Let's bitch about our stupid, annoying co-workers

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Today in work, we were talking about the smoking ban in Scotland and the fact, reported in the papers, that artists at T in the Park weren't going to be allowed to smoke backstage. The resident smart-arse was holding forth about how The Who were pulling out of their headlining slot because Entwistle wasn't allowed to smoke. I interjected with the fact that maybe Entwistle wouldn't care that much, given that he's been dead for three and half years.

Resident Smart-Arse "No, he isn't dead."
Me: "yes, he is. That might be why he isn't playing T in the Park"
RS-A: "He's not dead"
Me: Yes, he is. He died in a hotel room in Vegas. It involved drugs and hookers."
RS-A: "You're thinking of that guy from Big Country"
Me: "No, really, I'm not."
RS-A: "You're too young to even know who the Who are, you must be getting confused"
Me: ***bangs head off desk, googles report of John Entwistle's death, shows it to RS-A, waits for apology, doesn't get one, looks for other job***

ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 23 February 2006 00:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Later on, people were talking about the football. We were talking about Henrik Larsson and Giovanni van Bronckhorst playing for Barcelona against Chelsea.

RS-A: "They won't be playing, they're rubbish"
Me: "Yes, that's why Barcelona signed them"
RS-A: "Barcelona are good, they don't need players from Scotland"
Me: "Yes, that's why they signed them, because they don't need them. I presume they play them for laughs as well"
RS-A: "Yes, but Larsson's missed loads of games for Barcelona"
Me: "Aye, he was injured. He's still in the first team squad now though"
RS-A: (floundering for arguments) "yes, but ironically they didn't even sign van Bronckhorst from Rangers, they signed him from Arsenal. What does *that* tell you?"
Me: "Er, that you don't know the meaning of the word "ironic", perhaps?"
RS-A: ***finds something else important to do elsewhere***

ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 23 February 2006 00:42 (eighteen years ago) link

These stories translate really badly in the re-telling. This same guy once tried to tell me that my local pub wasn't really where I said it was, and that the bus I get home every night doesn't really go past my house, just because he doesn't like people to know anything about something he thinks he is the sole expert on - which he was before I started working there and he wasn't the only person from this area anymore - point being, he's found things other people in the office don't know much about, e.g. the area in which I live, bands that haven't been in the charts in the last five years, football, etc, and has built himself a reputation as an expert on these things based on confident bullshitting. Now someone has come along who can challenge him, yet he still persists with the bullshit in case I go "oh, sorry, you're right, silly me, what was I thinking, daring to *know* stuff about things"... (also, he's been there for years, I've been there about five minutes, so people have got used to thinking he is the brain of Britain, and I think I might be resented for daring to challenge the clever bloke with the shocking concept that he might not actually be right all the time)

ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 23 February 2006 00:54 (eighteen years ago) link

hahaha we have one like that here, he's the accounts guy I refer to upthread with the advice "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!!!".

destroye's noobies (haitch), Thursday, 23 February 2006 00:57 (eighteen years ago) link

(also, I know Entwistle's only been dead for two and a half years, I was thinking other thoughts whilst typing)

ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 23 February 2006 01:00 (eighteen years ago) link

(no, it's three and a half years, I just can't count. I was right earlier, anyway, he's dead, so my point still stands)

ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 23 February 2006 01:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh gods Ails, I know just the kind of wanker you mean - my first job in Melbourne when I moved there was a guy who liked to think he was a similar knowitall, and also strangely liked to argue black was white for no clear reason.

One time, he said aloud "why's it called the WestGate Bridge anyway? It isnt even in the west".

It is, and he then spent ten minutes arguing with me that it, and the whole inner western suburbs, was actually north. Jesus.

He also used to eat the entire loaf of bread bought by the morning tea club that was meant to be shared among about 10 people. He claimed it was because he was poor and going without meals, even though he was on the same salary as the rest of us and also a single man living in a cheaparse flat.

Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 23 February 2006 01:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I meant to post this earlier, but since I'm here, a note to the woman who sits across the aisle from me:

DON'T FUCKING TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL. It's disgusting and no one can understand a word you're saying.

Thank you, goodnight.

The Milkmaid (of human kindness) (The Milkmaid), Thursday, 23 February 2006 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Man, now I feel bad. She's nice. She just has this unbearable habit of conducting complete conversations with her mouth constantly full of food. Not just a little bit full -- totally completely stuffed with food. I can't even look at it.

The Milkmaid (of human kindness) (The Milkmaid), Thursday, 23 February 2006 03:12 (eighteen years ago) link

God, resident smartarses are the worst. I feel for you ailsa (though that Who thing is quite funny haha).

And I wonder how someone can actually reach adulthood without learning that talking with your mouth full is rude and disgusting. I mean, did this woman not have parents?

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 09:35 (eighteen years ago) link

dear Trev,
it's not actually compulsory to join into everybody elses conversation in the office. You ARE allowed, believe it or not, to get on with your own work and let other people discuss subjects that don't involve you.

thanks

ps. also not everything you say has to be witty, again it's not compulsory. might be worth just going over in your head the things you're about to say too, you know, is it really that funny? will people roll about laughing? here's a simple rule - "if in doubt, leave it out"

Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:22 (eighteen years ago) link

I'll wager a fair amount that quite a few ILXors *are* the resident smart-arses in their offices. I think I probably am.

Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:31 (eighteen years ago) link

I wondered that too. About me, I mean, not you...

beanz (beanz), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:35 (eighteen years ago) link

I definitely am.

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:43 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm not. Thing is, I reckon that most of the ILX smartarses would at least be RIGHT. I know FP would ;)

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:49 (eighteen years ago) link

i'm a smartass in the office when it comes to movies and video games, but anything else i'll stay out of.

Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:52 (eighteen years ago) link

oh and trev, when you eat an apple, try and eat a bit more of it, what's with the three bites and then bin thing you got going there?

Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Dear coworker,

I know you said you would be 'making up the hours' that you are away at your classes, rather than giving up a day's pay as I have been. I can't help but notice, YOU ARE NOT MAKING UP THE HOURS. I like you but I fear I am not going to be able to quell my resentment that you are NOT MAKING UP THE HOURS.

That is all,

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 12:00 (eighteen years ago) link

I have to admit, I am one of those annoying people who will not let things drop when they know they are right.

Such as: an argument with an annoying manager known (but not to his face) as "ginger tosser". He said: when you send a copy of our price list, you should send the PDF version and not the Word version, so that they can't change it at the other end.

I said: Yes, very sensible, although of course it only matters when you email it - if you're faxing it there's no difference.

But this tosser insisted that there was a difference between faxing a Word document and a PDF, and that if you faxed a Word document to someone they would be able to edit it after receipt. Tosser.

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 23 February 2006 12:15 (eighteen years ago) link

The really annoying thing was: we were having the "discussion" in front of his staff, who were all "i think S. knows what he's talking about - he's worked here much longer than you"

I did say: "if you like, I can fax you a Word document and you can *show me* how to edit it afterwards." His reply was just: "I know you can"

(I did, later, bring this up again in front of my boss and his boss, knowing that my boss, at least, would treat him with laughter and derision)

Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 23 February 2006 12:21 (eighteen years ago) link

People who don't understand faxes are funny. "I'VE PRESSED SEND FIVE TIMES AND IT'S STILL HERE!"

Anyway, J who sits right opposite me, if you want to know if a job is done just ask me instead of emailing me and CCing it to everyone who doesn't give a shit. I've taken to hitting "Reply to all" and signing off with "Gerry, 5 feet from J..."

Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 23 February 2006 12:30 (eighteen years ago) link

the apple thing, haha!!

RJG (RJG), Thursday, 23 February 2006 12:43 (eighteen years ago) link

haha in the police officer episode of People Like Us, they are getting another HQ to 'fax over some blank paper' because they've run out.

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 23 February 2006 13:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Hey you. Yeah, you, you microwave hogging, queue jumping cnut. Could you PLEASE make sure that you are in the kitchen when your microwave ends so that maybe other people in the company can use it, too?

Oh yeah, and don't leave sodding fish all over the sodding kitchen - some of us are allergic to that shit.

Boris and the Johnsons (kate), Thursday, 23 February 2006 13:45 (eighteen years ago) link

When I open e-mails from female co-workers in other departments who I don't know very well so I think it's Take Back the Night info or something and it's a stupid slideshow of beefcake photos, some with photoshopped Santa hats if it's around Christmas-time.

jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 23 February 2006 13:56 (eighteen years ago) link

But this tosser insisted that there was a difference between faxing a Word document and a PDF, and that if you faxed a Word document to someone they would be able to edit it after receipt. Tosser.

*collapses larfing* thats insane FP! Now I see why you thought PlayfulPuppy's menko old boss was your boss too ;)

Trayce (trayce), Friday, 24 February 2006 01:00 (eighteen years ago) link

ooh! i finally get to contribute! the first post of this thread always makes me laugh. i don't work full-time, but at my campus job, there's this one guy who asks me out every time I work with him (which, luckily, isn't every shift; he's very fun to work with but it's kind of annoying to have to repeat rejection so many times, really makes me feel like a bitch). recently he got a girlfriend and i was like "oh yay now we can stop being all awkward!" so last time i saw him, he mentioned his girlfriend in conversation twice and then asked me out again! argh. poor girlfriend.

Maria (Maria), Friday, 24 February 2006 03:35 (eighteen years ago) link

ok, when you're peeved that the '100 funniest moments', ended too late, at 12.30pm, you may as well just call it quits and do yourself in right here. i really wouldn't mind.

The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 12:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I have found out that the reason I'm getting all the phonecalls to the training department bouncing to my phone is because the admin girl there is deliberately logging out of the phone system, so that she only gets personal calls who call her directly rather than, you know, answer the customer enquiries that she is being employed to do.

armalite roffle (haitch), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:04 (eighteen years ago) link

let's quickly sidetrack the thread for a sec: how would you approach a problem like this? because I have basically had my fill of incompetence from certain people at this organisation. I just think that a) it's appallingly unprofessional and b) it's me who is having my own work disrupted. apparently the management know about it though and haven't done anything?? going and confronting person in question off my own bat, otoh, seems pointless.

armalite roffle (haitch), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:21 (eighteen years ago) link

Are you 100% sure that it IS her job to answer these calls? If so, check that management more than 'apparently' know about by speaking to them yourself. Or specifically to her line manager.

Why is it pointless confronting her yourself? Is she a difficult character?

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:35 (eighteen years ago) link

I'd blind transfer the calls back to her direct extension.

zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:39 (eighteen years ago) link

Good idea.

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:41 (eighteen years ago) link

What about a vaguer comment to a manager/tech person about how there seems to be a problem with the phone system?

Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Open a formal problem report with the administrator of the phone system. "For some reason, all of the training calls are coming to me..? There must be something wrong with the system." Wasting the administrator's time looking into a problem that is caused by someone not doing her job will go a lot farther than you complaining that you have extra calls to answer.

xpost

Dave will do (dave225.3), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:49 (eighteen years ago) link

haha, comments that "there's a problem with the phone system" was how she got found out in the first place!

archel: it's definitely her job. "pointless" - I get the feeling that I would be ignored whereas a manager wouldn't be.

armalite roffle (haitch), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 13:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Tell her conspiratorially that you don't want her to get into trouble so she'd better fix it before Top Brass come round?

beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 14:00 (eighteen years ago) link

i have a co-worker with an unbearable laugh which pops up after he tells vaguely sexist jokes. he looks like tv's frank.

mookieproof (mookieproof), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 15:12 (eighteen years ago) link

My co-worker is not Catholic, but she is doing (doing?) Lent. She is not Jewish, but she insisted that my place of business put up a Menorah in the lobby with the XMAS trees. She also had one on her desk. She also has a Buddha statue on her desk. She wears a red ribbon on her wrist to ward off evil eye (It doesn't work, I'd know!).

She really irritates me.

ai lien (kold_krush), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 22:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Draw an evil eye on your hand and keep waving to her.

Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 23:04 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.gm.tv/media/images/david_blane_main.jpg

Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 23:05 (eighteen years ago) link

hmmm...ye-e-esssss...

ai lien (kold_krush), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 23:06 (eighteen years ago) link

ai lien - maybe she's hedging her bets for the afterlife! ;D

Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 23:40 (eighteen years ago) link

And haitch: if its any comfort at all, a guy on my old helpdesk at Conn3ct used to pull a similar trick: we were all logged into the helpdesk call pool, but when a call hit his phone, he'd immediately xfer it back to the wait queue. It thus looked like he was still taking calls, so no one twigged for some time, until the stats showed all his calls were 1-2 seconds in length.

He was frogmarched out of the building and fired not long after that.

Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 23:41 (eighteen years ago) link

three things i DON'T want to know about:

yr baby's sportswear
yr baby's poo
yr baby's penis

The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 12:37 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh God, the endless debate over the rights and wrongs of having a toaster upstairs when downstrairs toaster was removed after upstairs person made toast downstairs and set all the fire alarms off. Followed by the debate over who from upstairs is to blame for thos e downstairs knowing we still have a toaster. Jesus, three months ago everyone was all about giving up wheat.

Anna (Anna), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:37 (eighteen years ago) link

oof, i just got ZINGED.

i work with a dire, racist new zealander; it was pointed out that when our cuntwit colleague ****** leaves i will be the only male in the department. and she cam back 'more like the only girl', presumably because of my slender build and dynamic cheekbones and non-kiwi ways.

The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Thursday, 2 March 2006 15:35 (eighteen years ago) link

not from me, but from a friend of mine:

So part of my job is posting finished real estate transactions on a dry-erase board for everyone to see. I do it after I have reviewed the contracts and approved the sale, but some people CAN'T FUCKING WAIT for me to approve the sales, so they write it on the board themselves, which they're not supposed to do.

So this morning, I saw this one sale on the board written in red ink. I promptly erased it, expecting the lady to come in and complain, at which point I would explain to her that I write the names on the board, not her.

Five minutes ago, in she comes.

Her: "Did you erase 999 Fuckmyass Rd. from the board?!"

Me: "Yes, I did. My boss told me that we don't write sales on the board until he and I approve them."

Her: "Well, don't ever do that again. I write my sales in Red on the board, because it symbolizes the blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without Him, none of us would be able to sell real estate."

Me: *stunned*

wangdangsweetpentangle (teenagequiet), Thursday, 2 March 2006 15:39 (eighteen years ago) link

She was kidding, right? Right...?

Archel (Archel), Thursday, 2 March 2006 15:41 (eighteen years ago) link

"I write sales in black which signifies the devil, who is behind all capitalism. Check."

Dave will do (dave225.3), Thursday, 2 March 2006 15:44 (eighteen years ago) link


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