Tales from the Office Space: Complain about your coworkers

[murphyreedus]

Been a good long while since we had an old fashioned avalanche of emails because dimwits can't figure out how to reply and yet 145 messages later here we are...

Take me off this list

[BostonRugger]

Been a good long while since we had an old fashioned avalanche of emails because dimwits can't figure out how to reply and yet 145 messages later here we are...

When I first started with my first "real" employer, they were still under 1000 employees and still had a real small, start-uppy kind of attitude (they are now massive). That meant that everyone had the ability to send to the "Everyone" email distribution list.

Anyways, within my first month there, one of my fellow newbs in the customer service dungeon had some surplus kittens on her hands. A "FREE KITTENS!!!" email was sent out to Everyone (about 1K people, including the bosses, owners, the whole shit). Approximately 200 emails and many admonishments later, she was relieved of all the kittens, with MANY people upset that they were not able to get one.

Plot twist: she and I became good friends and she was the only co-worker I invited to my wedding.

[brkriete]

Been a good long while since we had an old fashioned avalanche of emails because dimwits can't figure out how to reply and yet 145 messages later here we are...

I haven't seen one in a long time. I think IT locked down reply access to distribution lists of >100 or something like that.

[mouse]

My personal favorites are the "Stop hitting reply all!" responses which are responded to with "You're saying stop hitting reply all as you hit reply all!" that they replied to all...

Runners up are the people who thought it was actually an email to them (insurance charges you a surcharge if you don't check a little box, which is what the original email was about), the few people trying to help the lady even though they're just some rando, and the one poor guy who was confused and just wanted help with his knee surgery hahaha...

[jwilson625]

My coworker (who LOVES to talk and has been working from home essentially all year so is literally starved of it) was in the office the past two days, because it apparently takes 5 people including at least two IT guys that long to figure out how to replace his hard drive. He got talking to me for like a half hour, and in a single conversation managed to hit every one of his stories/comments that have effectively become memes among my coworkers because we've heard them so many times:

1) how last time he replaced his hard drive, he got a SSD because they're way faster, and the engineering director wanted him to get 1TB and he said no way, it was too much and he didn't need all that
2) how his dad went to florida right before covid, then had to come back but wouldn't fly, so he had to fly down to florida and drive him and the dog back
3) how he had to replace his router so he could work from home
4) a self deprecating comment about working here for 27 years

I almost couldn't contain myself in the moment because it was so predictable

[brkriete]

that's when you shout "bingo!"

[MPhelps]

My coworker (who LOVES to talk and has been working from home essentially all year so is literally starved of it) was in the office the past two days, because it apparently takes 5 people including at least two IT guys that long to figure out how to replace his hard drive. He got talking to me for like a half hour, and in a single conversation managed to hit every one of his stories/comments that have effectively become memes among my coworkers because we've heard them so many times:

1) how last time he replaced his hard drive, he got a SSD because they're way faster, and the engineering director wanted him to get 1TB and he said no way, it was too much and he didn't need all that
2) how his dad went to florida right before covid, then had to come back but wouldn't fly, so he had to fly down to florida and drive him and the dog back
3) how he had to replace his router so he could work from home
4) a self deprecating comment about working here for 27 years

I almost couldn't contain myself in the moment because it was so predictable

Oh my God. This is the same guy at my work. Even during covid he still came in at least once a week to the office even though that was not encouraged and he wasn't an office person. As in he worked from home and did field work anyway. Lives an hour from the office. Loudest talker and kind of spits when he talks. Same damn stories every time. I've been in this area for 13 years. Same stories everytime. Mostly involving people who got fired 20-30 years ago. My guess is in addition to histrionic personality disorder, he's mostly deaf so when you talk back to him he pauses then continues on with his series of stories. He's been there almost 40 years and is well past retirement age. He's maxed out on his pension. Very smart guy, but his wealth of knowledge is pretty much outdated. If I was stuck at the office when he showed up I would either go hide or just resign myself to not getting any work done for at least 2 hours. These types have no hobbies, and no game plan for life after retirement. It's too bad.

I recently took a pay cut to go back to field work with no supervisory responsibilities about a month ago. So fucking glad. Worth every penny... I'm not getting anymore.

[Allentown]

Email to coworker:
"Hey, this project you put together has apparently been transferred to me without my knowledge, could you send me the info and files"
Coworker calls back:
"Hey, thought it would just be easier to call and tell you where the folders are"

No it fucking wouldn't. This guy ALWAYS tries to do this- a 30s phone call providing exactly no information, then totally washes his hands of the project and acts like he never heard of it, meanwhile I still have no information or idea what is going on. Email me the link, and write up a damn paragraph or two I can reference and then I have fucking documentation.

[aurelius]

No it fucking wouldn't. This guy ALWAYS tries to do this- a 30s phone call providing exactly no information, then totally washes his hands of the project and acts like he never heard of it, meanwhile I still have no information or idea what is going on. Email me the link, and write up a damn paragraph or two I can reference and then I have fucking documentation.

That's annoying. I make my minions email me links to the documents and project files they need me to review. How else can you find them? "It's in the project folder." is not helpful.

[aurelius]

I'm really trying not to get someone fired. But totally trying to get this person fired. They are on fucking Farmville 80% of the time while at work. They have flat out busted multiple projects through lack of technical ability and/or playing Farmville.

Their direct manager has this weird relationship of "ladies against the man" with this person. This isn't a lady issue. This is they 100% suck at their job and do your fucking job at their manager: FIX IT. I have started reporting all project fuck ups directly to the director (very communist the company I'm at). Tired of this shit. Heads need to roll!

*I may or may not have had to work the past 2 nights to lead my project team through rework caused by this person and their manager.

[KyleSchuant]

So you're saying you're no good at Farmville?

[hsilman]

I just recently(beginning of March) moved to the IT department at my work. By "IT Department" I mean me. It's me. That's a bit of a joke, we have a small(2-4 people tops) consulting company that was our IT department for like 15 years before they brought a single employee internally to it, who I'm replacing.

I have no problem with people not understanding technology or messing things up or needing help etc. I mean, that's why I have a job, right? My biggest issue is people never actually telling anyone they have a problem and also trying to circumvent the system. People try and grab me to fix their problems directly ALL the time, and I'm like "send an email/talk to your boss".

It's super frustrating to find out "oh it's been like that forever we just (restart it/work around it/kick it) every (day/week/month)". Bro, it's literally my job to make it so you don't have to do that, wtf. I was at a site and saw someone working with a device with a shattered screen. "How long has it been like that?" "oh I did this like 6 months ago, dropped it. Figured it's my fault so I kept using it. It still works."

We pay a bunch of money for 3+ years of accident protection for this. It's only been 2 months and I can't tell you how hard it is to get someone to communicate with you so you can FIX THEIR PROBLEM. Like, hello, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Don't you want to have to stop restarting your computer every 30 minutes to get the mouse to work again? WTF.

[broseph]

@hsilman to be faaaaiiiiiir, where I work the “work arounds” for IT problems are the solutions given by the IT department anyway, and broken equipment is the norm. It drives me insane.

For reference, the IT department at my place consists of about a dozen people.

[brkriete]

I dropped my work phone and they had to order me a new one which was was going to take a couple days. Screen had a big crack but worked ok and wasn't shattered or anything. IT guy goes "Oh I have this trick with tape to fix it until you get the new one" and puts a piece of packing tape over it. I go "Oh do you peel it off and like the adhesive stays in the crack or something?" Nope. His "trick" was literally just taping it over and he did a shitty job so instead of a phone that worked fine and had a crack in the screen I had a phone that was harder to use and had a big piece of tape hanging off the edges collecting lint.

[hsilman]

@hsilman to be faaaaiiiiiir, where I work the “work arounds” for IT problems are the solutions given by the IT department anyway, and broken equipment is the norm. It drives me insane.

For reference, the IT department at my place consists of about a dozen people.

Wtf. Fire half of them and have the budget for just buying new equipment whenever anything breaks.

[broseph]

the budget

Yeah...

[hsilman]

the budget

Yeah...

It's a computer, how much could it cost? $10?

[broseph]

the budget

Yeah...

It's a computer, how much could it cost? $10?

There’s always money in the computer stand.

[Allentown]

@hsilman to be faaaaiiiiiir, where I work the “work arounds” for IT problems are the solutions given by the IT department anyway, and broken equipment is the norm. It drives me insane.

For reference, the IT department at my place consists of about a dozen people.

Wtf. Fire half of them and have the budget for just buying new equipment whenever anything breaks.

At most companies, most departments exist mostly to justify their existence.

[chrisd]

@hsilman to be faaaaiiiiiir, where I work the “work arounds” for IT problems are the solutions given by the IT department anyway, and broken equipment is the norm. It drives me insane.

For reference, the IT department at my place consists of about a dozen people.

Wtf. Fire half of them and have the budget for just buying new equipment whenever anything breaks.

At most companies, most departments exist mostly to justify their existence.

Yep. the publicity department and the IT department had a long consultation and brainstorming session to improve the internal website. They added...

<drumroll>

A map for the page where we list locations. You know, like any other organisation has had for years. Like the corner shop down the road has.

so they send out an email to tell us all, with a link. Click the link, browser opens to show...

£%$%$ all. It doesn't work on Internet Explorer. Well, what does ?

Copy the link to Chrome and it actually shows. Try clicking a map pin, get an error message. They @£$@£$ed up the URLs.

This took a team some time to produce. They actually pay these people with money.

It's work I would give to a 16 year old trainee and expect working result by the end of their first day.

Mind you. This is the outfit that had me working with a six page spreadsheet in the form of six workbooks named "Page1", "Page2" etc.