Things my coworkers do that annoy me

[EdHill]

So I work with this lady. Shes nice enough evne though she is full of boring stories, sits next to me and breathes through her nose. But what really annoys me is she has the habit of when you have a large stack of papers that you are going through she licks her fingers before she starts flipping through them. As if her fingerprints aren’t enough traction. When she does this with my papers all I know is I now have a handful of pages covered in her spit.

God that’s gross.

Sorry, just had to vent…

[OD-TV]

You want her don't you?

[Clair]

You'll have to buy her a box of rubber finger tips. Any office supply store - box o' 12 for about $1 or $2.

(lol OD-TV)

[jenny10girl]

I think I'd rather have spittle papers than some of the crazies I work with...one woman burps all day long. And I'm not talking like a regular burp...I'm talking a weird sort of hiccup burp. And then she says "excuse me" like she's six years old. Now that's annoying. Or the other woman in the front of my row with the hairy chest...please explain to me why a woman with a hairy chest wears low cut tops? Anyone?

The list of crazies go on and on....

[OD-TV]

And I'm not talking like a regular burp...I'm talking a weird sort of hiccup burp. And then she says "excuse me" like she's six years old.

ok, that image cracks me up. If only she had hair on her chest too.

[jenny10girl]

Trust me there are more...like the woman in the next row (she talks REALLY loud) that is going through so troubles with her husband. Short version of a long story is that he cheated with some family friend. One day they are on, the next day he's throwing a diaper bag at her and changing the garage code...truly sounds like a soap opera...

[whawha]

I've got this sock monkey that just stares at me all day. Wait! He's doing it again!

Past annoyances: The editor that walked around barefoot in the office. Blackened knarly feet.

The gal who would reflexively rub her gums with her index finger. Way back to the molars. As you talked to her.

The doorway lurker. Used to lean in the doorway, arm up against the jamb. Except he had overactive, um, sweat glands. I could only focus on the huge stains on his shirt as he went into painful detail about almost making par at the course.


Gotta go...that goddamned sock monkey is staring at me again.

Don't you eyeball me!

[jenny10girl]

The one in front of me wears the squeakiest shoes...

[CrazyTrain]

The one in front of me is so dreamy!

My boss sits behind me. Every day I hope she thinks TVGasm is a nwe client and not me goofing off.

[tvaholic]

EdHill-what's even worse is when the cashier at the store or fast-food place licks his or her fingers while counting your change back for you. Ewww.

I did have a former coworker that while eating luch was a full length, all 10 fingers, finger licker.

whawha-I hate feet, I would quit if my boss walked around barefoot.

[chick110]

We have this new chick who laughs very loud and will ask all the time "can I help?" I am trying to be nice because she is new, but if she asks me one more time "can I help?" I am going to help her out the door. She also asks a million questions that a) I don't have time to answer, b) I don't really care to answer and c) are none of her business anyway. Thankfully her office is upstairs, but her laugh carries all the way down the stairs... :eek:

[tati]

whawha-I hate feet, I would quit if my boss walked around barefoot.

my boyfriend owns a coffeeshop & a few of the customers sit down to eat or get up 2 make their own coffee & will do so in barefoot. He finally tol' one, do u mind putting ur shoes back on? that's GROSS!!' she did.

[HoneyBunny]

People who come up behind me and tell me to play the red 8 on the black 9...


hb

[whawha]

People who come up behind me and tell me to play the red 8 on the black 9...


hb


Nice. Workin the Solitaire when you should be workin....

[HoneyBunny]

Nice. Workin the Solitaire when you should be workin....

wow - you sound just like my boss...
(little do they know that games are just a cover for surfing the gasm)


hb

[Lizardqueen]

Well, since I'm a filthy rich socialite I don't have any co-workers, per se. (We hate per se, don't we? I throw up in my... never mind.) But I do have some serious pet peeves that would cause me to quit my job if a co-worker committed them.

I am a multiple sneezer. It's part of my charm. Six or seven times a piece easy. I CAN NOT STAND being blessed 6 or 7 times in a row rapidly by some over polite, phony asshole.

Another great one is watching someone pick their teeth (that's bad enough, right?) but when they finally hook the offending food scrap, they take it out, look at it, and then eat it. This is totally, absolutely unacceptable.

[Mulv]

Oh man, how much time do you all have? We've got them all here: the phonies, the close-talkers, the weirdos (does the Chinese restaurant really need to know your name and title when you call to order lunch everyday? No, I don't think they do.), the snoops, the gossipy old hens, the clueless and meek interns, it goes on and on. They all annoy me. I'm either very easily annoyed or everyone sucks. I prefer to think it's the latter but it may in fact be the former.

[msCCRN]

People who say, "No thanks" when you offer them a breath mint. Yeah um, there's a reason I'm puttin' it out there.

People who don't use turn signals. What am I supposed to be, a mind reader?

Administrators who tell me to do something I already had the initiative to start, and then take credit for my work.

Ok, *heavy sigh, deep breath* done ranting now.

[J-Unit]

God, you would all hate to work with me.

I almost never wear shoes and always walk around in flip flops (I have five pairs I think), but sometimes I just take them off and walk around the office barefoot.

I have some sort of bad oral fixation, so I am either biting my nails or chewing gum (I like to crack it in my mouth while my lips are closed, making it super annoying. I also like to take my gum and twist it around my finger and put it back in, making it SUPER annoying). If my nails are ravaged and I have no gum, I chew on pen caps, bottle caps, etc, etc.

I think I'm funny, so I will constantly interrupt to make jokes.

The one thing I can't stand, however, is people who listen to music without headphones. If I want to crank my music, I close the office door. When I'm not lucky enough to have an office, I use headphones. I may love Maggie May more than should be allowed, but that doesn't mean other people have to suffer the same fate.

[Tabby Lavalamp]

I'm just happy when my co-workers work.

[jampony]

Shes nice enough evne though she is full of boring stories, sits next to me and breathes through her nose.
Would you rather she be a mouth-breather? That drives me crazy.

My list:
1. People who try to use big words to make themselves seem smarter, e.g. "getting off scotch free" (or see "stupid things people say" thread).
2. People who stand really close behind me to look over my shoulder at my monitor with their hand on my chair slowly turning me away from said monitor while chewing something loudly in my ear (or any combination thereof).
3. People who blow their nose at the lunch table. While others are still eating.

[derder]

I am a multiple sneezer. It's part of my charm. Six or seven times a piece easy. I CAN NOT STAND being blessed 6 or 7 times in a row rapidly by some over polite, phony asshole.

I am a multiple sneezer, too!! For me usually six or seven times as well- and my family knows not to bless me until it's been a good 20-30 seconds after the last sneeze. (And you KNOW what they say about us multiple sneezers...)

[Pekmboyd]

When I was a kid my mother used to tell me that if you sneezed 3 times in a row, it meant you were pregnant. I was so convinced, and so terrified, that my body became trained to sneeze exactly twice...even now that I AM pregnant :)

As for the bless-yous...my co-workers and I issue one "bless you" for the first sneeze of the week, and it is considered a blanket bless you for the remainder of the week. That cuts back on the annoying blessings.

[chick110]

At my old job, we had this new lady who decided that she didn't like the way the coffee was made, so she made it half-strength. You would have thought someone had dropped a bomb into the Finance department (who used our coffee pot). They said so many foul things and cursed whoever did that to the coffee that from that day on, the new lady started bringing her own coffee in a huge carafe... She was the one who bragged about being inbred, like it was something to be proud of... She also chewed with her mouth open (made lunch outings oh so fun), laughed like a hyena and would make our boss so mad that she would take this woman into her office and just scream at her for a while. We all hated her so much that we started making up songs about her. Mine was to the tune of "I'm Henry the 8th I am" and instead was titled, "I Laugh Just Like a Wild Hyena". The crazy things you can accomplish when hatred is involved! :rolleyes:

[derder]

She was the one who bragged about being inbred, like it was something to be proud of...

Huh? Bragged about being inbred? Could you explain in further detail? I'm fascinated...

[ScotyUtah]

The one thing I can't stand, however, is people who listen to music without headphones. If I want to crank my music, I close the office door. When I'm not lucky enough to have an office, I use headphones. I may love Maggie May more than should be allowed, but that doesn't mean other people have to suffer the same fate.

How about people who actually wear headphones, but humm along loudly to their tunes that you can't hear? Fuggin' annoying as nuts. I'd rather hear the music and not the humming.

[chick110]

She just talked about it like it was something she was proud of. Like it made her part of some royal family instead of the white-trash thing that she was...

[derder]

So were like her momma and her papa brother and sister or something? Sorry, but that is just so sick, I have to know the details.

[HoneyBunny]

So were like her momma and her papa brother and sister or something? Sorry, but that is just so sick, I have to know the details.

"This is so sick - I have to know the details"....LOL...
I love you derder!!



hb

[derder]

awww-
right back at cha, HB

[angiemarie]

:mad: I have a really boring job. All my coworkers and I work in a large room full of computers with half cubicles. (why bother with the half cubicle? I have no clue.) I recently had to move to a new area. The guy sitting next to me burps loudly all day long. I mean how can you do that in public? We work in an office, not on a construction site. What makes you burp at 10am? Did you chug a beer on your way to work? Anyway, I just kept turning up the volume on my MP3 player until I couldn't hear him anymore. Yesterday, he leaned over and asked me to turn down my music. I told him I would, as soon as he stopped belching so loudly. He said "I'm only burping because I can hear your music." WTF? Such a prick! So I told him if hearing music made him burp, he really should see a good gastroenterologist.

[derder]

Anyway, I just kept turning up the volume on my MP3 player until I couldn't hear him anymore. Yesterday, he leaned over and asked me to turn down my music. I told him I would, as soon as he stopped belching so loudly. He said "I'm only burping because I can hear your music." WTF? Such a prick! So I told him if hearing music made him burp, he really should see a good gastroenterologist.

Oh my God, He really said that?? WHY? That doesn't make any sense!

[ScotyUtah]

Now that I work from home the only annoying things that happen are when the dogs bark when I'm on the phone with clients, a cat suddenly jumps up on the keyboard and the puppy starts liking my toes... Luckily these events haven't happened simultaneously... yet.

[whawha]

Now that I work from home the only annoying things that happen are when the dogs bark when I'm on the phone with clients, a cat suddenly jumps up on the keyboard and the puppy starts liking my toes... Luckily these events haven't happened simultaneously... yet.


The goddamn sock monkey is staring at me again....

[jenny10girl]

Now that I work from home the only annoying things that happen are when the dogs bark when I'm on the phone with clients, a cat suddenly jumps up on the keyboard and the puppy starts liking my toes... Luckily these events haven't happened simultaneously... yet.


There is a woman at my company that works from home...she has a cocktoo that always gets chatty when we are on confenrence calls...now THAT'S annoying. I can stand the dogs barking, but the birds...ugh...

[whawha]

:mad: I have a really boring job. All my coworkers and I work in a large room full of computers with half cubicles. (why bother with the half cubicle? I have no clue.) I recently had to move to a new area. The guy sitting next to me burps loudly all day long. I mean how can you do that in public? We work in an office, not on a construction site. What makes you burp at 10am? Did you chug a beer on your way to work? Anyway, I just kept turning up the volume on my MP3 player until I couldn't hear him anymore. Yesterday, he leaned over and asked me to turn down my music. I told him I would, as soon as he stopped belching so loudly. He said "I'm only burping because I can hear your music." WTF? Such a prick! So I told him if hearing music made him burp, he really should see a good gastroenterologist.


See now? You need your Forum Friends (like Super Friends but without the homoerotic sidekick undertones) to help you out.

Now everyone: think up devious things (short of getting caught and fired) that angiemarie can do to this prick.

I'm up first!

Step one: On a Thursday, get a piece of tuna from the store. Unwrap it and then rewrap it in saran wrap.

Step two: Bring it to work on Friday in a ziplock bag...the bag is important since you won't be putting the bag in the work frig, but letting the fish fester (gotta love that alliteration!).

Step three: wait til said prick goes home for the weekend. Take the tuna out of zee ziplock bag and carefully unwrap it, holding it by the saran wrap.

Step four: rub the tuna on the underside of his desk liberally.

Step five: place the tuna back in the ziplock, discard and go home.

Monday morning will be great fun for him. The fish oil is pungent enough for him to think he shit his shorts, but not so much that you need to fumigate. And, the oil is vritually invisible so he won't know where it's coming from.

Who's next?

[HoneyBunny]

Here's a good tip for those of you who work at home...
If you are on a conference call - don't flush. Everyone can hear it...

(no - i was NOT the flusher)

hb

[jenny10girl]

Here's a good tip for those of you who work at home...
If you are on a conference call - don't flush. Everyone can hear it...

(no - i was NOT the flusher)

hb

HA! I had someone do that on my voicemail...I guess he didn't think I would hear it...LOL!!!

[zoobabe]

See now? You need your Forum Friends (like Super Friends but without the homoerotic sidekick undertones) to help you out.

Now everyone: think up devious things (short of getting caught and fired) that angiemarie can do to this prick.

I'm up first!

Step one: On a Thursday, get a piece of tuna from the store. Unwrap it and then rewrap it in saran wrap.

Step two: Bring it to work on Friday in a ziplock bag...the bag is important since you won't be putting the bag in the work frig, but letting the fish fester (gotta love that alliteration!).

Step three: wait til said prick goes home for the weekend. Take the tuna out of zee ziplock bag and carefully unwrap it, holding it by the saran wrap.

Step four: rub the tuna on the underside of his desk liberally.

Step five: place the tuna back in the ziplock, discard and go home.

Monday morning will be great fun for him. The fish oil is pungent enough for him to think he shit his shorts, but not so much that you need to fumigate. And, the oil is vritually invisible so he won't know where it's coming from.

Who's next?


I'll go next:

step one- have one of your Forum friends send you some monkey poo in the mail.

step two- wrap monkey poo in Saran wrap

step three- put wrapped monkey poo in a ziploc bag and bring it to work.

step four- the next time said coworker burps at work, stand up and scream like a chimpanzee and fling it at him (after removing it from the Ziploc bag- a good hard throw will break the Saran wrap seal).

when your coworker complains about his face full of poo, tell him you'll stop doing it when he stops burping at work.:D :p :D :p

[tati]

ugh, angiemarie, ur story outrages me---any chance u can casually start letting one rip e'ry now & ag'n?? maybe not a real one, but make 1 w/ those gag toys, (1 to countermatch his e'ry stinking burp??) i can't believe he said that, i would've ripped him a new one on the spot. asshole!!

[HoneyBunny]

angiemare -
my suggestion is not as creative as fish or feces...(it sounds like a segment on Fear Factor) but i feel for you and wanted to offer this possibility -
tape his 'noises' and then play them back, at a much louder volume, whenever he burps. Like burp for burp - then when he asks if that was you - you can say "NO - it was YOU!"


hb

[CrazyTrain]

Oh, there is "the sigher" Every afternoon she sighs about 3 imes an hour... long and loudly. She just moved closer to mmy desk so I can hear her again!

I am aloa multiple sneezer and I sneeze several times a day. Most of the time my co-workers don't even bother to bless me anymore. When my boss' allergies are acting up, we'll have sneezing competitions to see who sneezes the most times in a day :D Huh, that's probably annoying to some people.

And J-Unit, I could never work with you!!

[whawha]

I'll go next:

step one- have one of your Forum friends send you some monkey poo in the mail.

step two- wrap monkey poo in Saran wrap

step three- put wrapped monkey poo in a ziploc bag and bring it to work.

step four- the next time said coworker burps at work, stand up and scream like a chimpanzee and fling it at him (after removing it from the Ziploc bag- a good hard throw will break the Saran wrap seal).

when your coworker complains about his face full of poo, tell him you'll stop doing it when he stops burping at work.:D :p :D :p

Somehow, there's nothing as funny as feces flinging.

[jampony]

Somehow, there's nothing as funny as feces flinging.
Especially when it's your cousin's husband and he's flinging his own at a cop becasue he's super stoned and doesn't want to go to jail but gets taken away anyway because it's just not polite to fling your feces at a cop. Ah... good times.

(The divorce was less than half a year later.)

[HoneyBunny]

Especially when it's your cousin's husband and he's flinging his own at a cop becasue he's super stoned and doesn't want to go to jail but gets taken away anyway because it's just not polite to fling your feces at a cop. Ah... good times.

jp - that was arm-rest-slapping funny...that could be an episode of Reno 911.



hb

[TinkerbellAPixie]

angiemare -
my suggestion is not as creative as fish or feces...(it sounds like a segment on Fear Factor) but i feel for you and wanted to offer this possibility -
tape his 'noises' and then play them back, at a much louder volume, whenever he burps. Like burp for burp - then when he asks if that was you - you can say "NO - it was YOU!"
hb

Or - taking a twist off of HB's idea,

Step 1 - record his burp
Step 2 - put that sound on his computer as his email notification.
Step 3 - sign him up for every kind of email spam
Step 4 - Sit back and laugh every time he gets an email

[jampony]

Or - taking a twist off of HB's idea,

Step 1 - record his burp
Step 2 - put that sound on his computer as his email notification.
Step 3 - sign him up for every kind of email spam
Step 4 - Sit back and laugh every time he gets an email
Computer humor! The geek in me loves this idea!!!

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Computer humor! The geek in me loves this idea!!!

We actually did this at work - we are often pranking one another.

One of our managers had a Donald Trump pen that said "You're fired" when you hit a button. He would go around the office all the time hitting that button. So we stole his pen and would send him photos of it in peril - on a tray going into the oven, with a guy in a ninja suit hovering a sword over it and being held dangerously close to a dog's mouth. Then we recorded the sound clip and put it on his computer (as described in my suggestion above).

The final thing we did - strapped the pen to his chair so that when he sat on it - the pressure of his weight would cause the button to be pushed. ;)

heheh..

[angiemarie]

I really appreciate all the wonderful retaliations you have suggested. Now, for the shocking news. Mr. Belch has stopped burping! Maybe no one ever told him they could hear him. Maybe his heart grew three sizes too big! I don't know, but I am grateful for his silence.

If he ever acts up again, I have so many modes of revenge that he will rue the day he was born! (I love to use the word "rue")

Anyway, Zoobabe, can I still have some monkey poo? I was thinking it would be good to have in case I'm ever arrested. Then I could fling my way to freedom!

Tinkerbellapixie, so good to see your posts again. I was missing you lately.

Again, thanks everybody. The posts really made the whole burping situation worthwhile. :D

[HoneyBunny]

Anyway, Zoobabe, can I still have some monkey poo? I was thinking it would be good to have in case I'm ever arrested. Then I could fling my way to freedom!


Hey zb - this might be a nice side business...mail order monkey poo straight to you. I can think of a couple of people I would love to fling...


hb

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Tinkerbellapixie, so good to see your posts again. I was missing you lately.

Aww - thanks... it's good to be back. Got tonsssssssssss to catch up on.

[HoneyBunny]

a salute to life in a cubicle:

http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2006/06/14/my-cubicle-song-lyrics/



hb

[zoobabe]

Hey zb - this might be a nice side business...mail order monkey poo straight to you. I can think of a couple of people I would love to fling...


hb


if I could get away with it- I'd do it. somehow I think I'd end up getting fired for making a profit off of zoo "property":rolleyes:

[amy303_1/2]

Oh my gosh, these posts had me lauging so hard!!!! HA HA HA!!. My husband carries puppy pads in his police car b/c of poopy people!!! HA HA HA!!!!:D

[TinkerbellAPixie]

My husband carries puppy pads in his police car b/c of poopy people!!! HA HA HA!!!!:D

Yipes! I'd rather deal with monkey poop than people poop. :eek:

[ObstinantGirl]

I used to work in human services ages ago...with MR/dual-diagnosed adults. Lots of poo related stories there, I'll tell ya. But, they aren't co-worker stories, so I'll let sleeping dogs lay (lie?)!

Oh, where to even BEGIN with co-worker stories/complaints/pet peeves?

-The guy who rides his bike to and from work, then walks around most of the day in the spandex bike outfit (the one he NEVER washes)? Yeah, that was a personal favorite. He stank, and he was a disturbing sight. WAYYYY more information than I needed.

-The people who MUST have all attention focused on them, at every moment. This means that they cannot walk past without singing, humming, dragging their pen across the wall/cubicle, or making what they perceive as a clever comment.

-People who walk around clicking their pens rapidly.

-People who are nosey (like the woman who just walked past and tried to look at my computer screen, damn her :mad: :rolleyes: ).

-People who take other people's food from the company refrigerator and consume it (this has happened to me at least twice over the years...it's very frustrating). I mean, they obviously KNOW that they didn't bring the food in themselves...what an assholish thing to do to someone.

-People who dress inappropriately for their work setting. Like the woman I work with who goes out of her way to wear tank tops that allow her bra straps (which are typically red or black) to show...and she also wears pants that are at least 2 sizes too small. My company's fairly casual, but THAT type of dress isn't appropriate in any work setting, except perhaps the blue light district. (And to top it all off, she doesn't even have a nice figure!)

-People who have developed habits (ie: constant sniffing, sighing, throat-clearing, loud swallowing, teeth sucking) over the years that are now unnecessary & yet part of their repertoire!

-People who are always trying to get other people in trouble. I had a woman who reported to me at one point, and she kept running into my office to rat on her fellow employees. None of my subtle attempts to let her know that that wasn't appreciated were working, so I finally looked her in the eyes and said "Sandy, if you have this much time available to be in everyone else's business, then we clearly aren't giving you enough to do. I'll figure out what other responsibilities can be allocated to you." She looked at me, stunned, with her mouth hanging agape. Then she stuttered "Oh, no, I'm really quite busy...I mean, I..." To which I replied "Well, if that's the case, then perhaps this job isn't a good fit for you, since you obviously aren't happy here." She turned bright red, shut her mouth, left my office. I watched her closely after that, because I expected that she wouldn't last very long. To her credit, she ended up being quite a good worker & I was sad to see her go about a year later. Go figure!

-Bosses who are vague about what they expect of you, but never pleased with anything you do.

[jenny10girl]

Ohhhh we have food stealers here too...I forgot about them...yes, they totally annoy me too....!!!

[Clair]

a salute to life in a cubicle:

http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2006/06/14/my-cubicle-song-lyrics/



hb

Thanks HoneyBunny - that was great!

[jampony]

I used to work in human services ages ago...with MR/dual-diagnosed adults. Lots of poo related stories there, I'll tell ya.
Hey... me, too! It's worse when somebody has an "accident" and staff try to cover it up with rose-scented air freshener. Man, that smell just doesn't go away.

-The people who MUST have all attention focused on them, at every moment. This means that they cannot walk past without singing, humming, dragging their pen across the wall/cubicle, or making what they perceive as a clever comment.
Got a couple of these... one makes noises like the guy from Police Academy (only he's not very good at it) and snaps his fingers a lot, one likes to sing showtunes (I know the theme to Oklahoma by heart now) and another pounces into my cublice every 30 minutes and says "shoot me, shoot me now" because she thinks she's the only busy person here. Got news for you honey, social service agencies are having cutbacks all over the place -- we're all busy!

-People who take other people's food from the company refrigerator and consume it (this has happened to me at least twice over the years...it's very frustrating). I mean, they obviously KNOW that they didn't bring the food in themselves...what an assholish thing to do to someone.
Got a good solution for this (courtesy of my mother, whose motto is "Don't get mad, get even"). Every day someone would take her pop out of the fridge even though it had her name on it. So one day she put capsaicin (the cream for athritis that's made from hot peppers) on the mouth of the can. After screaming in pain, the asshole had the nerve to complain that someone put "somethin' nasty" on the can. Busted!

-People who dress inappropriately for their work setting. Like the woman I work with who goes out of her way to wear tank tops that allow her bra straps (which are typically red or black) to show...and she also wears pants that are at least 2 sizes too small. My company's fairly casual, but THAT type of dress isn't appropriate in any work setting, except perhaps the blue light district. (And to top it all off, she doesn't even have a nice figure!)
Got way too many of these to even comment about. But I will say this... some people need to invest in a 3-way mirror to see what their backside looks like.

[carewski]

There is a woman in a cubicle department who leaves there and stands in a hallway, near *my* office to carry on a cell-phone rampage against her ex-husband, ungrateful kids and on and on and on. She dropped the f-bomb one day and I was all over her about it. She scuttled away, and life was better for a while. Then I went on vacation for a week, and this morning, I had to pass her in the hallway, next to my door, bad-mouthing her kids at top volume.

There is the barracuda-in-training, a younger woman who seems to think the only way to get ahead is to try to do everything and make sure everyone knows how busy/important/burdened she is. She must have read that it is good to thank people, because she thanks other staff for their work, in the most condescending way possible. She will either flame out or be assassinated, I think.

No one has mentioned the woman who wears fifteen pieces of jewelry and a flagon of noxious perfme.

As for feet, mine are naked almost 100% of the time in my office (and tucked up in my lap while I type) but I do wear shoes when I venture out.

[msCCRN]

There is a woman in a cubicle department who leaves there and stands in a hallway, near *my* office to carry on a cell-phone rampage against her ex-husband, ungrateful kids and on and on and on. She dropped the f-bomb one day and I was all over her about it. She scuttled away, and life was better for a while. Then I went on vacation for a week, and this morning, I had to pass her in the hallway, next to my door, bad-mouthing her kids at top volume.

No one has mentioned the woman who wears fifteen pieces of jewelry and a flagon of noxious perfme.


Thank you for mentioning these self absorbed, self-centered cretins. I had the same issue when I used to have an office. There is an entire building where these people can talk on the phone, but no. I would have my door open and talking quietly on the phone or concentrating on some work and they have to stand in my doorway and carry on a conversation (not work-related, natch) at full volume. Then they would give me a dirty look when I got up and closed the door!

Where I work, if your toes aren't covered, you're likely to get sprayed with some bodily fluids. ;)

[ObstinantGirl]

She must have read that it is good to thank people, because she thanks other staff for their work, in the most condescending way possible.Oh, I work with someone like that as well! VERY obnoxious. They don't seem to understand that tone of voice & attitude (and intent) is as important as the words themselves.

I'm all about naked feet under my desk (and occasionally for a short trip to the copier in the office next door to mine)...but a couple of weeks ago, I was working late & saw a mouse scuttle past! :eek: Now, I'm terrified of my toes being nibbled...so my feet are up off of the floor & my shoes are firmly in place :p

[tvaholic]

Adding on to the phone wars-I work with people who never bother to see if I'm on the phone when they come barging in my office talking loudly at me. It's very easy to see who's on the phone in our small office, every phone shows all the extensions. (Plus seeing me with a receiver up to the side of my head is a good clue) But no, it's usually a scenario like, "hey can you get me the blah-blah-blah, oops sorry didn't see you were on the phone!" Who talks to people without noticing if they are available to talk first?? How self-absorbed can you be??

Also, a while back I hired an assistant who on her first day answered personal cell phone calls while she was supposed to be tending to the switchboard. Yeah, she didn't last long.

[J-Unit]

How about the coworker who finds it necessary to run eight dryers at the same time in the laundromat, and not because they have a lot of clothes, but they feel they like to dry only three or four items at a time, and God forbid that the dark blues get mixed in wit the light blues, or you let the oranges touch the yellows

Obviously this wasn't a coworker of mine, but I hate it when this happens! I just wanted to some clean shirts and boxers. Thank god fabric softener has such a soothing effect on me, because I was contemplating peeing in the dryer with all of their towels (I couldn't wait for zoobabe to hooke me up with monkey poo), and I don't think I would blog well from jail.

[derder]

Best Fabric Softener EVER!! Downy April Fresh (liquid and the sheets). But it can't be like Downy Misty Mountain or something- has to be April Fresh (the pink top). And I have recently discovered that Febreze Air "Linen and Sky" scent smells very similar to Downy April Fresh, which means my whole house reeks of clean laundry and Nag Champa.

[EdHill]

I'm all about the Febreeze scented Tide detergant and fabric softener. I use it on my sheets, my clothes. I even bathed in it one night.

[TinkerbellAPixie]

We have a girl at work who hasn't figured out how to silence her cell phone. She also tends to leave it on her desk when she is away and so we all get to listen to the very annoying ringtone (not a cool one like mine)- over and over again. I even took the liberty of placing a copy of the cell phone usage policy on her desk (when she was away on one of her jaunts). Do you think that stopped her?

Grr.

[Lyndsay]

My coworkers must hate me.

Do you guys hate it when people eat strong smelling food at their desk? Yeah. I do that all the time.

As for me, I hate it when people leave the copy machine open. It allows dust to get on the screen and I've heard it can waste the toner (?). Seriously. Close it.

Other than that, I just hate working in a cubicle where everyone can hear my every move, phone conversation, mouse click... Why can't the walls go up all the way?!

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Do you guys hate it when people eat strong smelling food at their desk? Yeah. I do that all the time.

The worst is burnt popcorn. We have a girl who burns it once a week - usually in the morning so that nasty smell lingers all damn day and we are on the 17th floor so there is no ability to crack a window.

[derder]

I don't work anymore- but what I remember that bugged me more than ANTHING was when people didn't refill the toner and/ or the paper in the copy machine. They would use it all up and then sneak off. That use to piss me off!

[TinkerbellAPixie]

I don't work anymore- but what I remember that bugged me more than ANTHING was when people didn't refill the toner and/ or the paper in the copy machine. They would use it all up and then sneak off. That use to piss me off!


That's right up there with the people who leave a copier with jammed paper in it. It's like the copier equivalent of not flushing. Ugh.

[derder]

EXACTLY!! Paperjams! The Worst!!!

[msCCRN]

The worst is burnt popcorn. We have a girl who burns it once a week - usually in the morning so that nasty smell lingers all damn day and we are on the 17th floor so there is no ability to crack a window.

Nope, the WORST is someone who re-heats fish in the microwave. Then everytime someone else heats up their lunch the fish scent gets reactivated:p

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Nope, the WORST is someone who re-heats fish in the microwave. Then everytime someone else heats up their lunch the fish scent gets reactivated:p


Which reminds me of a guy I used to work for - he had some diabolical gas problem. He'd sit in his office with the door closed and cook up a green fog. Then he would pull some unsuspecting victim in there for a long meeting and the would come out all pale and queasy looking. I firmly believe it was something he used as a corporate weapon. :eek:

[jenny10girl]

Nope, the WORST is someone who re-heats fish in the microwave. Then everytime someone else heats up their lunch the fish scent gets reactivated:p

Ohhhh I so agree!!! Someone had cajun shrimp once...it must have smelled in my office for a week after that....ugh...

[chick110]

Slightly burnt popcorn is pretty bad. One time at an old job I used to have years ago, a coworker put popcorn in the microwave. She was putting in the time to cook and was paged, so she went to get the call and left it while it cooked. Instead of 7 minutes, she put in 70 minutes. Of course, my desk was directly around the corner from the kitchen and I was dying from this awful smell. I ran into the kitchen and stopped the popcorn. If I hadn't, it would have caught on fire, I had to throw it in the sink to cool it down. Our whole upstairs smelled for days... :eek:

[derder]

Well, yeah- offensive odors in the work place may just win here. It's not like you can just leave or something. When I worked at Detox, I dealt with people who didn't necessarily have the best hygiene (that's putting it really nicely... the place reeked). When I watch the BB feeds and someone rips one while they are sleeping, I always think of the male dorms in detox. Oh God, it was so bad...

[angiemarie]

EXACTLY!! Paperjams! The Worst!!!


Oh Lord, I am so glad I don't have to deal with copiers any more! I used to threaten to take a baseball bat to the one in my old office just like the guys in Office Space. My favorite part was when they were walking away, and the skinny guy tried to run back to kick it again. The two other guys had to hold him back. That would so be me, trying to get in one more blow at the evil device.

[ObstinantGirl]

I was contemplating peeing in the dryer with all of their towels :eek: This makes me VERY happy that I own my own washer/dryer, and no longer have to go to the laundromat. But from now on, when they break down and are being serviced? I'm not taking my eyes of the machines in the laundromat for even ONE SECOND!

I hate it when people leave the copier without paper, or when they use the last Fax cover sheet, etc. At this point, I keep a Word doc version that I just customize & print myself... anything that I can proactively do to cut down on the aggravations in life I am in full support of!

[whawha]

When I worked at Detox, I dealt with people who didn't necessarily have the best hygiene


When I was in Detox, I dealt with people who didn't necessarily have the best hygiene too!

Um...did I share too much? Or not enough? (to quote a song...)

[ObstinantGirl]

My vote: "Not enough"!!!

[OD-TV]

I hate when people put 3 hole punch paper in the copier and then don't change it back. That just happened to me. I hate these lazy ass people.

[msCCRN]

I hate when people put 3 hole punch paper in the copier and then don't change it back. That just happened to me. I hate these lazy ass people.


Damn those holier than thou people! <crickets>...

[chick110]

I hate when people put 3 hole punch paper in the copier and then don't change it back. That just happened to me. I hate these lazy ass people.

or letterhead or colored paper... That happens all of the time at my office too. We have 6 people there, so not a lot of people to blame!!

[ObstinantGirl]

Just yesterday I was rushing to get a proposal into the mail to a client, and there was BRIGHT YELLOW PAPER in the copier! I had to stop the print job (200 copies), throw away the 20 pages that had already printed, refill the tray with white paper, and re-start the job. Wasted 5-10 minutes, and that doesn't sound like much unless you're rushing to get something into the mail!!! Of course, noone would fess up to having done it. Bastards.

[J-Unit]

Yes, I got yelled at because somebody in accounting was using our department printer to print checks. I guess I was in the bathroom when they made the announcement, and when I came back, I had to print something. Wouldn't you know, I ruined like 20 checks, but what the hell am I supposed to do?

[ObstinantGirl]

Didn't anyone tell you that you're not allowed to take bathroom breaks when important announcements are being made? :rolleyes:

[HoneyBunny]

Yes, I got yelled at because somebody in accounting was using our department printer to print checks. I guess I was in the bathroom when they made the announcement, and when I came back, I had to print something. Wouldn't you know, I ruined like 20 checks, but what the hell am I supposed to do?


Danielle wants to know if you remembered to wash your hands...you know how picky she can be about it.


hb

[Sher]

I hate it when my coworkers reheat fish in the microwave for their lunch - it frickin' stinks to high heaven.

Of course, it's better than chitlins, which a few coworkers bring for lunch and also heat in the microwave, making the entire hallway leading away from the kitchen smell like pig ass.

[jampony]

I hate it when my coworkers reheat fish in the microwave for their lunch - it frickin' stinks to high heaven.

Of course, it's better than chitlins, which a few coworkers bring for lunch and also heat in the microwave, making the entire hallway leading away from the kitchen smell like pig ass.
Pig ass? I am so glad I don't know what that smells like! :D

[mountain_girl]

I am a multiple sneezer. It's part of my charm. Six or seven times a piece easy. I CAN NOT STAND being blessed 6 or 7 times in a row rapidly by some over polite, phony asshole.

I am the same way! I tell people that there is somewhere between three and 15 so just sit tight and get me at the end. I already feel like a fool that I sneeze so much but don't draw more attention to me by saying 'Bless You' a dozen times.

The one thing I can't stand, however, is people who listen to music without headphones.

We just had a lady move in that left her IM sounds on. We could hear every time she got a message, sent a message, someone signed in, signed out, etc. I lasted about 20 minutes before I cracked and told to either turn off the inidividual sounds or mute her puter.

Personally, my office is full of social retards. Like the one guy that will ignore me in the hall. We're walking opposite directions down the same hall, I smile and say hi, and he won't even make eye contact. Then there was the guy that used to sing Christmas Carols all year long.

One morning while I was enjoying a breakfast of dry Cheerios, a woman that I work with came in to ask a question but then noticed that I had Cheerios and proceeded to reach across my desk and take a handful. Didn't ask, acted if it was the most normal thing in the world to just dig into someone else's breakfast.

The last and the worst is having to listen to other people chew. All noisy snacks should be banned.

[chick110]

One morning while I was enjoying a breakfast of dry Cheerios, a woman that I work with came in to ask a question but then noticed that I had Cheerios and proceeded to reach across my desk and take a handful. Didn't ask, acted if it was the most normal thing in the world to just dig into someone else's breakfast.

At college, I was eating dinner and this guy proceeded to sit down at my table and start eating off my plate while he tried to pick me up. I guess he thought he was being sexy, but I thought he was just NASTY. :scared: And no, I did NOT go out with him!

[jenny10girl]

The woman in the next cube to mine insists on asking me questions (while she's eating) with her mouth full.

Not only is that totally gross, but I can never understand her questions and I am always asking her to repeat herself...preferably without the food in her mouth...

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Like the one guy that will ignore me in the hall. We're walking opposite directions down the same hall, I smile and say hi, and he won't even make eye contact.

We have one of those - her name is DARLENE (in case she reads the forums I want her to know I think she is rude as heck). Is it that hard to smile and say "hi"... or even just smile...nod...something....bueller?

[jampony]

The woman in the next cube to mine insists on asking me questions (while she's eating) with her mouth full.

Not only is that totally gross, but I can never understand her questions and I am always asking her to repeat herself...preferably without the food in her mouth...
How weird is it that we all seem to have the same types of people in our offices? There is a woman in my office who starts out every lunchtime conversation with "So...", then she takes a huge bite of food, and finishes her story while she chews it. Then she'll say something like "and then" while she shovels more food into her mouth and chews and talks and so on and so on. I think she does that so the focus always stays on her.

jenny... I love your new avatar! I was going to buy a Chenbot tank or thong and do the same thing, but I didn't have enough nerve. You go, girl!

[jenny10girl]

jenny... I love your new avatar! I was going to buy a Chenbot tank or thong and do the same thing, but I didn't have enough nerve. You go, girl!

Thank you!!! I was cracking myself up when I added it... :lol:

[carewski]

I already posted on this topic, but was reminded today of a bad situation. I'm talking about the person who uses their cell phone while they are in a bathroom stall. It is so gross!

If you do this, stop it this instant!

[jenny10girl]

I already posted on this topic, but was reminded today of a bad situation. I'm talking about the person who uses their cell phone while they are in a bathroom stall. It is so gross!

If you do this, stop it this instant!


OMG Someone did that here today!!! SInce I work in the same unit as them, I thought they were talking to me...!! Turns out she was on the phone with her daughter...I thought to myself...that's totally gross...I told her to try not to drop the phone in the toilet.... ;)

[Pekmboyd]

MY MOTHER DOES THAT! I'll be on the phone with her, and hear tinkling and flushing! How do you tell your MOM to STOP THAT???

[jenny10girl]

MY MOTHER DOES THAT! I'll be on the phone with her, and hear tinkling and flushing! How do you tell your MOM to STOP THAT???


Just tell her to call you back when she's done doing her business... :D

[Clair]

So what do you do if you find out you're about to be downsized so you call administration to ask questions and you end up crying on the phone? Do I email and apologize for the scene or do I just shut up about it?

:crying:

[jenny10girl]

So what do you do if you find out you're about to be downsized so you call administration to ask questions and you end up crying on the phone? Do I email and apologize for the scene or do I just shut up about it?

:crying:


Oh believe me...I'm sure you weren't the first one. I would keep quiet about it. I'm sure they understand.

The original unit I worked in here got laid-off...do you work for a large company? Because most of the larger ones offer really great severance packages, and then usually take you on in another department anyways... That's what happened here at least...

Good Luck and don't stress too much!

[tati]

Oh believe me...I'm sure you weren't the first one. I would keep quiet about it. I'm sure they understand.

Clair, i agree w/ Jenny---don't worry abt your behavior in this instance too much---you're almost certainly not the only 1 there who freaked or cried, Admin. prolly expects/is used to similar reactions, so don't worry about it too much. I'm sorry to hear about the downsizing, I hope you get a fair deal :( I was laid off once--I wasn't happy there anyway, but it still annoyed me that THEY were Auf Widensehen'ing ME, instead of the other way around. It's always preferable to be the one to have the last say in such matters, but a few days later, I did feel better, like I'd had a terrible weight lifted off my shoulders. Good luck, C, wish you well!

[HoneyBunny]

So what do you do if you find out you're about to be downsized so you call administration to ask questions and you end up crying on the phone? Do I email and apologize for the scene or do I just shut up about it?

Clair - loss of work identity is a HUGE emotional hurt - crying is very appropriate. No need to apologize to anyone! I assume this is your first "downsizing"...mine was a "911 layoff"...no matter how they try and tell you it's not personal - it so fucking is!

But the Yang of this Ying is that you were meant for something better -- the bitch is waiting to find out what it is...


hb

[RealityTV4Me]

I used to work with a guy who was a drive-by farter. That's right. He would come barreling into your office, rip a big one, and then shut and hold the door on you. You gotta walk through that cloud to get to the door to try and open it. I bought some air neutralizer and just sprayed it. He stopped eventually.

I now work with a lady who is the loudest talker. Whether she is on the phone or talking to the other lady who sits five feet behind her. It doesn't matter. And her laugh actually hurts my ears! Now she is pregnant and her hormones and raging as loudly as her voice.

Speaking of pregnant, we have four ladies on my floor who are all due about the same time. Trust me....I steered clear of the water after that.

One more, like the person who talked earlier about those who walk by your cubicle whistling, or humming, or singing, or dragging their pen on the wall. This guy sings "wubba, wubba, wubba -- wubba, wubba, woo" or hickory dickory dock each and EVERY time he walks by. I'm gonna hickory dickory his c*@k if he doesn't shut the #*$&^ up!!!!

[Clair]

Thanks Jenny, tati and HoneyBunny for your kind words. I'll find out more this week. My stress level is pretty high and I'm ridiculously sad.

HB - Meant for something better? Thanks, that's a nice thought.

[littlejfer]

What is it with walking around without shoes at work anyway. Dude your coworkers do not want to see your hammer toes...I've seen at least three pairs of bare feet in the last three weeks at work...make it stop!:eek:

[roob]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but people who bring their dogs to work drive me insane. Especially the ones who don't control them - when I'm on the phone, I don't need your lab bombing into my office to plant his face in my crotch. Sort of distracting.

Maybe I should bring my five-year-old to work and let him run wild. Let's see how that goes over.

[ObstinantGirl]

My company is fairly casual on an everyday basis (unless we have a client coming in, in which case we suddenly all clean up nicely and straighten the offices!)...and that's both a blessing and a curse. If we're stuck for childcare on a particular day, we can bring our children to work and set them up in one of the conference rooms. Now, I don't mean to brag (:rolleyes: ) but my children do such a good job that people often don't even know that there are children around...they bring toys and videos, they know how to be quiet and well-behaved. But, uggh...some peoples kids run through the offices yelling and clomping around, whining and crying and nagging their parents or drinking coffee from the machines (NOT a good idea for a child that's already highly wound). I don't complain, because then suddenly we might ALL be told that we can't bring our children to work. I hate it when a small few ruin things for other people, for whom an arrangement is working just fine.

Okay, lately? My boss keeps scheduling things for times that he knows I'm not scheduled to work, and then he talks about the need for ME to be flexible. Uh, hello? I've been working the same schedule for ages now...why in the world would you schedule something that you 'need' for me to participate in, at a time when you know that I'm not scheduled to work?
So frustrating...

[tati]

What is it with walking around without shoes at work anyway. Dude your coworkers do not want to see your hammer toes...I've seen at least three pairs of bare feet in the last three weeks at work...make it stop!:eek:

gross, that's a pet peeve of mine too. All it takes is for 1 of the bare feet 2 stub itself on an office cabinet or to be 'accidentally' stepped on to make it stop! (not that i'm suggesting anything....:sneaky:

[ScotyUtah]

Dogs allowed in the office? Sounds kind of cool to me! Do you work for Burton? That place is the epitome of casual. Kids in the office? I wouldn't be cool with it. The company I work for has an annual "bring your child to work" day. When I was working in the office I'd bring my dog in on the weekends or evenings when few people were around.

[tvaholic]

I agree with Scoty, I like dogs in the office. I work in a small office & once in a while people bring in their dogs, me included. Not for the whole day, just an hour or so, like if someone has to pick their dog up from the groomer or something. For me it breaks up the day a little, but I'm animal person-we used to have someone here that hated dogs & would get annoyed when one was here. I haven't minded when kids have been at work, I just feel l like I have to entertain them-you can pet dogs & they're happy, not so much with kids! (Unless you want to be arrested)

[roob]

Dogs allowed in the office? Sounds kind of cool to me! Do you work for Burton? That place is the epitome of casual. Kids in the office? I wouldn't be cool with it. The company I work for has an annual "bring your child to work" day. When I was working in the office I'd bring my dog in on the weekends or evenings when few people were around.

I guess I should clarify. I would have no problem with either dogs or kids in the office...provided they were controlled by their owners/parents. But the reality is, like ObstinantGirl said, there are always those owners/parents who ruin it for everyone.

One dog might be perfectly well behaved, and sit in its owner's office without bothering anyone all day.

But another dog (say, the CFO's black lab, for instance) might sprint down the hall well ahead of his owner, poking his head into every office he encounters. Or into retail space, where we might be entertaining guests. You know, in theory.;)

And no, I don't work for Burton. I work in the wine business...have for a long time, and the dog thing is pretty common in the business as a whole.

[ScotyUtah]

I work in the wine business...have for a long time,

:drool: I hate you.

[roob]

:drool: I hate you.

I gotta admit...it doesn't suck.

[CrazyTrain]

What about he co-worker who is kind to your face but tracks your every move behind your back? We have one of those - she sat next to a rfriend of mine and apparently would time my friend's breaks and lunches! and would write down when she caught her goofing off on the Internet, etc., then she acttually turned that info into their boss!

My friend soon got her seat changed. I'm now very careful about what I say to that lady.

[ObstinantGirl]

I love animals, but I guess it's the rare situation where I see bringing them to work as appropriate. We've had people (and I'm not kidding) bring pet birds into the office (gah, I hate birds...they're nasty, and I've never fully recovered from Hitchcock's movie), bring dogs where someone would later discovered a doggy poop under their desk...how lovely is that?

I tried bringing my dog to the office (when I was working on a weekend & thought I'd be the only one here) a couple of times, but I have to be honest that I found it more distracting than anything. I kept him leashed the whole time.

I've always wondered about owners of small stores who have their dog/s with them...what about client's who hate animals/dogs? They must lose at least some business because people don't want to shop somewhere that has dogs wandering around & going up to people wanting to be petted. Personally, I don't usually mind. But I know people who do. It's like when we have friends come to visit our house, our black lab ALWAYS wants to be petted (and, yes, sometimes he sticks his nose into people's crotches...I've never figured out how to fully eliminate that behavior :rolleyes: )...so when we know that someone's coming to visit who doesn't like dogs, we put him in another room, or in his cage.

[roob]

I've always wondered about owners of small stores who have their dog/s with them...what about client's who hate animals/dogs? They must lose at least some business because people don't want to shop somewhere that has dogs wandering around & going up to people wanting to be petted. Personally, I don't usually mind. But I know people who do. It's like when we have friends come to visit our house, our black lab ALWAYS wants to be petted (and, yes, sometimes he sticks his nose into people's crotches...I've never figured out how to fully eliminate that behavior :rolleyes: )...so when we know that someone's coming to visit who doesn't like dogs, we put him in another room, or in his cage.

Exactly! Now here is a dog owner who "gets it." Too many dog owners just assume that because they love their pet, then everyone else does, too. The fact remains, though, that there are plenty of people who are scared of dogs, or don't appreciate them, or have had a bad experience. And to foist a dog upon them in a public setting (like work, or retail) is just bad business.

The fact that you go one step further in your own home makes you a model dog owner (we have friends who put their dog away when necessary, too)!

And I would go so far as to say the same goes for parents. I love my two boys, and I let them play rough in my own house (in the appropriate rooms, of course). But not when we're guests in other homes, and not when we are hosting people who may not have kids, or might not appreciate the dull roar my kids create.

[ObstinantGirl]

roob, this is where this discussion comes full circle...it's really all an issue of people being thoughtful and considerate of one another, and taking the time to pay attention to those around them (not just focusing on ourselves). Whether we're talking about neighbors, co-workers, family and friends, or just someone we see in the store, or driving on the road...it's all the same issue, but in our society we're so hyper-focused on selfish pursuits that we tend to very easily forget/deliberately ignore those around us.

[OD-TV]

Speaker phone. Are you kidding me with this? Are you so freaking lazy that you can't pick up a receiver? I just don't understand this. I think this annoys me more than anything else. Especially when someone calls and insists on repeating everything because I can't understand them instead of picking up the phone. Thanks for letting me vent.

[chick110]

First, I need to admit that I am anal. ;) Now that that is out of the way, I need to vent about my newest co-worker. I am part-time where I work, so she feels free to stay at my desk to answer the phones and use all of my notepads and sticky notes, etc, when I am not there. Please note, though, that I did say MY desk--I am the only one using it. She moves my stuff all around--everyday, my trashcan is in the middle of the floor instead of tucked under the desk where I return it every day when I get back to my desk. I have notes from her stickied all over my computer screen PLUS all over my desk. AND she also leaves me these notes on papers. My desk is SUPPOSED to be tidy since I work in the lobby and everyone sees my desk when they enter our building, but thanks to this lady, it is a total mess that I have to spend at least 15 minutes arranging the clutter and putting things back to where they are supposed to go. :mad:

[roob]

roob, this is where this discussion comes full circle...it's really all an issue of people being thoughtful and considerate of one another, and taking the time to pay attention to those around them (not just focusing on ourselves). Whether we're talking about neighbors, co-workers, family and friends, or just someone we see in the store, or driving on the road...it's all the same issue, but in our society we're so hyper-focused on selfish pursuits that we tend to very easily forget/deliberately ignore those around us.

I so agree with you. The issue is that there aren't enough people in the world like you, people who are considerate and thoughtful and actually think about someone other than themselves.

Unfortunately, it only seems to be getting worse.

[zoobabe]

First, I need to admit that I am anal. ;) Now that that is out of the way, I need to vent about my newest co-worker. I am part-time where I work, so she feels free to stay at my desk to answer the phones and use all of my notepads and sticky notes, etc, when I am not there. Please note, though, that I did say MY desk--I am the only one using it. She moves my stuff all around--everyday, my trashcan is in the middle of the floor instead of tucked under the desk where I return it every day when I get back to my desk. I have notes from her stickied all over my computer screen PLUS all over my desk. AND she also leaves me these notes on papers. My desk is SUPPOSED to be tidy since I work in the lobby and everyone sees my desk when they enter our building, but thanks to this lady, it is a total mess that I have to spend at least 15 minutes arranging the clutter and putting things back to where they are supposed to go. :mad:

Ii think that you have to embrace your analness chick. As long as you can admit it, you don't need to change. Just know that others don't need to change for you either. I was just having a discussion with my coworkers today about it. We realize that everyone is anal about something in the building, so we just try and compromise to work around it. We all get along though, but there were times (with other employees) where we didn't. I have a feeling that if you had a kinship with this woman who offends you, you might excuse some of her misgivings.

[Clair]

Since I know your all so worried about me :rolleyes2: I thought I'd let you know that I finally got through the 5-step grieving process (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) regarding my being downsized. :)

[HoneyBunny]

Since I know your all so worried about me :rolleyes2: I thought I'd let you know that I finally got through the 5-step grieving process (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) regarding my being downsized. :)

as a matter of fact, I was thinking about ya...
good to hear your taking the power back
:simplesmile:


hb

[zoobabe]

good for you Clair. Keep on keepin' on.:D

[Clair]

as a matter of fact, I was thinking about ya...
good to hear your taking the power back
:simplesmile:


hb

Aww, really? Thank you.

[Clair]

good for you Clair. Keep on keepin' on.:D

Thanks Zoo. Feels good to be back to my (mostly) old self.

[Pekmboyd]

First, I need to admit that I am anal. ;) Now that that is out of the way, I need to vent about my newest co-worker. I am part-time where I work, so she feels free to stay at my desk to answer the phones and use all of my notepads and sticky notes, etc, when I am not there. Please note, though, that I did say MY desk--I am the only one using it. She moves my stuff all around--everyday, my trashcan is in the middle of the floor instead of tucked under the desk where I return it every day when I get back to my desk. I have notes from her stickied all over my computer screen PLUS all over my desk. AND she also leaves me these notes on papers. My desk is SUPPOSED to be tidy since I work in the lobby and everyone sees my desk when they enter our building, but thanks to this lady, it is a total mess that I have to spend at least 15 minutes arranging the clutter and putting things back to where they are supposed to go. :mad:

Have you tried hiding your sticky notes and notepads when you leave? If she can't find pens or paper to take notes with, maybe she'll find a different desk to take over....

[ObstinantGirl]

chick, do you have the ability to lock any of your desk/file drawers? Not that you should HAVE to do this, but if you took a couple of minutes at the end of each of your 'shifts' to clear off the top of your desk and lock them away it would certainly:

1. Send a clear message which will (if this other woman is at ALL perceptive) let her know "Hands Off!"

2. Even if she's dense and doesn't 'get it', you can avoid being PO'd by your stuff being touched & moved around. If she can't get to it, she can't use it/move it/mess with it.

My other suggestions (and they're not easy to do, I understand):

1. Speak to her directly (or even leave a note if you're not comfortable saying this to her face) and say "I've noticed that you use my desk when I'm not here. I'm finding it difficult when I return to the office, because things have been moved around and so forth...it's distracting for me, and makes it hard for me to get right to work. Can I ask you to please use your own desk and supplies from now on? Thank you SO much!" And if you're so inclined, really lay on the sugar and say things like "I know I'm such a pain, but I'm really anal about my stuff...and staying organized and neat is REALLY challenging for me anyway, so I work hard to keep things that way." Etc.
Also...I find that saying things boldly but with a smile and a little head-tilt of expectation almost always gets a better reaction from people, versus what we're all naturally inclined to do in these situations which is to either be aggressive (stemming from our anger and annoyance over the situation) or to be overly passive and apologetic (sort of shifting from foot-to-foot) which makes the person know that we're fodder for being taken advantage of.

2. If you get nowhere with her, speak to your supervisor and discuss the problem. If you've each got your own work station, there's no good reason for this woman to disrupt yours. And if it's affecting your ability to do your job well, then it's in the company's best interest to nip it in the bud.

[chick110]

I have a feeling that if you had a kinship with this woman who offends you, you might excuse some of her misgivings.

I think this is the major problem. I cannot STAND her!! She laughs too loud, talks too loud, etc. I am the receptionist, so my desk is in the lobby and she will go in someone else's office and have a conversation (or stand right outside their office) nearby my desk while I am trying to listen to a caller on the phone. She already has gotten the clue that I don't really care for her, but I just don't feel right letting her know that I consider her an especially insensitive loudmouth. I've done some passive aggressive things like letting my other co-workers hear how much it annoys me to have everything rearranged at my desk, stuff like that. I probably should talk to her someday soon, but I need to wait until I don't have this burning urge to just slap her silly head off.

[jampony]

Chick... if I didn't know better I'd swear you're the receptionist in my office. She has the same problems. She's in a three-sided cubicle and people will just walk behind her to take things off her desk or out of her drawers without even asking. Or two or more people will stand on opposite sides of her desk and talk above her while she's trying to answer phones. It's crazy. Luckily, we're pretty comfortable with each other (I've known some of my coworkers for over 15 years) so we just tell each other when something is annoying -- "Dude... I'm on the phone! Go to your own office!" or "Touch my stapler again and I'll break your sticky little fingers!" She actually has a sign on her drawer that tells people to put things back exactly where they were found. And somehow that works! :) Well, if none of the suggestions in above posts work for you, you can always put something nasty on your pen and phone when you leave so when she uses them she'll get an icky surprise! :ohmy:

[CrazyTrain]

THe latest... when i'm jammin out to my tunes, headphones on, um... goofing off on the TVG forums, and a co-worker stands behind me. Just stands there. and waits a minute until I realize they're there. Grrrr.

[jenny10girl]

Ok I have one. I work in a rather large office. Every day is either someone's birthday, a bridal shower, a baby shower, etc. There are ALWAYS some sort of party with cakes, cookies, etc. I rarely snack on these things; and I have been even more cautious with my upcoming wedding.

Why does everyone feel the need to try to pawn off a piece of cake on me? I always kindly decline; I'm never rude about.

It drives me crazy not only because I try to watch what I eat, but because then all the larger people complain about how they shouldn't have eaten that, blah blah blah.

Then they have the nerve to ask me how I stay thin....UGH!!!!!!!!

[tati]

Ok I have one. I work in a rather large office. Every day is either someone's birthday, a bridal shower, a baby shower, etc. There are ALWAYS some sort of party with cakes, cookies, etc.

jenny, ur post made me chuckle, very well worded!

the thing that gets me about those b'day/showers/whatever occasions is how the department assistant will usually pass around a card for everyone 2 sign----once in a while is fine, but July & February seem to have a gazillion birthdays so after a while I'm signing the same generic message 'Keep on truckin, [insert name]!' What's worse is half the time i don't even know the b'day/shower/whatever person, not they I. So years from now, while theyre enjoying their golden age & think to look back at these cards, they'll be wondering who the person that asked 'm to keep on trucking was. :confused1:

[jenny10girl]

jenny, ur post made me chuckle, very well worded!

the thing that gets me about those b'day/showers/whatever occasions is how the department assistant will usually pass around a card for everyone 2 sign----once in a while is fine, but July & February seem to have a gazillion birthdays so after a while I'm signing the same generic message 'Keep on truckin, [insert name]!' What's worse is half the time i don't even know the b'day/shower/whatever person, not they I. So years from now, while theyre enjoying their golden age & think to look back at these cards, they'll be wondering who the person that asked 'm to keep on trucking was. :confused1:


...makes me feel better that at least I'm not alone in my frustration... :D

[IndustryMonkey]

How loud my co-workers can get at deadline time and how rude of them can be when you try to ask them a question and yet you're only bothering them so you can get your job done that will benefit them.

Grrrr

That or how the front desk hasn't updated their employee staff phone number extensions in months and half my department is receiving calls for other departments or for former employees that have transferred to another place or company.

[ObstinantGirl]

I had forgotten about this...but at my company (and others I worked at years ago) they always passed around cards AND you were sort of 'expected' to put some $$ into the envelope as well so that a gift/cake could be purchased for the person. And the higher up you were on the corporate ladder (even if it wasn't all THAT high) the more you were expected to give. Well, that could get out of control! I mean, with family and friends alone you can be kept pretty busy (and broke) purchasing cards and gifts...never mind for people you work with and don't CHOOSE to be friends with outside of work! :rolleyes:

I think that at some point most people stopped giving $$, and it got to a point where the envelopes contained like $5.00 and it was best to simply stop the practice altogether because it had become embarrassing! I mean, what are you going to get someone with $5.00, a cookie and some Silly Putty?

[bevo]

a cookie and some Silly Putty

OK, that sounds like a fun and tasty gift :) but I see your point. We pass around the cards to sign, but never an obligation to include money.

Can I just say how much I hate plants all over the office? They attract bugs, people! I get so tired of these tiny little gnats dive-bombing my face and/or computer monitor all the time.

[tati]

Can I just say how much I hate plants all over the office? They attract bugs, people! I get so tired of these tiny little gnats dive-bombing my face and/or computer monitor all the time.

Bevo, do you think those tiny gnats are from plants & not food/lunches that people eat at their desks? we get a lot of those gnats, too, but there are no plants around---i suspect it's from lunches sitting in garbage too long. I have a gazillion plants at home, too, but no gnats.

[bevo]

Bevo, do you think those tiny gnats are from plants & not food/lunches that people eat at their desks? we get a lot of those gnats, too, but there are no plants around---i suspect it's from lunches sitting in garbage too long. I have a gazillion plants at home, too, but no gnats.

No, everyone leaves the office for lunch, so no in-office eating. Maybe the bugs just like me? Gross. I really do think it's the plants. I have no plants at home, and no gnats.

[CrazyTrain]

Dunno if thiswas mentioned...

but 2 days ago, I got a new neighbor at work. Our cubicles are short -waist high when you're standing - so you can see and hear everything.

This co-worker? Sings (when she has her headphones on). Sometimes it's just noises but sometimes it's actual lyrics.

Right now I'm being seranded to Heard it Through the Grapevine.

[ScotyUtah]

Dunno if thiswas mentioned...

but 2 days ago, I got a new neighbor at work. Our cubicles are short -waist high when you're standing - so you can see and hear everything.

This co-worker? Sings (when she has her headphones on). Sometimes it's just noises but sometimes it's actual lyrics.

Right now I'm being seranded to Heard it Through the Grapevine.

The only way to take care of this annoyance is to address it immediately. I had the same problem and finally broke under the pressure. Ask her if she knows what the purpose of head phones are. If she doesn't know the answer, break it down for her. I can't stand that shit. I don't want to hear your music, nor do I want to hear your awful rendition of it in your own voice. Aaaarrgghhh!

[angiemarie]

The only way to take care of this annoyance is to address it immediately. I had the same problem and finally broke under the pressure. Ask her if she knows what the purpose of head phones are. If she doesn't know the answer, break it down for her. I can't stand that shit. I don't want to hear your music, nor do I want to hear your awful rendition of it in your own voice. Aaaarrgghhh!


Scotty's right, deal with it now or it will make you crazy!

[tvaholic]

That's never happened to me at work but it happened at the gym the other day. This lady on the treadmill next to me had headphones on & was singing out loud. I think people believe it's like picking your nose in the car. If you can't see anyone, you think they can't see you. Same with headphones, if you can't hear anyone, you think they can't hear you.

[jampony]

This didn't happen at work, but since we're on the subject of singing and since it just happened the other night, I thought I'd share. I was waiting in the checkout line at Staples and the overhead music was a little louder than it is in most stores. And it was real music (not Musak). The lady behind me started singing along. She was quiet, but since she was standing abnormally close to me (I could even feel my hair move when she pronounced "B"s and "P"s) it was still annoying. I've never had that happen to me before and I didn't have a clue how to handle it. Very odd situation.

Back to the last few posts... maybe those of you who are telling CrazyTrain to nip it in the bud could offer a polite way of doing so. Most of my coworkers are older than me (so I automatically have that whole "respect your elders" thing going on) and quite a few of them are very nice, so I don't know how I would tell them that they're being annoying. There are a few, however, whom I would have no problem telling off! :glare:

[ScotyUtah]

Back to the last few posts... maybe those of you who are telling CrazyTrain to nip it in the bud could offer a polite way of doing so.

It's a respect thing, so go into the topic saying you do whatever you can to respect the comfort of your co-workers. Tell them you you keep music very low or use head phones so as not to disturb the concentration of others working around you. Politely bring up the humming/singing and how it is very distracting because sometimes people are completely unaware of what they are doing. This has to be done one on one because if they keep it up after that, they're saying they don't respect you. That's when you take it to the boss.

[Karo]

We sometimes have food out on the coffee bar for any one who wants it. One of my coworkers will pinch off a bite of a doughnut or cookie and leave the rest. She also sticks her finger in the frosting of cakes. Nasty ass bitch. What makes her think we want to eat something after she's pawed it?

Man, I hate that woman.

[ScotyUtah]

We sometimes have food out on the coffee bar for any one who wants it. One of my coworkers will pinch off a bite of a doughnut or cookie and leave the rest. She also sticks her finger in the frosting of cakes. Nasty ass bitch. What makes her think we want to eat something after she's pawed it?

Man, I hate that woman.

I have experience with this scenario too. People always talked about it behind her back so one day I just said it was rude the second after she did it while everyone was around. If looks could kill, I would've been instant shark chum, but guess what? It fuggin' worked. As you can tell, I have no problem calling people out for shit that ought to be common courtesy. It's funny, when I go back into the office for a week every other month, the people that know me fill me in on someone's annoying habits and inevitably I wait to catch them in the act and call them on it.

[jampony]

It's a respect thing, so go into the topic saying you do whatever you can to respect the comfort of your co-workers. Tell them you you keep music very low or use head phones so as not to disturb the concentration of others working around you. Politely bring up the humming/singing and how it is very distracting because sometimes people are completely unaware of what they are doing. This has to be done one on one because if they keep it up after that, they're saying they don't respect you. That's when you take it to the boss.

Ooooh, scoty, you're good at this! So tell me... how would you tell a coworker that her nether regions smell? And that no amount of FDS is gonna cover it up? And that she's leaving "V"-shaped ass-prints on the toilet?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/JadeScape/Smilies1/smell.gif

[Karo]

It's funny, when I go back into the office for a week every other month, the people that know me fill me in on someone's annoying habits and inevitably I wait to catch them in the act and call them on it.

Hmmmm. Ever come to Texas? I'll spot you lunch!

[Karo]

Ooooh, scoty, you're good at this! So tell me... how would you tell a coworker that her nether regions smell? And that no amount of FDS is gonna cover it up? And that she's leaving "V"-shaped ass-prints on the toilet?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/JadeScape/Smilies1/smell.gif

Oh, Jampony. ICK!

[tvaholic]

I second that, ICK! But it does happen-there are some women out there who need basic hygiene lessons. Nothings grosser than going into a bathroom after someone with smelly nether regions uses it. Gag.

Scoty, I could have used you in my office with a guy that used to work here. One time we had food brought in for lunch, finger food as it were so everyone dug in but the rest of us all only ate what we touched. The Finger Licker had no problem grabbing stuff, after fully sucking on every one of his fingers, & setting it aside to get to what he wanted. Lost my apetite. Especially considering my desk is near the bathrooms & I alomst never heard the faucet run after he used the toilet.

[ScotyUtah]

Ooooh, scoty, you're good at this! So tell me... how would you tell a coworker that her nether regions smell? And that no amount of FDS is gonna cover it up? And that she's leaving "V"-shaped ass-prints on the toilet?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/JadeScape/Smilies1/smell.gif

Easy. Drop a can of this on her desk.

http://img.snlarc.jt.org/arc/com/Ass%20Don't%20Smell.jpg

[ScotyUtah]

Hmmmm. Ever come to Texas? I'll spot you lunch!

I'm getting a business idea here... freelance consultant for telling it like it is.

[tati]

I second that, ICK! But it does happen-there are some women out there who need basic hygiene lessons. Nothings grosser than going into a bathroom after someone with smelly nether regions uses it. Gag.

Jampony & tvaholic---u guys are so right!! i work at a company that has more women than men so there's a lot of restroom traffic---this results in considerably filthy bathrooms, the likes of which i've never seen in a corporate space. What really annoys me is the women who don't properly do a 2nd flush, leaving clear evidence of their deposits---ugh, sorry 2 b so gross, but who wants to see that shit?? they even have permanent signs reminding users to do a 2nd flush as needed---of course it dsn't work, i walk unsuspectingly into nasty stalls all the time!! :eek:

also not a fan of the women who decide to pee acrobatically while swinging from what I imagine must be way up high in the stall so that the pee hits the toilet seat---GRRRRR!! they've actually invented hygenic, paper toilet seat covers for the purpose of actually sitting down 2 do your business & not have 2 christen the place. use 'em, people!! Hard to believe some people still need to be toilet-trained out there!! :mad:

[ScotyUtah]

Jampony & tvaholic---u guys are so right!! i work at a company that has more women than men so there's a lot of restroom traffic---this results in considerably filthy bathrooms, the likes of which i've never seen in a corporate space. What really annoys me is the women who don't properly do a 2nd flush, leaving clear evidence of their deposits---ugh, sorry 2 b so gross, but who wants to see that shit?? they even have permanent signs reminding users to do a 2nd flush as needed---of course it dsn't work, i walk unsuspectingly into nasty stalls all the time!! :eek:

also not a fan of the women who decide to pee acrobatically while swinging from what I imagine must be way up high in the stall so that the pee hits the toilet seat---GRRRRR!! they've actually invented hygenic, paper toilet seat covers for the purpose of actually sitting down 2 do your business & not have 2 christen the place. use 'em, people!! Hard to believe some people still need to be toilet-trained out there!! :mad:

Yeah but have any of your co-workers ever gone "upper deck"? It is both talented and uncalled for at the same time...

[jampony]

Yeah but have any of your co-workers ever gone "upper deck"? It is both talented and uncalled for at the same time...

Quit making me look stuff up! It's too early in the morning to be learning anything.

And, no. No upper decking going on where I work. Squatting on the seats is about the extent of the weirdness that happens in our bathrooms (but that's only when we have training classes for new staff).

In my office the women out number the men, too (20 vs. 3) and I have been known to use the men's bathroom in a pinch... sometimes it's cleaner. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

[tvaholic]

Right now the men outnumber the women in my office, but like I said my office is right by the bathrooms. The guys think it's some kind of badge of honor if they are in there for a length of time and stink it up. They then proceed to spray the hell out of the bathroom but leave the fan off, so this odor of crap mixed with floral scent makes it's way to me.

Scoty-do people really still upper-deck out of high school?

And tati & jampony, as someone (& a female) who has had to clean bathrooms when I worked at bars & restaurants, I totally agree that women can be bigger pigs than men!

[HoneyBunny]

You know those people who seem to know "What happened today in History" or "Today is Snowcone Lovers Day" or some other piece of trivia that you didn't know and wonder how you ever got along in life without knowing it?!
Yea - me neither.

But I do know what today is on the Gasm Calendar so I got dressed up to honor the occasion.

http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.jpg

I got a nice pink knit sock, a little needle and thread and made myself a sock-bunny suit to honor Sock Monkey Day....what do you think?

hb

[tati]

I got a nice pink knit sock, a little needle and thread and made myself a sock-bunny suit to honor Sock Monkey Day....what do you think?

hb

your cutest yet, HB! too innocent to go out on a date with whawha! (whawha's monkey looks like he'd be a bad influence!) ;)

[tati]

Yeah but have any of your co-workers ever gone "upper deck"? It is both talented and uncalled for at the same time...

oh man, gross, i never even heard of this! who came up w/ this idea was ths, that's what i'd like to know! nywys, i guess i shouldn't complain since co-workers don't do that, at least.

Right now the men outnumber the women in my office, but like I said my office is right by the bathrooms. The guys think it's some kind of badge of honor if they are in there for a length of time and stink it up. They then proceed to spray the hell out of the bathroom but leave the fan off, so this odor of crap mixed with floral scent makes it's way to me.

ugh, tv, nothing worse than rose-smelling shit! your office shouldn't sit any1 so close 2 the bathroom, that's inhumane!!


And tati & jampony, as someone (& a female) who has had to clean bathrooms when I worked at bars & restaurants, I totally agree that women can be bigger pigs than men!

thx, TV, i thot it was just me! but i swear it's true, i've often wondered why---i think it has 2 do w/ copious amounts of toilet paper & fem. hygiene products occassionally clogging up or not flushing. ick!!

[ObstinantGirl]

People always talked about it behind her back so one day I just said it was rude the second after she did it while everyone was around.
I do that sort of thing, too. I do it to my mom, too...because she's constantly making around-the-bush cracks to/about people, but if you wait until later to call her on it, she'll say "Oh, that's not what I meant, you took it wrong." So now I just interrupt her and say "We all know what you mean, and where you're heading with this...I don't want to go there. Let's change the subject." When I first started doing it, my family would all go :eek: because confronting her was just not done! But now they're all thrilled, and they occasionally jump on the bandwagon too.

Anyway, regarding toilets? Yeah, women are worse than men. My satellite office used to be in a building where Visiting Nurses also had a space, and they were GROSS! Constantly peeing on the seats & not cleaning it up. Toilet paper all over the floors. Skidmarks and blood (not kidding) on the toilet seats. And yet then they'd wash their hands with like a GALLON of soap, in hot water for about 5 minutes, and then use the paper towels to open the bathroom door as if they were going to catch something from the door handle...and yet they gave NO consideration to the poor soul who was about to go into the stall and sit in their pee/poop/blood. Just disgusting and unclean and nasty. I always glared at them. I hated all of them for that. :mad:

Oh...I currently have a gentleman in my office who I not-so-affectionately call "Eeyore" (sp?). He's constantly whining about one ailment or another. I try to catch myself on the auto "Hi, how are you?" because if you do that with Eeyore, you're stuck for 5-10 minutes listening to his woes. Now I just say "Hi" as I scurry past him and rush to somewhere, anywhere, else.

[tati]

Anyway, regarding toilets? Yeah, women are worse than men. My satellite office used to be in a building where Visiting Nurses also had a space, and they were GROSS! Constantly peeing on the seats & not cleaning it up. Toilet paper all over the floors. Skidmarks and blood (not kidding) on the toilet seats. And yet then they'd wash their hands with like a GALLON of soap, in hot water for about 5 minutes, and then use the paper towels to open the bathroom door as if they were going to catch something from the door handle...and yet they gave NO consideration to the poor soul who was about to go into the stall and sit in their pee/poop/blood. Just disgusting and unclean and nasty. I always glared at them. I hated all of them for that. :mad:

thanks for that, OG, you've just described the exact condition of the ladies' restroom at my office!! It helps to know I'm not alone, that this isn't just a bizarre phenomenon occurring in my part of town or building. We get all of that, too, as well as the 5 minute hand-washing AND the toilet paper to open the door!! For a while, a bunch of paper was piling up by the door---discarded apparently, after the germ-phobe who used it to grip the door handle, would toss it. Someone even posted a sign on the back of the door asking for the tosser to just throw the tissue into the trash after returning to their desks, rather than the floor. Unbelievable that it comes to ths, aren't these supposed grown-ups?? I've considered posting a hand-written asking people to make sure they've left no evidence of their visits, but I doubt that would result in a positive effect of any kind, except for somebody to rip it down in fury. :(

[jenny10girl]

thanks for that, OG, you've just described the exact condition of the ladies' restroom at my office!! It helps to know I'm not alone, that this isn't just a bizarre phenomenon occurring in my part of town or building. We get all of that, too, as well as the 5 minute hand-washing AND the toilet paper to open the door!! For a while, a bunch of paper was piling up by the door---discarded apparently, after the germ-phobe who used it to grip the door handle, would toss it. Someone even posted a sign on the back of the door asking for the tosser to just throw the tissue into the trash after returning to their desks, rather than the floor. Unbelievable that it comes to ths, aren't these supposed grown-ups?? I've considered posting a hand-written asking people to make sure they've left no evidence of their visits, but I doubt that would result in a positive effect of any kind, except for somebody to rip it down in fury. :(

Ok...the ladies room in my office is just as bad, if not worse. Someone actually shit on the floor once. I kid you not. There was actual shit, ON THE FLOOR.

If you post a note in the bathroom, it will just get worse....someone tried that here...right after it was posted, there was a USED maxi pad on the floor. Not wrapped, not hidden. Right there. Ew.

[tvaholic]

Ok...the ladies room in my office is just as bad, if not worse. Someone actually shit on the floor once. I kid you not. There was actual shit, ON THE FLOOR.

If you post a note in the bathroom, it will just get worse....someone tried that here...right after it was posted, there was a USED maxi pad on the floor. Not wrapped, not hidden. Right there. Ew.

Ok, you win the prize, that is just frickin' nasty!

[ScotyUtah]

Ok...the ladies room in my office is just as bad, if not worse. Someone actually shit on the floor once. I kid you not. There was actual shit, ON THE FLOOR.

If you post a note in the bathroom, it will just get worse....someone tried that here...right after it was posted, there was a USED maxi pad on the floor. Not wrapped, not hidden. Right there. Ew.

This thread is degrading fast and it's totally amusing. I'm even considering a thread about work bathrooms being slayed but that's more of a guy thing. I will say that when I was in college, my fraternity would raise cash for parties by cleaning the Patriot Center - where basketball games, concerts, etc. all took place. We made good money cleaning the joint but literally resorted to drawing straws to see which guys had to clean the women's bathrooms. I got stuck with that duty after a Billy Ray Cyrus concert. I'm still scarred to this day. Poop, pee, blood and chewing tobacco. On the terlets, on the floor, in the sinks. Nice!!

[tati]

Ok...the ladies room in my office is just as bad, if not worse. Someone actually shit on the floor once. I kid you not. There was actual shit, ON THE FLOOR.

If you post a note in the bathroom, it will just get worse....someone tried that here...right after it was posted, there was a USED maxi pad on the floor. Not wrapped, not hidden. Right there. Ew.

:scared: :scared: :scared: WTF is the matter w/ people??!!! Jenny, pls tell us that the toilet was clogged, that that's the reason y the poo ended up on the floor??!!! our ladies' room recently suffered such an indignity, where the toilet refused to take anymore fecal abuse & coughed it all up in revenge. I guess with there being so many women in the office, the toilets get clogged up with tampons & all the other stuff? gross. they should ventilate those things better too---nothing like walking into a stall where someone's just taken a dump. I hadda do an about-face the other day.

u're rite abt the Jenny, it will enrage people & result in worse.

[jenny10girl]

:scared: :scared: :scared: WTF is the matter w/ people??!!! Jenny, pls tell us that the toilet was clogged, that that's the reason y the poo ended up on the floor??!!! our ladies' room recently suffered such an indignity, where the toilet refused to take anymore fecal abuse & coughed it all up in revenge. I guess with there being so many women in the office, the toilets get clogged up with tampons & all the other stuff? gross. they should ventilate those things better too---nothing like walking into a stall where someone's just taken a dump. I hadda do an about-face the other day.

u're rite abt the Jenny, it will enrage people & result in worse.

I WISH I could say that it was clogged...but alas, it was not. I guess they were squatting and missed. I cringe any time I have to go in there for fear of what I might find next.

I kick the stall doors open with my foot and peek in with one eye before entering......

[tati]

I WISH I could say that it was clogged...but alas, it was not. I guess they were squatting and missed. I cringe any time I have to go in there for fear of what I might find next.

I kick the stall doors open with my foot and peek in with one eye before entering......

OK, people, let's get one thing straight---studies have shown that actually sitting on a toilet (the way it was intended!) will not make you catch an STD or other such nastiness, UNLESS you have an open wound anyone on your privates, your butt, or legs, etc. (open wound, people!!) this isn't the cooties we're talking about, you can't just get something by touching it!! Enough with this aerial peeing and now, pooing, too?!!? Horrific!! If you don't want to expose yourself to the seat, then put some t.p. on it, or use one of the hygenic paper seat covers---my office has them, yet i still find puddles on the seats. PUDDLES from all the poor-aiming ladies out there. GRRR! :angry: :cursing:

[jenny10girl]

OK, people, let's get one thing straight---studies have shown that actually sitting on a toilet (the way it was intended!) will not make you catch an STD or other such nastiness, UNLESS you have an open wound anyone on your privates, your butt, or legs, etc. (open wound, people!!) this isn't the cooties we're talking about, you can't just get something by touching it!! Enough with this aerial peeing and now, pooing, too?!!? Horrific!! If you don't want to expose yourself to the seat, then put some t.p. on it, or use one of the hygenic paper seat covers---my office has them, yet i still find puddles on the seats. PUDDLES from all the poor-aiming ladies out there. GRRR! :angry: :cursing:

..yes, we have those paper seat covers too. I just don't get it, and I probably never will...

[tvaholic]

I figure if I never caught anything from all the nasty toilets I used while in college, both at house parties & a couple of bars not known for bathroom maintenance, I'm never going to catch anything. I'm all for clean bathrooms, but I save hovering for porta-potties. Yeah, much better to piss all over the seat than risk sitting your ass down on a public toilet! WTF is wrong with people? Crapping on the floor?? I wish there was a vomiting smiley face I could insert here.

One thing I find funny about the ones who use towels to open up the door after using the bathroom-we had one of those here a while back. What she never realized is there are more germs on the phone, her keyboard, & basically any other shared surface in the office than the damn doorknob.

[angiemarie]

Sweet Baby Jesus, these are some terrible stories! :eek:


I work in an office that is about 75% women, and I never have to fear entering the bathrooms. The worst thing I've ever seen is paper towels on the floor because someone missed the trash can. We have an excellent cleaning service, they clean the bathrooms 2-3 times/day, maybe that makes a difference? If a bathroom is spotless when you walk in, you might be less likely to treat it like a truck stop bathroom. Although probably not, some people are just inconsiderate, disgusting pigs.

[tati]

I work in an office that is about 75% women, and I never have to fear entering the bathrooms. The worst thing I've ever seen is paper towels on the floor because someone missed the trash can. We have an excellent cleaning service, they clean the bathrooms 2-3 times/day, maybe that makes a difference? If a bathroom is spotless when you walk in, you might be less likely to treat it like a truck stop bathroom. Although probably not, some people are just inconsiderate, disgusting pigs.

I think it's the latter, angiemarie, some people are just pigs. We have a service that cleans the potties 2x a day, but no amount of cleaning is sufficient to keep up w/ the women who don't know enuf to flush 10 times til that shit goes buh-bye. or those who hover & miss the toilets repeatedly. At least wipe it up. B/c by one person hovering, the next person is forced to hover (so as not to sit on their crap), on & on in a vicious, neverending circle! It's strange b/c this is a professional place, full of corporate and mommy types (I work in educational publishing), so you would never guess it can get this gross. but believe me, it does.

[zoobabe]

WOW!!!:eek: What shitty stories!

I told you guys that the gorillas can look into our bathroom at work, but it's WAY cleaner than those you guys described and I work with all women. Maybe if you clean up shit for a living, you know not to leave shit for someone else to clean up?

Funny appropo story from work today. My coworker was filming a video of one of the female gorillas climbing at the top of the cage, and the big male ran up and threw poo on her. It got on her shirt, calf, elbow and shorts. We laughed HARD!:lol:

[Madam Pomfrey]

:lol: zoobabe, that is so funny!

BTW, last night, my son (9) declared that he wants to be a zoodude. He said he wants to make sure the animals are cared for properly:wub:

I just read this whole thread and I've never been happier to be a stay at home momma.

[HoneyBunny]

Funny appropo story from work today. My coworker was filming a video of one of the female gorillas climbing at the top of the cage, and the big male ran up and threw poo on her. It got on her shirt, calf, elbow and shorts. We laughed HARD!:lol:



There is nothing I like better than a good poo story, but my friend thinks that kind of behavior is barbaric...

http://www.issuck.com/newsskim/monkeyinsuit.jpg




hb

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Exactly! Now here is a dog owner who "gets it." Too many dog owners just assume that because they love their pet, then everyone else does, too. The fact remains, though, that there are plenty of people who are scared of dogs, or don't appreciate them, or have had a bad experience. And to foist a dog upon them in a public setting (like work, or retail) is just bad business.

Sorry to rekindle an old topic - but I was cathing up and saw this. I happen to love animals. HOwever, I am allergic to dogs and cats. I had a boss who brought his dog in all the time and I'd sneeze and cough and get pretty sick. He'd get mad at me for my allergic reactions.

"OH, cut it out the dog isn't even near you." But his fur was everywhere, see, the boss would bring him in on weekends and let him have the run of the place. It go so bad with the eye watering and throat closing that I had to quit.

[Tabby Lavalamp]

I hate when my co-workers wake me from a good, sound sleep.

[angiemarie]

I hate when my co-workers wake me from a good, sound sleep.


Yes, I agree, it's so rude. You should go to their homes and wake them at 3 am, so they know what it feels like. :)

[ObstinantGirl]

What she never realized is there are more germs on the phone, her keyboard, & basically any other shared surface in the office than the damn doorknob.
Exactly. This is also why people shouldn't share keyboards, phones, etc. And I hate it when people come to work really sick & sneeze and cough all over the place. Gee, thanks for coming here just so that you can share your illness and make all of US sick, too :mad:

At Mass yesterday morning when it came time to turn and greet/"Peace" to those aroung you, I grabbed hold of one of my son's hands to keep him from shaking anyone else's hands...because I didn't know if he was suffering from allergies or a cold, but either way he'd been sneezing and wiping his nose, and I'd sure want someone to do the same for me/us! People can be so thoughtless.

Oh...I've got a good one. Lately they've been doing construction on our building, and it's an old building...well, apparently there are mice (lots of them, and they're healthy-looking ones too) that are being uprooted by the work, so they're coming into parts of the building that they used to stay away from. And some of the dolts that I work with keep leaving food sitting around, on their desks, in the kitchen, etc. Gee, do you think that that's going to encourage the mice to stay away, or to keep coming back?

[whawha]

There is nothing I like better than a good poo story, but my friend thinks that kind of behavior is barbaric...

http://www.issuck.com/newsskim/monkeyinsuit.jpg




hb

at least he's wearing a pocket square!

[zoobabe]

There is nothing I like better than a good poo story, but my friend thinks that kind of behavior is barbaric...

http://www.issuck.com/newsskim/monkeyinsuit.jpg




hb

that chimp would probably throw Grey "Poo"pon!:rolleyes2:

[Clair]

that chimp would probably throw Grey "Poo"pon!:rolleyes2:

Perhaps he's on his way to Jury Doody. :D

[zoobabe]

Perhaps he's on his way to Jury Doody. :D

for the Fecals Court?:D

[HoneyBunny]

for the Fecals Court?:D

I would so throw poo at Doug Llewelyn...that hair!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/1/19/250px-Dougllewelyn.jpg



hb

[TinkerbellAPixie]

well, apparently there are mice (lots of them, and they're healthy-looking ones too) that are being uprooted by the work, so they're coming into parts of the building that they used to stay away from.

I'd have to take off work until they were rounded up and relocated.

In our old building we had rats, I didn't know this until after they were removed, from what I was told one fell out of the vent onto the desk of the meanest woman in the office causing her to run out screaming. She didn't come back for 3 days. Everyone would refer to her office as the one with the big rat in it - and no one meant the rodent. :sneaky2:

[JulieM]

Back in the day when I was gainfully employed, I worked with this girl that was a walking germ and she never stayed home. Every little germ she picked up from her daughter, she brought right there to work without fail. She would come to work sick as a dog...sniffling, barfing or with some oozing wound. It was sick. She passed every disease and sickness to everybody. We all actually ended up with Scarlett Fever once time in addition to every cold and flu possible.

I was so happy when we moved into new digs and I got a bona fide office with a door only to have my hopes dashed when she was assigned the cubicle outside my door. One day she walked in and sat at her desk. I noticed that she stuffed a tissue in each nostril but left it hanging there. She ended up leaving them there for an hour and a half. I resisted the urge to jump out of my door and yell BOO. Gawd she was so disgusting.

[angiemarie]

Back in the day when I was gainfully employed, I worked with this girl that was a walking germ and she never stayed home. Every little germ she picked up from her daughter, she brought right there to work without fail. She would come to work sick as a dog...sniffling, barfing or with some oozing wound. It was sick. She passed every disease and sickness to everybody. We all actually ended up with Scarlett Fever once time in addition to every cold and flu possible.

I was so happy when we moved into new digs and I got a bona fide office with a door only to have my hopes dashed when she was assigned the cubicle outside my door. One day she walked in and sat at her desk. I noticed that she stuffed a tissue in each nostril but left it hanging there. She ended up leaving them there for an hour and a half. I resisted the urge to jump out of my door and yell BOO. Gawd she was so disgusting.


:eek: I didn't know people still could get scarlet fever! (The last person I heard of who had scarlet fever was Beth from Little Women.)Why didn't her boss make her stay home until she got a note from her doctor saying she was better? She does sound truly disgusting.

I have to say something about coming to work sick too. I had to go to work earlier this summer for about a week with a terrible summer cold. I was out of vacation time and my company doesn't give sick leave. If a had reported off, I would have had to get a doctor's excuse for my absences. So, I went to work. I did the best I could with avoiding other people, washing my hands constantly, and taking enough anti-cough meds to knock out a horse, and as far as I know, no one else got my cold. So, I just wanted to say sometimes you have no choice but to come to work with an illness, but you should try to be as considerate as possible to your healthy coworkers.

[jampony]

Good point, angie. Where I work, at least half the staff (a lot of single moms) make less than $10 an hour and can't afford to take off work if they're out of sick time. Also, we have this crazy "no fault" attendance policy that penalizes you when you take off no matter what your excuse is (car accident, death in family, the sniffles... it's all the same). After a certain amount of penalties, you get fired. So I can totally see why some people come in when they're sick. And luckily, they've all been trained really well in how to wash their hands (in pre-employment training they do that weird black light thing to see all the ick that's left on their hands after they wash them) and how to avoid contamination.

[tvaholic]

JulieM, I got scarlett fever when I was about 11, & it was miserable! It's very contagious for like the first 48 hours or something & in my case there were obvious & odd syptoms like hearing loss, rash, & a fever, so it's not like this lady could possibly just think it was a cold!

I agree that sometimes it's just not possible to stay home from work & as long as you are mindful of everyone else & do your best to not spread the germs & piss off the "healthy" people that's ok. But I have worked with people who I believe they thought of themselves as some kind of martyr, that they suffer for the better of the company or something. Like the world will not turn if they don't go to work & life cannot go an as normal if they stay home. Not only that but they look down on people who take sick days, like "oh, Jane called in sick today, somthing about her appendix bursting. What a pussy."

[wendy_loohoo]

Ohhhh we have food stealers here too...I forgot about them...yes, they totally annoy me too....!!!

I stopped the food stealers from taking my lunch by putting it in a nice Winnie the Pooh Lunch box! No one in my office has dared to mess with it because it is quite distinctive and they don't want to be caught with their hand where it shouldn't belong. A plain brown paper sack or a generic canvas lunch bag, who is gonna notice if you are not digging through what you brought?

It helps that I have a Pooh coffee mug as well, so it is clear that it is all mine and as I walk down the hall from the kitchen to my cube everyone can see it even if they don't know me, they do know me as the lady with Winnie the Pooh.

[TinkerbellAPixie]

It helps that I have a Pooh coffee mug as well, so it is clear that it is all mine and as I walk down the hall from the kitchen to my cube everyone can see it even if they don't know me, they do know me as the lady with Winnie the Pooh.

As the girl with the Tinkerbell Sandwich tote - I can appreciate that story. :blush:

[ObstinantGirl]

I didn't know people still could get scarlet fever!
My son had it last year when he was 8 years old. He was very sick, and looked like he had a reddish rash on his face and back (hence the name Scarlet Fever)...poor little guy. I was a little stunned when the pediatrician walked into the room, took one looks at him and pronounced "He's got Scarlet Fever!" I'd just thought that he was red and flushed from the fever.

Anyway...yeah, distinctive food storage items don't always work as a deterrent. I almost always put my food into old gift bags that I've accumulated, and oftentimes they're Christmas or birthdays ones :p But that doesn't even slow down the food thiefs that I've worked with...they're shameless.

[CrazyTrain]

What's worse arethe oes who take a bite of your stuff then put it back. :no:

[tati]

What's worse arethe oes who take a bite of your stuff then put it back. :no:

Both lunch-stealing scenes are awful, but i agree, taking a bite out of your stuff is worse! that's horrible, what an utterly rude thing to do!! hard to believe this are grown adults, working in the same place as you. i'd post an angry note thanking the person who took a bite and asking them what they'd like to try next, grrrrr! Of course that wouldn't do any good but perhaps it mite alert others as to some of the unbelieveable stuff that goes on & cause them to keep an eye out? Luckily I haven't fallen victim to this, I usually stick a post-it on my lunch container (not that I think this might deter anyone) but there have certainly been lunch thefts here, with angry victims often posting notes on the office fridge. Outrageous! :mad:

[TinkerbellAPixie]

i'd post an angry note thanking the person who took a bite and asking them what they'd like to try next, grrrrr!

You could send out an email:

"To whoever took a bite out of my lunch, i should warn you, I was just tested positive for (insert contagious illness here) and can not recall if I washed my hands before I made that sandwich"

[angiemarie]

You could send out an email:

"To whoever took a bite out of my lunch, i should warn you, I was just tested positive for (insert contagious illness here) and can not recall if I washed my hands before I made that sandwich"

Good thinking, Tink! Or you could say you suspect the food was infested w/tapeworm eggs and the thief had better be checked before they hatch.

[tati]

Good thinking, Tink! Or you could say you suspect the food was infested w/tapeworm eggs and the thief had better be checked before they hatch.

I love both these ideas & will have to remember it in case a bathroom stinking coworker decides to hit my lunch! :D

[TinkerbellAPixie]

I love both these ideas & will have to remember it in case a bathroom stinking coworker decides to hit my lunch! :D

You should pack a special (x-lax) cookie in with your sandwich. Then wait a few hours and see who is dashing off to the loo - and then you will have your culprit.

[ObstinantGirl]

I often work long days...and when I know in advance that I'm going to be working late I make sure to bring a couple of meals worth of food w/ me so that I'm not starving by 8pm. One night, I went to eat my supper around 9pm, and it wasn't there! The packaging was in the trash.

I sent out a VERY angry email to the whole company, saying something along the lines of:

"To whomever ate my vegetable lazagna:
Gee, thanks so much for eating my supper. While you're now at home surrounded by the conveniences of a full refrigerator and pantry, stove and microwave, I am sitting here at 9pm attempting to work on a very hungry stomach. You see, I had planned ahead and brought my meal. But you clearly had no concern for anyone but yourself when you snatched my meal, heated it up & ate it. I sure hope that you enjoyed it. In the future, you might want to consider thinking and planning ahead for yourself, and being thoughtful enough to realize that eating food from the refrigerator that you know you did not bring leaves someone else (who potentially may not have the time or money to run out to purchase a SECOND meal for themselves) in a bad spot."

The next day, I arrived to a flurry of 'BRAVO!' emails from co-workers, and everyone told me who they thought it was (and they were correct). At the end of the day, he waited until just about everyone else had gone & came over to my desk to fess up and apologize (sort of). He said that he'd just run out to the store and purchased a bunch of frozen dinners for me to use whenever I wanted...they'd be in the freezer waiting for me. I thanked him. About a week later I actually had occasion to use one of the frozen dinners...but they were no longer there! He'd eaten all of them :mad: What a loser. This is the same guy who rode his bike to and from work & would then walk around for hours in his stinky lycra bike shorts/shirt. [/hurl...]

[tati]

I often work long days...and when I know in advance that I'm going to be working late I make sure to bring a couple of meals worth of food w/ me so that I'm not starving by 8pm. One night, I went to eat my supper around 9pm, and it wasn't there! The packaging was in the trash.

I sent out a VERY angry email to the whole company, saying something along the lines of:

"To whomever ate my vegetable lazagna:
Gee, thanks so much for eating my supper. While you're now at home surrounded by the conveniences of a full refrigerator and pantry, stove and microwave, I am sitting here at 9pm attempting to work on a very hungry stomach. You see, I had planned ahead and brought my meal. But you clearly had no concern for anyone but yourself when you snatched my meal, heated it up & ate it. I sure hope that you enjoyed it. In the future, you might want to consider thinking and planning ahead for yourself, and being thoughtful enough to realize that eating food from the refrigerator that you know you did not bring leaves someone else (who potentially may not have the time or money to run out to purchase a SECOND meal for themselves) in a bad spot."

The next day, I arrived to a flurry of 'BRAVO!' emails from co-workers, and everyone told me who they thought it was (and they were correct). At the end of the day, he waited until just about everyone else had gone & came over to my desk to fess up and apologize (sort of). He said that he'd just run out to the store and purchased a bunch of frozen dinners for me to use whenever I wanted...they'd be in the freezer waiting for me. I thanked him. About a week later I actually had occasion to use one of the frozen dinners...but they were no longer there! He'd eaten all of them :mad: What a loser. This is the same guy who rode his bike to and from work & would then walk around for hours in his stinky lycra bike shorts/shirt. [/hurl...]

well you get another BRAVO from me, good for you!!! I'd be mad as hell & I cannot freakin believe the things supposedly grown people do. Funny how your co-workers correctly suspected the culprit, perhaps he's pulled similar shit on them, or they figured he's a slob (stinky lycra shirt, gross) & might do something like that. Did you ask him about the frozen dinners he bought for you? Eh, probably not even worth it, he's clearly a loser like you said, not worth your time. :mad:

[ObstinantGirl]

Yeah, at that point I figured he wasn't worth bothering with. But you can bet that I double & triple wrapped/bagged/padlocked everything I put into the company frig/freezer from that point onward! Fortunately, he left the company not long after that. :clap:

[angiemarie]

Fortunately, he left the company not long after that. :clap:



Did he leave some stinky lycra bicycle shorts for you to remember him? ;)

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Today I had a phone call with some pretty bad news. I couldn't help but start crying and I hate crying at work. I tried to discreetly get up and go to the ladies room to pull myself together. On the way I was stopped by 4 different people with questions about this that or the other thing. There I am trying to keep back sobs, tears coming down my face and people are blocking my path to ask work questions. I was able to blurt out "Give me just a moment and I'll be able to help each of you"

When I finally got to the restroom they all 4 followed me in to ask what was wrong. I know I can tell when someone wants to be left alone. :(

[angiemarie]

Sorry you were upset, Tink. I hope you feel better soon. :flowers:


People crying at work is a dilemna. You don't won't to be insensitive and act like nothing is happening, but you don't want to be nosy if someone doesn't want to talk. Four people following you into the bathroom is ridiculous. They should have sent one person in the bathroom to see if you needed anything. And then left you alone when you didn't want to talk.

[zoobabe]

sorry Tink- I hate to cry at work too. Your coworkers should have left you alone if you were trying to BE alone with you feelings. I hope that everything is alright for you too.:kiss:

[ObstinantGirl]

Today I had a phone call with some pretty bad news.
I'm sorry to hear that, and I hope that everything's okay.

This just happened to me recently, where a co-worker was clearly crying (I saw her walk very quickly into the ladies room with tears streaming down her face, and then later saw her in her office very red-eyed and still weepy). It was so hard to know what to do. I wanted to respect her privacy (we're friendly, but not friends) and didn't want to embarrass her, but I also felt badly that she might be sitting there upset and feeling 'alone' at a vulnerable moment. My heart was aching for her...but in the end I just followed my gut and left her alone. I'm not sure that I'd always do that, but in this case it felt like the right thing to do. I dunno... it's very difficult in those situations to know if someone REALLY wants to be left alone, or if they want a shoulder to cry on.

[tati]

When I finally got to the restroom they all 4 followed me in to ask what was wrong. I know I can tell when someone wants to be left alone. :(

Hi Tink, I'm sorry to hear about your bad news & I am sending you a hug! (dammit, no huggy smiley face when you want one!) I hope you'll be OK in time, sweetie. :sad:

I agree with the previous posters and I think it would have been best for them to have taken a gentle hint by your plea for privacy--- clearly voiced by you saying 'Give me a minute'. Maybe the 4 of them, being ladies, all reacted to their gut instincts as women to want to see if you were OK and to want to offer support? Even then tho it mite have been more considerate if only one of them accompanied you, out of courtesy, if anything & the others left it at that.

These decisions, stemming from an unexpected work situation, are hard to make sometimes --- as OG said in her post, you don't want to appear uncaring by not acknowledging a person's distress, and sometimes you are unable to gauge whether they might welcome some support. But I think in your case, Tink, they really should've offered you the chance to have a few minutes to compose yourself---you asked for it after all, but the co-workers prolly thot they were being helpful.

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Thank you all for your kind words. I really do appreciate it. I know some might think this is just some silly web-site -but I really do feel we all support one another. That's one of the best things about this place, it's not just good for a chuckle but it's also a place to come when you need to unload. If there was a hug emote - I'd hug ya'll right back.

The call was informing me that my sister had her second miscarriage in less than a year. I know how hard she and her husband are trying to have a baby and how heartbroken she was and it just got to me all at once. When I did tell the ladies in the loo what had happened the reaction was "Oh whew, I thought someone had died or been in an accident". I know they meant well and I know it's hard to know what to say to someone at a time like that. But in my eyes - someone DID die. So - if any of you are the praying type - I would definitely welcome your prayers for my sister. She is such a sweetheart and will make a wonderful Mom someday.

[Pattijoretired]

Tink,
People don't really know how to react to a misscarriage. It's had for people to understand unless they have had one or someone close to them has. Some people don't get how you can already be so attached to that child. I had a misscarriage about two years ago. I still find myself upset about it from time to time. I also wonder about that child and what it would be like. My Prayers are with your sister and her husband. Just remember if this happen it was probably for the best. At least for the baby (not the parents). I hate it when people tell me that, but deep down I know they are probably right. I hope your sister and her husband have the family they want someday. I also hope my husband and I do too.
My prayers are with you.

[zoobabe]

that's rough for your sis Tink (and you too Pattijo). Sorry. I hope it will work out for both of you the way you want it to.:angel:

[TinkerbellAPixie]

:flowers: Thanks Patti and Zoo.:flowers:

I really do appreciate all the messages. And Patti - I am adding you to my prayer list. :blush:

[Pattijoretired]

Thanks Tink

[ObstinantGirl]

The call was informing me that my sister had her second miscarriage in less than a year. Oh, I'm so sorry. I've had two myself so I know how that feels and what it's like. It's true that some people just don't know what to say, and say all the wrong things...imagine the stupid stuff that they'll say directly to your sister? I had people say things like "Well, it's probably for the best, it's natures way of dealing with imperfect fetuses." I wanted to haul off and slug them. What a stupid, insensitive thing to say. And, as you say, I didn't view the babies as 'fetuses' I viewed them as my children (children that I had been watching on ultrasounds, children that my husband and I had been listening to the heartbeats of, preparing rooms for, etc).

Anyway, I don't blame you for crying. My own sister was battling cancer a couple of years ago...and I spent plenty of time in my office crying. Fortunately, I had a few lovely women (and men) here at work who really knew just the right things to say and do. It helped tremendously.

BTW, I am a praying person & will add you/your sister/etc to my daily list.

[tati]

I had people say things like "Well, it's probably for the best, it's natures way of dealing with imperfect fetuses." I wanted to haul off and slug them. What a stupid, insensitive thing to say.

That's an incredibly insensitive thing to say!! I'm sorry you had to put up with that, I don't think you'd be faulted for the desire to smack them, I know I would've! I can understand how people may be at a loss to say something appropriate, but in those cases, theyre better off by resorting to a simple, 'I'm sorry for your sad news' and then shutting up after that. That's an awful, (not to mention erroneous?!) thing to say. I'm glad you were able to carry eventually and I hope Pattijo & Tink's sister will be able to someday, too.

[braunie]

Can I just say how much I hate plants all over the office? They attract bugs, people! I get so tired of these tiny little gnats dive-bombing my face and/or computer monitor all the time.


Ahhh, I was trying to think of what to say in this thread, and now I can!! I've been a stay-at-home mom for 6 years, but I used to work for a company called Rentokil (sound that out in your head). My job was to take care of plants in public places, like offices and malls. I hated that job!! People wouldn't give me the time of day because I was just the plant person. And, if they did make eye contact with me, it would be to complain about gnats in the plants. Well, the dumbasses who complained the loudest were also the ones dumping their coffee and pop onto the soil. They were lucky they didn't have worse things than gnats! Then they would blame me for killing the plants. Did I mention how much I hated that job?? And here's a quick tip for gnats on plants-spray the soil with Lysol. Don't spray the leaves, though, just the soil. I know this is an old comment, but I just had to comment!

[braunie]

That's an incredibly insensitive thing to say!! I'm sorry you had to put up with that, I don't think you'd be faulted for the desire to smack them, I know I would've! I can understand how people may be at a loss to say something appropriate, but in those cases, theyre better off by resorting to a simple, 'I'm sorry for your sad news' and then shutting up after that. That's an awful, (not to mention erroneous?!) thing to say. I'm glad you were able to carry eventually and I hope Pattijo & Tink's sister will be able to someday, too.

My previous post sounds so insensitive now! I'm sorry, too, about your sister, Tink. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. It was the hardest thing my husband and I have ever gone through. People just don't know what to say. St. Gerard is the patron saint of motherhood-he helped me a lot during that time. Things are going to work out for her-maybe not the way they had planned, but in a way that was planned. Am I getting too deep? I hope I'm not getting too churchy!

[CrazyTrain]

*hugs* Tink, I'll keep your sister and your family in my prayers. It's so tough to get bad news at work, of all places. :(

Thanks for the Lysol hint, Brauny.
Our gnat problem got so out of hand that live plants were banned. Of course, little by little they've crept back in...

[ObstinantGirl]

Fake plants that aren't cared for are just as bad...the ones in our office and hallway are so dusty that you can't even tell what color they really are! And the ones in the hallway end up being used as trash receptacles. Gross.

Once every couple of years they ask the cleaning people to clean the plants, and the people have to wear DUST MASKS while doing it :scared:

[tati]

My previous post sounds so insensitive now! I'm sorry, too, about your sister, Tink. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. It was the hardest thing my husband and I have ever gone through. People just don't know what to say. St. Gerard is the patron saint of motherhood-he helped me a lot during that time. Things are going to work out for her-maybe not the way they had planned, but in a way that was planned. Am I getting too deep? I hope I'm not getting too churchy!

oh braunie, your previous post doesn't sound insensitive, it's what the thread is about (things we hate about our co-workers, grrrr!) so no worries! Plus, I like the info you gave in both posts re) the plant cleaning, it's awful to hear that anyone would be treated that way & I'm sorry to hear it. We used to have live plants in public areas, such as by the elevator that were properly maintained, incident-free, but our co. decided to get rid of 'm as a cost-saving measure. I enjoy plants so I miss 'em, but not if theyre gonna make extra work or annoyance for others, can live w/o 'm.

Thank you for the saint info, it'll surely help many out there. I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage, sweetie :(

[Pattijoretired]

This isn't really about my co-workers but I thought it should go here because of the bathroom talk. I went into a McDonalds today to go to the bathroom and chain after a job interview out of town. In the McDonalds they didn't have the potty protectors. (you know the things you put over the seat.) I don't understand why they don't have those in all public bathrooms. This really just dosen't make sense. It's kind of like why do all public bathrooms have doors that push open from the outside and pull open from the inside. Don't people understand if they pushed open from the inside you wouldn't have to have a paper towel to open the door, and then people wouldn't throw them on the floor on their way out.
Sorry about my soap box and this post not being about co-workers. Now something about co-workers

I use to work in a school were the employees were all hispanic and when the white girls (me being one) would walk in they would talk about them in Spainish. I always knew when they were talking about me, but never told them I could speak spainish. Then one day they were making fun of how I was teaching the kids to dance to a song for a program for CInco De Mayo. when I tould them they could teach them instead of me if that is the way the felt about it. They said you know what we have been saying about you all this time when we talk in Spainish about you. They were so embrassed.

[zoobabe]

that's sweet Pattijo that you caught them on it! Were you a Spanish teacher? I hate it at the zoo when Spanish-speaking people are throwing things at the animals and then pretending that they don't speak English as an excuse to not understanding why I'm yelling at them (ok not yelling, just talking loudly:D ). number one- the signs are in Sapnish too, and number 2, "No' means "No" in both languages! Sheesh! I will say that the guys that come to do our landscaping of the yards really DON'T speak a lot of English so it's kinda funny how we pantomime to them "no stick fingers in cages. monkeys bite fingers off" b/c we have to unlock the doors to the exhibits to let them into the yards and it involves walking past the animals in their night holding areas.

[TinkerbellAPixie]

it's kinda funny how we pantomime to them "no stick fingers in cages. monkeys bite fingers off"

Can we get a clipgasm of that pantomime?

[Pattijoretired]

that's sweet Pattijo that you caught them on it! Were you a Spanish teacher? .
No I just happen to know spanish from living in Texas all my life. And also the fact that my husband grew up in Brownsville right near Mexico. When I didn't understand what they said I would go home and ask him.

Can we get a clipgasm of that pantomime?

I think that would be a great thing to see.

[zoobabe]

No I just happen to know spanish from living in Texas all my life. And also the fact that my husband grew up in Brownsville right near Mexico. When I didn't understand what they said I would go home and ask him.



I think that would be a great thing to see.

I guess I need to live in TX longer to understand spanish better. I know the food names though.:p

I love our landscaping guys though! They work so hard and are really cute. the one guy looks like he should have been in Menudo.:D I always want to say "gracias" to them instead of thank you, but I don't want them to think I'm being condescending b/c I really don't know Spanish.

[Karo]

I guess I need to live in TX longer to understand spanish better. I know the food names though.:p

Enchilada Suiza. Yum. What more do I need to know? Oh yeah. Chili Relleno. Preferably in a combo plate.

What I don't understand is how large women use public restrooms. The stalls are tiny and the doors always push in. I'm not large and I often have a hard time getting out without falling in the toilet.

[Pattijoretired]

ZB if you say "gracias" to them they might try to talk to you in their language. Then you will be up the creek without a paddle. I understand what they are saying, but I just can't seem to say it all right. That's why I never said anything to those ladies at work, till that one day. It made me mad that they were talking about me for these reasons.
(1) Teaching five year olds how to dance a dance I don't really know.
(2) To Tejano (sp?) music they picked out that I don't really listen to.
(3) Telling me they were going to help when they didn't.
(4) for a holiday that I really care nothing about (because it is a Mexico holiday not an American.).

I really didn't mind helping out it just was a little to much to ask of the two white kindergarten teachers that didn't know what they were doing to do it. We were only doing it because the bilingual teacher's husband was really sick and she couldn't do it she already had to much to do. The next year we refused to do it.

Another thing about it the other teacher and I had said something to our boss about the two white girls teaching them to dance and hoped we did a good enough job. When we practiced in front of the whole school one afternoon she said, "Mrs. B (not putting in the whole last name) and Miss B (not putting in the whole last name) did a real good job teaching the kindergarteners this dance for a bunch of white girls." That really made my co-worker mad.

[Pekmboyd]

What I don't understand is how large women use public restrooms. The stalls are tiny and the doors always push in. I'm not large and I often have a hard time getting out without falling in the toilet.

Amen! Try being 8 months pregnant. I'd have to scoot into a stall and squish myself to the side of the toilet, and the door would scrape by my belly as I closed it.
I had to use the handicap stall if it was available, but if it wasn't, when you're that pregnant you don't have time to wait!

[tvaholic]

Another thing about it the other teacher and I had said something to our boss about the two white girls teaching them to dance and hoped we did a good enough job. When we practiced in front of the whole school one afternoon she said, "Mrs. B (not putting in the whole last name) and Miss B (not putting in the whole last name) did a real good job teaching the kindergarteners this dance for a bunch of white girls." That really made my co-worker mad.

Wow, talk about your reverse racism!

On the same type of subject, one of my contacts thru work is Hispanic, & her problem is her coworkers give all phone calls to her where it sounds like the caller has an accent. (In our field we talk to people from all over the world, Japan, Germany, etc.) She's like hello! I speak Spanish, that doesn't mean I know Japanese too!

[zoobabe]

Wow, talk about your reverse racism!

On the same type of subject, one of my contacts thru work is Hispanic, & her problem is her coworkers give all phone calls to her where it sounds like the caller has an accent. (In our field we talk to people from all over the world, Japan, Germany, etc.) She's like hello! I speak Spanish, that doesn't mean I know Japanese too!

that's hilarious (in an idotic way)! Much like talking louder to a foreigner.:D

When I worked at an amusement park, a German teenager got seperated from his tour group from Oberlin College. He came to us (in Guest Services) to ask for help, but the only English he knew was "Oberlin College". I watched in horror as my coworker repeated her questions with increasing volume until I couldn't take it anymore and said "He's German-not deaf"! Went with the old tried and true pantomime trick until we found a supervisor to help him locate his group.:)

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Went with the old tried and true pantomime trick until we found a supervisor to help him locate his group.:)

ZB - You keep teasing us with talk of your pantomime talents - I say pony up and show us a clipgasm! :p

[zoobabe]

ZB - You keep teasing us with talk of your pantomime talents - I say pony up and show us a clipgasm! :p

it's just like charades, but only one person speaks English!:p

I'd show you but I have no video camera or even a decent digital camera. My boss took the gorilla pic that I won the BB contest with 'cuz my camera is crappy.

[TinkerbellAPixie]

This girl I work with was sick last week - and she walked around the office sort of "woe is me'ing" herself all over the place telling everyone how sick she was. She was coughing up a storm and sneezing like mad and never once covered her damn mouth.:huh:

Yesterday when we were told we could leave early she made it out like "thank God, because I don't think I could stay another minute". But then she said something about what a shame it was that she had so much unused sick leave and now it was all going to be lost. :blink:

Why come in on the quietest week of the year and cough all over us poor saps who HAVE to be there? :sneaky:

Grrrr :glare:

[photochild]

This girl I work with was sick last week - and she walked around the office sort of "woe is me'ing" herself all over the place telling everyone how sick she was. She was coughing up a storm and sneezing like mad and never once covered her damn mouth.:huh:

Yesterday when we were told we could leave early she made it out like "thank God, because I don't think I could stay another minute". But then she said something about what a shame it was that she had so much unused sick leave and now it was all going to be lost. :blink:

Why come in on the quietest week of the year and cough all over us poor saps who HAVE to be there? :sneaky:

Grrrr :glare:

I hate when people come to the office sick. Luckily it doesn't really happen in my office of 5 (at most). Unless there's some crazy important meeting or something I won't go in if I'm coughing up lungs and stuff.

As for this thread, luckily I don't have much problem with anyone who works in my office. However there are people who work in other offices in the country for my company, and there is one woman who REFUSES to leave voice mail or any message, and will call every five minutes. Drives me mad. I now screen calls, since answering the phone isn't really one of my official job duties, I just do it because I'm the only one who is consistently in the office.

[zoobabe]

if you come in sick to my job, you HAVE to wear a mask all day so you don't infect the apes. Actually (and sadly) one of the male bonobos at the Columbus Zoo died last week from pneumonia. He was only 15 and they don't know how he contracted it, but although all of them were sick- he was the only one to succumb to it. It made me cry b/c I was just there picking up our girls and he was my fave one.:crying:

[TinkerbellAPixie]

Aww zoobabe - that's so sad. :(

[Clair]

This girl I work with was sick last week - and she walked around the office sort of "woe is me'ing" herself all over the place telling everyone how sick she was. She was coughing up a storm and sneezing like mad and never once covered her damn mouth.:huh:


I used to work with a martyr. She'd bitch and moan and complain and then if you tried to help her, she'd sigh and say, "No that's okay, I'll just do it," then bitch and moan and complain about it some more.

[t-bag]

I used to work with a martyr. She'd bitch and moan and complain and then if you tried to help her, she'd sigh and say, "No that's okay, I'll just do it," then bitch and moan and complain about it some more.

I think I dated that girl.

[Clair]

I think I dated that girl.

If she was the most unhappy person you'd ever met, then it's probably her.

[jampony]

I think I dated that girl.

Well, you must not have been getting the job done and she had to take matters into her own hands. I'd bitch and moan about that, too.

[megz912]

i've got the worst one-upper at my job. but actually she's more of a one-downer, always needs to bring happy conversations down for the count. for instance, last week the office was dead and she was the only one here that was near me to talk to. i go to tell her about my christmas and before i can start she tells me her next door neighbor was hit by a car. how could i continue to tell her about my happy christmas? i then tell her how i was helping my dad put together a golf bag organizer stand for the garage and he dropped it on my foot. (yes it hurt and still does today). what does she say in return "oh man, i know how you feel. i opened my son's present last night and i got a paper cut." yes, that's exactly the same pain! she's just horrendous.

[photochild]

i've got the worst one-upper at my job. but actually she's more of a one-downer, always needs to bring happy conversations down for the count. for instance, last week the office was dead and she was the only one here that was near me to talk to. i go to tell her about my christmas and before i can start she tells me her next door neighbor was hit by a car. how could i continue to tell her about my happy christmas? i then tell her how i was helping my dad put together a golf bag organizer stand for the garage and he dropped it on my foot. (yes it hurt and still does today). what does she say in return "oh man, i know how you feel. i opened my son's present last night and i got a paper cut." yes, that's exactly the same pain! she's just horrendous.

That reminds me of an old friend I had. We went as a group on a ski trip a few years back, and one of my friends came down with an awful case of bronchitis (not to mention cramping), my other friend told her to stop feeling sorry for herself, because she stubbed her toe and apparently that was worse.

[t-bag]

That reminds me of an old friend I had. We went as a group on a ski trip a few years back, and one of my friends came down with an awful case of bronchitis (not to mention cramping), my other friend told her to stop feeling sorry for herself, because she stubbed her toe and apparently that was worse.

You think THAT'S bad? I've got the worst coworker of all!

...Someone had to do it.

[Jinger]

I work with one of the most annoying people on the planet. Or maybe it's just such a small company that I don't have any buffers...whatever.

She sings all fuckin day long - loud! And not even the right words, just kinda whatever she wants to sing and it's at the top of her lungs so there is nothing I can do. And she is the thermostat Nazi and keeps it on like 78 ALL DAY LONG. If I ask for a breather she lets it go down to 70 for about 2 minutes before she is complaining that she is freezing. I know some people are generally cold but she wears SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS EVERY DAY!! And she has 2 jackets on the back of her chair that she won't put on. And she asks me to grab her lunch every single day but is way high maintenance about it like if I am getting mexican I have to order hers with only "orange cheese, none of that white cheese".

I could go on, but even reading this back I am just not capturing her true annoyingness.....is that even a word!?! ugh, she is buggin!

[Karo]

I have a coworker who annoys me by breathing. Seriously. I wish she would just stop.

[Lizardqueen]

I work with one of the most annoying people on the planet. Or maybe it's just such a small company that I don't have any buffers...whatever.

She sings all fuckin day long - loud! And not even the right words, just kinda whatever she wants to sing and it's at the top of her lungs so there is nothing I can do. And she is the thermostat Nazi and keeps it on like 78 ALL DAY LONG. If I ask for a breather she lets it go down to 70 for about 2 minutes before she is complaining that she is freezing. I know some people are generally cold but she wears SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS EVERY DAY!! And she has 2 jackets on the back of her chair that she won't put on. And she asks me to grab her lunch every single day but is way high maintenance about it like if I am getting mexican I have to order hers with only "orange cheese, none of that white cheese".

I could go on, but even reading this back I am just not capturing her true annoyingness.....is that even a word!?! ugh, she is buggin!


Say "No" to this person. Like drugs, only easier, just say no. "Sorry, no I can't get your orange cheese covered enchilada today Gladys." We must put our collective feet down with this type of parasite. They must be stopped. Singing thermostat nazis and the rest (the whistler, the whiner, the backstabber, the ass kisser...)

[TinkerbellAPixie]

What about those people who like to hang out at your cube chatting away and don't take all the clues that you are busy. I mean today I even picked up the phone and made a call and the woman STILL stood there and picked up her chatting the moment I hung up.

[Pattijoretired]

What about those people who like to hang out at your cube chatting away and don't take all the clues that you are busy. I mean today I even picked up the phone and made a call and the woman STILL stood there and picked up her chatting the moment I hung up.

Does this mean I should get rid of my Hubby he never gets the hint. I hint and hint for things and I never get them. I also come out and say what I want and never get them.

I hate people who do that, why don't they just leave.

[susanarosa]

I don't know if this has been covered, but anyone else have a co-worker who carries on loud conversations in a foreign language? I have no problem with her speaking her native language, but must it be so loud too?

It's not even like I can eavesdrop...