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

How hard is it to update a calendar to clearly indicate when you're on PTO?

Like the fifth meeting I had to reschedule because somebody had undocumented PTO on their calendars.

Christmas music in the office... fucking awful.

I love Christmas but there's no real need to force it into the office, it's about family and friends, and alcohol.

Yes, playing with Christmas decorations is more important than the urgent job I gave you last Wednesday. Of course it is. Yes, a hat with a bell, hahaha.

all of my worst job moments have involved the music which is forced upon you. it's a workers rights issue imo

why I love working from home, lol

still can't stand lena horne thanks to my first retail xmas 23 years ago

I went to the dentist yesterday and they had their radio tuned to the Christmas station instead of their usual soft hits, and it was way worse. I can't imagine having to listen to Christmas tunes all day, every day for a month straight. The worst job I ever had was terrible mainly because they forced me to listen to hits radio all day, so I was subjected to endless Alanis Morissette and Spin Doctors. My wife spent a lot of time working in various clothing chain stores, and she always talks about how sick they would get of the peppy/trendy mixes that they play all day long on repeat.

I don't understand why people want to bring Xmas music into work. Like I get why shops play it into the floor (even if it drives me crazy) but if I'm in a stockroom or office I don't want to hear it. It's so innappropriate too, I know Christmas is barely a religious holiday any more but it bothers me that people want to inflict their religious celebrations upon me as a committed atheist.

workplace music in retail is the worst, it's the mix of anodyne "suitable for work" blandness and constant repetition that will drive you demented.

I've never worked in an office in which any music was played. Is this a common thing? Just seems completely wrong, no matter what kind of music is played.

modern corporate office buildings skew toward white noise machines, most definitely

yeah, I think it's pretty uncommon.

The one I mentioned was in the office of a small business back in the 90s and it was utter hell.

feel like every week is a variant of...

Person A: how is "xxx" coming along?
Person B: wouldn't know, I'm not responsible - contact Joe Bob about that
Person A: oh ok thx

~one week later~

Person A: Looking for an update from you on "xxx"?
(Person B self-immolates)

(btw I didn't get the internal job I posted for, though I met the criteria...probably 2nd in line.

got another one I'm going for in a month)

At my current office the sales team are allowed to choose a song to play if they make a sale.

I've worked in factories where a radio is on all day, didn't bother me that much although tbf it wasn't Christmas and the main job I'm thinking of I was allowed to listen to a walkman so I could drown it out if say Chris Evans was getting on my nerves

At my current office the sales team are allowed to choose a song to play if they make a sale.

great chance for some Wyatting

Mercyful Fate

i am going to kill my manager (except he’s not my manager - i have two: both of whom claim and deny they’re my manager when it suits them).

too many instances to list, but one of my most illustrative favourites was when we moved offices and just in the way of things i got a fairly decent window seat. i took a couple of days holiday and when i got back he’d shifted himself to the window seat because he was more “important”. it was too funny and sad and obv in the grand scheme of things petty to make any sort of comment about. plus it’s a great example of his vanity, ego, neediness and complete self-defensive wilful ignorance of same.

we had piped commercial radio in the govt office i worked in in the 90 s riiiiight around when the cranberries “zombie” got played enth times a day ugh. to this day i hate it and heart shaped box bcs that.
Once, i snuck into the safe and changed the station to PBS (community radio). despite it playing koori tribal music no one noticed for about 15 mins. then they all yelled “what’s this shit!?”

when i worked at the laundry my goal was to get a job on the steam press bcz then you could have your *own* radio tuned to whatever you wanted & not have to listen to the one on the workfloor

i was never so overjoyed to listen to morning news & talk radio lol

one summer i worked the night shift stocking shelves at a supermarket, where 'classic hits of the 60s/70s/80s' radio played the same songs over and over in different permutations. the highlight of each night was 'suspicious minds'

I worked at the supermarket all through high school and undergrad and was subjected to a horrifying combination of Muzak and the owner loudly whistling along. What I wouldn't have given for classics instead.

When i worked at Best Buy, opening supervisor played Bob Marley's Legend every day for two weeks prior to opening

Well shops play music all the time anyway so thats a lil different... I think I'd go insane if I had to hear thay Woolworths "down down, prices are down!" jingle every 4 songs.

Is public Christmas music a bigger thing in UK and Aus than the US? I feel like I hardly ever hear it in stores here--not big box ones anyway. I heard that Tesco has a santa voice saying "hohoho thank you for shopping at tesco!" or some shit at the register after every transaction!? I think people would lose their shit if a store did that over here

Depends on the store I suppose, but I'm sure some shops here play at least some chrimbo-related shite, Crosby and whatever. I try and avoid shops at this time of year tbh. All hail online ordering.

I worked at an Italian restaurant for 8 years full time and we played the same 3 CDs that entire time. I fucking hate dean Martin and frank Sinatra as a result.

Wheeeeeennnnn the moon hits your eye like a big pizza ow ow ow stop hitting me

some Australian supermarkets play music all the time, but one of the greatest joys of shopping is wandering the aisles listening to a podcast so no idea what they're playing

Music itt > ilm

italian restaurants just play youtube videos of italian restaurant music now

My local Iraqi owned Pizza/fast food place permanently has Russian Music Box TV on with inaudible sound, it's pretty cool tbh.

upthread i told the sorry tale of my colleague who was constantly late for work/meetings, and rude/defensive generally difficult, whose contract was eventually not renewed.

since that event, which he took badly and kind of assumed by some deep neurotic kink could only be because "i was asking too many difficult questions" rather than "just turn up to work on time, you're in your 40s", he has been contacting my boss a lot to ask for references or that kind of thing, also keeps trying to rejoin our team slack channel.

this week he emailed me and suggested we go for a beer "to see how everything is going over there"

i was joking for a while to my boss that he was like the stereotypical jilted husband parking outside his ex-wife's house listening to "who's going to drive you home" but now i actually kind of think it might be a bit like that. he's an okay guy and i am sure i could have a beer with him but it's christmas, i'm studying, and time is fairly precious at the moment. i'm turning down things i'd like to be doing.

feel like i might just not reply. or reply and say "sure how about in the new year" and hope it goes away.

Just in a workshop where an astonishing people feel they should speak up to say in a round-table to say “we need to know more about x”, where it’s clear they haven’t bothered to acquaint themselves with the most basic details of the subject under-discussion.

*astonishing amount of people

feel like i might just not reply. or reply and say "sure how about in the new year"

tell him 'let's circle back and touch base in Q1'

why do they assign mandatory CBTs during the holidays why why why

tell him 'let's circle back and touch base in Q1'

"i've been visioneering some potential dates - i'll show you the prototype"

Tictac on future bevvies going fwd ;p

never heard "tictac"

We've discussed before I think

That thing where one place gets the contract to deliver X service to the govt

And they have consequently designate one person directly talking to an entire dept or several departments for X period of time like they know anything

And even though they are patently spiv and incompetent and have the hair of a mothered teenager and their only apparent talent is an ability to spinelessly apologise for the inadequacy of their offering

Nonetheless every verbal tic or personal foible is taken as "the terminology" sin é an rud nua now

So some curtained fuck called Craig says tictac to a tranche of middle managers a few times

And now every cunt tic-tacs

This, this is how we live now.

lol.

the amount of people who just get paid to host meetings or suggest new places to store files/log work.

It can be that kind of purgatory but if I'm honest it's usually quite an interesting and challenging gig, if you have the freedom to self-direct and not get listless

But Jesus the lost souls that you see drifting as you make your own course between projects or whatever, the purgatorial mists populated by Vietnam vet states and bad British sitcom personalities....it's fascinating but shuddering stuff

brb have to tictac

this week he emailed me and suggested we go for a beer "to see how everything is going over there"

yeahhhhh, I'd be immediately dev/nulling that guy, but as a female that sorta thing puts my hackles up more I guess.

that tic-tac things is brilliant and otm. we’ve got a couple of them at the moment. one looks like joffrey and the other is a very business-speak and slick-to-the-point-of-oily south african. they have both been given waaaay too much to do. they have always been v polite and courteous. both are 12 years old obviously.

they also refer continually to the importance of “crisp messaging” to such an extent a senior manager addressed a large staff meeting on where he stressed the importance of “keeping our messaging really crispy”.

suggested we go for a beer "to see how everything is going over there"

about a year ago 20 of my colleagues, who i'd worked with for years, were offered new jobs, and i was given a bunch of money to go away. i miss them and would like to see them again but don't know how you'd arrange to catch up with them without sounding like this guy.

meanwhile, someone on our team is trying to arrange christmas drinks which will include contractors who left 8 months ago. they seem up for it.

currently in the office they are trying to steal the batteries from the tv remote control for use in the christmas lights... i predict a lot of useless wireless mice in a couple of months.

Our holiday party is today.

The party is at 2:00. My co-workers have started drinking already. It's 9:15 AM.

shudder. do you have to go?

just tell them later you were drinking too and fell asleep in the toilet right before the party