What do you do when you are bored at work?

[Samurai Jane]

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now. As a result, I sit around staring at the screen all day, bored to tears. :cry We are behind a firewall, so I can't play games and majority of all the good sites are blocked. There are only so many times you can read the same threads over and over and the same news over and over. What do you do to cure the boredom blues?? Please help me as I am slowly going insane at what was supposed to be my dream job! :pctoss

[Sunshine]

I start random threads on message boards :p:

Go to WalMart and buy a couple of those little hand held games. Or do they frown on that at work? Can you read at work?

[Samurai Jane]

sure.. I can read company documents.. :sleep

[DarkReign]

The ultimate time-passer (http://spurstalk.com/forums/)

[Sunshine]

sure.. I can read company documents.. :sleep


:lol

But no Dean Koontz novels or anything?

[Samurai Jane]

:lol

But no Dean Koontz novels or anything?


That's kind of frowned upon here. Maybe I can open up one of my texts and look like I'm doing research. :p: :lol

[Samurai Jane]

The ultimate time-passer (http://spurstalk.com/forums/)


Oh believe me, this site has been a god-send so far, but as I said, I can only read the same threads so many times. You guys just aren't keeping me entertained as much as I like! :p:

[ZStomp]

Pull people over.

[E20]

Blow spit bubbles and name potential shop lifters coming into the store.

[NorCal510]

make new screen names and act black

[baseline bum]

My job's been really laid back lately too, so I brought in a copy of Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming. That should keep me busy for a good 10 years or so. :lol

[Bob Lanier]

Drink alcohol, have sex, and browse the internets.

[Melmart1]

I have a friend who would purposely put items on the floor near his desk where people passing by could clearly see them, then sit back and be entertained by their reaction. Some items he used: condoms, half-eaten bagles, rubber gloves, dollar bills, one of his shoes, etc. Always funny to see who tries to return an item (is this your condom on the floor?) and who will try to hide the shock on their face and quickly leave.

Not sure how this would go over at work (especially since you are new), but it's a thought! :lol

[Samurai Jane]

Hmmm... I work with a bunch of engineers that probably haven't seen any action in a long time. I'm wondering if they would recognize a condom when they saw it. :nerd :lol

At least next week I get 3 days out of my cube for some training. :worthy:

Oh and did I mention that the guy that sits in the cube next to me is a gas machine??? I just got a audio reminder of that. :lol

Maybe I need to move back to SA.

[tlongII]

Pull people over.

I knew it! :madrun

[midgetonadonkey]

I go to thye restroom and slap the meat around.

[Mark in Austin]

What type of engineering is it? We're always on the lookout for good civil engineers, techs and drafters.

...and we have a firmly established no gas policy. :lol

[Viva Las Espuelas]

You guys just aren't keeping me entertained as much as I like! :p:Yeah, I was a little bored today. The same threads, as usual, were being regurgitated in the Spurs forum and The Club was worried about Coldplay and racists. I had to do something and I posted that stupid queer therapy story, but nobody bit on that. I tried. Let's do better tomorrow guys!!!

[ZStomp]

I knew it! :madrun


:lol

[Shelly]

Go here and diss on your favorite tv show

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/

[SequSpur]

I go to thye restroom and slap the meat around.

:tu

[Guru of Nothing]

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now. As a result, I sit around staring at the screen all day, bored to tears. :cry We are behind a firewall, so I can't play games and majority of all the good sites are blocked. There are only so many times you can read the same threads over and over and the same news over and over. What do you do to cure the boredom blues?? Please help me as I am slowly going insane at what was supposed to be my dream job! :pctoss

I read technical manuals when I get bored at work. :sleep

Can you develop an ancillary skill? Ancillary skills become survival skills.

Does your work include drudgery? Find a way to automate or simplify the drudgery so that you can fry bigger fish. You will thank yourself in the long run. I work in IT, so automating and simpliifying is part of the job description. It may not apply to your situation.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

The average american worker screws around on the job what is= to 18 weeks a year. I don't have the link but I am well over 22 weeks at my pace.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

This one says 13 weeks that is 2.hrs a day seems low. I blow at least 4 to 5.

[TDMVPDPOY]

busts a nutt

[Please_dont_ban_me]

www.boredatwork.com ?

[T-Pain]

shit im constantly working in my line of work, theres no way you can be bored

[Jekka]

I learned long ago to never go anywhere without a book. Preferably good fiction so it's easier to ignore the people around me :reading

[Jimcs50]

I'd fire each and every one of you lazy arses

[Fat Bones]

Gee...I dunno, maybe show some initiative?
I'm with Jim on this one, if you're bored, you don't deserve a paycheck. Obviously, you've never been laid off before. If you haven't developed any work ethic before your first severance package, you'll likely develop one afterward.
You should work your job like you own the business.

You know?
Got children? There's some motivation. I don't mean to just blast away on you, Sami Jane, I have always worked around people who don't pull their weight and I'm currently working with a world class slug, and it's got me kinda pissed off.

Have you tried accidentally flashing your coworkers? That should create some excitement around the office.

Just a thought.

[Sunshine]

If you read Jane's initial post, this has nothing to do with her not having any motivation or slacking off:

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now.

[Bob Lanier]

I have always worked around people who don't pull their weight and I'm currently working with a world class slug, and it's got me kinda pissed off.:cry :cry

[Fat Bones]

If you read Jane's initial post, this has nothing to do with her not having any motivation or slacking off:

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now.
Oh, my comprehension is fine. My interpretation may differ...
The junior engineers that I work with, do at times get faulted by the senior engineers for jumping headlong into projects without understanding the history of the issues at hand, nor fully realizing the functionality of certain systems, but their zeal hasn't been confused with lack of initiative. Playing games, reading unrelated materials, or throwing pencils at the ceiling could be.
But you're right, she's admirable in voicing her stagnation. She's just telling people that can't help her become more productive.

[ORION]

First I do my "rounds" and say hi to all the girls with low self esteem. next I'll patrol for pot lucks.

[CavsSuperFan]

Jenn- Have you ever considered a cyber boyfriend? I am 5’ 3” tall...127lbs....I have a very extensive spider collection...Lots of 8X Tapes...A Classic Lime Green AMC Gremlin...And I can recite all of the dialogue from Star Trek 3....

Ready to have your world rocked.... :smokin

[PUFFY_TACO]

I Jizz in the nacho cheese.


...Go Missions!

[BigZak]

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now.


i could use a job like that, pm me the company! :tu

[Kori Ellis]

i could use a job like that, pm me the company! :tu

:)

She moved from San Antonio to Scottsdale to take the job.

[CubanMustGo]

OK, so I have been at this job for about 4 months now and since I'm a new engineer, they aren't really giving me a whole lot of stuff to do right now. As a result, I sit around staring at the screen all day, bored to tears. :cry We are behind a firewall, so I can't play games and majority of all the good sites are blocked. There are only so many times you can read the same threads over and over and the same news over and over. What do you do to cure the boredom blues?? Please help me as I am slowly going insane at what was supposed to be my dream job! :pctoss

So, getting away from the various troll responses ...

Have you tried talking to your boss about this? Try this:
- present the work you have done
- ask if the quality of the work was acceptable
- if not, find out what you need to do to resolve the situation
- if so, ask what can be done to either increase the quantity of your workload, or what needs to happen for you to get more challenging work assigned to you

You may think you are doing great, but doing this will (a) confirm that your boss thinks so, and (b) let them know either that you want to work with them to improve the quality/quantity of your work and that you are willing to perform more challenging roles.

Don't just sit there being bored. Bosses will (fairly or not) pigeonhole you as unambitious/lazy if you do that too much. Take it to them and make them be managers. If you get bad vibes from the discussion, at least you will know where you stand.

Speaking as someone who has managed young software engineers, there is sometimes a vast gap in what the employee thinks versus what the manager thinks. A meeting of the minds can help get those differences out in the open and help close the gap. Yeah, it's the manager's job to make you more productive (and more valuable to the company), but sometimes we need a little help to divine the truth of a situation.


Good luck! :toast