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

I miss occasional messages until it's pointed out because my filters need work and I get SO MUCH EMAIL at work and I have time-intensive activities that don't involve being an email processing machine.

Phone nothing, we have an internal instant message server

Sure, but someone may not be able to get IMs either.

If someone can't get instant messages or emails, they can't get a phone call. It's the same device! In fact a phone call is less likely to be received anyway since it's a synchronous, exclusive mode of communication. Multiple email and IM conversations can occur at the same time, making it more efficient in some ways (except when you need to explain something complicated).

That's all possible but it means that your phone is set up to ring or vibrate for every email and IM that comes in. If I had my phone set up that way and monitored it 24/7, I'd be a basket case. Expecting people to constantly monitor these things outside of work hours is unreasonable. (I get that plenty of businesses still expect this anyway)

I have to be on a work computer to see my work email. I had not been at work. I realize that I could set up my phone to receive work emails when I'm not at work but I do not want to receive work emails when I'm not at work. I only even check my personal email about once a day, usually.

It's the same device!

lol not during my work day it's not

Email may be pervasive but if you're last minute changing a booked appointment, you call the damn person. They are likely on route for one thing.

I worked with a guy who used to ignore all kinds of stuff then turn up at meetings and say

"email is not a form of communication"

If someone can't get instant messages or emails, they can't get a phone call. It's the same device!

It all depends on your work culture/expectations. Where I work, you could and would cancel via email bc the firm issues Blackberries or will set up work email on your personal smart phone and the expectation is that you check it during regular business hours (and beyond). Nobody would text work communications. It doesn't sound like that's the expectation where Rev works and this peer is being tone deaf and unproductively defensive about it.

I'm glad you all made up, though!

carl otm. where I work, we have corporate emails go to our phone, however we have to log into a specific program to get them, and many of us opt not to when we're not in the office as it takes a while to d/l them. But we also have instant message programs too. I would have missed that email message too, in Rev's instance, but could have received a phone call/text etc.

Likewise, if a meeting is already scheduled and agreed to, the default assumption should be that if the other party has not said otherwise, that the meeting is still on. You can certainly reconfirm, but do it the day before, not the morning of. and if you do happen to send an email the morning of and get no reply, the default assumption should be "we are still a go", not "oh ok guess he changed his mind, time to make other plans".

I would have been pretty snippy in that situation myself.

not to belabor this but the method of comm doesn't really matter here -- if you have a meeting on the books, you can't throw out a message saying 'hey is this on?' and then assume it's off if you don't get a reply. a date's a date.

Yeah, if something is not explicitly cancelled, it's on!

otm

Not always true. Sometimes meetings are scheduled far enough in advance that they get redundant as the date approaches. Eg a meeting designed to answer a particular question.

Right, but if someone was a mediator of that meeting and didn't know the question was addressed, they're going to show up! This isn't some tree falls in the forest shit. The meeting is a meeting as long as at least one person attends, and if it wasn't clear to all involved that it was off, then you didn't cancel the damn meeting.

I have specifically gone to a meeting room to say "hey, we got this figured out, thanks for showing up" because it was realized at the last minute we didn't need it! No need to be a dick.

Yeah true. Listen I go to a lot of meetings and listen politely even though the ship has already sailed. I'm just saying if everyone goes "is this still happening?" There's a better chance everyone will go "ah fuck it" and we all get an hour back.

Yeah, but The Rev's original point was that he has no expectation of checking his work email outside of the work environment and that lady is a jerk for assuming he would

like, here's the deal, I have a work email account I only check at work, or from my work laptop. If they gave me a phone, I would check work email on it. I can have my own phone connected to work email, but a) I'm not required to, so why not keep my time my own and b) they require that they have the ability to remote wipe my iPhone via a corporate profile I'd have to load.

So unless someone knows I'm working off hours, which I'd only do if absolutely necessary, assuming I'd know about an email or calendar update removing a meeting that is done outside of my office hours is dickish. And I'm on salary. If I was hourly, fuuuuck having work email to check when I'm not getting paid.

You all live in the 1990s don't you.

I'm sorry you're at beck and call for work 24-7, that is very 2014 and a living hell imo

btw "working in 2014" isn't a universal good

There is no fucking way anyone is ever getting me 24/7 for work. Fuck that shit right off. I dont care how much you pay me.

yeah no idea what salmon is on about here. I have the capability of checking email outside of work...yes. Assuming that I'm reading email outside of work hours? Fuck that. I don't live to work, I need to shut off when work is done, or else I'll never stop. Not to mention, I have a social life where constantly checking email would be rude to the other people I was with.

Recent example similar to Rev's - we had a client visit scheduled for an early Monday. We had final prep discussions the previous Friday. I drove 20 miles to be there at 7:30 am, and one of our directors and a customer service manager showed up as well. I get logged in and am quickly messaged by the director who tells me the client visit is cancelled as they got snowed in. Apparently, one of the OTHER directors got the news on Sunday evening, and emailed us at 8:30 pm, assuming we were all reading our email at that time. He had all of our phone numbers and didn't call a damn one of us. So naturally, we all showed up for nothing. Fuck that.

And I'm on salary. If I was hourly, fuuuuck having work email to check when I'm not getting paid.

― a strange man (mh), Wednesday, May 21, 2014 4:19 PM Bookmark

Hourly here. O/ Anyway, I had my rescheduled meeting with her yesterday and it went fine. She agreed to text me any short-term changes in the future.

I think people emailing outside of work hours is actively dysfunctional and unhelpful, if any of my team started doing it on a regular basis I would have a word with them.

fyi if you are hourly your employer legally has to pay you for whatever time you spend checking email, etc., outside of normal work hours.

Life advice: never work for free.

i remember when I was hourly and I got asked to do things that would push me OT and would get dumbfounded stares when I'd ask "well this will be on OT, am I authorized to work that?". my guess is so many people let themselves get pimped and work off the clock that they just assume everyone does that!

carl otm

My flip side - that has proven to be fairly harmless, so far - are co-workers who ask me at 5 pm if I got their email, I say no, then I go home and find their email waiting for me on my comcast account. Wat?

More like co-worker who's a bit eccentric and got my home address five years ago when my son was born and she wanted to bring us lunch.

i remember when I was hourly and I got asked to do things that would push me OT and would get dumbfounded stares when I'd ask "well this will be on OT, am I authorized to work that?". my guess is so many people let themselves get pimped and work off the clock that they just assume everyone does that!

I had to do that (and as an assistant manager was RESPONSIBLE for other people doing that) at one of my retail jobs. General Manager "You have to clock out by 1 a.m., but you need to stay and work until everything is done and put away." (which often meant 2 a.m.). Eventually there was a class-action lawsuit over the company's practices and I got like, a $40 check or something.

Life advice: never work for free.

― carl agatha, Thursday, May 22, 2014 8:02 AM (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

taking this as unofficial legal advice

Fuck you. Pay me.

lol

I have to be on a work computer to see my work email. I had not been at work. I realize that I could set up my phone to receive work emails when I'm not at work but I do not want to receive work emails when I'm not at work. I only even check my personal email about once a day, usually.

― The Reverend, Wednesday, May 21, 2014 1:03 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you are the sanest person in the series of posts above.

This isn't even about which device is always on or when your boss gets to have you on the leash, one's just gotta decide how much we let other people's requests of any kind run the show. And I run my fuckin show.

cause in a sense imo fields of salmon is 100% otm--the requests never stop coming. that puts the onus on us to decide when we're not gonna look at them and we're gonna hang out with people who don't have to pay us to do it instead.

idk

This is the sort of stuff that gives work-at-home freelancers the permanent eye twitch.

*twitch*

oh, if you're a freelancer, you must just respond to all communication forms at all times

*gets out semaphore flags*

*gets out pencil and pad*

"...this...isn't...what...weaaanted at all"

"put.... a... landlord... hat... on... the... land... lord"

this is sort of mildly related

I'm an hourly employee, I only answer email within work hours when I'm AT work. I don't work remotely, I don't have smartphone sync to my email, none of that. It's not expected.

A few years back we took an account on a 3 day winery trip. 5 ppl from the account went on the trip. All of them were workaholics, you'd get emails with send times of like 4am Chicago time, one dude admitted to sleeping in his office, total hardcore crazytown.

We're on the bus on the freeway setting off on our 3 day whatever, and they're all on laptops or blackberries. one of the account guys next to me says, 'So, if something comes up [related to my job] who should I contact?' And I kinda looked at him and said 'Um. Me? But I'm not connected to work so I'll deal with it when we get back.'

He looked so stricken and confused, it was kind of alarming. I felt bad at first, like hmm maybe I should be working remotely.

but within 24hrs they were all untethered and had their laptops away and were kicking up their heels so it ended up working out ok.

I sometimes feel like I work in Mayberry, but honestly I kinda like it. Compartmentalization of yr job is key, at least for me. I don't want it come home with me or anywhere else. Work is at work.

yes, absolutely. a colleague of mine decided to change jobs within our company because she got negative feedback for 'only working 6 hours on a Sunday' (Sundays are off days for all employees).

I get a little tired of the people that act like working 60-70 hrs is a badge of honor. fuck you - part of my goal is figuring out how to do in 50 what it used to take me 60 to do. if I'm working 60-70 hrs it means I either agreed to too much or that I'm not good at my job.

i feel like the biggest curmudgeon but this dude who now sits on the other side me is constantly singing or humming all day and it drives me nuts. i seriously hate open floor plans

I do that but I'm like nat king Cole Jr so its a privilege for em

I'm public sector internal affairs to an internal service I don't have to check my emails ever and my phone hasn't rung in 3 months. recommended.

I get a little tired of the people that act like working 60-70 hrs is a badge of honor. fuck you - part of my goal is figuring out how to do in 50 what it used to take me 60 to do. if I'm working 60-70 hrs it means I either agreed to too much or that I'm not good at my job.

― getting strange ass all around the globe (Neanderthal), Thursday, May 22, 2014 8:52 PM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

booming

Life advice: never work for free.

Yeah. My bf's been working back an extra 2-4 hours a night every other week lately and I'm like "well, they pay you overtime at least, right?"... nope.

All I can think is: ok if its a one off, lets all pull together big project? Yeah pull a few late nighters, git r done. If it is just assumed you'll work 2-5 more hours a night than you're paid for as a matter of course - and if you get constantly sniped at for going home on time at 5pm to pick up yr fucking kids from daycare - that is a job not worth having.

And they told him they were family friendly! cocksuckers.

Yeah,that's total bullshit. If I'm not getting paid, fuck it, I'm going home.