Grumpy Coworker

Month: December 2010

  • Breakroom amenities

    Why does the office microwave look and sound like something out of a cartoon from the 1960s? Is there a small dinosaur in there grinding gears or something?

    And I know I saw that refrigerator go on sale sometime back in the 80’s.  No one would buy it back then, either.

    If you have to stock the breakroom with stuff that came from great grandma’s garage sale, should I be worried about your ability to meet payroll?

  • Stop the rudeness!

    It always seems to happen during the worthwhile presentation:  the ongoing “side-bar conversation” that is loud enough to be heard in the street-bar on a Friday night.

    There are 3 possible messages these people are sending with their rudeness:

    • “I am a higher level employee than the person presenting, and I wish to make it abundantly clear that I don’t have to respect them.”
    • “I am an equal level employee, but I know them, don’t respect them, and should be a higher level than them.”
    • “I am a lower level employee, and a moron.”

    In any case, you are being a disrespectful jerk. Do the rest of us a favor and stop it.

  • Leave the stuff that’s not yours alone!

    How hard is it to leave other people’s things alone?  What is this, 2nd grade?

    I could understand if you had a non-descript Lean Cuisine or Hot Pocket that you put in the freezer and accidentally grabbed the someone else’s flavor, or miscounted how many you had put in there and grabbed someone else’s when your stash was actually depleted.

    No.

    I’m not even talking about mistaking a lone donut on the break room table for a giveaway.

    I’m talking about:

    • Perusing items in the donation bin for a charity.
    • Actually taking things from the donation bin for a charity.
    • Grabbing food from the freezer that is in a box that is clearly someone else’s.
    • Any food in a brown bag in the refrigerator.
    • Any food that’s on someone’s desk–especially if someone has already taken a bite out of it.

    Is the company not paying you enough to get by?  Judging by the maturity of your social skills, you’re probably still overpaid.