Tell Me Your Workplace Stories.

[Sugar and Spite]

Rather bitching, or sharing something funny, we all have a few stories from work.

I'd like to hear them.

[blackdragon]

Well, yesterday a guy came through campus in an inflatable Triceratops costume. Never seen THAT before.

On a side note, am I too addicted to puns if my first thought was, "somebody's horny"?

[Gelatinous Cube]

I used to work in a clinical pathology lab in the microbiology department, and let me tell you my friends...I encountered all sorts of gooey and gross things.

[ArenaSnow]

I'll leave it at this: college degree entrants are certainly not made intelligent by the degrees alone.

[SleepingSilence]

Hmm...

So, I have a laundry list of always being that kid who ends up being correct, or smarter than the adults. That made life fun. I guess it at least got me a few fans in the teacher case, in that I was always hardworking enough and unlike most of the school not an uncooperative/rebellious pain in the ass. (So, the kid that respects and wants to learn from authority. It just happens to point out the truth in most situations.)

This happened to be the case in work environments too. So, I had this job when I was 15-16?, where I was making/following recipes for a frozen food service. I had only one other co-worker who was nice enough, but was clearly not as capable but for justifiable enough reasons. (mental) Never actually thought badly of him, often I bought him drinks and snacks to help him on the job.

So, I was basically better and faster in every preparation and task they could throw at us by a country mile. We were both hired/paid to do the same job. But in 48 hours or so, it became clear for the actual people running the place that there was an issue. I can only assume (and correctly processed back then) that it probably wasn't a great feeling for him either.

So to compromise, I was given 95% percent of all the work. Because I could accomplish it anyway. All the precise food preparation, food storage, cleaning the station, sorting out the freezer etc. And the remaining 5% percent was his responsibility. Vacuuming the front, wiping down tables etc. The kind of work that wouldn't actually take much time, not enough for a full work day, even for him mind.

Then we both got paid the same amount at the end of the week. On reflection I can immediately understand how one becomes political from past experiences. And I don't exactly remember how this conversation/argument was sparked. (Might have literally been nothing, I no longer remember.)

I think it might have been the woman (who didn't work for the place, but watched over the other guy.) told me to do one of his jobs when he was literally doing nothing for about an hour or so. I did end up doing it, but I also said something to the effect of "Why can't he do it? When he's done nothing?" To butcher my own past self. Which was inferring to him in the moment.

Now with a little retrospection on my part. Yeah, I still don't have a filter and I worse growing up. And I assume this statement was taken as a double meaning. I was addressing that he wasn't doing anything -at that moment or the past hour-, which was true. And I was working, harder than usual, so things will slip out. I'll just assume it was taken to her as, "He does nothing. Period." So it's more grandiose and harsh statement. So her actions, assuming were suppose to be well-intentioned and not just being a total b*tch was meant to make me sympathize with him.

She handed me a rag and cleaning products after I did his job, and told me to do the rest of his job too. (Which in further retrospect just meant I did even more than 95% of the work that day, but that's neither here nor there.) Without further word or any instructions.

So I cleaned everything in about 5-10 minutes tops and reported back. (Not complaining about it and just assuming maybe it was because he wasn't feeling well or something. So I was already sympathetic toward him, and I never actually showed ill-will toward the guy.) Then in the smuggest, most self-satisfied way you could imagine, walks over to some of the stations and shows me some secret compartments that I wasn't made known to exist. And she came off about as passive/or just downright aggressive. "SEE!? LOOK AT YOUR FATAL FLAW! YOU UNDERESTIMATE ALL THE WORK HE DOES!"

So, back then I just kind of chalked it up to her being a complete and total bitch. But I didn't have the rebellion in me, to say "I didn't complain about him doing this work. You had to tell him this, or he wouldn't know that either. And if known or presented that information from the outset, I'd have been able to clean each with an extra minute of time. So, all you did is waste my time and the people who pay me's time not doing what they pay me for, just so you could make your 'point.' You smug c*nt."

I just kind of kept my mouth shut, and felt like shit the rest of my work day. Didn't blame the guy though, pretty sure I still got him a drink during our break.

The people I worked for appreciated my hard work and liked me just fine. Results/Matriarchy and all.

Moral of the story: Supervisors aren't the best at doing their actual jobs. Also places I worked for weren't very interesting. (Or have mostly similar outcomes. This is probably my best instance of having been "in the wrong" even if there is no good person in this story.)

[Sugar and Spite]

@SleepingSilence Good supervisors are few and far between.

---

As some of you know, I was working at a local grocery store last year as a cashier, but had to quit said job for personal reasons. Well, I am now working at that store again, only now I am in the deli department. I usually take care of the salad bar (mind you that's 73 pans of olives, fruits, veggies, wings, three super hot pots of soup, and various other things that I have to keep full and looking good for 8 hours straight while people are continuously eating from it.)

I love my job. The people I work with are cool as hell. The only complaint that I really have is about the customers.

People. Are. Fucking. Slobs.

Occasionally I will see a parent let their child go crazy on the bar, but that's only happened twice since I have been there this last month, so I'd chalk it up to not really being all that common. What pisses me off is that it is adults mak8ng these messes. I understand that spills and such happen. I have zero problem cleaning those. But when you look me straight in the eye and pour.a huge thing of salad dressing from one end of the bar to the other, it makes me want to hurt you.

Furthermore, can I just say on behalf of literally EVERYONE in retail: DON'T GET MAD AT ME FOR FOLLOWING CORPORATES RULES.

There was a man come in the other day while I was helping on the sub bar while a co-worker was on break. He asked for a turkey sandwich on toast. Well, turns out corporate stoped that about two months back. Unless it is the BLT, you can't get a sandwich. So I had to tell the man this. He proceeds to go off on me, calling me a stupid bitch, asking when we stopped doing that, etc. I understand he wanted his sandwich, but this man was like 70. There was no reason for him to act like a 5 year old.

Furthermore, customers complain to the managers about the stupidest crap. A lady came in two days ago complaining about how we didn't have any butter out. Not because we're lazy and didn't fill it, but because corporate only allows us to put it out in the morning when breakfast is bwung served. I was polite, went to the counter, got her like 10 things of buttand the whore still complained.

[Yevin]

Supervisor is at a tradeshow for the week so I'm in charge of the whole department. >:D

Of course, it's just me in the department.