Workplace griping, anyone?

I know I work mostly with conservatives, Republicans, and global climate change deniers. I am dealing with that using extreme conversation evasive maneuvering. I didn’t know I was working with people who also believe in chemtrails. Seriously? Wow.

Just need to get this off my chest. There are 4 people in my department. About a year ago, our boss (who is across the country!) decides that we should all work at least 1-2 days a week from home. (pretty sweet, gotta admit). One of us had already been doing 2+ days at home because she is a single mom of a young child, and it accommodates his school schedule, etc. As it stands now, he asked that we reserve one day a week to all be present in the office. That day is Tuesday (today). Otherwise, on all respective days we should either be at home or in the office as scheduled/advised. However, I have not seen my co-worker who has the young child in MONTHS but once, and that was for 2 hours. She has been away, granted, because she was allowed to work from home every single day during the summer while her son was off. But after that, she was sick, or working from home sick, etc. etc.

It begs the question, does she immensely enjoy working from home and will do anything to stay put there, whilst the remainder of us, must trudge in from distances long and far 3 days a week? Fair? I say not!

Also, I feel that if one of our known schedules change, all should be advised. OTOH, no, I would not like having to report my every move, as my current schedule consists of working from home a few hours per day, every day, so that I can get my son to school. But as far as I know, everyone is aware and probably doesn’t really care.

I guess all I’m saying, is why does she seem to get special treatment? Perhaps I should start staying home more and more myself. (I know that sounds immature). I’m having deja vu, I’ve probably posted this more than once, haven’t I? Is anyone feeling me though??

I have a coworker who is like that too, only she doesn’t have small children to blame it on. We have a work orientation where you are required to come into office maybe one day out of every two weeks. You are also required to come in for other non-scheduled things, such as meeting with an attorney, sending out court documents, meeting with your supervisor.

She manages to be ill on her one day out of ten, ignores cases where she needs to meet with an attorney, manages to get coworkers to issue her legal documents, and talked her supe into holding her review over the web.

When I mention just how wrong she is, she just cackles. She’s proud of making the system “work” for her, too bad it’s at the expense of her teammates and clients. I so hope her supervisor does something, as neglecting case duties is fireable, but she hasn’t so far.

I would have sincerely appreciated it if, prior to being informed that we had to give up access to what used to be a file room, perhaps you could have measured the width of the doorway to that room. I know I did before ordering a new, large piece of equipment, after all.

Because it’s all well and good to make grand plans for repurposing a couple rooms, but I note it’s well after we moved our stuff out, and it was only just recently that you discovered a big piece of equipment doesn’t fit through the door. And you’re hoping that maybe it’ll fit after you take the door off. Good luck with that.

Isn’t it hysterical when people do this? My husband had a client whom he did a TON of work for in her home (we’re all good friends) but then she also had him do a TON of work for her office - she had people who would do stuff like this ALL the time. He’s redone conference rooms, private offices, built walls where he’s had to remove walls - he probably did as much for her office as he did over the ten years he’s being doing work at her house! She would call us and say, “It’s Pat - so and so boss has had another ‘great idea’. I’ll meet you here Saturday, and bring your wife - we’ll go out for breakfast while you fix so and so’s new ‘great idea’.” :smiley:

Sudden death sucks.

Yes, this belongs in workplace griping-- a co-worker whose responsibilities co-ordinate with mine to the point that I notice when she’s on vacation and am relieved when she’s back in charge . . . lost her husband today. Totally unexpected, no known health issues that have been shared with me.

And her department was already understaffed.

As are all the departments right now.

Plus we’re moving to e-scheduling.

Which means, the all-powerfull computer doesn’t know or care that you need to be off at 3 to deal with childcare. And if you’re full time (or part-time and want health insurance), you’ve got open availability which means 24/7. So suck it up, buttercup.

(The e-scheduling thing isn’t a major problem for me, but I think the demands for 24/7 availability are bullshit, and I’m not enthused by the attitude demonstrated by management-- to whit, company policy has always been 24/7 availability so suck it up, buttercup).

A coworker just came back from extended medical leave. We missed him, he’s well-liked, so we were all happy to have him come back. He sent out a mass e-mail announcing he was back, and …
cue the “reply all” posts. “oh, we’re SO Happy to see you! Oh we missed you!”

DON’T REPLY ALL ASSHOLES! Gar!

Create a rule that just shunts any email with whatever the subject line is to the deleted items.

But that would take away my ability to complain about it. :confused:

Dear Coworker,

If you put me on the agenda for your meeting it would be nice if you let me know. Hunting me down while I’m processing samples and saying you have time for me, RIGHT NOW, really just makes me passive-aggressive.

I end up saying things like “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question off hand as I didn’t know this group was meeting today so I didn’t have a chance to review the data.”

K

I just CANNOT any more with these people. Look, I know that those of us with small children (a significant minority in this department) can be a real PITA sometimes, what with our having to leave early from time to time for school functions and tap dance lessons and whateverthehell. I KNOW, believe me. I hate being any kind of inconvenience to anyone. It’s especially frustrating to me because I have a spouse who SHOULD be able to help me with this sort of thing, but his schedule is batshit and I can’t even try to figure it out.

But listen: I GOT THIS SCHEDULE APPROVED. I went to management and said, “Hey, I need to leave at 4:00 on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I’ll make up the time during the week, is that OK?” I put it writing. I got my boss to sign off on it. I updated my calendar to show that I am “busy” every Wednesday and Thursday after 4:00. IT IS NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU CAN’T FIGURE ANYTHING OUT FOR YOURSELVES AFTER I LEAVE, and I am not going to let you harass me into feeling guilty about ALL Y’ALL’S inconvenience.

ALL OF YOU DUMMIES CAN SHUT UP. Don’t double-dog dare me to put the velociraptor sign up again …

I’ve said this before an’ I’ll say it again–if you are outside the elevator, you have 57,511,026.002 square miles of land in which to back up to let people out. If I’m in an elevator, I have maybe 2 feet that I can back up to let you on…and then I have to squeeze around you to get out.

The person on the elevator ALWAYS has right of way to exit before anyone gets on–I don’t care if you’re a disabled veteran, a pregnant lady, an old person, or just a pretentious, entitled, yuppie douche–if you’re on the outside of the elevator, you do not have the right to get on first. Back the fuck away from the elevator door so the people exiting can leave and then there will be room for you to get on.

This rant brought to you by the guy who was helping the IT guys move a ~150 lb copier up a few floors and an idiot in a wheelchair who wanted to get on wouldn’t budge while we were trying to get it off the elevator.

Ha ha! BTDT! (Well, I haven’t replied all, because I have sense) I’ve experienced exactly what you have. What’s better is that they were told not to reply all, and they did it anyway. Even better than that, one time the e-mail was asking if people were going to be working from home on a particular day, and the instruction was, if they were going to work from home, to please reply with the amount of hours.
Several people replied all, and said, “I am not going to be working from home.”

Wouldn’t you be creating a ‘hostile work environment’ again then?

And I triple dog dare you!!

:smiley:

Yes, we’ve been asked repeatedly to not reply all, because it tasks the servers. I think these people just want attention - look at me! I welcomed him back publically!

I fail to see how a printed velociraptor is any more hostile than actual assholes.

My co-worker who rarely shows up in the office made an appearance today. For an hour.

I think rockle needs to bring a Velociraptor into the office. Think they could tell the difference if you brought a Komodo Dragon?

I don’t think they would, unless they have small children at home who watch “Dinosaur Train.”

I believe I shall call my Komodo dragon “Li’l Bitey.”

I agree!