Workplace griping, anyone?

The BBQ Pit
3262

Sorry for the double post, but I forgot my rant.

I went out to visit the RatKing’s Lair yesterday. The pest control didn’t get their contract, so Facilities did the work. It looks great, they sealed up all the cracks in the walls and put metal guards up the doors to keep the rats out.

The big problem in my mind is that the RatKing is still in there along with his minions. They are trapped and after they stop eating my boxes, they will start eating each other.

I think I read about an experiment about rats overbreeding in a small area. I think it was a Skinner experiment, but I’m not sure. As I recall, the dominent rats took over the cages and managed to breed stronger, bigger rats that ate all the other rats.

My poor boxes will never be survive that.

3263

Is it wrong that I kind of want to see photos of the aftermath? Once they’re all safely deceased of course, I’d rather not have the last photo taken on your camera to be that of the Emperor Rat mid-air pouncing towards you, feral gleam in his inbred eyes (all three of them)…

3264

Okay, you clock in at 5:00 as per your schedule. Then you casually walk outside to smoke. You KNOW you’re only allowed to smoke on break or before/after your shift. When I call you on your behavior you get an attitude with me? Seriously? I’m the douche? Fuck you.

3265

You know the saying ‘A lack of planning on your part does not make it a crisis on mine’? Yeah, exactly.

I’m sorry that you needed this done yesterday. You should know by now, I can’t actually do this but it is generally my job to make sure the right people know so it can be handled. I did my job, and I kept an eye on it and when it wasn’t done I poked again. Then an hour later you called and demanded I go to our boss and ask her to talk with them. Why couldn’t you ask our boss directly? She’s the one who handled this request, she can light the fire. But know what? She’s busy! Like I am! I bet you knew about this a week ago at least, or the person who set it up knew about it before that. Take it up with the people who sit on it until the last minute, but don’t think I’ll say how high when you demand I jump because despite knowing the ducks needed to be in a row you (or they) didn’t bother starting to line them up.

It happens ALL THE TIME here and it pisses me off. If you knew it needed to be done, why didn’t you mention it sooner so nothing got held up in the first place?

3266

Should we treat this like a Yes Or No question?

Not sure if you want an answer…

3267

Probably not but that was pretty much her attitude. How dare I reprimand her for blatantly breaking the rules? Don’t I know she’s special and doesn’t have to follow them like everyone else? Sadly, nothing will be done about it.

3268

If nothing will be done about it, I’m thinking she is special and she doesn’t have to follow the rules like everyone else.

3269

Or maybe it’s not so much a rule as it is a guideline, or even just a suggestion and nobody has to follow it.

3270

To all of my freakin’ clients

Our business relationship is a two way street. I am really not asking much from you, but you have to do your part, no matter how small that may be. Really, it’s like a bad joke.

On Monday, I e-mail one of you to tell you that the part your ordered is in my shop and that I will have it delivered, you just need to confirm that if I deliver to your home between 9AM and 5PM this week that someone will be there to accept the delivery.

No response. On Tuesday afternoon I reforward the e-mail.

No response. On Wednesday I reforward the e-mail with the note…please respond, I cannot arrange this delivery until I hear back from you.

No response. On Thursday I reforward the e-mail, adding…I know you need this part, please confirm that it is OK for me to deliver it. I cannot deliver it until I hear from you.

No response. I need to add that this client has responded to other e-mails during this gtime frame so I know she is capable of receiving them.

On Monday morning she calls me, screaming that I haven’t delivered the part and she really needs it. I say…

“Amy, I sent you 4 e-mails last week regarding this part…you did not respond to any of them.” I just need to make sure that someone is at home before I send my messenger"

“Oh, I got those e-mails…you should know that someone is always here.”

“No. If I had known that I wouldn’t have sent you 4 e-mails, if you had responded to any of them with “someone is always here” you would have that part in your hands right now.”

And stuff like this happens every day…I spend a large part of each day reforwarding e-mailed correspondence with the notation " I have not heard back from you. XXYY is not going to happen until you respond. And they won’t respond and they will freak out when XXYY doesn’t happen.

If someone calls and requests an appointment I will e-mail them back with a prospective time and say…I can come at this time, will that work for you. I can reforward it several times and still get no response, I can leave voicemails and get no response …but I can guarantee you that when the prospective date and time arrives, I know there is a 70% chance I will get the “where are you” call.

I try to do the best I can for my clients but I’m not a freakin’ psychic and I can’t read their minds. It’s really frustrating to deal with on a constant basis.

3271

Relax, your problem is solved.

Don’t do interviews. Take them out back and hit them a few grounders, a few pop flies, give 'em a little batting practice. The highest performers get hired (extra points for having their own glove, and being able to hit from either side of the plate).

3272

You know what? This isn’t a half bad idea. I will mention it to my boss who is going to have to interview a whole new batch of people because the person who was SUPPOSED to take over what I was doing but then I got promoted decided she didn’t want the job after all.

3273

The problem is upper management doesn’t want to follow up on disciplinary actions filed by their floor supervisors. That would entail actually firing and replacing people which is too much of a hassle. Sure, we can warn and write people up but it’s to no avail. Hell, the snide little bitch in question literally laughed and said “Yeah, right!” when I told her I’d send her home and she’d possibly be without a job if she didn’t lose the 'tude.

:rolleyes:

3274

Where I work, most employees are arranged two-to-an-office. My last officemate transferred to a different unit within the agency, leaving me with the office to myself for several months. Now, I tend to work better with someone else in the office with me, even when we’re working on entirely different things, so I was pleased a couple months ago when I was told that another employee was going to occupy the vacant space in my office. Unfortunately, I can’t stand my new officemate.

Now, our office is arranged so each employee has two desks, one with a computer and associated equipment and one without. One Monday, I came in to find my desks moved about 4 inches closer together so I didn’t have space to completely rotate my chair between the two. I logged into my computer and found an an email from my officemate saying that he measured the room and my desk extended onto “his side”. What are we, six-year-olds sharing a bedroom? And what did he plan to do with this extra four inches? Nothing. He wasn’t going to put anything in the space; he just didn’t want my desk on “his side” of the room. Ultimately, he relented and let me move my desk back about 2 inches onto “his side” so I would actually be able to turn around between them, but seriously, why was this an issue and why couldn’t he at least talk to me before taking it upon himself to rearrange my furniture?

For the next several weeks, there was very little talk between us. Fair enough, we both have work to do. Yesterday, while I was at lunch, a coworker with whom I occasionally talk during down time comes by the office looking for me. When I get back, my officemate tells me “your little friend was looking for you”. My “little friend”? Seriously? Again, what am I, an first-grader? Could you find a way to make that sound more belittling, both of my coworker and of me? Why didn’t you just go all the way and offer to schedule a play-date for us?

Finally, this morning, I cleared my throat. That seems pretty innocuous; I’ve had a very minor of a cold lately, but nothing serious. My officemate goes off on this weird rambling talk about how I’m clearing my throat a lot, “like, every day”, how I sound “like a dying animal” and how I should see a doctor. So, I clear my throat “every day”? Big deal! It’s not like I’m sitting here going into a coughing fit every ten minutes. This isn’t something one sees a doctor about, especially if you’re feeling fine otherwise. Oh, and to top it off, “You sound like a dying animal over there.” What the hell? Nobody else has complained so I think it’s safe to say I sound like a man who clears his throat occasionally, but thanks for the commentary.

3275

I’ve always found they respond quickly to:
“The part you wanted is now in stock, but I have another customer who also wants it. Since you haven’t responded to several emails about delivery, you must not need it so urgently. So unless I hear from you by tomorrow, I’ll deliver it to the other customer. I can order another one for you; it should arrive in 2-3 weeks.”

The risk is that they say they no longer need the part, and you are left with it to sell.

3276

Lord Il Palazzo, I have an irritating office partner too! Fortunately, we’re separated by a cube wall, so I don’t have to deal with any of this “my side!” business; however, I’ll gladly share some of his more irritating traits so that you might inflict them on your new office buddy (or “cell mate”, as some people at my workplace say).
[ul]
[li]Nail trimming.[/li][li]Consumption of strong-smelling oatmeal-like substances.[/li][li]Sucking one’s teeth nonstop for 15 minutes after the consumption of oatmeal-like substances.[/li][li]Slamming the keys rather than typing.[/li][li]SBD’s.[/li][li]Showing up an hour before lunch with a sack of nasty fried things.[/li][li]Loudly commenting on phone conversations while you’re on the phone.[/li][li]Constant mumbling.[/li][/ul]
With any luck, maybe he’ll request a move.

3277

What you need here is some earworms. In my case, I love to sing but my singing voice should not be inflicted upon anyone except those who are truly deserving. For a modest fee, I’ll be glad to show up at your office and sing show tunes. Rocky Horror, Fiddler on the Roof, Mary Poppins, and the list goes on. I’m even willing to learn new songs, if I happen to like them. However, I suggest that you schedule this for a time when you’re out of the office with an impeccable excuse, and I’m your temp replacement.

3278

Maybe show tunes would do the trick. The department manager tends to sing classic rock songs while walking around the office, but it has had no affect on my office partner.

3279

Nice thought, but the part in question was a prepaid special order…it was kind of the same exercise " I know you need this part but I must have payment before ordering" for a couple months before I got a check.

3280

Coworker: You used the wrong form
Me: Okay - want to tell me what form and what case?
Coworker: Case AAA, you used a form from 2008 not 2011
Me: No, I used the form in the file program we are required to use, and that referral should be on case AAB, not AAA
Coworker: Well, you also used the wrong form for case CCC
Me: It was done the same day as case AAB, so if it’s the wrong version of the form and that’s the only version available in the program that we’re required to use… what am I supposed to do about it?
Coworker: You don’t have to get upset, sorry to ruin your day.

Listen, heifer, you love to send purposeless little emails like that, informing me that I’ve done something wrong. You NEVER start out by telling what case and what form, I have to pull it from you. If you LOOK at the form, you can see what day I completed it. If you look at my notes, you can see when I sent it to you. Hell, if you look in the program you can pull up the damn document, print it out, and shove it up your keister. “Sorry to ruin your day”? Don’t worry, you didn’t. You just annoyed the everlivingfuck out of me. Maybe if you spent more time completing the documents instead of sending your snippy emails you wouldn’t be two months behind!

3281

My office partner is on the night shift for the next six weeks. happy Snoopy dance

On the minus side, someone apparently mistook my workplace for a daycare center this afternoon and brought in a shrieking baby. I don’t know who was louder…the pwecious snowfwake, or all the ladies squeeeeeeeeeing over it. I finally got up to close my door, and was treated to a very nasty glare from a grumpy older woman (who I assume is the grandmother of the hellspawn). Whatever, bitch…I’m gonna enjoy the hell out of this office for the next six weeks. You, on the other hand, had to listen to that noise all the way home. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, electrical shop guy: the next time you feel inclined to stomp into my office, sling a set of assembly instructions on my desk, and accuse me of not providing thorough instructions, maybe you should try reading the damn things. And yes, there is a drawing available for reference…the file name is the first line on the first page of the instructions, and it’s saved to the network drive. :stuck_out_tongue: