Ugh open floor plan office style bummin' me out
There are nice points about workin' where I do, but the open floor plan really crushes me.
For a while I had it against cube farms... now I realize, luxury! Now i'm in a big open office with three other workstations on the long desk I sit at. If I sneeze everybody knows... come in late or leave early or take five minutes extra lunch... have personal calls or even just browse the Cellar to try to get my mind at ease, everybody knows.
My manager has an office and the door's open and he can look directly at me any time. It freaks me out, coming from the narcissist, because the narcissist was always constantly judging. People aren't constantly judging here, but the instinctive gut reaction still kicks in, and I'm left anxious at the end of every day.
Half the office knows when I take a shit and how long it took! But they say a lot of tech offices have gone to this approach... I can't imagine being a programmer in an office like this. Every second there's an interruption.
Y'all have to deal with any of this?
That would drive me mental.
Buy a bucket truck and a chain saw. No one will get within 100 feet of ya.
I'm against it. i don't like being watched over when I work. I complain about not having a window in my office, but it's better than what you describe. The salesmen here share a galley style office with two rows of divided desks, and the noise and distraction are counterproductive.
I don't like how our showroom is set up like a restaurant either. I don't think it's conducive to speaking about financial arrangements or credit reports. There should be offices ringing the place like it used to be, where the salesman could have his computer and phone, and a welcoming place for a guest to sit. As it is, they are constantly having to go to the desk or their office for this and that, leaving the customer alone to cool off.
Why are open floor plans a thing even?
Company has to hire less snipers that way. ;)
About 25-30 people in my office, there are short walls demarking where your desk ends and your neighbor begins, but they are shorter than a monitor, below shoulder height sitting down. They are paired so I am sitting face to face with the guy opposite me.
I am lucky in that I can escape and go the labs and have more privacy and see different walls.
Nobody likes it, some are loud talkers on the phone, people chat etc.
No way could I work like that.
I pretty much have my own office. With no windows. Right next to the garbage chute. I think I would hate open plan, but I dream of breathing occasionally. That stuff is really rank now it's warmed up, and the fug from it seems to settle in my lair.
[COLOR="PaleTurquoise"]Should probably go back to chucking the hobo corpses down the basement stairs[/COLOR]
To me, this situation is so usual. It's not nearly ideal, but you necessarily have to deal with it.
It kinda sucks sometimes.
Yeah. I'm going from a private office to a shared office next month. The firm is going to more of an open office floor plan. I don't have any details yet because they are being secretive about it. That alone tells you they know it will be unpopular.
They know it's going to suck for you. As lawyers will do, they'll file motions to put off telling the suckiness as long as possible. ;)
You can try putting some tape on the floor ...
[YOUTUBE]SkP9DKnOgn0[/YOUTUBE]
Box of tissues, cough drops and a shawl, then practice sneezing and coughing. Eyebrow pencil spots a effective too.
About 25-30 people in my office, there are short walls demarking where your desk ends and your neighbor begins, but they are shorter than a monitor, below shoulder height sitting down. They are paired so I am sitting face to face with the guy opposite me.
I am lucky in that I can escape and go the labs and have more privacy and see different walls.
Nobody likes it, some are loud talkers on the phone, people chat etc.
Mine is like this, but the demarcation walls are taller. You can look over them but you'd have to sit quite straight up and lift your head. I would hate it to be fully open plan without those dividers.
Yeah. I'm going from a private office to a shared office next month.
I had to make this change a couple months ago. I'm still learning how to be productive again.
Mr. Clod's office has been like this for probably 10 years, across different companies, so it's definitely the growing trend. He's on very chill terms with his current boss, who has admitted that years of management studies nationwide have concluded that workers are vastly more productive this way. No one likes it, but they all get over it. It's like when the RIAA started going after Napster et. al. and everyone screamed that it would never work and would kill the music industry etc... And now everyone just buys their MP3s and doesn't think twice about it. Sometimes everyone hates a thing but it's still the most effective choice.
Part of the deal is having "private conversation" booths available for when they're needed, but most companies have figured out that people just take their cellphones outside when that happens. The other part is simply workers figuring out that no one is judging, or even really paying attention, lest they be judged themselves. Absolutely no one is thinking about shit coming out of your body, or the speed at which it does so. If anything, the guy with the boldness to just do what he needs is appreciated because it gives everyone else permission and precedent. Like when a parent sees another with a screaming kid, their first thought is, "thank god, it happens to other people too."
his current boss, who has admitted that years of management studies nationwide have concluded that workers are vastly more productive this way
Rrrrrrright; so if the bosses also participate in the open floor plan, and sit out in plain view with everyone else, it's fine, otherwise we know it's the standard elitist hypocrisy. Why shouldn't THEIR productivity rise too?
We had to have an open door policy instigated to force my then cow-orker now minion to put her phucking fone away. Didn't work. Turns out she texts mindlessly like some pick their nose. Problem is, she phucks up her work because she's not paying full attention to it. Open office door made no difference though, because she wasn't paying attention. Her position was eliminated before she could be fired tho', so then she became my p/t minion ...and so my problem :( whinewhinewhine. But the point being, the open door didn't help. Our bosses propped htheiris door open too, though. it wasn't an elitist thing.
In my private office, I keep the door open all the time unless I'm meeting with someone about a sensitive topic. Those a rare. Having walls and an open door is just fine by me.
But having no walls between me and my cow orker in a small office probably will not be when I'm thrown into that situation in a couple weeks. How will I make phone calls? Even work ones? I can turn my monitor so I can still Cellar, but she's going to clearly hear my side of every phone conversation. And I'll hear hers. Ugh.
For the past decade or so have always worked in a large clinic workroom with computer stations every couple of feet, no divisions. In WV we shared with a bunch of GI people who put up a big sign labeling the workroom 'The Poop Deck'. One of the profs had a voice like a foghorn - annoying, but he could also be entertaining. People doing clinic work are either with a patient or with each other. I suppose it may explain why I hyperfocus, but it doesn't bug me.
I hate it. The guy to my right falls asleep, picks his nose, face, etc. It's distracting and disgusting. Only one guy in an office of hundreds has an office, so all the higher ups are in the same situation. I like the semblance of some privacy. If I want to eat at my desk and food falls out of my mouth, it's not just me seeing it.
I prefer cubes regardless of all the cube farm jokes.
Rrrrrrright; so if the bosses also participate in the open floor plan, and sit out in plain view with everyone else, it's fine, otherwise we know it's the standard elitist hypocrisy. Why shouldn't THEIR productivity rise too?
Oh no doubt, the managers in his company do it too. Literally no one has an office, as far as I know.
Pretty much every office I've worked in has been open plan - I can only think of one which wasn't. And even then, it had the monitor sized dividers described. Everyone else used them for important phone numbers/ work info etc. I used mine for postcards or works of art I particularly liked, cartoons cut from Private Eye and a different poem every month.
Open plan offices were worse when it was legal to smoke at your desk.
I sat opposite a chain-smoker for about six months - it was hell.
That and sitting next to a woman planning her wedding. Hmmm, wonder why I left that job?
(actually it was because I got a better paid one closer to home, but I was only looking because of the work environment)
I'm in the waiting room. Not only in view of my cow orkers, but all the patients, as well
Oh no doubt, the managers in his company do it too. Literally no one has an office, as far as I know.
Only a couple of very senior people in engineering have offices, and then they are glass walled, so you can still see, it just stops you overhearing them.
I once worked in an open plan office that was far too big for the number of people occupying it.
The manager created his own little space in one corner by surrounding his domain with several tall acoustic screens with a hessian type fabric finish.
It was known, and not without good reason, as the 'padded cell'.
I just saw plans for my new space. Ugh. It's worse than I thought, but not as bad as it could be. I'm losing my privacy. I'll be losing about 2/3 of the square footage that I had. Losing my guest chair. I'm losing about the equivalent of 25 boxes worth of file storage space.
What I'll have: An L shaped desk with 2 shallow drawers and 1 deep drawer, a narrow set of shelves, a solid wall behind me and a solid wall to one side, an open space in front of me above the little ledge above my desk, and a glass partial partition wall to the other side. It's a cozy 4 person office with the desks pointed towards the center of the room and the cow orker backs to the solid walls. That's the one saving grace. Nobody can see my computer screen, even if everyone can see me. Absolutely no sound isolation.
develop an annoying vocal tic, you'll soon get sound isolation?
glatt, you've reached third base. It's an achievement but you can't go back so the only option is home. Unless you get caught off base, whether you score or not is mostly dependent on others. Good luck. :thumb:
Welcome to the
Panopticon!
Update, I've discovered it's not the open floorplan, it's me!
I'm depressed wherever I work, I just look to blame various things so that I can externalize it.
Er, I don't expect any kind of response to that. It is true but sometimes you just gotta howl somewhere and this was the place to do it this time.
Well if you have to howl, be courteous and do it in the garage, or the Cellar.
Blaming it on work would seem logical, when you lose the ability to blame your lodgings, or significant other.
My office mate put in her notice today, sorry to see her g.... I've got the place to mah self!
Update, I've discovered it's not the open floorplan, it's me!
I'm depressed wherever I work, I just look to blame various things so that I can externalize it.
Well, this gives me pause. I was really hoping my soul crushing depression was born out of being broke and unemployed, and would lift when I found work.
You're scaring the passengers.
No, it won't automatically lift, but sure makes it a hell of a lot easier to fight.
Just saw an artist's rendering of my new "office." That will be me over on the left, as seen from the desk of one of the other people in this 4 person room.
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I completely lose my privacy, but at least my back is to a wall. Friday was my 25 year anniversary at this place. I've had a private office for 22 of those years. Not huge, but 10' by 12'. Decent size. No windows.
At least I have a job, right? That's what people are saying these days.
12.5" sit on glass divider? Sounds painful. :(
This is where you post cute family photos, children's drawings, humorous signs, all up and down the glass until they can't see you anymore.
This is where you post cute family photos, children's drawings, humorous signs, all up and down the glass until they can't see you anymore.
A row of bushy houseplants along the desk should help square things away.
The broken glass thing is awesome. I'm sorry now that I won't be there on April Fools yet.
Plus. strategically placed motivational messages on stiff card could increase the height by about 6 inches
Nice, something about how awesome open floor plans are.
How open floor plans spur creativity. ;)
You should devise a clip on roll up window that you could roll up when you want privacy. Maybe get one of those suction cup mounted shades for those hang over mornings.
A giant white board with a bunch of flow chart nonsense on it that people will be too embarrassed to ask about.
Benefits:
1. You no longer need to wonder about your cow orkers' work ethics and if they really work harder/better/faster/more efficiently than you.
2. erm
Start wearing a sombrero and just tilt your head when you want privacy.
Use chalk markers to create a points chart on the glass partition with one column for each cow orker. Add points at random without saying anything.
There's a solution you probably used when you were much younger and have since forgot about. You'll need a blanket and a flashlight...
Not everyone likes cubicles either...
I've been in this shared office of four for two weeks at this point.
I can say, without hesitation, that I"m interrupted far more often than I was. People stop by to chat with us, and we chat with one another. It goes in fits and spurts, but the natural flow of things is that when you are pushing through a short project, and you get through, then you want to relax a little and chat for a while. But maybe the other person isn't at the same point in their work flow. No matter! They can just pause what they are doing and be social for a while. And of course, the reverse is true too. You can pause and chat politely too, even if you are in the middle of something.
We've been focused a lot on punch list items related to moving in to the space in general. Not just this office, but other rooms. So I don't have a sense of how well the normal business is getting done because we are already distracted by that.
Here's a selfie while my cow orkers are focused.
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Could be much worse. Nobody can see what's on my computer screen. And I went from a single 19 inch monitor to dual 22 inch ones.
It's Jake from State Farm!
I have an office with a door, and somedays, I can't get 5 minutes in a row without someone needing something. Really annoying if I'm drilled down into layers of formulae in excel. Or trying to put together a funding package for a complex deal.... But mostly, it makes the day go by faster. Have you noticed that effect yet? I've read that productivity increases when work is done in 50 minute spurts with 10 minute breaks between.
And how are you adjusting to this at this point, Tony? Is it getting better or worse?
He can't practice the bass in the office anymore. :lol:
It's still killing me. But whaddya gonna do? I'm trying to adapt in different ways. I take fake bathroom breaks with my phone and stuff.
Ah. I was hoping your lack of recent posts was a function of your acclimation to the situation.
Is this the Worst part of your job?
I'd say the worst part is where a third of the staff was fired, or in one case, quit, and after that having my job title be amongst those advertised, with a team meeting of reassurance but not too much communication after that, that would probably be the worst part.
Well! I guess that floor plan isn't so bad after all!
Ugh. Sorry dude. I was truly stoked for you when you got this job. You seemed very happy.
There has obviously been a change of heart... And that had to have been as a result of things or people I have either missed on here, or you have not cared to share.
Are you the only one that holds the job title they've advertised? Are you legit concerned about being made available to the industry?
90% of me says: if they weren't all happy with what I'm doing for them, I should have been out as well; I think they're happy with what I do, and it makes sense to have two of what I am in this office, and they're not going to find another me anyway.
10% of me says: don't feel comfortable? ~##~*fiztz* panic ~# abort^~#
...because i feel like a beat dog; because i'm facing daily anxiety again after being off the meds for 4 years; and to go from the narcissist to public workstation #1 is still a very jarring feeling.
the job market for people like me is very cyclical and right now it is in the up cycle. in theory, i have nothing to worry about. although i have thought that before and been wrong. hence the worry
Well, you're not alone. I worry at times, and I've been here 12 years. Insecurity is a good motivator.
It's good that you have a marketable skill. There's job security and there's industry security. If I ever got launched, I figure I could have a job lined up in hours. Every day you work there adds to your resume. Don't panic. Maybe you'll be the boss of the new guy and get a raise.
I believe in you!
If you're doing the best you can, and they're not happy, there's nothing you can do about it because you did the best you could. If you're not sure you're doing what they want, you can asked your boss, even if it's in a round about way, if he's happy with the direction you're going.
Jesus Jim, 12 years, really? Damn, seems like yesteryear.
Well, august 9th will be 12. I think I'm 5th in seniority in the front end. I figured I'd be here 2 or 3 years. It's a rare gig, though, and it has been the only constant through some tumultuous times. I appreciate my fortune in having this job, but if it ever should end, I know I'll get by. I'd like to progress to higher levels, but I'd have to do that by leaving here. There are only 2 jobs above mine, and neither of the current positions are in any danger of being vacated. I would most likely also take a pay cut. I guess I'm stuck here happily for now. After June of 2018, things will change for me financially. I may be willing to take that pay cut at that point.
And you get super cheap bikes there. :D
Sorry Toad, Have you gone back to your doc or looked into CBT?
My first office mate is a fail. New hire coming soon. I really have trouble being balanced socially at work, I'd rather do my job and get out. Sharing an office is just weird for me. Oh well I guess I'll go heavy on the ear buds. No way could I do that open office thing... Maybe a big red flag for when you can't be pestered.
well i just stayed home after lunch with an anxiety attack.
dammit
I'm sorry UT.
How long has it been since you've had one?
Do you think it might have anything to do with the show you're performing or is it strictly work?
Well they have been creeping up for the last two months. Little things happen, like waking up with my heart racing... driving down the road and suddenly having just terrible ridiculous thoughts about whether they love me or hate me at work... wondering whether another ruin is just around the corner...
It's work, except for the percent that is my own panicky brain trying to undermine me. Like, when I told them I wasn't coming back in today, I felt way better in five minutes.
I'm putting all the blame on the open floor plan, because that is a huge part of it. It's not just the plan. It's that I sit with my back to my boss's office. Like, my monitors are the first thing he sees when he walks out his office door.
I'll never do that again.
It's that I sit with my back to my boss's office. Like, my monitors are the first thing he sees when he walks out his office door.
Ugh. :thepain:
I'd be grinding my teeth at night. Seriously. It would get to me.
We've got a diabetic on our staff. He takes multiple insulin shots each day. Needs to do them at different parts of his body to move the needle wound around, so sometimes he will pull his pants down and do it in his thigh.
Anyway, he has bad habits with his health. He smokes, and sometimes doesn't do the shots, or doesn't manage his food properly. We've had to call 911 a couple times over the years for him.
He's being put into a shared open office space in a couple of months when his floor is renovated. There's a sick/nursing room that he can use to do his shots, but it will be on a different floor.
This guy already has bad habits. Is it such a good idea to be placing additional burdens in the way of him being able to do the shots? What if a mom is nursing on her lunch break when he needs to get an insulin shot so he can have some lunch? The answer: he won't get the shot then. Maybe he'll do it later, or maybe he'll forget.
The big boss doesn't care. Sick room is provided.
It's amazing the culture that is taking over in the economy. The middle class is dying off.
Yet you know if it wasn't that, it would be something else triggering you.
As for work, if you do the best you can and it doesn't work out, you'll know it was out of your control.
In the mean time keep an eye out for another opportunity where you can work from home or they stick you in a remote equipment room.
If you want to get rich too, a handsome young lad like yourself, should start a religion. The Tax Deductible House of Toad.
If you feel inadequate or that you are likely to be "found out" at work, you're probably not alone. It's part of a phenomenon called the "impostor syndrome" and it's very common, writes journalist Oliver Burkeman.
Interesting observation.
But the truth is you're far from the only sufferer. I have discovered the impostor phenomenon lurking in the minds of authors, artists, musicians, businesspeople - even a brain surgeon.
"Part of you knows you're not as good as you're pretending to be," says Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon and author of the memoir Do No Harm.
"But you have to come across as being relatively competent and confident."
It's that I sit with my back to my boss's office. Like, my monitors are the first thing he sees when he walks out his office door.
No, no no no NO fucking way. I can't sit with my back to anything like that - anywhere. Totally freaks me out.
Any option on alternatives?
OMFG this is too funny.
I just got an email sent to a hidden distribution list from our top HR person
Please join us for a live training session on Thursday, May 19, 2016, 12:00 - 1:30pm on Managing Change. The only thing constant is change: change of work processes, a new co-worker, a new team, a new manager, a new workspace or environment, and workplace change management is a process for helping employees adapt to a changing work environment. You will discover ways to accept and deal more effectively with changes while moving forward in a positive and productive manner. Join us as we learn ways to:
• Identify a range of changes that impact the workplace
• Understand the stages of change
• Recognize common reactions to change
• Learn strategies for managing change
• Develop a personal action plan for moving through change
Of course I have to attend. They will be keeping track of who attends. I just need to work on some brown nosing statements I can throw in there. This is review time after all.
My cow orkers and I got a good belly laugh when this email popped up.
It's that I sit with my back to my boss's office. Like, my monitors are the first thing he sees when he walks out his office door.
No, no no no NO fucking way. I can't sit with my back to anything like that - anywhere. Totally freaks me out.
Any option on alternatives?
Has it been almost a year on this thread?
I complained about where I sit in the office, and they did something about it. They changed the job listing for my position. They added "Must be comfortable in a small office environment."
~
Yeah and the other thing about the open plan... one cow orker came in blatantly sick three weeks ago, and
by now all nine people in the office have been sick. I don't think my thing came from him, I think it came from another vector, but several people have gotten it from him no doubt.
getting the sick person to wear it is the catch...
Snot Science, tells you how far a sneeze will get you.
[YOUTUBE]ARCoKoy_BRE[/YOUTUBE]
Don't listen to the whiners, pack 'em in for the bottom line. :haha:
Still sharing an office... maybe Trump will deport her.
Has it been almost a year on this thread?
Just
ran across this article, posted the same day as the quoted post.
We’re 15% less productive, we have immense trouble concentrating and we’re twice as likely to get sick in open working spaces
Tough day today. I'm pretty sure those were stomach pains. I told them they were stomach pains.
Been okay since then
I'm fully capable of making myself sick, and that's what goes on.
Maybe it's time to get back to the doc... or the gun shop open floor plans are useful in a spree. Seriously though, don't let this drag on.
You know that myth about the frog that sits in a pot of water that is being brought to a boil?
This pot is getting kinda warm.
26 years at this place. I'm feeling like I need to reinvent myself. Maybe it's because my 26 year anniversary was Saturday. Maybe it's because I turn 50 next week. Maybe it's because my boss has a new boss and he's got a reputation as an executioner. She called me into her office and said she's about ready to retire because she can't deal with the shit in this place any more. I feel like I have about a 10% chance that I could get her job. I feel like there is about a 50% chance that her job will be eliminated if she retires. I don't even really want her job, although I want her salary.
How do you go about reinventing yourself when you are 50 and need to keep a steady income to pay bills and get 2 kids through college? Lots of opportunities out there for me to jump ship and earn half of what I make now.
Not looking for answers. I know I have to figure this out myself. I just have no idea where to start.
I could go back to school for 4-6 years and become a pharmacist. Tons of secure good paying jobs in that field. I could have a 10-15 year career doing that after going into serious debt to get through school.
Well, the cruel thing is to mention what J said once about my situation: Honey everybody hates their work! She takes a pill and gets on with it.
What if this is as good as it gets?
~
Pharmacy is cool. Although I think the old people in it are as tired as we are. I considered doing pharmacy when I was 17. It's like the accountancy of medicine. In accountancy you don't get any of that money, or make any decisions about it, but you do get to count it.
Facing the gauntlet 8 years ago y'all remember -- I taught myself web design! Boy that'll make me desirable to those cool startups downtown! No, it doesn't work that way. Turns out they have plenty of youngsters looking for those kinds of opportunities and so why would they EVER consider hiring anyone age 50 to do it? They DO NOT! EVER! Even if the fossil is willing to take a pay cut. Some jobs are merely Right Out for us because OLD.
...what J said once about my situation: Honey everybody hates their work! She takes a pill and gets on with it.
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How do you go about reinventing yourself when you are 50?...
Well, you could start by reshaping your eyebrows, shaving your pit hair and listening to old Liza Minnelli records...:jig:
You know that myth about the frog that sits in a pot of water that is being brought to a boil?
This pot is getting kinda warm.
26 years at this place. I'm feeling like I need to reinvent myself. Maybe it's because my 26 year anniversary was Saturday. Maybe it's because I turn 50 next week. Maybe it's because my boss has a new boss and he's got a reputation as an executioner. She called me into her office and said she's about ready to retire because she can't deal with the shit in this place any more. I feel like I have about a 10% chance that I could get her job. I feel like there is about a 50% chance that her job will be eliminated if she retires. I don't even really want her job, although I want her salary.
How do you go about reinventing yourself when you are 50 and need to keep a steady income to pay bills and get 2 kids through college? Lots of opportunities out there for me to jump ship and earn half of what I make now.
Not looking for answers. I know I have to figure this out myself. I just have no idea where to start.
I could go back to school for 4-6 years and become a pharmacist. Tons of secure good paying jobs in that field. I could have a 10-15 year career doing that after going into serious debt to get through school.
I'm at the point where I don't have a lot of ego in my job. I like the work, I do some good on a daily basis, the pay is shit, and I'm probably going to stick around until the politicians break the social contract. At that point, I feel like could be happy driving a UPS truck, opening a diner, or some kind of bike park. Who knows? Make your own bed.
How do you go about reinventing yourself when you are 50 and need to keep a steady income to pay bills and get 2 kids through college?
I love my work. The pay barely covers my expenses, the commute, while pretty, is long enough to be tedious and expensive. I really like the people I work with. When I first composed and then lost this post, I didn't have the benefit of Griff's post.
I echo his point that he feels like he's doing good each day, I do too, that's a big psychic benefit for me. Just as working with people who aren't incompatible with me. I've had some doozies, you all have. With my other minimums met (barely, $ and travel time), I decided to say yes. It's worth it every day.
You know the cliche about finding a way to get paid for doing something you love and then you'll never have to work another day in your life. Ha ha. But there's some truth to it. Quality of life *matters*. You get to fucking define it, and change it, and change it again, if you wish.
Sure. Sometimes changes fucking define *you*. Ouch. But is absolutely possible. And absolutely worth it. Find out what's important. Go. Get. That. Jesus, that sounds trite, written out like that. My apologies. It's true, it's just dumb sounding out loud like that.
You have to watch out for changes, cow orkers come and go, management changes, personal life changes. If you keep saying, that's ok I love my job, you can find outside the blinders your world has gone to hell.
Pharmacy is not nearly as cool as it sounds. It's just a whole ton of finding shit alphabetized on a shelf, and counting pills. Don't get me wrong, my pharmacists are nice people, but they thought they were going to get to use their brains a lot more than they are.
And the required record keeping is a nightmare. :rollanim:
Looking out the window of the office across the hall, I see that it is pouring out and two people have inside out umbrellas
Don't get me wrong, my pharmacists are nice people, but they thought they were going to get to use their brains a lot more than they are.
Reading a doctor's handwriting is not mentally challenging enough?
They don't even get to do that anymore. It's all electronic.
How to deal with the narcissist at work.
In a nutshell, stroke their ego all the time. Especially just before you ask for something.
I prefer the shattering of, as opposed to the stroking of egos.
'Smore fun for me.
I have learned that my immediate supervisor spent many years as a manager at Vector Marketing.
Be careful, he's probably got a knife or two. ;)
How to deal with the narcissist at work.
In a nutshell, stroke their ego all the time. Especially just before you ask for something.
this guy is describing my counterpart at work. The bit about responding immediately to texts and emails jumped out at me.
Last year, while I was on vacation, I got a text from him with a question about how to do the tax on a lease for a Virginia customer. The text, and subsequent voice mail both started with, "put on your thinking cap..." It irked me that he bothered me with that kind of thing. And the way the text and voice mail were pretty much identical made it sound contrived. Like he was purposefully trying to intrude on my down time with something I had no way of actually helping him with.
Needless to say, I didn't reply at all to either. I don't WANT to put my fucking thinking cap on while I'm on vacation. That's the point of vacation.
He didn't talk to me for like 3 weeks when I got back, and I finally had to lock him in a room and make it clear that he doesn't have the right to question my dedication to my job. And that I saw clearly through his attempt to control me. It got heated.
The praise thing absolutely works, btw. I hate doing it though. I will have my new assistant read this. She's having a hard time understanding why he's such a dick to everyone.
thanks g
This Hacker News thread and the first comment and replies are exactly how I feel right now
Puttin' it here for posterity.
That's so true. I'm the most productive when sitting in a coffee or bar with just the right amount of noise and people. What I hate though is if people stare on my screen, hence I'm always looking out for a corner spot.
It's hard to concentrate on work when you have to scratch your nuts surreptitiously. :yesnod:
An interesting corollary: I can't focus on anything significant if my kids are in the house at all. Even if they're silent and upstairs behind closed doors, there's the nagging awareness that at any moment one of them could interrupt me with anything from a flooded toilet to a broken bone to a stupid YouTube video they want me to see.
it came out yesterday that the big boss is hyper-sensitive to voices and can't even tolerate speech while driving.
Hence why he shuts the door "with purpose" whenever the office gets talky; hence why he BLASTS electronic dance music (techno, with no words) from time to time (without respect for the rest of us)
But also, imagine the lack of empathy in creating an office where he, himself, could not possibly be productive; where everyone else MUST NOT be like him, for his benefit.
It's good to be the King.
But also, imagine the lack of empathy in creating an office where he, himself, could not possibly be productive; where everyone else MUST NOT be like him, for his benefit.
Joe Versus the Volcano:
Mr. Waturi tells Joe, "You've gotta get yourself into a
flexible frame." (makes a rigid square shape with his hands)
ha ha ha wtf is a flexible frame ?? bosses don't care, just do it
What Bruce said, when it's your name on the door you get to make the rules. Sad but true.
What Bruce said, when it's your name on the door you get to make the rules. Sad but true.
Sad, true, but not necessary. It is entirely possible to give a voice to the workers, and even build a society with a more reasonable value system. I would mention the names of these things but I don't want to scare anybody. [COLOR="White"]... [/COLOR][COLOR="Silver"][SIZE="1"]scroll down for the shock of your life[/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR="White"]
...
...
...
...
...
...[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Silver"][SIZE="1"]Labor Unions, and Socialism.[/SIZE][/COLOR]
Things have been slow lately at work for me, and I've been taking on odd tasks in an effort to stay busy and keep my job.
Today I am off to the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which I think is fitting considering Veterans Day is tomorrow. I'll be supporting a pro bono case my firm took on. We have several of these veterans cases, and I should be doing more of this in the future.
The VA sent us a disk containing all the records for this veteran. But sometimes they forget to include stuff. So I'll go over there and look at their actual record and compare it to what they gave us and make sure we have it all. It should take me most of the day. I'll go through page by page for a few thousand pages.
I should be doing more of these in the future. Maybe once a week or so. Today I'm going over with a guy who's done this several times and he'll show me the ropes. Lots of red tape over there apparently. Lots. Like there will be someone sitting in the room with us watching us as we go through a few thousand pages of records, page by page. And I'll have to ask permission to use the bathroom and be escorted or something. :eyebrow:
Well, that sounds like, uh--
That sounds awful, actually.
Put vodka in ya thermos, and Irish up ya coffee.
Often.
It was actually kind of fun at times. I'm back now. We didn't finish. The computer they gave us to use is horrible. You have to click through 3-4 error messages every time you open a PDF and after looking at PDF files for an hour, the computer freezes. So you have to call the guy who logged you in to the system and get him to insert his ID into the reader on the keyboard and reboot the computer.
We got through about 200 PDF files in 4.5 hours of time, but that was only 2 hours of actual working time. The rest was sitting around waiting for things to get fixed for us. And during those 2 productive hours, I'd guess 50% of the time was closing error messages that were popping up.
I don't know how government workers can stand working there.
So I was friendly with everyone and joking with everyone and they were all nice.
For lunch I walked over to the Harris Teeter for the 9.99 prime rib special. I was on the clock during lunch and the firm picked up the tab.
The lady at Harris Teeter cut the prime rib about an inch and a half thick. as I carried the clam shell box up to the register to pay, it literally felt like about 3 pounds or so of food. I was looking for a scale so I could actually weigh it, but unfortunately, none were nearby.
This is the carving station.
[ATTACH]62329[/ATTACH]
And this was my lunch.
[ATTACH]62328[/ATTACH]
I couldn't finish it and didn't want to bring the leftovers back into the VA.
The 72 year old batty lady who was babysitting us dropped several hints that she wanted to leave for her 3 day weekend at 2:30 this afternoon, and the computer had frozen up at about 1:45 and the contact hadn't come yet to reboot it for us, so we left at 2:00.
we didn't finish the file review, so we'll try to go back on Tuesday.
At least you got a good lunch out of the deal.
Maybe your firm can help me with my case. I'm trying to get the VA to give me a private duty female nurse who's 20 something, pretty, with a killer bod and nymphomaniac tendencies. I'm not sick or injured; but, it would help me with my PTSD (pastime sexual depravity). When she's finally done with me I hope to be 100% disabled. That's the only cure.
We can make that happen; however there will be someone sitting in the room with you watching as you go through whatever it is you go through. And you'll have to ask permission to use the bathroom and be escorted or something.
A 20-something, hot, nympho, nurse...
AND an audience?
I'm in.
My two year nightmare will be over this week, as they are expanding, and need to abuse a new hire for a while.
My new seat will be in a cube, on a second floor, oddly isolated from everyone. It's perfect. I expect my stress to cut in half and my productivity to double. It might even keep me in this job.
Awesome! Maybe they'll notice how much better you're performing up there and keep others away from that area for longer.
Is this 'scratch-your-balls-privacy', or 'pick-your-nose-privacy', or, 'youporn-in-another-tab-privacy'?;)
Either way, sounds like you're better off.
Glatt, that lunch looks like a typical slab from Texas! It's making me HUNGRY!!!! I haven't eaten in ten days now other than broth and tea. One more week until I get to see a doctor and maybe even begin treatment, although I hold little hope of that so soon.
Yeah, it's all of the above privacy: I'm one of three people on the second floor, and the other two are in private offices on the other side of a huge room. Then there's a cube partition that protects anyone from seeing my screens.
Now, the only unfortunate thing is that a lot of people use the bathrooms that are ten feet away, so there will still be a regular march of people, just not as regular; and for the most part they won't have any need to look in at me.
The long-term plan is to move all of engineering in this room of cubes, but this company is shitty at executing long-term plans. I might be in this level of privacy for a while.
My two year nightmare will be over this week, as they are expanding, and need to abuse a new hire for a while.
My new seat will be in a cube, on a second floor, oddly isolated from everyone. It's perfect. I expect my stress to cut in half and my productivity to double. It might even keep me in this job.
Cool. I figured your exit interview would be very floor plan focused.
I've been working late, like until 2-4am, on a big migration project that is very high profile that it's 100% my responsibility to sign-off that I have tested every possible function of all systems/interfaces--compiled a list of scenarios, devised a test methodology, work through technical issues, take every variable into account.
This requires a total focus that I can only achieve after normal business hours.
Yesterday, mid-morning, I was on a con call with the vendor, and they wanted me to queue up a new test scenario--a process that takes about 20 minutes and that I've devised a workflow that cannot be deviated from --and can easily be ƒucked up.
Halfway through, a couple of co-workers started up a casual conversation about 10 feet away from my desk. And my brain just stopped. And I realized, it's literally, physically impossible for me to do this task while people[SIZE="1"]--that I can see out of the corner of my eye!--[/SIZE]are over-writing my internal dialogue--a repository of variables that must be available on-demand.
[SIZE="4"]And that's why I've been working until 4am --because there's literally no other time that it's possible for me to do this work.[/SIZE]
...or...what if...I had an office with a door...
Here ya go and put on the headphones:
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/whiteNoiseGenerator.php
In my previous office I had to run this at a very loud volume, and spike the frequencies that match voices, to achieve total isolation. Not great but it's better than nothing.
Yeah, you're right. I think I posted a few years back, I tried out different "sound isolating" headphones, but nothing beat my Sony MDR-7506s. I would play "Music For The Mozart Effect, Volume 2, Heal the Body" and behind that, run
https://simplynoise.com/ to fill in the gaps (constant pink noise, oscillating white noise).
I am about to be moved into the strangest office arrangement I’ve ever seen in a clinic. Our patient care space is being expanded and will eat up the two docs’ offices that exist. Okay. A third doc is being added. The powers that be have arranged for little cubicle-things to be constructed in the (previous) conference room. The cubicles are about 7 feet square, do not reach to the ceiling, and have all-glass fronts!! The plan is to put desks against the wall (they’re putting in the wiring now).
So we will be in little fishbowls of glass, with no hindrance to sound (so much for HIPAA and the confidential calls I make as an MRO to inform a company rep that their employee is positive for X, Y, and Z).
And our computer screens will face the front glass, so anyone can read over our shoulders ... and the cubicles are so small there will be no problem doing that. There will be lots of opportunity for people to gawk, as they all have to walk past the 3 cubicles to get to the single staff bathroom. There are so many privacy/HIPAA issues here ... leaving aside how horrid these things will be to work in.
I am just shaking my head. Can’t even begin. And no input has been/will be requested or welcomed. Construction on these things began only a few days ago and is nearly complete, because they’re ‘assemble by number’ items out of boxes.
That's just bonkers.
Does your organization have a Compliance Officer you can report HIPAA violations to? Sounds like you will need to move into the cubicles and then document everything that qualifies as a regulatory issue, and report that through the proper channels. They should be required--by policy--to remediate the issues, and you should be shielded--by policy--from retaliation--but obviously confirm these things.
There is a Compliance Officer, but reporting this will be my quickest way to unemployment. Been there, done that, don’t want another t-shirt. The government says nice things about protecting whistleblowers and those who report problems, but for the most part it’s just noise.
Set a picture of people mooning as your computer screen background and switch to it when people get nosy.
If anyone complains, tell them it's online proctology CME.
The push for energy efficiency...
My new digs are such a different feeling, it changes *everything*.
Suddenly, I can concentrate. My job is now suddenly much easier.
I'm weaning off the anti-depressants because I don't think I'll need them now
I'll be able to continue the weight loss I need to forge ahead with
My rotator cuff tendonitis is falling away
All good news!
It's wonderful to hear this. :)
My new digs are such a different feeling, it changes *everything*.
Suddenly, I can concentrate. My job is now suddenly much easier.
I'm weaning off the anti-depressants because I don't think I'll need them now
I'll be able to continue the weight loss I need to forge ahead with
My rotator cuff tendonitis is falling away
In just 3 weeks it'll make your hair shiny and more manageable.
In just 3 weeks it'll make your hair shiny and more manageable.
There will be more of it, I expect.
Lots of anxiety these days, and I need to vent.
My title is "Assistant to the Director" and what that means in practice is that a bunch of the administrative stuff the Director would have to do is my responsibility instead. I just do it without supervision. So I'm like a mini-director. I've been here 27 years and I have 27 years worth of good reviews sitting in my personnel file.
The director (my boss) retired at the end of 2017. It's been 3.5 months since she left. They haven't hired a new director. One of the roles the director had was to assign each new litigation to a team when those new cases came in. They got a senior paralegal to take over that role temporarily. I still do the same stuff I have always done, but it isn't keeping me 100% busy. I help out a couple days a week by running over to Veterans Affairs and reviewing files for new pro bono cases that come in. Feb and March were busy, but April is looking a little slow.
I report to the Chief Human Resources officer, but have only met with her once for 20 minutes two months ago. Basically, I have no boss. No person to keep happy. No person to review me.
Top firm management has brought in consultants to look at the structure of our department, and the IT department that works with our department. The consultants have chatted with some of our paralegals, but never bothered to talk to me.
I'm good, and well regarded. But the consultants don't know me. Our firm's CEO doesn't know me. He makes a real effort to not know anyone, presumably so it's easier on him when he fires them. Most of the big partners I have worked with in the past are retiring, and I don't have as strong relationships with the next generation. They are the ones in charge now.
All this is to say, I think my position is likely to be eliminated. I have a bunch of work I do that will be reallocated to others. Our department and the IT department will likely be merged, I suspect, and I'll be one of the casualties.
So I'm looking around for a place to leap to before I get squashed. I think I have a decent shot at being a Trademark Legal Assistant. The boss of that department is a poor manager, and the workers are overworked. They need more workers. I ran a report of their hours and they work longer hours than I am accustomed to, and they don't take vacations very often, even though they have the leave built up.
So I think I'm going to try to make this move. I'd be good in the job, but the department is poorly managed, and I may be unhappy there. I'm used to having a good boss, and having a poor manager as a boss will be a change. The attorneys in that group are not all that great either. One guy is a really nice guy though.
I could also wait and maybe things will turn out OK. Maybe I'll survive the coming shake up. That's delusional thinking though.
Yesterday morning I sent an e-mail requesting a meeting with the Chief HR person to talk this over. But she didn't acknowledge my email. Maybe I'm already too late. Or maybe she just forgot to respond. I'm going to follow up with her secretary this afternoon and see if I can get on her schedule.
My wife is being really supportive, and we have a nest egg that might last as much as a year.
No need to reply, just venting.
Oh, and one real positive about joining this trademark group is that I would be very marketable once I got training. Right now, my job is so unique there is basically none other like it. I'd have to completely reinvent myself to find a job elsewhere.
Oh, and to get back on topic, my wife and I just realized on Monday that in the two years since I got placed in this open office, we have stopped chatting with each other during the day, and I think it's negatively impacting our relationship.
That sucks. Hope it shakes out better than you're expecting. I guess it's impossible that they might be promoting you to director instead?
Maybe, but I am skeptical.
I got this email two weeks ago. Hidden recipients list.
Please join us for a live training session on Thursday, April 5, 2018, 1:00 - 2:00 pm on Endings & Opportunities: The Power of Acceptance. Life is full of curveballs, closed doors, and unexpected changes. It can be a struggle to manage. But we each have the power to not only survive, but thrive through change and open the door to new opportunities. Join us as we:
• Understand what acceptance is
• Identify what you can and can’t control in life
• Explore how to move from endings to beginnings
• Discover the next steps to take toward acceptance
The consultants have chatted with some of our paralegals
Good luck sir. I hope that it will work out for the best.
In one sense then, if it's hurting your most important relationship, is it change that's overdue?
Absolutely overdue.
I just hope I can make the jump before I am swatted.
Maybe, but I am skeptical.
I got this email two weeks ago. Hidden recipients list.
Ugh. Who moved my cheese?
Please join us for a live training session on Thursday, April 5, 2018, 1:00 - 2:00 pm on Endings & Opportunities: The Power of Acceptance. Life is full of curveballs, closed doors, and unexpected changes. It can be a struggle to manage. But we each have the power to not only survive, but thrive through change and open the door to new opportunities. Join us as we:
• Understand what acceptance is
• Identify what you can and can’t control in life
• Explore how to move from endings to beginnings
• Discover the next steps to take toward acceptance
That is anxiety-inducing. At the least.
:fingerx:
Wait, so... April 5th was a week ago. It was just a generic session the way it was described, no one got let go right there on the spot?
It's actually kind of funny. I mean, it's my life they are fucking with, so it's not funny. But seriously, who sets up a training like that?
Gah! Hope it all turns out ok for you Glatt. Sounds like you are doing all the smart things. If the job in the trademark department is a stepping stone maybe the bad bits of it will be more bearable. X
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Wait, so... April 5th was a week ago. It was just a generic session the way it was described, no one got let go right there on the spot?
No one got let go on the spot.
So either it's a really fucked up generic session, or they are trying to scare people into leaving of their own accord instead of firing them.
I wonder if anyone went to the session? I was at the Veterans Affairs, reviewing files and didn't go.
It's possible I'm just reading too much into a whole bunch of coincidental stuff, but I spoke to my old boss on Monday (She called to wish me a happy birthday) and she told me I should be anxious about my job and TM was a good idea.
And then this morning I spoke to the paralegal who is sort of an acting director, and she started off telling me everything was all rosy, but then when I told her I was thinking about TM, she was like "Seriously dude, you should do that."
Doooo eeeeet! WoooOOOOooo, glaaat, DOO EEEET! [/ghost of Christmas future]
ugh.
Change abounds at my place too. I'm safe, but I don't think my (awesome) boss is and next in line is insufferable.
Maybe, but I am skeptical.
I got this email two weeks ago. Hidden recipients list.
Jesus Christ. Good luck brother, work on the marriage relationship at least as much as the work.
Ok, so it's Friday and I am still here.
This is unfolding a little more awkwardly than I had hoped.
I wanted to meet the HR person and then have her approach the trademark manager to sell her on the idea, but the HR person was blowing me off. She went almost 3 days before getting back to me about even getting on her schedule.
So I contacted the trademark manager directly. We know each other superficially and I had done a few little projects for her before. So I shot her an email asking if we could talk. Two minutes later, I got an email from the HR person saying she was sorry it had taken so long but we could meet Friday. I assumed the trademark person called HR and now HR was running interference.
But then the trademark person responded and said I could come by then.
So I spoke to the trademark person, and it was pleasant. Maybe cordial is the word. But she was surprised by my request. Literally. Wasn't prepared for a response. She said she would talk it over with others and get back to me. I told her I had an appointment with HR for Friday and she said that was perfect. I should get the ball rolling with HR.
So I'm meeting with HR this afternoon. Maybe it's an appointment with my executioner, or maybe they will hear me out and things will just fall into place.
Meanwhile, there is a firm Management Committee meeting today, and I've briefed one of the partners on that committee on a particular issue, so they are going to be throwing my name around as a fount of knowledge and wisdom in this meeting that is chaired by the CEO who might be considering laying me off.
The cool thing is, I feel great. I've been anxious for a fucking year or two about this and one way or another it's going to be over soon. And I am the one who is making it happen now.
I totally validate your feeling--knowing that your expertise will be highlighted in an important meeting is like a warm blanket that comforts you. Also, taking charge, being proactive rather than being trapped in anxiety--very liberating. You're an awesome dude, everybody knows it.
The cool thing is, I feel great. I've been anxious for a fucking year or two about this and one way or another it's going to be over soon. And I am the one who is making it happen now.
This. Progress is way better than stagnation, and the fact that it might turn out happily after all is just icing on the cake. Hope it works out the way you want it to, but glad it will work out regardless!
Echo on flint and clod, taking charge of this was smart and healthy.
Good on ya, glatt. Keeping my fingers crossed that all works out in your favor! :fingerx:
Meeting went well. But no resolution one way or another. I clearly got the message across that I am willing to help out elsewhere and am a team player.
HR manager is skilled. I like her. Even though she may end up firing me one day.
She is going to make inquiries about me joining trademark.
Glatt, you’re making all the right moves at work. (Don’t forget to chat up the wife). X
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I'll be the wet blanket.
Don't forget that the HR manager is in charge of managing the Resources of the company of type Human. You're a product, not a customer, to put it in current event terms. She doesn't work for you, though she may like you.
True.
But on the other hand, if she has one spot in a lifeboat, and I am in her good graces, she is more likely to give that spot to me than to an employee who is not trying.
Also true.
For the record, I think you're doing the best you can, including maintaining (the appearance of) a good relationship with the HR team--with everyone who can help you. Just plain good.
YOU work for you, and that's a damn good team, albeit, small. I'm *definitely* Team glatt. :cheer:
GO GLATT!
By the sounds of it you read it and played it just right.
I've dealt with a lot of HR from two companies recently, and -whilst I echo BigV's sentiments about their official loyalties- I've learned that they are also networking for when you or they jump ship. They may have to fire you ...but in your next job you may be in a position to hire them.... they know better than anyone how the impression and networking things work, and they want to do the best by you as they can in the circumstances because it's good for them too.
Yey Glatt - you sound like you're handling this brilliantly. It really doesn't hurt to remind the people who may be making decisions on staffing that you have useful skills that are transferable across departments.
HR operates for the benefit of the company (in theory) - but that also includes good use and retention of human resources.
Short recap: I went to HR last month to try to get moved to a different department before consultants decide that my current position should be eliminated to cut costs.
Yesterday, I finally heard back from the head of HR and the head of the department I want to join. Trademark paralegals. They wanted to meet with me this morning.
We just met, and they offered me the job! This is awesome news.
It's bittersweet because I'll miss this job. It was a rut that I enjoyed being in for a couple decades. But the rut was leading off a cliff. So now I'm going to have to learn the ropes in a new position. I'll retain my current seniority level and salary, so it's not like I'm starting off at an entry level.
I'll move to a different floor and won't be interacting with my current department any more. That's sad. I'll be on a different floor, and my current floor is the best floor. But I will be in a much quieter area where I can have the focus I will apparently need.
The new boss was happy. She's going to give me a lot of training, so that's good that she won't throw me to the wolves right away. I'll be much busier than I have been in some time, and I'll be responsible for keeping track of a lot of stuff. But the hours will be reasonable, and I can have a life outside of work.
I won't be on the Cellar as much.
Y E A H
Well done sir!
I won't be on the Cellar as much.
You say that now, but...!
With the kids growing up and out you'll have more time.
This whole move was approved at the uppermost levels of management.
I think they might be relieved that they didn't have to fire a well regarded lifer.
I'm excited and a little terrified. I need to perform. No hiding. If I do poorly, then I won't be well regarded any more, and they would have a reason to fire me. So I need to kick ass.
So I need to [COLOR="Purple"]kiss[/COLOR] ass.
Or something. :lol:
Congratulations. Sounds like you are appreciated. Good for them.
Well done, Glatt. A lot of folks are not as good about being proactive.
Brilliant news. I'm sure you'll kick ass ass lap up the training. It's cosy being in a rut but a little dull too, eh? And with the kids moving out its time to shake up the work a little maybe. Don't forget to kiss the wife.
Sent by magick
So glad it worked out! You'll do great on the new job. The fact that you're worried is an indicator that you care and will try your hardest, and that's 90% of the battle right there. It's like when people worry if their house is clean enough for guests--if you're even asking the question, you're fine.
great news, glatt. congrats, and whew!
now yeah... just do your job like you do. mkay?
Damn, glatt, that's brilliant news. Well done man.
Great news, man. Sounds like you're happy, and sounds like you're gonna be happy...So...I'm happy for ya!
Great news, Glatt!
Yer gonna be just fine. :hug:
It's taken almost a month so far, this transition.
It was official on Tuesday. That's when my title changed. And I'm packing up my desk today to make the move to another floor.
I sent a goodbye email to my old department on Wednesday, and actually got a lump in my throat as I was finishing it up and sending it. I've been in this department for 27 years. It's a minor part of my identity. Everyone has been really supportive and encouraging.
Getting myself extricated from the department was a lot more work than I thought it would be. The person in HR who is taking over my main responsibility (hiring temps) was asking for all sorts of records and documentation that I never kept because nobody ever asked for that stuff in 23 years of holding this particular job. So I had to recreate stuff to give her. And then she would ask for something else. And something else. She is in HR, so I had to just smile and do it. She's going to add about 15 steps to the job I had streamlined. Whatever. She's welcome to do what she wants. It's her responsibility now, so she can do as she pleases. I suspect she was annoyed that she was getting more work assigned to her because of my transfer, and she was trying to make my life as miserable as she could, while she could.
Meanwhile, I've had a training session for the new job on each of the last three days. They are investing in me! And I completed two urgent projects that only somebody with nothing on their plate like me would have time for. So I've made a difference already in the new department.
New boss is pretty cool so far.
Onward ho!
Oh, and I just found out today that somebody in another department, at about my former level was let go this week. They just eliminated his position and spread his duties around. He was well regarded, but not needed. I made my move just in time!
looking back, it always seems to work out. but that's because you looked ahead.
Good
Looking
Ahead,
Terrific
Temp-hirer
"She's going to add about 15 steps to the job I had streamlined" :lol: yup.
I know very few people for whom things have turned out positively, these last couple of months.
I'm glad it was you.
She's going to add about 15 steps to the job I had streamlined. Whatever. She's welcome to do what she wants. It's her responsibility now, so she can do as she pleases.
Maybe she's working on building job security and/or prepping to ask for more money. But I'm glad it's not your problem. :thumb:
I know very few people for whom things have turned out positively, these last couple of months.
I'm glad it was you.
ditto
Thanks guys! And to get back on topic, my new office is a double with the other desk unoccupied. And my computer is situated so nobody can see it but me. And the angles are just right so I can see into the men's room when the door opens.
that's where all the dicks hang out
And the angles are just right so I can see into the men's room when the door opens.
I--uh...But--hmmm.
Win?
We don't have a lot of dudes in my organization but we have at least one non-flusher and a guy who never washes his hands. You don't want this information glatt.
Resurrectin' this thread because yeah
All of us office people could have come to work if we had private offices. And just not gone to the cafeteria for lunch. And hold our breath from our cars to our offices
But yeah it is finally time to maybe rethink this one for many places
Yep - I have always loved the atmosphere in our open plan office - has a really good energy and general vibe, but it's always been problematic for stuff like seasonal flu and any other bug that goes around.
Relying primarily on recycled air with few windows, and company policies that penalise specifically the number of absences (3 strikes and you lose your bonus), rather than general absence levels, though they also are a concern given the points based system of absence management turns the place into a petri dish. Most people will at some point be in work with a mild to moderate dose of flu, getting through the day on Lemsip and paracetamol -
I don't see how this can be business as usual when the pandemic is over. Because the next pandemic might not be that far off. We could have vaccines in large scale use within 2 years, but that only deals with this corona virus strain.
We are too global a world now to contain something that spreads through similar mechanisms to flu
Hi Limes:)
Fingers crossed my internet connection is behaving itself right now lol
There was a company wide town hall meeting today. Broken up into 3 separate telephone conferences to make the size of each more manageable.
Bottom line is that remote work seems to be working good enough so far that salary reductions and layoffs won’t be needed yet.
But they are reassessing every two weeks.
Big parts of our business have gotten really slow because the courts are closed. Can’t have juries.
But my side of things in trademarks is still active.
I am so glad I made the move to this new job two years ago.
A lot of firms have implemented temporary 20% salary reductions for all staff and attorneys, but we aren’t there yet. I expect we will be, but for now, the partnership is absorbing all losses.
I have a lot of faith in the people running the show here. The Dickhead who brought in the open office plans into this place is no longer running the show and the new guy is very good.
