Office Environment

[wildcat]

Does anyone else (I hope there are more) here really dislike the office environment?

Things I dislike about it:
Face time
Structure/Routines
Boredom

 

[Khan]

Does anyone else (I hope there are more) here really dislike the office environment?

Things I dislike about it:
Face time
Structure/Routines
Boredom

Noise
Smells
People

 

[teachme]

Just for you wildcat
YouTube - Office Space Work Sucks

 

[ladelfina]

What I hated most about the office were the constant interruptions. To be most effective I really needed uninterrupted stints of a few hours. When I worked late I actually enjoyed the silence and the dark windows.. got a lot done. Too bad coming in at noon the next day wasn't in the cards.

I loved it when we worked on a project for some folks in Europe; at least I knew they wouldn't be calling me every five minutes in the pm. Likewise the quiet mornings courtesy of the folks in California.

Smells

Do ALL office microwaves smell exactly the same? Why is that?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

1. You mean, besides working on ill-conceived, poorly executed projects and the managers who are responsible? I am so tired of working for morons.

2. No place to nap.

3.

Do ALL office microwaves smell exactly the same? Why is that?

Because nobody EVER cleans them, wherever they are.

 

[chinaco]

Yup! It sucks.


I was zombified early on about about having high expectations ( I was in the military ). Having sufficiently low expectations make it a little less frustrating.


One thing is for sure... with FIRE in sight... I have become much less tolerant of BS.

 

[maddythebeagle]

Geese, W.C. heck of a thread to start the day on Mon... I have had a better set of co-workers in my past couple of stints...the current group are kinda whiny after having some budget cuts, which is another huge way to turn a good job into a sucky one...

 

[Fireup2020]

No caller ID or VM here

 

[DangerMouse]

Meetings, meetings, meetings. They make me want to scream, as they waste so much of my time and when was the last time that something useful came out of them. I despise the time I sit in these damn things when I could actually be getting some real work done.

 

[brewer12345]

Well, things were OK at my current gig, but I returned from vacation to find that a head dog requested a job description from everyone while I was away in the middle of a market crash.

Wondering if I will be telling a consultant that I love Michael Bolton some time in the near future...

 

[happy2bretired]

No windows or any indication of what is happening outside the building. Hot and stuffy or cold, no control over the temperature. So depressing.

 

[maddythebeagle]

Wondering if I will be telling a consultant that I love Michael Bolton some time in the near future...

PC LOAD LETTER, WTF!!!

Office Space Movie Fan Site - Sounds and Pictures

 

[Khan]

No windows or any indication of what is happening outside the building. Hot and stuffy or cold, no control over the temperature. So depressing.

I spent most of my years with the USAF in the basement of the HQ building (no windows) with the rest of the IT people.

Generals never came downstairs.

 

[Khan]

Smells

Why do people have to drench themselves with perfume/cologne/aftershave?

On a calm morning, I could detect the scent trails across the parking lot.

 

[grumpy]

What I hated most about the office were the constant interruptions. To be most effective I really needed uninterrupted stints of a few hours. When I worked late I actually enjoyed the silence and the dark windows.. got a lot done. Too bad coming in at noon the next day wasn't in the cards.

I loved it when we worked on a project for some folks in Europe; at least I knew they wouldn't be calling me every five minutes in the pm. Likewise the quiet mornings courtesy of the folks in California.


Do ALL office microwaves smell exactly the same? Why is that?

In 1998, while I was working for NASA, DW had surgery that involved a long recovery at home with much assistance needed. I got permission to telecommute for two months. Even with the time I spent helping her each day, I was WAY more productive than in the office. I didn't need to sit through long meetings, I only responded to urgent calls or emails and I was not interrupted by folks stopping by the cubicle to chat. While I was glad when she no longer needed me at home, I hated going back into the office environment.

Grumpy

 

[bright eyed]

It's interesting working from home full time...

I visited the office last week and i got so much LESS work done - partly because i needed to prioritize the face time etc. i don't usually get, but the passersby saying hello, telling the same story a few times..it adds up!

But not having it at all makes you appreciate some of the benefits of the idle chat and getting to know people that way...

 

[happy2bretired]

Khan
Why do people have to drench themselves with perfume/cologne/aftershave?
On a calm morning, I could detect the scent trails across the parking lot.

It gives you time to hide when you DETECT the boss in the area.

 

[HFWR]

"Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage..."

Smashing Pumpkins

 

[bow-tie]

It gives you time to hide when you DETECT the boss in the area.

That's why I'm glad my boss usually has change in his pocket.

 

[laurence]

I've got two problems with my current gig. Our customer points of contact are all just freakin' terrible to deal with, blamestorming incompetent liars who drive me crazy. My second problem is my coworkers consist of two groups, brilliant but overworked and totally incompetent and lazy. The latter group will never get fired because our company's stupid "lattice structure" makes nobody truly responsible for anybody, and you need 3-9 months of constant monthly "personal improvement plan reports" lodged with HR, weekly meetings with the employee, etc. etc. Nobody has the time to go through with it. My lead is trying to get someone canned right now, been trying for a year. He's not just useless, he's dangerous. Deletes files, makes unauthorized changes because he feels like it, it doesn't end. Hopefully I'm only in this gig for another 9 weeks, a position is opening up due to retirement back in my old department, it had it's flaws but is much, much better....

 

[LiveWell]

A few months ago a huge project I was working on finished and I was "unassigned". This meant that for 3 weeks I had no boss, no assignment, just had to put in the 8 hours a day face time. It was fascinating because even that level of "work" I wouldn't want to do for the rest of my life. It really drove home that the thing I don't like about working is that I HAVE to do it.

 

[Fireup2020]

A few months ago a huge project I was working on finished and I was "unassigned". This meant that for 3 weeks I had no boss, no assignment, just had to put in the 8 hours a day face time. It was fascinating because even that level of "work" I wouldn't want to do for the rest of my life. It really drove home that the thing I don't like about working is that I HAVE to do it.

Ewwww - lots of surfing the ER board I imagine. Similar here - no customers, no reports = surfing online for vet information and hanging here. I prefer the busy days with customers and employers or even, (gasp) a report to do. Not that I don't like the ER folks........but I enjoy that which I was hired to do!

 

[TexasGal]

DangerMouse, ditto.

Meetings, PowerPoints, Conference Calls, NetMeeting, and more meetings during which time we had to "think outside the box", "strategize", and "reach out to". Let's get together and have a "brain dump" so we can figure out what our "core competencies" are that will allow us to be "client centric" while still being on the "cutting edge" . At the end of the day we need to share "best practices" and "maximize leverage" so that we can experience a true "paradigm shift" and it will be a "win-win" for everyone.

Babble. Jeez!!!! I got so tired of listening to it.
TG

 

[Nords]

There were three things that I didn't like about my workplace: in no particular order it was the fires, the flooding, and the suicides.

And now for a lighter side: Nordblog: Das Boot "Simulating submarine life at home".

Well, things were OK at my current gig, but I returned from vacation to find that a head dog requested a job description from everyone while I was away in the middle of a market crash.

That head dog is probably trying to have you guys help him figure out what to put in his own performance review. If they can't remember how you're making their money, then screw 'em.

You could tell them that if you hadn't gone away then the market wouldn't have crashed. But then they'd cancel all your vacation time.

 

[bright eyed]

I've got two problems with my current gig. Our customer points of contact are all just freakin' terrible to deal with, blamestorming incompetent liars who drive me crazy. My second problem is my coworkers consist of two groups, brilliant but overworked and totally incompetent and lazy. The latter group will never get fired because our company's stupid "lattice structure" makes nobody truly responsible for anybody, and you need 3-9 months of constant monthly "personal improvement plan reports" lodged with HR, weekly meetings with the employee, etc. etc. Nobody has the time to go through with it. My lead is trying to get someone canned right now, been trying for a year. He's not just useless, he's dangerous. Deletes files, makes unauthorized changes because he feels like it, it doesn't end. Hopefully I'm only in this gig for another 9 weeks, a position is opening up due to retirement back in my old department, it had it's flaws but is much, much better....

sounds like your HR is not doing their job? i've had GREAT advice and support from our HR and we outsource...none of which had to do w/ wasting our time on bad employees!