Let's bitch about our stupid, annoying co-workers

the other thing that pisses me off about the situation is just that. there's this ongoing griping and bitterness about the dept. head, because she has fucked up a few things. there are a few people who privately grouse about her incompetence. but the thing is, she doesn't fuck up every day. she's pretty intelligent and well-versed in the industry. but the woman who accused me of being a suck-up regularly fucks things up. and I mean, we all fuck up sometimes. but i've never heard the department head talking shit behind her back. because that's a shitty way to behave if you're a goddamn grown-up with a job!

Any popcorn-lady updates?

(that's to jvc obv)

Nope, she's still been out on site visits, she's barely been in the office for more than an hour or two at a time for the past several months, which is A-OK by me.

our popcorn lady quit, but someone microwaved something that smelled like puke today.

Who the hell tries a handle on a toilet door when a) it clearly displays a red occupied indicator (this was not always the case but it has been fixed) and 2) someone is obviously inside using the hand drier!

You know what's bad form? Submitting a request for me to change something on your report, and then bringing up the problem at the all-staff meeting half an hour later in front of everybody and making like you have had some unresolved longstanding grievance.

we have toilet door indicator problems here too, one of them is stuck halfway between the two. and, yes, people thump the door to see if it's locked*. they also push the other door to see if it's locked even though that has always had a working indicator.

* and it depresses me that in an office full of supposedly bright people they haven't worked out, after 2 years, that the slot in the bit of the lock that's outside will tell you at a glance.

Shitty co-workers cost me my job.

Despite 2 promotions, I was feeling underachieved about the job I had for two years (compensation, shitty boss, thick co-workers). I openly started to look elsewhere.

Instead, I got another promotion, that was to come with a substantial raise. I had to promise the boss that I'd stop looking for a new job, of course.

I got locked in an office with someone who was a remarkably poor trainer, and had a back-stabbing short temper when things were done improperly. And the shitty boss would chastise me for anything shitty office-mate said. Shitty boss was regularly found spying on co-workers, and now she began eavesdropping on my office, ear-to-the-wall style.

Time to get serious about getting a new job. ANY new job, as long as it had acceptable comp.

Got a new job in 3 weeks, and lied to the old boss about having to move out of state just to leave work on good terms.

It turned out to be from fire to frying pan -- which made me feel forced gratitude, for a period.

The new job had me locked in a room with a HORRIBLE Greenpoint hipster, who was convinced she was a superior human due to her cursory interest in anarchy -- and her mixed feelings about being from a well-to-do Korean family -- to the point of not saying hello, daily (much less, actually training me). I wonder how many ILXors know this wretched person...

She got an email from a former friend which stated "I don't want to know you because you're casually insulting and passive aggressive". The email failed to note "always contrarian", but it was still on-point. She was devastated for a 1/2 day, then returned to her m.o.

Also locked in a room with a COMPLETELY MANIC pretend-trophy wife (she was engaged to someone in professional sports), who's m.o. was to take control of any social situation, and offer laughs and smiles, despite endless loads of questionable behavior and severe mood swings.

Manic would often claim her behavior was due to "having not taken her medicine yet". The one time during a meeting I made a suggestion, she publicly lashed out at my phone demeanor (ironic, being that was the source of past promotions), stormed out of the room, and had to miss the next day, despite an important project she and I were to begin. She spent most work days online shopping, and seriously, sleeping in the office. Also, Manic coddled Bitchy Hipster, to ensure Manic's place professionally and socially, since Manic was relatively new, herself.

Any conversation or humor I offered either was met with great indifference -- so I just tried to take cues as to when to shut up, and when to lightly contribute. The judgements truly came as damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Within 2 months, I realized I was getting debilitating stress headaches the likes I had not had in 18 years, all from sustaining a bad scenario by going from the worst to really bad -- and now, they were getting in the way of my being productive and reliable.

Then the worst thing possible -- got a serious 9 day flu bug during this. Was forced to call in 3 days, demonstrating how unreliable I just might be.

So Manic decided I was the worst person on Earth, and lobbied to have me fired.

My final two days there, bitchy hipster proved she could be conversational and somewhat understanding, all due to knowing I was to be fired come Friday 5pm. Frankly, I don't think that reflects well on her. If you have the ability to connect, why don't you exercise that beyond a crisis state? Because I assure you, your faux politics, deliberately poor fashion sense, and co-opted music tastes do not make you superior. Not even desirable.

Happy to now be on unemployment spending time reassessing.

The payoff is while reflecting back at my successes before all of this, realizing I should never get myself into situations where disorganization meets micromanagement.

my coworker is supposed to come take my place in the library so i can go to lunch. this is supposed to happen at 1:30, which is already later than i would prefer to go to lunch. she typically doesn't come to replace me until 1:45 or 2:00. she also apparently doesn't answer the phone while she's sitting here so there are always voicemail messages when i get back. these are such tiny petty things that i don't want to take them to my boss or even confront her about them but it's annoying. she also wears a bluetooth headphone all day and takes personal calls on it at work. there have been times where i've been talking to her and she says something contextually weird and then later realize she was talking to someone on her headset.

punch her in face

ok

You can use unemployment situations to your advantage in these times, provided you have internet access. You can spend the large part of your day working on your job skills. When you are ready or able to return to the work force, you'll be more information literate than your peers!

Sometimes it's good to be away from a regular office routine so you have time to realize you're not the nutso co-worker!

What kind of sweatshops is PappaWheelie working in that continually lock him in rooms?

thx for making my iPhone, PappaWheelie

My shitty Nokia must have been made by one of the other two.

I now work in sweatpants.

lol

Nick, that sounds like a situation that merits doing some about it.

But then, all jobs where I had very many coworkers were restaurants where confrontation is easier, and I have never worked in a normal office.

Still, what are your reasons for not talking to her about it and dealing with it further if necessary?

My coworker is always touching me to remove hairs and threads off my clothes. I'm getting a little creeped out.

Unless your co-worker is a marmoset and you are a mastodon, then I'd suggest leaning away slightly, holding your palm up and saying 'Please', with a slight frown, is perfectly in order.

GAH! WHY DONT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND MY EMAILS I DO NOT SPEAK URDU.

Me: "this is what happened, see attached emails and quote from the sales guy and the customer"
My boss: "How were you told to change them from X to Y?
Is there a ticket or email trail – a quote that mentions the upgrade?"

...you mean other than the one I JUST SENT YOU!? *flails*

Srsly this is why I DONT involve him in day to day shit because any time I do, he misreads/misunderstands things, but if I dont, he tells me off for not keeping him in the loop.

my coworker is supposed to come take my place in the library so i can go to lunch. this is supposed to happen at 1:30, which is already later than i would prefer to go to lunch. she typically doesn't come to replace me until 1:45 or 2:00. she also apparently doesn't answer the phone while she's sitting here so there are always voicemail messages when i get back. these are such tiny petty things that i don't want to take them to my boss or even confront her about them but it's annoying. she also wears a bluetooth headphone all day and takes personal calls on it at work. there have been times where i've been talking to her and she says something contextually weird and then later realize she was talking to someone on her headset.

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, November 1, 2011 3:31 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark

this person got fired btw

congratulations, n/a! ;D

Ha!!!! Justice.

Are you hiring librarians? The Good Emily is looking.

My boss is generally cool and easygoing, but yesterday she used me as a human shield between her and a cranky passive-aggressive advertiser. I laid 1000 words of ultrapoliteness on the advertiser and then reminded her of my boss's cell # and direct email address. Hopefully they're wrapping up their three-month-long pas de deux today.

There was just a screaming fight down the hall from our office.

laid 1000 words of ultrapoliteness on the advertiser and then reminded her of my boss's cell # and direct email address.

I tip my bonnnet to you, that is excellently played!

I also Bcc'd the email to my boss! Sometimes I miss being in an office environment -- I think I'm pretty good at the social/political machinations.

Oh even better! Mr Burns will hire you yet :)

I don't like to celebrate firings, but I feel very strongly not-bad about n/a's coworker being canned.

ARGH.

I dunno if the fact I'm halfway through working my notice period has amplified how much this company annoys the shit out of me or if it really does have a policy of employing total cretins. Just wasted an hour manually deleting a bunch of clients from the website because apparently the automated system wasn't working (which isn't even my responsibility but the person who does look after it is fucking useless so management asked me to do it because I am actually capable of doing it) only to find out half of the clients are still live on the CRM system so it's not the automated system that doesn't work, it's the brain of the person who raised the issue in the first place.

I am about *this* close to just going "oh btw I don't feel very well I'm going home see ya have a nice weekend and go fuck yourself"

Suggestions for impossible to dispute mysterious illnesses that last a month and a half? Need a doctor's note though

Chronic insomnia? Sudden drastic appetite loss? Worked for me. You would need to be hospitalized for part of the time to get away with it.

Also, co-workers who never take vacation, who just sit at home during vacation and who think the only real vacation is sitting on some tropical beach are getting to be a real bummer.

New policy suggest that we give notice of where we are going when we take vacation of more than two days (how far, if we can be reached). I am going on vacation, I know I have to submit my notice...am I obligated to tell everyone where I am going?

I opted for just saying "Oh I don't feel very well, I'm going home, see you later" and walking out. Better than punching someone I guess.

Have seriously toyed with the idea of getting myself sacked but even though I have a concrete job offer, that could be withdrawn if the company I'm going to found out, for the obvious reason that I could pull the same shit when I eventually leave there.

Fuck a 3 month notice period basically.

Wait wait Mount Cleaners wait.

Your work makes you disclose where you are going when you take time off? Also, what's wrong with taking time off and not taking a trip?

If the policy just "suggests," then I think you don't have to disclose where you are going. That's just weird.

Nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with family or not having money to leave town but...I wonder what people are doing working in the arts without EVER wanting to leave town.

People working in the arts can afford to leave town?

^This is my thought.

"apologies for any confusion caused" - non-apology from someone I work with in response to having mistakes pointed out. can't stand that passive-aggressive shit.

our office is over two floors, with a small wc on my level (upper) and bathrooms down below.when i moved up to this floor a few months back one of the ladies took me aside and explained rather genteely that 'we only use this floor for wee-wees and make-up' and 'we all know how boys are, hmm?' so, would i, bearing this in mind, take pains to respect this practice which, fair enough and a little o_Oily at the request, i have done.

but this morning somebody clearly broke rule number one about number ones, because she started dropping wrinklenosed hints around me about the 'disgusting smell' as she was putting her face on while the rest of us were busy housing the great and good of rural ireland. i was having a bit of a nightmarish morning as it was, numerous mishaps and administrative pratfalls by superiors with me as the arsecushion, so after the sixth or seventh scatalogical slander slung in my general direction across the heads of two other colleagues i'm afraid i put my third crying tenant of the day on hold and hissed at her-

"look, i didn't shit in your precious toilet"

the rest of the day passed in glorious silence, i'm hoping next week follows suit

a) awesome
b) what exactly is the difference between a wc and a bathroom

i dunno this is just a one-loo cubbyhole with a shelf and a mirror, possibly i picked wc cos it's the size of a closet

That is pretty great.

at any rate you should be dropping deuces HARDCORE. DAMMMNNN.

So proud of you!!

One of our reps today approached me in the hallway and asked me if I had some documents saved. I asked why, since these are posted in a public database. She explained that someone on the team had just deleted the entire database, and that everything was lost, and there was a ticket out to fix it that had been out there since last Wednesday. So apparently major materials they needed to do their job on a daily basis, they'd been living without for 3 business days.

Of course, this made me wrinkle my eyebrow, because the company is well-aware of the stupid "accidental deleters" we have at this company and took great pains to ensure that it was next to impossible to do so. In fact, deleting such a database is a lengthy process. So of course, I investigate, and nothing of the sort is true -- a solitary document was deleted, which made the home page 'error out' when it loaded, but the documents were fine. In five minutes, I fixed the problem, and in 30, I readded the deleted page back.

Had any of them spoken up to the right people, this would have been a non-issue, but instead they actually did their jobs for three days without their reference materials, which means they could have been giving out all sorts of wrong information. Even important managers on the team didn't know this had happened because the idiots didn't speak up.

The 'work ticket' was never even worked on, and I told them to call them back and tell them "no thanks".

blame kim dotcom