I've just gotta say this.......

[Ballcox]

Ok, I've been holding on to this for too long and I have got get it out or I'm gonna puke all over myself.

First off, this isn't meant to be a sexist thread or a gross generalization of all females in a work environment, BUT..

It's amazing to me how much time the women I work with waste, I just listened to a female co-worker down the hall from my office have at least a 20-30 minute discussion about how she was going to get her hair cut differently next time.

Another female co-worker has 3 HOURS scheduled off tomorrow so that she can go get her hair cut in SA.

And finally there is our office manager, who is going through a divorce. She is constantly emailing friends and going back and forth, talking non stop about every imaginable detail of her divorce. I'll often go up to the front office where she works and sometimes find 2-3 other female co-workers discussing the issue with her.

What am I doing while listening to this non-stop drivel every day? WORKING. I work a 4 day work week and easily put in at least 45-50 hours in those 4 days. It just continually amazes me how much time my female co-workers waste.

BUT, I'm not the department director so I can't call them out on this stuff. And before the females out there get all worked up, I'm not saying the behavior of females where I work is representative of all female workers. I'm also sure there are plenty of male employees who waste time.

It's just that I work with mostly all females. Ok, I'm done with my rant. Comments, similar observations from your workplace?

[balli]

Did you write this from your office?

[CuckingFunt]

Did you write this from your office?

[Dex]

Did you write this from your office?

:lmao

[mexicanjunior]

Did you write this from your office?

:lol

[sonic21]

Did you write this from your office?

:lol

[Viva Las Espuelas]

yap yap yap. that's all i hear over here too. we're about 70% women. the hen house happens just down the hall from me and i just roll my eyes to all of it. it clearly is office phenomena.

[Ballcox]

Yup, wrote it from my office on LUNCH BREAK, which is usually the only break of the day I take.

[Bender]

I do most of my ST posting from the office... like now

[BacktoBasics]

I hear you loud and clear friend. Women fight fight fight for equality but demand preferential treatment. They spend more time getting out of work than actually doing it.

Why you might ask?

Answer: Because most women who act this way have a man there to handle the bulk of the expense. Its all a luxury for them. Most women who work like that do it for the extra money not a means to survive or worse have found a way to survive off of doing very little. Then cry or look pretty to get their way or elude losing their jobs.

[BacktoBasics]

Before you hens get all anycockwilldo about it more women act this way then men and I'm not accusing all women of acting this way only most women. Its a generization based on years of seeing it.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I hear you loud and clear friend. Women fight fight fight for equality but demand preferential treatment. They spend more time getting out of work than actually doing it.

Why you might ask?

Answer: Because most women who act this way have a man there to handle the bulk of the expense. Its all a luxury for them. Most women who work like that do it for the extra money not a means to survive or worse have found a way to survive off of doing very little. Then cry or look pretty to get their way or elude losing their jobs.

I make damn sure none of the females in my employment get off that light. They still gossip and do nothing around the office, but I'm getting all the BJ's my junk can handle.

[BacktoBasics]

I make damn sure none of the females in my employment get off that light. They still gossip and do nothing around the office, but I'm getting all the BJ's my junk can handle.
This my friend is exactly how you work the system instead of the system working you. :tu:

[CuckingFunt]

I hear you loud and clear friend. Women fight fight fight for equality but demand preferential treatment. They spend more time getting out of work than actually doing it.

Why you might ask?

Answer: Because most women who act this way have a man there to handle the bulk of the expense. Its all a luxury for them. Most women who work like that do it for the extra money not a means to survive or worse have found a way to survive off of doing very little. Then cry or look pretty to get their way or elude losing their jobs.

The only reason you see this behavior in women specifically is because that's the only place you're looking for it. We are a lazy culture of lazy people: most of us, regardless of gender or anything else, spend more time getting out of work than actually doing it. I see it every day from men AND women.

[Ballcox]

It just continues to amaze me how long this kind of thing goes on. I've been here close to 7 years and it has actually seemed to increase as times goes by.

Do I have free time on my hands? Yes, but I don't occupy it by talking about a divorce or discussing how I'm going to get my hair styled. Hell, what I've been doing lately with extra time is down loading RFP's and trying to figure out to fill the damn things and out and maybe acquire some additional funding for our departments.

[Ballcox]

Shit, just realized I hit my 1,000th post.:hat

[BacktoBasics]

The only reason you see this behavior in women specifically is because that's the only place you're looking for it. We are a lazy culture of lazy people: most of us, regardless of gender or anything else, spend more time getting out of work than actually doing it. I see it every day from men AND women.Mostly women. I stand by my point. Yes all people do it but women or most of them have a build in failsafe in the form of a man working fulltime.

[I Love Me Some Me]

Mas triste' is the woman on FMLA.

[Melmart1]

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/112607-instant-messaging-productivity-losses.html?page=1


Fantasy Football distractions on the job could cost American businesses as much as $7.4 billion in lost company time this season, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

And what gender is the majority of fantasy football players ... hmmm ....

[I. Hustle]

I disagree about it being women. There are gay dudes that do the same here at work. One veryone hates because he walks around decorating and "planning events" while everyone has to pick up the slack for him.

[BacktoBasics]

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/112607-instant-messaging-productivity-losses.html?page=1



And what gender is the majority of fantasy football players ... hmmm ....The point is irrelevant to this argument because it doesn't compare the loss to time lost by women babbling about. Not to mention the article was written by a women.

Every 2 hours lost by a man probably equates to 6 hours lost by a woman.

[BacktoBasics]

I disagree about it being women. There are gay dudes that do the same here at work. One veryone hates because he walks around decorating and "planning events" while everyone has to pick up the slack for him.When we say women we mean the gays too.

[mouse]

With a screen name like "Ballcox" I can see how women can get on your nerves! :tu

[ploto]

I am willing to bet your perception of women workers largely rests on the nature of the work that these women are doing.

[squire]

Ok, I've been holding on to this for too long and I have got get it out or I'm gonna puke all over myself.

First off, this isn't meant to be a sexist thread or a gross generalization of all females in a work environment, BUT..

It's amazing to me how much time the women I work with waste, I just listened to a female co-worker down the hall from my office have at least a 20-30 minute discussion about how she was going to get her hair cut differently next time.

Another female co-worker has 3 HOURS scheduled off tomorrow so that she can go get her hair cut in SA.

And finally there is our office manager, who is going through a divorce. She is constantly emailing friends and going back and forth, talking non stop about every imaginable detail of her divorce. I'll often go up to the front office where she works and sometimes find 2-3 other female co-workers discussing the issue with her.

What am I doing while listening to this non-stop drivel every day? WORKING. I work a 4 day work week and easily put in at least 45-50 hours in those 4 days. It just continually amazes me how much time my female co-workers waste.

BUT, I'm not the department director so I can't call them out on this stuff. And before the females out there get all worked up, I'm not saying the behavior of females where I work is representative of all female workers. I'm also sure there are plenty of male employees who waste time.

It's just that I work with mostly all females. Ok, I'm done with my rant. Comments, similar observations from your workplace?

It's true. It's so true. But there are different breeds and cross breeds of women. Some are very meticulous and earnest and are kind of admirable in how diligent they work. They take what they do seriously. Now when they're off the clock, your guess is as good as mine as to how pointless their time is, but that's nobodies business but theirs. I've run across the ones you're talking about. Their idea of working is getting up and arriving at their place of employment. If they start actually making strides towards benefiting the person they are working for - as in their job description - then they expect a bonus or "sumpn". The highest level of efficiency you'll extract out of them is if you can get them do to a constructive activity as they chatter about nonsense. For example, hanging clothes or sorting merchandise every four of five minutes while they talk to their girlfriend that they're about to go spread negative rumors about.

The spending money thing - watch out. Finding yourself a frugal wife comprises about 94% of staying solvent.

[Ballcox]

I am willing to bet your perception of women workers largely rests on the nature of the work that these women are doing.

Hell, I don't care what the nature of the work is. Either you work and put effort into that work, or you don't work, period. If you can't work, then get the fuck out of my way, because I have one purpose when I get to work. Know what it is?

















WORK.

[TDMVPDPOY]

cant wait for ruffs gay comment about this.....he will enlightened you my friend....

[spursfan09]

Ok, I've been holding on to this for too long and I have got get it out or I'm gonna puke all over myself.

First off, this isn't meant to be a sexist thread or a gross generalization of all females in a work environment, BUT..

It's amazing to me how much time the women I work with waste, I just listened to a female co-worker down the hall from my office have at least a 20-30 minute discussion about how she was going to get her hair cut differently next time.

Another female co-worker has 3 HOURS scheduled off tomorrow so that she can go get her hair cut in SA.

And finally there is our office manager, who is going through a divorce. She is constantly emailing friends and going back and forth, talking non stop about every imaginable detail of her divorce. I'll often go up to the front office where she works and sometimes find 2-3 other female co-workers discussing the issue with her.

What am I doing while listening to this non-stop drivel every day? WORKING. I work a 4 day work week and easily put in at least 45-50 hours in those 4 days. It just continually amazes me how much time my female co-workers waste.

BUT, I'm not the department director so I can't call them out on this stuff. And before the females out there get all worked up, I'm not saying the behavior of females where I work is representative of all female workers. I'm also sure there are plenty of male employees who waste time.

It's just that I work with mostly all females. Ok, I'm done with my rant. Comments, similar observations from your workplace?

Why do you have to see it like that? The woman is probably traumatized by her divorce and finds comfort that there are people willing to listen. The workplace has changed. People pay attention to emotional needs of coworkers or subordinates more. Thats great you see yourself as a hardworker! Keep it up, but you can only worry about yourself and your actions; not others.

[ashbeeigh]

I don't deny that women talk a lot at work, and sometimes about things that people just don't need to know.

But, if these women schedule time to get their hair done and its like Paid time off, then that's really their problem. Wait until they get sick and don't have a day to take off.

I remember in high school one of my teachers was straight forward with us about one of his days off, he said "Alright guys, I'm going to Dallas to go to the Cowboys game this weekend and to see some friends...I'll be back...blah blah blah." Now, how is that different then getting your hair done? Seriously.

And who's to say that some of these women haven't finished the work they were assigned or whatnot and now have a bit of free time? I don't know what kind of job you have, but it is feasible. It happens where I work.

And if it bothers you so much, and you aren't a director, why don't you take it to your director and ask them to clear it up for you?

[Ballcox]

^Am I going crazy? To me, the workplace is for one thing and one thing only.........Work.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't engage in side conversations about non-work related topics from time to time, but it's pretty damn minimal. When I get to work, I put on my work face/persona and get focused on what I'm PAID to do.

I'm not paid at work to talk about a divorce, or hair styles or why my significant other doesn't like to cuddle after sex. Nobody is paying me for any of that shit.

Or it could be that I've just finished reading Atlas Shrugged for about the 5th time....who knows?

[I. Hustle]

Why do you have to see it like that? The woman is probably traumatized by her divorce and finds comfort that there are people willing to listen. The workplace has changed. People pay attention to emotional needs of coworkers or subordinates more. Thats great you see yourself as a hardworker! Keep it up, but you can only worry about yourself and your actions; not others.

I went through a divorce and for the most part nobody there knew about it. And yes it was pretty traumatic for me. So I grabbed some of my paid time off on days when I needed to deal with it.
When I was at work it was to work. Do I goof off? Hell yeah probably more than others, but looking at my numbers I also do more than others.
I also don't agree that you can only worry about yourseld and not others. If the other person/people are pulling their weight then yeah it's fine but if you are getting more work dumped on you because others aren't finishing theirs then it becomes your problem.

[leemajors]

^Am I going crazy? To me, the workplace is for one thing and one thing only.........Work.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't engage in side conversations about non-work related topics from time to time, but it's pretty damn minimal. When I get to work, I put on my work face/persona and get focused on what I'm PAID to do.

I'm not paid at work to talk about a divorce, or hair styles or why my significant other doesn't like to cuddle after sex. Nobody is paying me for any of that shit.

Or it could be that I've just finished reading Atlas Shrugged for about the 5th time....who knows?
you should be pissed at subjecting yourself to that book 5 times for sure.

[ashbeeigh]

^Am I going crazy? To me, the workplace is for one thing and one thing only.........Work.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't engage in side conversations about non-work related topics from time to time, but it's pretty damn minimal. When I get to work, I put on my work face/persona and get focused on what I'm PAID to do.

I'm not paid at work to talk about a divorce, or hair styles or why my significant other doesn't like to cuddle after sex. Nobody is paying me for any of that shit.

Or it could be that I've just finished reading Atlas Shrugged for about the 5th time....who knows?

I'm not saying your completely wrong. I agree with the concept that "work is for work," but I could never be happy in a work environment that doesn't have some type of social aspect. Are these girls working while their talking? I mean, I don't see why that isn't allowed.

or is it that guys can't multi-task and work and talk at the same time? :sleep

[Ballcox]

^I try to read it at least once every 3-4 years, I love the book and am amazed at how accurate her writing was 50 plus years ago about the current state of the mostly apathetic american work force.

[balli]

If I were ever to invent a time machine one of the first things I'd do is go back and cite sinister quotes seconds before I sliced Ayn Rand's throat with a miniature sword.

Objectivism is one of the more fucked up philosophical systems that mankind has ever come up with.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/1329/atlasshrugged2qa3.gif

[ploto]

Hell, I don't care what the nature of the work is. Either you work and put effort into that work, or you don't work, period. If you can't work, then get the fuck out of my way, because I have one purpose when I get to work. Know what it is?
Sorry this went over your head while you are still on your supposed lunch-- now 2 hours long-- but my comment refers to the fact that he said that most women who work are simply a second income and they have the luxury of not caring about their jobs. Many, many single, divorced, and widowed women work jobs and are the sole means of support for themselves, and for some their children, as well. Just look on this board.

[Ballcox]

I'm not saying your completely wrong. I agree with the concept that "work is for work," but I could never be happy in a work environment that doesn't have some type of social aspect. Are these girls working while their talking? I mean, I don't see why that isn't allowed.

or is it that guys can't multi-task and work and talk at the same time? :sleep

Hell, there are breaks and lunch to talk about non-work related topics, you get them every day, one can use them however they see fit. But once you're behind that desk (or whatever your work environment is), to me it's time get on task and accomplish things...............things like work.

[mexicanjunior]

I know what you mean man...I noticed that at my work as well, women talking alot and walking around socializing when they should have been on the phone taking calls. Since I'm not a manager, I try not to let it bother me but, during my last review, I was docked some points for "not being social enough with my co-workers". This really upset me since I thought coming to work meant "working" and not shooting the bull with my cubicle mates. It seemed almost hyprocritical...

[ashbeeigh]

Hell, there are breaks and lunch to talk about non-work related topics, you get them every day, one can use them however they see fit. But once you're behind that desk (or whatever your work environment is), to me it's time get on task and accomplish things...............things like work.

whatever dude. I just know I would never want to work with you if you can't even consider being somewhat social during your "work" time.

I would have committed suicide at my last job if I couldn't have some side conversations while I was doing my job.

[ashbeeigh]

I know what you mean man...I noticed that at my work as well, women talking alot and walking around socializing when they should have been on the phone taking calls. Since I'm not a manager, I try not to let it bother me but, during my last review, I was docked some points for "not being social enough with my co-workers". This really upset me since I thought coming to work meant "working" and not shooting the bull with my cubicle mates. It seemed almost hyprocritical...

This is what I'm talking about. While I get where you are coming from, most work environments include co-workers and somewhat of a team atmosphere. If you can't, or don't want to, be part of that atmosphere you might as well take a work at home job so you can sit in your pajamas all by yourself with your 500 cats and not talk at all.

People that aren't "social enough with my co-workers" come off stand offish and not particularly friendly. If I needed help from someone on something, or had a pressing issue, I'd be less likely to come to someone who I'm not able to have a side conversation with.

It obviously sounds like ballcox thinks of work as "I go to work to work and nothing more." For me, and probably for a lot of people, a job is part of who you are. I said this in my last job interview, "I don't work as a community organizer, I am a community organizer." And if that includes being social then so be it.

[ploto]

According to a web survey by America Online and Salary.com, the average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per day, not counting lunch.That's far more time than employers expect. Over the course of a year (and even after accounting for time employers expect to be wasted), that adds up to $759 billion on salaries for which companies receive no apparent benefit.

The research, which was conducted through the AOL Find a Job site on AOL.com®, the AOL® service and Salary.com's Salary Wizard, involved more than 10,044 respondents (employees) who indicated that the number one way they fritter away time at work is personal Internet use (e.g., email, IM, online polls, interactive games, message boards, chat rooms, etc.). Personal Internet use was cited by 44.7% of respondents as their primary time-wasting activity at work. Socializing with co-workers was the second most popular form of wasting time at work (23.4% of respondents). Conducting personal business, "spacing out," running errands, and making personal phone calls were other popular time-wasting activities in the workplace...Top Time-Wasting Activities

1. Surfing Internet (personal use) 44.7%

2. Socializing with co-workers 23.4%

3. Conducting personal business 6.8%

4. Spacing out 3.9%

5. Running errands off-premises 3.1%


Top Excuses for Time-Wasting

1. Don't have enough work to do 33.2%

2. Underpaid for amount of work I do 23.4%

3. Co-workers distract me 14.7%

4. Not enough evening or weekend time 12.0%

5. Other 16.7%



Here are some other interesting facts about time-wasted at work:

Men vs. Women: Men and women waste about the same amount of time per day (approximately 2.1 hours). This, despite the fact that most HR managers surveyed suspected that women waste more time at work than men.

Youngsters vs. Seniors: As the following statistics show, the older you are, the less time you waste at work.
Year of Birth

1930-1949 0.50 hrs/day

1950-1959 0.68 hrs/day

1960-1969 1.19 hrs/day

1970-1979 1.61 hrs/day

1980-1985 1.95 hrs/day

http://www.salary.com/aboutus/layoutscripts/abtl_default.asp?tab=abt&cat=cat012&ser=ser041&part=Par485

[balli]

whatever dude. I just know I would never want to work with you if you can't even consider being somewhat social during your "work" time.

I would have committed suicide at my last job if I couldn't have some side conversations while I was doing my job.
Define "somewhat social". I've had jobs where all I did was converse with people. I've also had jobs where all I ever did was say hello each morning and goodbye each night. Is the latter somewhat social? And I mean no offense, but I don't think I owe people a fucking thing other than a hello, a goodbye and in general treating them amicably when it comes to professional matters- and I don't think engaging in personal conversation is included in that.

As annoying as it is for people that their co-workers aren't social. Imagine how annoying it is when you just want to be left alone to do your work and a fucking co-worker keeps trying to chat you up/be your best friend. It sucks.

[clambake]

you take lunch as your only break.

this thread started over 2 hours ago.

just sayin. don't hate.

[mexicanjunior]

This is what I'm talking about. While I get where you are coming from, most work environments include co-workers and somewhat of a team atmosphere. If you can't, or don't want to, be part of that atmosphere you might as well take a work at home job so you can sit in your pajamas all by yourself with your 500 cats and not talk at all.

People that aren't "social enough with my co-workers" come off stand offish and not particularly friendly. If I needed help from someone on something, or had a pressing issue, I'd be less likely to come to someone who I'm not able to have a side conversation with.

It obviously sounds like ballcox thinks of work as "I go to work to work and nothing more." For me, and probably for a lot of people, a job is part of who you are. I said this in my last job interview, "I don't work as a community organizer, I am a community organizer." And if that includes being social then so be it.

I think my situation is a little different. I work in a callcenter doing product support, along with my co-workers, so we are all supposed to be on our phones waiting for calls to come in. If I am on my phone available to take a call (or on a call), I feel like I am doing my job. Now, if one of my co-workers (man or woman) is standing away from their cubicle socializing and not ready to take a call, myself (or someone in the call que) is taking their calls because they felt the need to get up and gossip about whatever. This really irritates me and I don't feel is behavior that should be rewarded for being "social" with your co-workers. If that is the case, maybe the company should schedule "social" time to build team atmosphere but that is NOT the case, we are graded on how many calls we take and how many issues we resolve...

[ashbeeigh]

Define "somewhat social". I've had jobs where all I did was converse with people. I've also had jobs where all I ever did was say hello each morning and goodbye each night. Is the latter somewhat social? And I mean no offense, but I don't think I owe people a fucking thing other than a hello, a goodbye and in general treating them amicably when it comes to professional matters- and I don't think engaging in personal conversation is included in that.


I think it just contributes to the work environment to be able to be social. And of course there are some jobs where it is more tolerated then others. There is always a time and a place to tell someone to "fuck off I need to finish my work" too.

[mexicanjunior]

Define "somewhat social". I've had jobs where all I did was converse with people. I've also had jobs where all I ever did was say hello each morning and goodbye each night. Is the latter somewhat social? And I mean no offense, but I don't think I owe people a fucking thing other than a hello, a goodbye and in general treating them amicably when it comes to professional matters- and I don't think engaging in personal conversation is included in that.

As annoying as it is for people that their co-workers aren't social. Imagine how annoying it is when you just want to be left alone to do your work and a fucking co-worker keeps trying to chat you up/be your best friend. It sucks.

This is EXACTLY how I feel, thanks for explaining it better than I could...I come into work to work, not to make best friends and discuss what everyone did the night before or over the weekend. I know not everyone has that point of view but work (not including lunches and breaks) should not be a social club...

[ashbeeigh]

I think my situation is a little different. I work in a callcenter doing product support, along with my co-workers, so we are all supposed to be on our phones waiting for calls to come in.


I've got you. I was speaking from my experience at West, but we were doing outbound calls without an autodialer. There was always time, even if it was thirty seconds while reviewing accounts, to talk about previous calls, or just laugh about something. And I'll admit that I was sometimes that girl that would wander around, or take a "walk around" as we called it. it wasn't quite a break, but you weren't working. Generally being a pain in the ass.

it may be different for you since it is inbound, but still, being able to relate to the people you work with, especially in a call center environment, only makes the day go by faster. Talk about the stupid people you just talked to for a few seconds, laugh about the accents, bitch about the questions they asked. Ask how someone handled a specific call. It's not too hard.

[balli]

My thing is that building a "team-atmosphere" SHOULD BE entirely independent of socialization. Peoples' professionalism should be enough to ensure that there is good office co-operation. Quite frankly I don't need to know about my co-worker Becky's sister's kid's case of walking pneumonia in order to do a good job. I just need to know that Becky won't eat unless I do my job and hopefully Becky would understand that I won't eat unless she does hers. Professionalism and shared responsibility should drive office co-operation, not personal relationships.

Although ashbeeigh, I do get what your saying about social interaction not really hurting and even fostering the process. And I guess that's true until an asshole like me comes along and isn't served by it. And sadly, there are assholes everywhere.

[SpursWoman]

All the boys from sales & CS are over here trying to chat up us girls in admin all damn day long. I wish they would GTFO of here and let us surf the internet in peace. :rolleyes :lol

[ATRAIN]

My female coworker is a hard worker so I cant complain. Its a male fat ass that is the lazy fuck around here. The only problem I have with the female is that she chews ice and gos to a company weight watchers meetings on wed for an hour even though the stupid ass eats horrible every day. Oh yeah and she is stupid so she is constantly asking for help on her work. Im not the team lead (which I applied for but office politics ruined that) around here but everyone looks to me for help. Oh yeah and I post while at work but im not wasting time, I multitask and get all my projects done ahead of time.

[ashbeeigh]

All the boys from sales & CS are over here trying to chat up us girls in admin all damn day long. I wish they would GTFO of here and let us surf the internet in peace. :rolleyes :lol

:lol send them to this thread and see what they think.

[ATRAIN]

All the boys from sales & CS are over here trying to chat up us girls in admin all damn day long. I wish they would GTFO of here and let us surf the internet in peace. :rolleyes :lol

LOL I use office messenger to talk to all the girls around here hahaha.

[BacktoBasics]

chewing ice is a sign of sexual frustration. You should help her feel better.

[easjer]

Amazing that my office of 95% women get anything done. Since we all stand around jabbering about how our husbands pick up all the credit card bills from our beauty regimes and 3 hour lunch shopping excursions.

Oh, wait. . .

Plain and simple, this is a management issue, not a gender issue. Clearly, your management has no problems in allowing an employee a three hour break to get their hair done (now if it's PTO, stop bitching about it - pto is there to be used for anything they like and if they want to waste it on frivolity, that is their decision and none of it impacts you). If management is ok with employees clearly discussing non-work-related topics for extended periods of time, that is on them.

Stop bringing gender into it. In my old office, I did my job and 60% of my coworker's job. HE didn't show up until 9:30 each day and HE left by 4:30 each day and HE missed deadlines that affected ME (FEMALE) so I had to pick up the slack. Did I make unfounded, sexist, overly generalized statements about male coworkers? No, I bitched about him.

BTW - it is still sexist, even if you don't mean all women. Saying 'No Offense, but as a rule, you people suck' is still offensive. Just bitch about your coworkers, and not about women.

And for whomever brought up women on FMLA. Kiss my ass. I had to burn a 10 days of FMLA for my miscarriage. My husband also got to use FMLA to stay with me when I was dealing with the medication to make me pass the tissue. Men are eligible for FMLA too, and not using it is on them. Oh, and additionally, one of my MALE employees just took three weeks of FMLA to cover his knee surgery. Guess we should all slam him too, huh? Him, and all the other lazy assholes who have the audacity to have knee surgery after they destroyed it playing high school football. Those guys all suck!

[ATRAIN]

chewing ice is a sign of sexual frustration. You should help her feel better.

DUDE FUCK THAT. SHE IS HUGE AND GROSS. SHE HAS WARTS ALL OVER HER FACE AND NECK. She does have a oral fixation though for she is always eating or chewing something.

[mrsmaalox]

Man I've just gotta say that I am really surprised how much work time some men waste monitoring others work habits!! Why don't they just do their work like they want everyone else to? :rolleyes

[ATRAIN]

Man I've just gotta say that I am really surprised how much work time some men waste monitoring others work habits!! Why don't they just do their work like they want everyone else to? :rolleyes

You dont work and stay at home all day so stfu!!

[balli]

I multitask and get all my projects done ahead of time.
I slack off at work like none-other. I shine though because I take my work home and get stoned as hell before whipping the shit out of it late at night. Something about working in an office is just sickening to me. 4 hours at my home desk feels like 2, but 15 minutes spent doing actual work, while I'm at work, is like a fucking eternity. Probably the fluorescent lighting and leg shackles.

[mexicanjunior]

Talk about the stupid people you just talked to for a few seconds, laugh about the accents, bitch about the questions they asked. Ask how someone handled a specific call. It's not too hard.

That kind of interaction I can understand and engage in sometimes myself because it can be done at my desk while I am still working or waiting for someone to call in. The behavior that irks me is the walking away from your desk (making yourself unavailable to take a call) to discuss non-work things with people in another area...why should I (or anyone still at their desk working) have to foot the work responsibility of someone else because she feels like discussing someone's newborn or asking about how American Idol was last night? And to top it off, those "socialites" are the people that get the good reviews/promotions because that behavior is deemed "team oriented" and being "social with your co-workers". It's a double standard I don't understand and probably never will...

[ATRAIN]

I slack off at work like none-other. I shine though because I take my work home and get stoned as hell before whipping the shit out of it late at night. Something about working in an office is just sickening to me. 4 hours at my home desk feels like 2, but 15 minutes spent doing actual work, while I'm at work, is like a fucking eternity. Probably the fluorescent lighting and leg shackles.

Sometimes yeah it feels like forever. In crunch time though it feels like there isnt enough time especially when your carrying the load of others that you work with.

[mrsmaalox]

You dont work and stay at home all day so stfu!!

See? that makes me the perfect impartial observer! And it's not like I've never had a job; been there, done that.

[ATRAIN]

See? that makes me the perfect impartial observer! And it's not like I've never had a job; been there, done that.

your just arguing for the sake or arguing. To your original ques. We observe others around us because you have no choice. Stuck in a desk for many hours its kind of hard NOT to observe that shit.

[balli]

Anybody else completely isolated along political/socio-econmic/cultural lines from their co-workers? Most def makes for some interesting people watching.

[ashbeeigh]

That kind of interaction I can understand and engage in sometimes myself because it can be done at my desk while I am still working or waiting for someone to call in. The behavior that irks me is the walking away from your desk (making yourself unavailable to take a call) to discuss non-work things with people in another area...why should I (or anyone still at their desk working) have to foot the work responsibility of someone else because she feels like discussing someone's newborn or asking about how American Idol was last night? And to top it off, those "socialites" are the people that get the good reviews/promotions because that behavior is deemed "team oriented" and being "social with your co-workers". It's a double standard I don't understand and probably never will...

I think it's the nature of the job. I could only take so much of it for a while until I had to get up, even if it was to get a drink of water...and by that time I was talking to someone at Reworks. I understand the double standard there. I was past up for a training position because the other person knew the manager and I had only worked there for like 3 months..and that's another story.

And if there are reports or whatnot that say you are getting in as many calls (for us it was 20 per hour) and then Juanita Talksalot only has 15 with an average talk time below yours...then you need to look into that. Then Juanita gets the promotion over you. That's stupid. But if she's getting that 20 and is able to talk at the same time, then I don't know what to say.

[mexicanjunior]

Stop bringing gender into it. In my old office, I did my job and 60% of my coworker's job. HE didn't show up until 9:30 each day and HE left by 4:30 each day and HE missed deadlines that affected ME (FEMALE) so I had to pick up the slack. Did I make unfounded, sexist, overly generalized statements about male coworkers? No, I bitched about him.


I wasn't painting a brush on all women, just speaking to my personal experience around the office that I have observed. I'm sure there are penty of guys that do it too and I would be just as upset if the actions I described were done by a guy but it just isn't as common where I work.

[Ballcox]

you take lunch as your only break.

this thread started over 2 hours ago.

just sayin. don't hate.


I can type while completing work related phone calls, even being a male I can multi-task.

[balli]

Sometimes yeah it feels like forever. In crunch time though it feels like there isnt enough time especially when your carrying the load of others that you work with.
Those bitches! (non-gender specific) I'm lucky I don't have that problem.

[Ballcox]

Amazing that my office of 95% women get anything done. Since we all stand around jabbering about how our husbands pick up all the credit card bills from our beauty regimes and 3 hour lunch shopping excursions.

Oh, wait. . .

Plain and simple, this is a management issue, not a gender issue. Clearly, your management has no problems in allowing an employee a three hour break to get their hair done (now if it's PTO, stop bitching about it - pto is there to be used for anything they like and if they want to waste it on frivolity, that is their decision and none of it impacts you). If management is ok with employees clearly discussing non-work-related topics for extended periods of time, that is on them.

Stop bringing gender into it. In my old office, I did my job and 60% of my coworker's job. HE didn't show up until 9:30 each day and HE left by 4:30 each day and HE missed deadlines that affected ME (FEMALE) so I had to pick up the slack. Did I make unfounded, sexist, overly generalized statements about male coworkers? No, I bitched about him.

BTW - it is still sexist, even if you don't mean all women. Saying 'No Offense, but as a rule, you people suck' is still offensive. Just bitch about your coworkers, and not about women.

And for whomever brought up women on FMLA. Kiss my ass. I had to burn a 10 days of FMLA for my miscarriage. My husband also got to use FMLA to stay with me when I was dealing with the medication to make me pass the tissue. Men are eligible for FMLA too, and not using it is on them. Oh, and additionally, one of my MALE employees just took three weeks of FMLA to cover his knee surgery. Guess we should all slam him too, huh? Him, and all the other lazy assholes who have the audacity to have knee surgery after they destroyed it playing high school football. Those guys all suck!

If you'll take the time to look at the beginning of my thread you'll notice I was just taking a representative sample of where I work. I pointed out that there are mostly likely plenty of female employees who work hard and plenty of male employees who waste time at work. Calm down.

[I. Hustle]

Amazing that my office of 95% women get anything done. Since we all stand around jabbering about how our husbands pick up all the credit card bills from our beauty regimes and 3 hour lunch shopping excursions.

Oh, wait. . .

Plain and simple, this is a management issue, not a gender issue. Clearly, your management has no problems in allowing an employee a three hour break to get their hair done (now if it's PTO, stop bitching about it - pto is there to be used for anything they like and if they want to waste it on frivolity, that is their decision and none of it impacts you). If management is ok with employees clearly discussing non-work-related topics for extended periods of time, that is on them.

Stop bringing gender into it. In my old office, I did my job and 60% of my coworker's job. HE didn't show up until 9:30 each day and HE left by 4:30 each day and HE missed deadlines that affected ME (FEMALE) so I had to pick up the slack. Did I make unfounded, sexist, overly generalized statements about male coworkers? No, I bitched about him.

BTW - it is still sexist, even if you don't mean all women. Saying 'No Offense, but as a rule, you people suck' is still offensive. Just bitch about your coworkers, and not about women.



pppffffttttt women

[Ballcox]

whatever dude. I just know I would never want to work with you if you can't even consider being somewhat social during your "work" time.

I would have committed suicide at my last job if I couldn't have some side conversations while I was doing my job.

And I can be social, I don't mind saying hello to someone on the way back from the copier, and I can from time to time engage in pointless small talk. Now if I stopped to join in the huge amount of useless conversations that take place around my office? I don't see how I would ever get things done.

Plus, I would think as a commnity organizer it's part of your job to be social. When I'm at my desk working, I'm not getting paid to be social. They're paying me to act professionally and get the job done.

[balli]

I can type while completing work related phone calls, even being a male I can multi-task.
The Myth of Multi-Tasking
Can't copy and paste, but...

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-myth-of-multitasking

Worth reading just for the University of London study on internet/phone multi-tasking comparative to being stoned on marijuana. Guess which causes a larger drop in IQ relative to your main task? Two times over.

[Melmart1]

Anybody else completely isolated along political/socio-econmic/cultural lines from their co-workers? Most def makes for some interesting people watching.

I'm an independent contractor who telecommutes from home now, but my last "real" job was in a travel call center in Southern Virginia. I was promoted to this high-volume sales position, and the room they were in, there was only one desk free for the night shift, so I took it. It was next to the redneck. There was me, the redneck then across from us, the two Puerto Ricans, then across from them the two Black people, then across from them, the two Hispanics that are not Puerto Rican. The girl whose job I took had been a redneck, so here I come, the white-looking Mexican to fuck up their system.

Boy, did they give me hell, particularly about not understanding enough Spanish to want to take Spanish phone calls. When I pointed out that as Puerto Ricans they should be able to speak Spanish as well, all the sudden they were 'women of color' who embraced their "black heritage" and no Spanish is spoken in Africa. OK, so what about Afrikaans or even French, which is still spoken in many African nations? All the sudden I am racist and hate my Mexican heritage because of my white skin :lol So the redneck took the -ez off the end of my name and started calling me Martin since I hate being a Mexican. It was a joke, but all the sudden she was racist, too :rolleyes

[Viva Las Espuelas]

The Myth of Multi-Tasking
Can't copy and paste, but...
do or do not. there is no try
The Myth of Multitasking

Christine Rosen (http://www.thenewatlantis.com/authors/christine-rosen)

In one of the many letters he wrote to his son in the 1740s, Lord Chesterfield offered the following advice: “There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.” To Chesterfield, singular focus was not merely a practical way to structure one’s time; it was a mark of intelligence. “This steady and undissipated attention to one object, is a sure mark of a superior genius; as hurry, bustle, and agitation, are the never-failing symptoms of a weak and frivolous mind.”
In modern times, hurry, bustle, and agitation have become a regular way of life for many people—so much so that we have embraced a word to describe our efforts to respond to the many pressing demands on our time: multitasking. Used for decades to describe the parallel processing abilities of computers, multitasking is now shorthand for the human attempt to do simultaneously as many things as possible, as quickly as possible, preferably marshalling the power of as many technologies as possible.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, one sensed a kind of exuberance about the possibilities of multitasking. Advertisements for new electronic gadgets—particularly the first generation of handheld digital devices—celebrated the notion of using technology to accomplish several things at once. The word multitasking began appearing in the “skills” sections of résumés, as office workers restyled themselves as high-tech, high-performing team players. “We have always multitasked—inability to walk and chew gum is a time-honored cause for derision—but never so intensely or self-consciously as now,” James Gleick wrote in his 1999 book Faster (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067977548X/the-new-atlantis-20). “We are multitasking connoisseurs—experts in crowding, pressing, packing, and overlapping distinct activities in our all-too-finite moments.” An article in the New York Times Magazine in 2001 asked, “Who can remember life before multitasking? These days we all do it.” The article offered advice on “How to Multitask” with suggestions about giving your brain’s “multitasking hot spot” an appropriate workout.
But more recently, challenges to the ethos of multitasking have begun to emerge. Numerous studies have shown the sometimes-fatal danger of using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, for example, and several states have now made that particular form of multitasking illegal. In the business world, where concerns about time-management are perennial, warnings about workplace distractions spawned by a multitasking culture are on the rise. In 2005, the BBC reported on a research study, funded by Hewlett-Packard and conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, that found, “Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.” The psychologist who led the study called this new “infomania” a serious threat to workplace productivity. One of the Harvard Business Review’s “Breakthrough Ideas” for 2007 wasLinda Stone’s notion of “continuous partial attention,” which might be understood as a subspecies of multitasking: using mobile computing power and the Internet, we are “constantly scanning for opportunities and staying on top of contacts, events, and activities in an effort to miss nothing.”
Dr. Edward Hallowell, a Massachusetts-based psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and has written a book with the self-explanatory title CrazyBusy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345482441/the-new-atlantis-20), has been offering therapies to combat extreme multitasking for years; in his book he calls multitasking a “mythical activity in which people believe they can perform two or more tasks simultaneously.” In a 2005 article, he described a new condition, “Attention Deficit Trait,” which he claims is rampant in the business world. ADT is “purely a response to the hyperkinetic environment in which we live,” writes Hallowell, and its hallmark symptoms mimic those of ADD. “Never in history has the human brain been asked to track so many data points,” Hallowell argues, and this challenge “can be controlled only by creatively engineering one’s environment and one’s emotional and physical health.” Limiting multitasking is essential. Best-selling business advice author Timothy Ferriss also extols the virtues of “single-tasking” in his book, The 4-Hour Workweek (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307353133/the-new-atlantis-20).
Multitasking might also be taking a toll on the economy. One study by researchers at the University of California at Irvine monitored interruptions among office workers; they found that workers took an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from interruptions such as phone calls or answering e-mail and return to their original task. Discussing multitasking with the New York Times in 2007, Jonathan B. Spira, an analyst at the business research firm Basex, estimated that extreme multitasking—information overload—costs the U.S. economy $650 billion a year in lost productivity.
Changing Our Brains To better understand the multitasking phenomenon, neurologists and psychologists have studied the workings of the brain. In 1999, Jordan Grafman, chief of cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (part of the National Institutes of Health), used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to determine that when people engage in “task-switching”—that is, multitasking behavior—the flow of blood increases to a region of the frontal cortex called Brodmann area 10. (The flow of blood to particular regions of the brain is taken as a proxy indication of activity in those regions.) “This is presumably the last part of the brain to evolve, the most mysterious and exciting part,” Grafman told the New York Times in 2001—adding, with a touch of hyperbole, “It’s what makes us most human.”
It is also what makes multitasking a poor long-term strategy for learning. Other studies, such as those performed by psychologist René Marois of Vanderbilt University, have used fMRI to demonstrate the brain’s response to handling multiple tasks. Marois found evidence of a “response selection bottleneck” that occurs when the brain is forced to respond to several stimuli at once. As a result, task-switching leads to time lost as the brain determines which task to perform. Psychologist David Meyer at the University of Michigan believes that rather than a bottleneck in the brain, a process of “adaptive executive control” takes place, which “schedules task processes appropriately to obey instructions about their relative priorities and serial order,” as he described to the New Scientist. Unlike many other researchers who study multitasking, Meyer is optimistic that, with training, the brain can learn to task-switch more effectively, and there is some evidence that certain simple tasks are amenable to such practice. But his research has also found that multitasking contributes to the release of stress hormones and adrenaline, which can cause long-term health problems if not controlled, and contributes to the loss of short-term memory.
In one recent study, Russell Poldrack, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that “multitasking adversely affects how you learn. Even if you learn while multitasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily.” His research demonstrates that people use different areas of the brain for learning and storing new information when they are distracted: brain scans of people who are distracted or multitasking show activity in the striatum, a region of the brain involved in learning new skills; brain scans of people who are not distracted show activity in the hippocampus, a region involved in storing and recalling information. Discussing his research on National Public Radio recently, Poldrack warned, “We have to be aware that there is a cost to the way that our society is changing, that humans are not built to work this way. We’re really built to focus. And when we sort of force ourselves to multitask, we’re driving ourselves to perhaps be less efficient in the long run even though it sometimes feels like we’re being more efficient.”
If, as Poldrack concluded, “multitasking changes the way people learn,” what might this mean for today’s children and teens, raised with an excess of new entertainment and educational technology, and avidly multitasking at a young age? Poldrack calls this the “million-dollar question.” Media multitasking—that is, the simultaneous use of several different media, such as television, the Internet, video games, text messages, telephones, and e-mail—is clearly on the rise, as a 2006 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed: in 1999, only 16 percent of the time people spent using any of those media was spent on multiple media at once; by 2005, 26 percent of media time was spent multitasking. “I multitask every single second I am online,” confessed one study participant. “At this very moment I am watching TV, checking my e-mail every two minutes, reading a newsgroup about who shot JFK, burning some music to a CD, and writing this message.”
The Kaiser report noted several factors that increase the likelihood of media multitasking, including “having a computer and being able to see a television from it.” Also, “sensation-seeking” personality types are more likely to multitask, as are those living in “a highly TV-oriented household.” The picture that emerges of these pubescent multitasking mavens is of a generation of great technical facility and intelligence but of extreme impatience, unsatisfied with slowness and uncomfortable with silence: “I get bored if it’s not all going at once, because everything has gaps—waiting for a website to come up, commercials on TV, etc.” one participant said. The report concludes on a very peculiar note, perhaps intended to be optimistic: “In this media-heavy world, it is likely that brains that are more adept at media multitasking will be passed along and these changes will be naturally selected,” the report states. “After all, information is power, and if one can process more information all at once, perhaps one can be more powerful.” This is techno-social Darwinism, nature red in pixel and claw.
Other experts aren’t so sure. As neurologist Jordan Grafman told Time magazine: “Kids that are instant messaging while doing homework, playing games online and watching TV, I predict, aren’t going to do well in the long run.” “I think this generation of kids is guinea pigs,” educational psychologist Jane Healy told the San Francisco Chronicle; she worries that they might become adults who engage in “very quick but very shallow thinking.” Or, as the novelist Walter Kirn suggests in a deft essay in The Atlantic, we might be headed for an “Attention-Deficit Recession.”
Paying Attention When we talk about multitasking, we are really talking about attention: the art of paying attention, the ability to shift our attention, and, more broadly, to exercise judgment about what objects are worthy of our attention. People who have achieved great things often credit for their success a finely honed skill for paying attention. When asked about his particular genius, Isaac Newton responded that if he had made any discoveries, it was “owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.”
William James, the great psychologist, wrote at length about the varieties of human attention. In The Principles of Psychology (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674705599/the-new-atlantis-20) (1890), he outlined the differences among “sensorial attention,” “intellectual attention,” “passive attention,” and the like, and noted the “gray chaotic indiscriminateness” of the minds of people who were incapable of paying attention. James compared our stream of thought to a river, and his observations presaged the cognitive “bottlenecks” described later by neurologists: “On the whole easy simple flowing predominates in it, the drift of things is with the pull of gravity, and effortless attention is the rule,” he wrote. “But at intervals an obstruction, a set-back, a log-jam occurs, stops the current, creates an eddy, and makes things temporarily move the other way.”
To James, steady attention was thus the default condition of a mature mind, an ordinary state undone only by perturbation. To readers a century later, that placid portrayal may seem alien—as though depicting a bygone world. Instead, today’s multitasking adult may find something more familiar in James’s description of the youthful mind: an “extreme mobility of the attention” that “makes the child seem to belong less to himself than to every object which happens to catch his notice.” For some people, James noted, this challenge is never overcome; such people only get their work done “in the interstices of their mind-wandering.” Like Chesterfield, James believed that the transition from youthful distraction to mature attention was in large part the result of personal mastery and discipline—and so was illustrative of character. “The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again,” he wrote, “is the very root of judgment, character, and will.”
Today, our collective will to pay attention seems fairly weak. We require advice books to teach us how to avoid distraction. In the not-too-distant future we may even employ new devices to help us overcome the unintended attention deficits created by today’s gadgets. As one New York Times article recently suggested, “Further research could help create clever technology, like sensors or smart software that workers could instruct with their preferences and priorities to serve as a high tech ‘time nanny’ to ease the modern multitasker’s plight.” Perhaps we will all accept as a matter of course a computer governor—like the devices placed on engines so that people can’t drive cars beyond a certain speed. Our technological governors might prompt us with reminders to set mental limits when we try to do too much, too quickly, all at once.
Then again, perhaps we will simply adjust and come to accept what James called “acquired inattention.” E-mails pouring in, cell phones ringing, televisions blaring, podcasts streaming—all this may become background noise, like the “din of a foundry or factory” that James observed workers could scarcely avoid at first, but which eventually became just another part of their daily routine. For the younger generation of multitaskers, the great electronic din is an expected part of everyday life. And given what neuroscience and anecdotal evidence have shown us, this state of constant intentional self-distraction could well be of profound detriment to individual and cultural well-being. When people do their work only in the “interstices of their mind-wandering,” with crumbs of attention rationed out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in information, but it will surely weaken in wisdom.
Christine Rosen (http://www.thenewatlantis.com/authors/christine-rosen) is a senior editor of The New Atlantis and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.


Christine Rosen, "The Myth of Multitasking," The New Atlantis, Number 20, Spring 2008, pp. 105-110.

[ploto]

I think it is probably simply an issue of the things that these people do to waste time are irritating you while the things you do that waste time- you think- do not impact them. For example, their talking bugs you but your surfing the internet does not affect them. So you notice the things they do that you think blatantly waste time, but you probably waste time too, just in different, less vocal ways- like typing and working at the same time which does waste time and is not efficient.

[balli]

do or do not. there is no try
:tu

[baseline bum]

Hell, I don't care what the nature of the work is. Either you work and put effort into that work, or you don't work, period. If you can't work, then get the fuck out of my way, because I have one purpose when I get to work. Know what it is?

















WORK.

You're looking at this the wrong way. A lot of work environments are just high school all over again, and the quality of your work there gets you nowhere. If you want to get to the top, be prepared to kiss a lot of the bottom... or try to find a job with a company that's looking for more than warm bodies.

[debo]

My 2 cents:
it is alright for women to do this if they have big tits or a nice donk, otherwise they need to get there flat asses to work

[debo]

just kidding, but yeah women tend to waste time yapping but at the same time we waste time doing absolutely nothing

[ShoogarBear]

You know, pimps solved this whole problem a long time ago.

[SequSpur]

where i work, no one takes a break and shit, me and some other dude are like the only ones that take a lunch hours cough cough.. hour...

but i can understand you get a few beyotches together and shit falls apart.. .lol

[DarkReign]

Im the boss. No one slacks, period.

Plenty of applications sitting in the desk of people who want your job. I dont care what your personal situation is or what emotional problems youre experiencing. Old saying my dad used to say about his employer. "I didnt hire your car, I didnt hire your wife and I didnt hire your kids. I hired you."

Fuck one job up, one time, youre fired. Miss work on a day I absolutely needed you, youre fired.

Short of an emergency (they do happen), I pay you to be here on time and to work until you leave. Anything short of that and youre fired.

Otherwise, I'm a pretty understanding guy. Small talk about some sports here and there with some guys, some gun talk to with one in particular to let them know I do give a shit and create a good working enviroment.

But those conversations last far less than 5 mins at a time. Not everyday either.

I am posting from work right now. When you...

* Attract new customers
* Sit in endless meetings about potential work
* Quote said work
* Process that work for production ( draw in solidworks/AutoCAD, then write the inspection program in PowerINSPECT)
* Support that work with the customer (constant Gantt Charts, phone calls and emails)
* Support your staff (expectations, job sheets, d-dates, answer endless production questions)
* Invoice and ship the work
* Do payroll
* Pay the payroll taxes (weekly)
* Pay the other taxes (SBT, property, end-of-year)
* Pay your vendors and suppliers
* Sit in bank meetings trying to aquire capital for future work
* Work somewhere between 60-80 hours a week
* Deal with the day to day nonsense at any workplace as the last voice of authority on any disputed issue

...then I'll give a shit what you have to say about my posting here during work hours. I quite literally receive my personal mail at my work address.

A lot of you dont know what work really is and like to question your management/ownership. I was exactly like you for many years, until I sat (sit) in the big chair. No one complains to me and I laugh when 45 year old men/women try to somehow criticize me. I allow it, to a point.

Then I pull them in for a tour of my life and they STFU while driving to their kids dance recital/parent teacher conference/doctors appointment/parents anniversary/wtf-ever.

Its the real reason I never post in these "complain about work" threads. The OP in this thread has it alllllllll correct and is exactly what I want in an employee. Low maintenance, minds his/her own business, works diligently.

The problem with you employees who like to socialize about your personal lives is that you folks tend to get attached to one another and when shit goes wrong or you have some work-related conflict, that personal business you were oh-so-willing to share comes flying back in your face. Now a simple work related difference has escalated into personal attacks. Feelings are hurt, relationships are broken and more importantly, I have to get involved like I'm the fucking high school principal for grown adults almost twice my age because productivity has dropped due to one or more idiots not liking each other today.

/rant

Soooo.....I feel better. Maybe this thread stuff works.

[ShoogarBear]

^See, this is what being a Lions fan does to you.

[Ballcox]

Im the boss. No one slacks, period.

Plenty of applications sitting in the desk of people who want your job. I dont care what your personal situation is or what emotional problems youre experiencing. Old saying my dad used to say about his employer. "I didnt hire your car, I didnt hire your wife and I didnt hire your kids. I hired you."

Fuck one job up, one time, youre fired. Miss work on a day I absolutely needed you, youre fired.

Short of an emergency (they do happen), I pay you to be here on time and to work until you leave. Anything short of that and youre fired.

Otherwise, I'm a pretty understanding guy. Small talk about some sports here and there with some guys, some gun talk to with one in particular to let them know I do give a shit and create a good working enviroment.

But those conversations last far less than 5 mins at a time. Not everyday either.

I am posting from work right now. When you...

* Attract new customers
* Sit in endless meetings about potential work
* Quote said work
* Process that work for production ( draw in solidworks/AutoCAD, then write the inspection program in PowerINSPECT)
* Support that work with the customer (constant Gantt Charts, phone calls and emails)
* Support your staff (expectations, job sheets, d-dates, answer endless production questions)
* Invoice and ship the work
* Do payroll
* Pay the payroll taxes (weekly)
* Pay the other taxes (SBT, property, end-of-year)
* Pay your vendors and suppliers
* Sit in bank meetings trying to aquire capital for future work
* Work somewhere between 60-80 hours a week
* Deal with the day to day nonsense at any workplace as the last voice of authority on any disputed issue

...then I'll give a shit what you have to say about my posting here during work hours. I quite literally receive my personal mail at my work address.

A lot of you dont know what work really is and like to question your management/ownership. I was exactly like you for many years, until I sat (sit) in the big chair. No one complains to me and I laugh when 45 year old men/women try to somehow criticize me. I allow it, to a point.

Then I pull them in for a tour of my life and they STFU while driving to their kids dance recital/parent teacher conference/doctors appointment/parents anniversary/wtf-ever.

Its the real reason I never post in these "complain about work" threads. The OP in this thread has it alllllllll correct and is exactly what I want in an employee. Low maintenance, minds his/her own business, works diligently.

The problem with you employees who like to socialize about your personal lives is that you folks tend to get attached to one another and when shit goes wrong or you have some work-related conflict, that personal business you were oh-so-willing to share comes flying back in your face. Now a simple work related difference has escalated into personal attacks. Feelings are hurt, relationships are broken and more importantly, I have to get involved like I'm the fucking high school principal for grown adults almost twice my age because productivity has dropped due to one or more idiots not liking each other today.

/rant

Soooo.....I feel better. Maybe this thread stuff works.

Ah, someone that finally understands. And please remember, I'm just venting/ranting, if you look at my history of posts I don't do this type of thing hardly ever, unless I'm dealing with jgw and his dumb ass on the college sports board.

[ploto]

Dark Reign-

If you own the company, you run it however you want, and the people who work there need to conduct themselves in the manner you want. Not everyone runs their business that way, and workers who do not like the other environment need to realize those bosses get to run things their own way, too.

And before you yell at me, I am someone who works harder than anyone else I ever work with. It is why I have never, ever wanted to go into management of other employees or owned a business because all my employees would piss me off.

[whottt]

Be careful what you ask for...there's nothing in this world that sucks worse than working with a bunch of women that are by the book and take their job seriously.

[ploto]

Be careful what you ask for...there's nothing in this world that sucks worse than working with a bunch of women that are by the book and take their job seriously.

That is why I pondered at the beginning of this thread as to what the nature of the job of these annoying women is. Many, many women work hard to become well-educated and take their jobs very seriously. Oftentimes the serious women are the hardest workers of all.

[DarkReign]

Dark Reign-

If you own the company, you run it however you want, and the people who work there need to conduct themselves in the manner you want. Not everyone runs their business that way, and workers who do not like the other environment need to realize those bosses get to run things their own way, too.

I could not agree more. Re-reading my rant, it makes it sound like I am an asshole, when I am the furthest thing from it. The real reason I dont have to be an asshole 24/7 is because I thinned the herd when I took this position.

Drama queens (male and female), repeated tardiness, missing work, constant personal problems that interfere with work....all those people were terminated.

I kept the best workers and the most experienced. Those 3-5 guys are my core and teach everyone else who walks thru the door about what is expected here. I hired young people with young families and tried to intergrate them into the real working world, not the McDonalds/food service shit they were used to.

That was 6 years ago. 2 of them are now licensed welders who are currently going to school for their journeyman cards. 5-6 of them are some of my best prototype producers. They all have kids, theyre all unmarried and under 25. They work everyday except Sunday and even that isnt a guarantee these days.

In short, I have an excellent/marvelous/low maintenance/high productivity crew who come to work to work. Theyre young, motivated and willing to learn and more importantly willing to admit when they need help.

It wasnt this way when I took over. It was sloppy, to say the least.

Anyway, doesnt really matter anymore. If we're still in business at the end of 2009, all my prayers would have been answered.


And before you yell at me, I am someone who works harder than anyone else I ever work with. It is why I have never, ever wanted to go into management of other employees or owned a business because all my employees would piss me off.

:lmao, I wasnt going to "yell" at you. Youre a human being with an opinion, if it conflicts with mine, I'll respect that.

That was more or less a general rant that was for me, personally. I felt better after writing that.

Yes, employees piss you off. But that isnt the hard part of the job.

The hard part is $$$. <-- That will make you bald by 28 years old. That will put gray hairs in what remains. That will be the one looming problem, day in and day out.

I find myself asking nearly every week...

"Soooo, what miracle am I going to pull this week trying to make payroll?"

Thats the side of things employees never see, that I never saw. No matter what happens in the near future, I'll never own my own business/work for myself ever again. This isnt worth it. I'll be dead by 54, just like my dad.

Yay.

[DarkReign]

You know, the most disappointing thing about my position is that, even though you give your all and more, that youre relatively good at what you do (if I do say so, myself), no matter your best efforts, there are things outside your control.

You can be the best damn General Manager in the world and it wouldnt make a bit of difference in this business (auto). Especially in this state (8 year recession and counting).

Thats the worst part. That I may be doing all this to only end up in failure. But you cant be afraid of failure, now can you?

Anyway, Im out.

[DarkReign]

Be careful what you ask for...there's nothing in this world that sucks worse than working with a bunch of women that are by the book and take their job seriously.

:lol

I honestly wouldnt know.

[spursfan09]

I went through a divorce and for the most part nobody there knew about it. And yes it was pretty traumatic for me. So I grabbed some of my paid time off on days when I needed to deal with it.
When I was at work it was to work. Do I goof off? Hell yeah probably more than others, but looking at my numbers I also do more than others.
I also don't agree that you can only worry about yourseld and not others. If the other person/people are pulling their weight then yeah it's fine but if you are getting more work dumped on you because others aren't finishing theirs then it becomes your problem.

Well group work like that I agree with. You def want the others to contribute equally, I was thinking more of a job setting where your work is your work, and not sombody elses if you don't finish it. That can get annoying. I was also just trying to relate this to my life. O and thats great that you were able to get time off and recover from your divorce, but I know that I actually like to work or go to school to take my mind off the crappy things that are going on in my life. I think its just people are different. Some are all work no play, and others find that having a little slacking time is beneficial to them in the workplace. But I also see where why you would think, "If I'm working hard, ther others should to"