Annoyances at Work

[RJ 17]

*pulls out a Festivus pole* I believe it is time for the Airing of Grievances.

Quite specifically, those you've got against coworkers or work-place situations. What goes on at your job that drives you absolutely nuts?

For me it has to be the radio.

I honestly don't mind people listening to music while working, the problem is the choice of radio stations. For starters: it's probably my least favorite type of music...today's pop hits. So I get plenty of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and all those other talentless hacks, but that's not the problem either. I drown it out while I'm working and it just becomes white noise anyways.

The problem is the radio station's playlist is quite literally 7 to 10 songs long. All day, every day, the same 7 to 10 songs playing over and over...for 8 hours straight. Each of these things by themselves is tolerable...but when combined the create a perfect storm of ear bleeding annoyance.

8 non-stop hours...
Of music you absolutely hate...
Playing the same 7 to 10 songs over and over...

 

[BloatedGuppy]

My boss. Or more specifically, my team leader.

He sits directly across from me.

He does nothing all day. Ducks almost all work that comes in, whilst peering suspiciously at anyone else who does the same.

Plays youtube videos and browser games.

Listens to bad music and sings lustily along.

Reads joke sites and guffaws loudly.

He's a nice guy, but he's literally the laziest fucking man on the face of the earth. He's presently in the break room, dicking around. I have no idea what he's doing, but he's not on any kind of official break. He's been in there for 15 minutes.

He makes twice my salary.

Everyone KNOWS he does this stuff, including his own bosses, and no one cares. He's literally immune to all forms of discipline and censure.

Drives me nuts.

 

[Fappy]

That sounds absolutely terrible. I can listen to an iPod at work so I don't have this issue

Only thing that really annoys me is when a group of people stop and stand directly behind me and talk really loudly. Holy shit its hard to concentrate on anything when you've got a bunch of sales guys or executives shouting about last week's game of golf.

 

[teqrevisited]

A thousand times this. I can still remember having to listen to that god-awful Dixon woman whining intermittently for 9 hours a day for about two months. Compared to that, single-handedly creating the company's stock database from scratch was heaven.

My personal addition goes to people who try to help with things who invariably get in the way and only serve to slow you down. Their intentions are good, and I appreciate that they want to help, but the delivery leaves a lot to be desired and you can't just tell them to bugger off because you might actually need a favour at some point in the future.

 

[RJ 17]

My boss. Or more specifically, my team leader.

He sits directly across from me.

He does nothing all day. Ducks almost all work that comes in, whilst peering suspiciously at anyone else who does the same.

Plays youtube videos and browser games.

Listens to bad music and sings lustily along.

Reads joke sites and guffaws loudly.

He's a nice guy, but he's literally the laziest fucking man on the face of the earth. He's presently in the break room, dicking around. I have no idea what he's doing, but he's not on any kind of official break. He's been in there for 15 minutes.

He makes twice my salary.

Everyone KNOWS he does this stuff, including his own bosses, and no one cares. He's literally immune to all forms of discipline and censure.

Drives me nuts.

Sounds like he needs to get fired...I'm guessing he has some connection to one of the "higher ups" that prevents this from happening? Or does the company you work for just really not care that they've got a leech in their payroll?

That sounds absolutely terrible. I can listen to an iPod at work so I don't have this issue

Only thing that really annoys me is when a group of people stop and stand directly behind me and talk really loudly. Holy shit its hard to concentrate on anything when you've got a bunch of sales guys or executives shouting about last week's game of golf.

xP God it's terrible. Like I said, if even one of those ingredients is missing it's tolerable. Same songs over and over but in a music category I actually like: I can handle it. Same songs over and over but at least it's only for a couple hours? I can handle it. Or even a full day of music I hate but at LEAST with some variety (so I'm not literally hearing the same song 3 times within an hour period), I can handle it. They just all stack up.

In short: I miss my iPod. God knows it's somewhere in my apartment - it has to be - but for the life of me I just can't find it!

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Sounds like he needs to get fired...I'm guessing he has some connection to one of the "higher ups" that prevents this from happening? Or does the company you work for just really not care that they've got a leech in their payroll?

No connection. He's a fairly affable guy, so it seems like everyone always gives him a pass on those grounds. Kind of a "Ha ha, you scamp" routine, as he fritters away another day doing positively nothing at all.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I feel your pain althought I'm just bored of the songs due to repeatative. The songs itself are ok but I don't want to listen the same playlist everyday.
Another annoying thing about my work is that one of my tasks is at 3.30pm (two hours before the shop close) I have to make all the untidy products neat and tidy (I work in retail) and bring any rear products forward so it look like it's still full.
Yes I understand that it is still a relevant task but the thing is I can finish that task in less than an hour. So I pretty much spend an hour and more just wander aimlessly on the shop floor while still have to make it look like I'm still working. No I'm not being half arse about it, I really do keep the place neat and tidy in an hour.

 

[RJ 17]

I feel your pain althought I'm just bored of the songs due to repeatative. The songs itself are ok but I don't want to listen the same playlist everyday.
Another annoying thing about my work is that one of my tasks is at 3.30pm (two hours before the shop close) I have to make all the untidy products neat and tidy (I work in retail) and bring any rear products forward so it look like it's still full.
Yes I understand that it is still a relevant task but the thing is I can finish that task in less than an hour. So I pretty much spend an hour and more just wander aimlessly on the shop floor while still have to make it look like I'm still working. No I'm not being half arse about it, I really do keep the place neat and tidy in an hour.

Ahhhh yes, "facing" the product. I used to have a summer job at a grocery store. It was the only job that I just straight-up quit rather than turning in a 2 weeks notice and being formal about it.

I was sacking groceries and a morbidly obese woman rolled her little Rascal scooter down the check-out lane I was working in. No big deal, I thought, until her 3 kids came in behind her, each pushing a cart packed full of groceries. Then she asks that I do double paper inside of double plastic and to pack the items "very light" since apparently all the muscles in her upper arms had turned into jello.

So I start packing the groceries in, and I get to the produce and put a bunch of bananas in a bag with a cantaloupe and set it to the side as being done. The lady throws a fit, insisting that's going to be too much weight even as she lifts the bag as if to show it's too heavy and does so with little to no exertion at all. She still insists the bag is too heavy and demands that I separate the two fruits. At that point I set the bag down and calmly walked over to the nearest manager and said. "Sorry Mike, but I can't fucking take this anymore. Think I'm about done here." Took off my apron, gave it to him, and walked out the door.

 

[Limecake]

xP God it's terrible. Like I said, if even one of those ingredients is missing it's tolerable. Same songs over and over but in a music category I actually like: I can handle it. Same songs over and over but at least it's only for a couple hours? I can handle it. Or even a full day of music I hate but at LEAST with some variety (so I'm not literally hearing the same song 3 times within an hour period), I can handle it. They just all stack up.

In short: I miss my iPod. God knows it's somewhere in my apartment - it has to be - but for the life of me I just can't find it!

That's radio for you, The reason they play the same songs is because they are a pop station. The idea is that if you want to hear the new Katy Perry or Train song that as long as you tune into the station you'll hear it eventually.

However you should never hear the same song within the same hour (with a few exceptions) however if you tend to listen to the news chances are you'll hear the "A" songs all the time (A songs are the most popular songs at the time, they usually play after news to kick off the next hour)

unfortunately none of this is any help to you, unless you can convince your co-worker to try listening to a classic rock or AC station, at least there would be more variety. I remember working at a restaurant and the radio station we would play would have 2 back-to-back top 40's
which meant that I not only had to listen to the same 40 songs being counted down everyday but they played the number one song back-to-back It was annoying.

OT: I actually really like my job, I get into most bars/concerts for free and there is always food around the station. If I had to pick I'd say waking up at 5 in the morning to do the morning show every now and then is a major pain.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

And see that's the thing, I know the "rules of radio" stipulate that you're never supposed to play the same artist - let alone the same frickin' song - twice within the same hour. Well Mix 93.3 said "Fuck it" to that notion...and really "fuck it" to the whole "Mix" part of their name.

I'm serious, one day I left to go make a bank deposit for my company...when I left Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" was on. 45 minutes later when I returned: Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" was just starting up. This has happened on numerous occasions. I'll leave the office and return in an hour or less to hear the exact same song playing that was playing when I left.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I feel your pain althought I'm just bored of the songs due to repeatative. The songs itself are ok but I don't want to listen the same playlist everyday.
Another annoying thing about my work is that one of my tasks is at 3.30pm (two hours before the shop close) I have to make all the untidy products neat and tidy (I work in retail) and bring any rear products forward so it look like it's still full.
Yes I understand that it is still a relevant task but the thing is I can finish that task in less than an hour. So I pretty much spend an hour and more just wander aimlessly on the shop floor while still have to make it look like I'm still working. No I'm not being half arse about it, I really do keep the place neat and tidy in an hour.

Ahhhh yes, "facing" the product. I used to have a summer job at a grocery store. It was the only job that I just straight-up quit rather than turning in a 2 weeks notice and being formal about it.

I was sacking groceries and a morbidly obese woman rolled her little Rascal scooter down the check-out lane I was working in. No big deal, I thought, until her 3 kids came in behind her, each pushing a cart packed full of groceries. Then she asks that I do double paper inside of double plastic and to pack the items "very light" since apparently all the muscles in her upper arms had turned into jello.

So I start packing the groceries in, and I get to the produce and put a bunch of bananas in a bag with a cantaloupe and set it to the side as being done. The lady throws a fit, insisting that's going to be too much weight even as she lifts the bag as if to show it's too heavy and does so with little to no exertion at all. She still insists the bag is too heavy and demands that I separate the two fruits. At that point I set the bag down and calmly walked over to the nearest manager and said. "Sorry Mike, but I can't fucking take this anymore. Think I'm about done here." Took off my apron, gave it to him, and walked out the door.

Just stroke a cord with me because I've been doing the grocery job for 4 years... thats what did you in? Some fat fuck complaining about the weight? I mean sure it's a shit job but... tell me there was more build up to it then that.

 

[DugMachine]

Eh I've learned to drown out the store playlist of shit music. While I do hate it though, I'd feel out of place if it weren't playing. It's so ingrained in my head now and I need the familiar background noise.

Oh and I live in southern texas and we have so many spanish speakers and people who cross the the border that come in to our store. I don't know spanish so every time one comes up to ask me a question I have to say "No habla espanol" or whatever. I'm not saying they need to learn english but it annoys me that I can't be more helpful.

 

[RJ 17]

I feel your pain althought I'm just bored of the songs due to repeatative. The songs itself are ok but I don't want to listen the same playlist everyday.
Another annoying thing about my work is that one of my tasks is at 3.30pm (two hours before the shop close) I have to make all the untidy products neat and tidy (I work in retail) and bring any rear products forward so it look like it's still full.
Yes I understand that it is still a relevant task but the thing is I can finish that task in less than an hour. So I pretty much spend an hour and more just wander aimlessly on the shop floor while still have to make it look like I'm still working. No I'm not being half arse about it, I really do keep the place neat and tidy in an hour.

Ahhhh yes, "facing" the product. I used to have a summer job at a grocery store. It was the only job that I just straight-up quit rather than turning in a 2 weeks notice and being formal about it.

I was sacking groceries and a morbidly obese woman rolled her little Rascal scooter down the check-out lane I was working in. No big deal, I thought, until her 3 kids came in behind her, each pushing a cart packed full of groceries. Then she asks that I do double paper inside of double plastic and to pack the items "very light" since apparently all the muscles in her upper arms had turned into jello.

So I start packing the groceries in, and I get to the produce and put a bunch of bananas in a bag with a cantaloupe and set it to the side as being done. The lady throws a fit, insisting that's going to be too much weight even as she lifts the bag as if to show it's too heavy and does so with little to no exertion at all. She still insists the bag is too heavy and demands that I separate the two fruits. At that point I set the bag down and calmly walked over to the nearest manager and said. "Sorry Mike, but I can't fucking take this anymore. Think I'm about done here." Took off my apron, gave it to him, and walked out the door.

Just stroke a cord with me because I've been doing the grocery job for 4 years... thats what did you in? Some fat fuck complaining about the weight? I mean sure it's a shit job but... tell me there was more build up to it then that.

Of course there was more build-up. I had been getting tired of working there for a long while. Asshole managers, mind-numbing work, no breaks allowed and, on that particular day, I had been having a bad day as it was.

I won't go into a situation-by-situation story, but suffice to say yes, the incident I spoke of was essentially the culmination of 3 weeks of simmering discontent.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Since in another post you say that he has no family or other close ties to management, and since no one knowingly pays a manager to do nothing, I suspect he's doing things of value that you don't see. That's why its generally best to only worry about what you are doing.

Oh I don't complain about him, or attempt to get him in trouble. I'm venting on an internet forum. That's as far as my "worrying about he's doing" goes.

And no, he really does not do anything, unless he's secretly multi-tasking while he has games/forums/videos open at his desk. I can SEE what he's doing. His continued employment is a mystery.

 

[RJ 17]

*pulls out a Festivus pole* I believe it is time for the Airing of Grievances.

...

8 non-stop hours...
Of music you absolutely hate...
Playing the same 7 to 10 songs over and over...

And have you aired your grievance to your coworker? If that didn't work, your supervisor? These things are usually easily handled.

Guppy pretty much answered the same way I was going to:

Oh I don't complain about him, or attempt to get him in trouble. I'm venting on an internet forum. That's as far as my "worrying about he's doing" goes.

Indeed, complaining about the radio isn't something that's worth the time and effort...seeing as how the 4 other people that work in this office with me are all women over 40 listening to the same radio station, I doubt my one vote would be enough to veto it.

Besides, this topic isn't about trying to resolve other people's grievances, it's about the simple fact that:

Every job has little annoying things, but nothing that matters in most cases.

And as such, I created this topic for this purpose:

Oh I don't complain about him, or attempt to get him in trouble. I'm venting on an internet forum.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

It's called picking your battles, my friend.