I can see why the baby’s presence shouldn’t be a huge problem (the lack of quieting said baby could be an issue, though), but changing a diaper somewhere other than a restroom? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9032 "2015-06-09T19:34:30Z")
If you can’t bring the kid to the actual job, you shouldn’t bring it to the interview. I don’t want to see your mom, your girlfriend, your BFF or your dog either. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9033 "2015-06-09T19:44:25Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > If you can’t bring the kid to the actual job, you shouldn’t bring it to the interview. > > I don’t want to see your mom, your girlfriend, your BFF or your dog either. Yeah, part of me wonders if the second visit was a ploy to play on the emotions of the hiring manager. If she came in just to fill out an application, I don’t see much issue with bringing the baby, depending on the type of work / business. Now, if she brings the baby to the interview, then I’d show her the door before she had a chance to sit down. That being said, if I \*am \*bringing my child, you’d better believe I am doing everything in my power to make sure that the kid is on its best behavior, or that all its needs are being met. First impressions are too important. And, while I know not everyone has access to child-care, be it professional or family & friends, if I’m going around to different locales to fill out resumes, I’m going to call in every favor I have (or make promises) to see if I can have someone watch my baby while I’m trying to secure a job to let me provide for it. ---
**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 9, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9034 "2015-06-09T22:45:11Z")
I could _maybe_ give her a pass for bringing the baby, just based on the number of news stories I’ve read about people being busted for leaving kids in the car while working or interviewing. But changing a dirty diaper on public furniture? That’s nasty as hell. And don’t get me started on people who think it’s OK to change diapers at the table in a restaurant… ---
**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:** [June 10, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9035 "2015-06-10T17:56:47Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > If you can’t bring the kid to the actual job, you shouldn’t bring it to the interview. > > I don’t want to see your mom, your girlfriend, your BFF or your dog either. This needs to be engraved in letters of gold on every application. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9036 "2015-06-10T18:55:10Z")
I could see cutting the woman some slack if she offered immediate apologies/explanations. Like, I was dropping little Samantha off at my friend’s house on the way to this interview but when I got there she’d gotten a call that her child was sick at school and she had to go… I mean, things happen. But if that was the case, you have to show that it was an incident of Things Happening and not just that you thought it was normal behavior to ‘break the unwritten rules.’ ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9037 "2015-06-11T01:00:23Z")
Dear co-workers: Put your cell phones away before I scream. Eureka Note: I was seeing groups of 3 or 4 co-workers, each involved with his own cell phone and chatting amongst themselves about some cell phone game. While for some of them, the most important projects of the day were done, there was more work to do-- there is always more work that can be done. And we’ve gotten grief before because people from other departments think we don’t work very hard, especially when our Boss is away. Boss is on vacation. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9038 "2015-06-11T13:21:15Z")
I just got an email in which my supervisor has promised to have a flyer done by Monday. I asked her yesterday if we had any of the information that needs to go in this flyer, and she said no. I scrolled down to the bottom of this email, and the original email, which was sent on FRIDAY LAST WEEK, originally an attachment with the information I need, but of course I didn’t get the attachment with the email. :mad: (She has a very bad habit of sending me unimportant emails several times but not sending me emails with information that I need to do my job, so this is not the first time. Also she doesn’t check to see if attachments are still there when she forwards emails.) So now she’s promising to make this a top priority–the only problem with that is, I have several other projects that she’s also promised to make a top priority along with several others that need to be done on a regular schedule. Grrrrrrrrrrrr ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9039 "2015-06-11T13:24:20Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I scrolled down to the bottom of this email, and the original email, which was sent on FRIDAY LAST WEEK, originally an attachment with the information I need, but of course I didn’t get the attachment with the email. :mad: And I’m sure she’ll find a way to blame me for not getting the email that she never sent me. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9040 "2015-06-11T13:39:14Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Our manager, of course, had to toe the company line about sanitation and such, but the rest of us know the real reason: We’re coming into the slow season. If your manager can justify you, a PT worker, for being there “so they can spend their shift cleaning the grout” the PT worker won’t lose any hours. In other words, it’s busy work, plain and simple. PT = part-time? I’d say that’s a pretty thoughtful deal on the part of your manager; it’s better than being let go anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401/9041 "2015-06-11T14:50:09Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > And I’m sure she’ll find a way to blame me for not getting the email that she never sent me. :rolleyes: She just sent me a file. I don’t think it’s the right one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=451) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workplace-griping-anyone/560401.md?page=453)