Ridiculous Workplace Rules, Policies, Requests, PC, Initiatives, etc.

ShooterSF · 15-08-2012 1:05pm

Worked in a hotel where a new contract issued listed what areas of the hotel were to be searched by which departments in the event of a bomb scare! The duty managers were to orchestrate from reception conveniently at the front door

Also in event of fire we obliged to not bring any personal belongings (fair enough) and only to bring the roster (again fair enough, it told you who should be there) and also the till and float (hmm...)

A personal story then; On my most mischievous day, a stuck up new duty manager told me to remove a ring I was wearing whilst he had one on himself. I questioned it and he explained it was his wedding band, I then removed the ring, placed it back on my wedding finger and politely informed him that discrimination based on marital status is illegal in Ireland. Shut him up

matrim · 15-08-2012 1:13pm

LordChessington wrote: »

matrim wrote: »

My GF used to work for a company that had a lot of ridiculous safety rules. They brought in a rule that if you got anything from the canteen (even a cup of coffee) you had to use a tray to bring it to your desk. You could also get in trouble for walking down the stairs if you didn't hold the hand rail.

Sound like Intel?

Not Intel. One of the semi-states

mathepac · 15-08-2012 1:22pm

babymanval wrote: »

... Workplace policies/procedures/rules/directives from management etc. can often be ridiculous, counter-productively nonsensical at times. However I heard the most ridiculous one today. A friend of mine texted me at lunch to tell me about a farcical 30 minute meeting that she had to sit through:

She got an email requesting her to attend a meeting with her line manager this morning. It transpired that the purpose of this was to discuss any support that she may need for "any addictions that [she] might be suffering with"... The catalyst for this? Her manager had observed her taking three, rather than the recommended two tablets (for her Katie Taylor homecoming-inspired hangover). Furthermore, the manager observed that she had 2 packets of Solpadeine on her desk, "in full view". She came away from the meeting with some literature on addiction agencies, and a heartfelt reassurance that the management have a staunch policy of standing behind employees where they need support....

That sounds like an appropriate response from your friend's manager based on her observations and there are obvious unsubtle sub-texts:

Don't report for duty half-pissed or hungover, it means you are incapable of working properly
Do not consume addictive medicines on the premises
Don't broadcast your hung-over state and the medicines you take to other staff by having it on display
I'm keeping you here for 30 mins to keep you under observation for :
sweating
shaking
twitching
anger
or other symptoms
We are now watching your behaviour and your card is marked.

All in all handled exceptionally well by the manager, but it seems you and your friend might have missed some key "between-the-line" messages.

Cienciano · 15-08-2012 1:27pm

My mate worked in a japanese run office in England. They had weird rules and practices. One was only the managers could have a chair with arm rests

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Now I would have no problem with this were this applied equally and to all. However, we had one lady in the office who used to dress like a hooker - I'm sorry, but there's no other way to describe it. FMBs, fishnets, v-necks to her bellybutton, minis barely concealing her crotch etc. Was a word ever said to her? No. Complete double standard.

And seeing as this is AH, before someone asks, no, she wasn't hot.

Pics so we can judge for ourselves

Stepping Stone · 15-08-2012 1:30pm

I worked for a large insurance company. I basically entered the policy details that people filled out on paper and answered calls from brokers regarding basic policy details.

My manager had recently been promoted and was an absolute ass. He had a huge ego and was always shouting at us over nothing. Someone would call and verbally abuse us cos they were too thick to make sure that every box was filled in (not very hard) and we had to take it.

Anyway, one day I got a call about some company policy that had been ambiguously worded, way above my league and nothing to do with me. So, the manager stood over me while some wagon ranted at me for half an hour, when I got off the phone, he roared at me cos the policy was not well worded (nothing at all to do with me). Anyway, he told me to fix the problem, so I did.

I wrote a letter to every single broker in my area (Leinster) and threw in all of the others that I could find. I told them that we were willing to accept complete responsibility and to shoulder the financial fallout. I wrote that I had been given authority by my manager to do this. I then handed in my notice.

Luckily for me, the legal sh1t only hit the fan after I left, but he had, very loudly ordered me to deal with it, so it was entirely his problem. I heard that he was very nice after that, and he had months of training to deal with staff properly after that. I hope that he is rotting somewhere. Sad little man.

Ri_Nollaig · 15-08-2012 1:49pm

dazberry wrote: »

The parent company is strict on reputation, and in the leaving document that you have to sign there are clauses relating to the forbidding of discussing of negative experiences within the group. They managed to hammer their own reputation recently after a huge IT meltdown...

D.

ha! wonder which Bank this is so

ButtersSuki · 15-08-2012 3:53pm

Pyr0 wrote: »

Did you bring this double standard up with them?

Yes. I was told to basically STFU. I even mentioned the line from Animal Farm that "all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others". I was firmly told not to mention it again. Despite this, I pushed it again by asking why was I being discriminated against for wearing cords (:rolleyes:); partly to make the point, partly for my own amusement; but it got to the point where I was just getting myself into more trouble than it was worth.

How can I put this politely, my family weren't as prominent politically as the otehr person's.

Martyn1989 · 15-08-2012 4:06pm

ButtersSuki wrote: »

And seeing as this is AH, before someone asks, no, she wasn't hot.

A standard question IMO, nothing to do with after hours

Logical_Bear · 15-08-2012 4:17pm

mathepac wrote: »

All in all handled exceptionally well by the manager

manager comes across as being a complete twat to be honest!

mathepac · 15-08-2012 4:22pm

Ri_Nollaig wrote: »

ha! wonder which Bank this is so

They used to sponsor a boxer, one of the lads Steve Collins did a job on, Chris, sorry, Chistopher Ewbank, I think. He was a good match name-wise,but of a much higher class than the Ewbank Ewturners.

mathepac · 15-08-2012 4:27pm

Logical_Bear wrote: »

manager comes across as being a complete twat to be honest!

In your opinion of course, and no doubt based on your years of studying industrial psychology and managing diverse groups.

I appreciate that your modes of expression, your techno-language and management speak are way above our heads comprehension-wise but maybe you could give us some insight into what lead you to such a seemingly inescapable conclusion?

blaze1 · 15-08-2012 4:43pm

I used to work in a stock office for a clothing retailer in Dublin. Data entry entry and the like.

When ever a mistake was made my short assed napoleon syndrome gaffer would hop around all over the place 9 times out of 10 screaming "its not rocket science".

We reguarly got pulled in sat down and questions asked. The guy really was a dick.

He knew I had internet access (which was about the only thing that kept me there) and he asked me to price flights for him. The next week he was snapping because IT made him apply for access hahahah

uberwolf · 15-08-2012 7:02pm

mikemac1 wrote: »

Checked the office temperature, 27 degrees, ridiculous!

didn't read thread but -> http://www.lkshields.ie/htmdocs/publications/articles/pub344.htm

There is no maximum temperature specified in the 2007 Regulations. The HSA Guide notes that although no maximum temperature is specified, this does not mean that any temperature is acceptable. At high or uncomfortable temperatures, particularly when not caused by temporary weather conditions, a means of cooling should be provided. The Guide also suggests that for most people an acceptable temperature for office work lies within the range of 18 to 23 °C.

InReality · 15-08-2012 8:42pm

Mocha Joe wrote: »

Toilet in our place has this sign up.

If you clean the toilet seat after yourself, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

that is f*ing class !

I was told off for chewing gum , and for having a messy beard .
Also told off for wearing shorts to work.

The shorts thing was fair enough , the beard kinda , the chewing gum was not.

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 9:12pm

Duggy747 wrote: »

Working in Lidl years ago before they cleaned up their act:

Half hour break on a 12 hour shift which you never got the full break for because you'd be called out on the floor mid-way through eating. If you worked 6 hours you weren't allowed a break.

This has got worse. Its now 20 mins in some stores or 6 hour shifts because there is no one to cover a break. Stores now run with 1 keyholder and one store assistant for most of the day.

Duggy747 wrote: »

If you were ever under on your till, even by €5, it was coming out of your pay. One person was fired for being €30 under.

This was always against company policy. It was just your district manager trying to hide a problem.

Duggy747 wrote: »

You had to scan as close to 35 items per minute everyday, if you didn't you got called up in front of the district manager about why you were so slow. It was impossible to keep up as you could only go as fast as the customer would pack their bag. If you ever go into Aldi or Lidl and wonder why the cashier is throwing your stuff at you at a fast pace after they've scanned it and not giving you the chance to put it in your bag, that's the reason.

In fairness 35 IPM was fairly easy, you just need to pass the pressure onto your customers! That was dropped, there now is a 30 IPM target but no issue if you're slightly off.

Duggy747 wrote: »

You also had to unload a full palette in under 15 minutes, a palette that would have various items leaving you to haul the thing across opposite sides of the store.

You weren't allowed more than 1 toilet break a day. If you wanted a 2nd you had better explain yourself ("Um..........I need a shìt!?!" )

Working productively is why LIDL staff were/are paid so much (new start pay has dropped). You do the work of 3 people but are paid 50% more than Tesco etc.
You can go to the toilet as often as you want. Your manager was a bollox by the sounds of it.

Duggy747 wrote: »

The store had to be immaculately clean at the end of everyday, which is fine. Only that on the days you'd have to bring the specials out on a Sunday or Wednesday night you frequently would be in there until midnight due to a manager scratching their heads on where everything should go, no extra pay as you stopped being paid at 9pm. Again, if you complained then somebody else on the floor staff would get fired.

This thankfully was stopped when staff walked out in one store. Now you get paid for every minute.

Duggy747 wrote: »

Manager's didn't last in there by getting fired on a whim and making staff stab each other in the back at the promise of promotions. One manager was fired for not showing up to a surprise meeting on her day off while another was fired for kicking a football in the warehouse after another manager ratted him out by calling the district manager down to watch the CCTV.

That still is true to an extent. Everyone wants 70k+ and a company car so will screw over everyone to get there. It is a ridiculously competitive environment so you have to take the good with the bad.

mattjack · 15-08-2012 9:34pm

I worked for years as an electrician on construction sites.

On one particular development the project manager decided that people were wasting to much time going to and from the toilets and decided he was going to control access to the toilets by locking them ... if you wanted to use the toilets you had to ask him for the keys.

On the day he brought in this rule, all went well ..... for about thirty minutes.
The owner of the development arrived and he decided to give him a tour of the site only to be greeted by a large fresh shite lying on a newly tiled floor in a reception area.

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 9:45pm

I worked in a village shop for a while. Really liked having total freedom to do what I wanted with the shop... one issue was that the owners wanted me to converse more with customers and try to learn their names. Ehh not my sort of thing!

Anyway, there was one aul fella, Jeff whose name I did remember because he looked like an old teacher with the same name. I always made a point of speaking to when the boss was in.
On my last day I found out that his name wasn't even Jeff!

mhigh86 · 15-08-2012 10:09pm

[QUOTE
I used to work for a company that if it was your birthday (or any celebration) you would bring in a bottle of booze (whiskey, vodka, etc), then sometime during the day the department would all sit around and drink it.[/QUOTE]

Yey Happy tueday, who wants some vodka....

wmpdd3 · 15-08-2012 10:24pm

Approach every customer .

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 10:29pm

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Approach every customer .

In a clothes shop the other day the same girl asked me do I need help twice. If she didn't remember me she obviously didn't want to help me at all!

Sofa King Great · 15-08-2012 10:33pm

dazberry wrote: »

I had worked in an organisation for 4 years when I changed contract and they did a complete security check on me in case I wasn't who I said I was ... for the previous 4 years.

Those first 4 years I was on 112% of my pay scale level, you needed to get a "4" to get a payrise. My first review I was told "everyone gets a 3 no one gets a 4". In the 4th year I got a 4, and was told I would have been in for a big payrise but I was on an unusual contract and they couldn't do anything... yeah right.

I was the most senior on my team and would have been part of the interview panel - until I changed contract - where suddenly a lot of things became none of my business. Que some interesting hiring decisions...

It is incredibly difficult to get a reference from them, nigh on impossible, and if you get one it is rumoured that it is just a worked from date x to date y. On the other hand, if you are looking to work for them, they will look for a crazy number of references. In one case we were trying to get a guy on to our team and they insisted on 8 references for a 3 month contract - he told us to F.off.

We were all forced to do financial training and exams - in case we ever moved into customer facing roles as per central bank rules, and refused us training in the areas we actually worked in, i.e. IT. There were people in non-financial roles that were still failing those exams 2 years later...

We moved building and the new building had movement sensors that turned on and off the lights to save electricity. On the other had all computers had to be left on every night (including weekends) in case of any pending software updates.

The parent company is strict on reputation, and in the leaving document that you have to sign there are clauses relating to the forbidding of discussing of negative experiences within the group. They managed to hammer their own reputation recently after a huge IT meltdown...

D.

I could guess where you worked when you mentioned the fact that "everyone gets a 3" and the power saving. Haha

Grayson · 15-08-2012 10:36pm

My company has a woman's network. It was specially set up so that women could network with other women higher in the company. The higher ups are meant to give direction and encouragement to women further down the chain so they can reach their potential. Nice idea, one flaw. It was a bit too successful.

In my last department there were 7 supervisors and one manager. One of the supervisors was male, all the rest were women. This was in a department of over 100 people. There are over 20 women in that department who decided to join this woman's network (The rest didn't bother). They're getting special guidance from the people who are going to be interviewing them for any promotions.

I don't know a single guy who's gotten the attention from management that women get. And it means that when a man and woman go for the same job, the woman already has a personal relationship with the manager, has received special coaching and generally has more more on their CV (Since part of the Networks idea is to make sure that women get tasks/projects which are relevant to their career path).

Grayson · 15-08-2012 10:40pm

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Approach every customer .

I worked in a computer shop once that had that rule. Every customer had to be approached within 30 seconds. Fecking annoying. management used to view the CCTV in real time to make sure that was happening. There were also no chairs in the entire shop. They said people who were sitting looked unproductive.

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 10:41pm

Grayson wrote: »

My company has a woman's network. It was specially set up so that women could network with other women higher in the company. The higher ups are meant to give direction and encouragement to women further down the chain so they can reach their potential. Nice idea, one flaw. It was a bit too successful.

In my last department there were 7 supervisors and one manager. One of the supervisors was male, all the rest were women. This was in a department of over 100 people. There are over 20 women in that department who decided to join this woman's network (The rest didn't bother). They're getting special guidance from the people who are going to be interviewing them for any promotions.

I don't know a single guy who's gotten the attention from management that women get. And it means that when a man and woman go for the same job, the woman already has a personal relationship with the manager, has received special coaching and generally has more more on their CV (Since part of the Networks idea is to make sure that women get tasks/projects which are relevant to their career path).

I would get out of there! The lack of men will make the house collapse soon so they will have to redress the balance!

Solair · 15-08-2012 10:45pm

A memo :

"Please do not connect toasters, microwaves, kettles, heaters, small cookers, or any other heavy appliance to the sockets under your desk!"

"Please do not store cheese or any mouse-friendly food in your desk drawers!"

We'd a HUGE problem with people making toast under their desk and the office was full of 'unauthorised kettles'.
One lady had a fridge under her desk + a nespresso machine on her desk!

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 10:49pm

Working in a small supermarket one winter. This wasn't my usual store and their heating wasn't working. It was minus 10 inside and outside!!

So I went and lifted a few electrical heaters off the shop floor and plugged them in. Reported the heating fault to head office and said we needed someone out the next day.

The staff were delighted and said they were told they couldn't use heaters because of the fire hazard. Heating hadn't worked in 2 weeks. I boxed up the heaters at the end of my shift and management were none the wiser. Heating was fixed the next morning

Some times red tape gets in the way of common sense and decency to staff!

opinion guy · 15-08-2012 11:00pm

lol thanks for all the hilarious stories people

seriously how do these places stay in business :rolleyes:

Grayson · 15-08-2012 11:14pm

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

I would get out of there! The lack of men will make the house collapse soon so they will have to redress the balance!

It's just irritating when you work so hard to see others get a helping hand you do0n't. I can understand a mentoring system and a system to make sure that women benefit from it as well. But it doesn't seem fair to have a whole system that is prejudiced against men in a company where every level of management is split 50/50 according to gender. The network was only brought in 3 years ago when the balance was at 50/50. The company itself isn't biased in anyway against women.

woodoo · 15-08-2012 11:19pm

Grayson wrote: »

My company has a woman's network. It was specially set up so that women could network with other women higher in the company. The higher ups are meant to give direction and encouragement to women further down the chain so they can reach their potential. Nice idea, one flaw. It was a bit too successful.

In my last department there were 7 supervisors and one manager. One of the supervisors was male, all the rest were women. This was in a department of over 100 people. There are over 20 women in that department who decided to join this woman's network (The rest didn't bother). They're getting special guidance from the people who are going to be interviewing them for any promotions.

I don't know a single guy who's gotten the attention from management that women get. And it means that when a man and woman go for the same job, the woman already has a personal relationship with the manager, has received special coaching and generally has more more on their CV (Since part of the Networks idea is to make sure that women get tasks/projects which are relevant to their career path).

If that was a mens network it would be headline news :eek: I think that is quite a serious anti equality measure.

I used to work in a place that if you clocked in more than 1 minute late then the computer would dock 15 mins of your pay.

fasttalkerchat · 15-08-2012 11:25pm

Grayson wrote: »

It's just irritating when you work so hard to see others get a helping hand you do0n't. I can understand a mentoring system and a system to make sure that women benefit from it as well. But it doesn't seem fair to have a whole system that is prejudiced against men in a company where every level of management is split 50/50 according to gender. The network was only brought in 3 years ago when the balance was at 50/50. The company itself isn't biased in anyway against women.

Is this a female orientated industry? There already was a 50/50 balance?? Certainly an unusual environment!

Grayson · 15-08-2012 11:38pm

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Is this a female orientated industry? There already was a 50/50 balance?? Certainly an unusual environment!

Nope. Big american multinational. They just have to be a PC as possible.

csi vegas · 16-08-2012 1:16am

No smoking signs on your cigarette break.

MadsL · 16-08-2012 7:03am

matrim wrote: »

My GF used to work for a company that had a lot of ridiculous safety rules. They brought in a rule that if you got anything from the canteen (even a cup of coffee) you had to use a tray to bring it to your desk. You could also get in trouble for walking down the stairs if you didn't hold the hand rail.

Intel (I know you said it wasn't) do have a lids on coffee and tea policy and that handrail policy. They are incredibly safety conscious because people do get hurt in accidents during the production process (some noxious chemicals and acids used in chip making) Now if a dumb fcuk scalds themselves or someone else on a cup of tea that has to be recorded as an industrial accident, and affects Safety Managers bonuses. As Fab 24 has the world's best safety record for Intel, you can see that they don't want stupid accidents blemishing that record.

LordChessington wrote: »

Sound like Intel? A mate of mine worked for them and they brought in a system, forcing you to rat out your co-workers for tiny things. If you didn't rat out enough people, you got into trouble

Intel have a 'good catch' system; if you see a safety issue you are meant to say to the person causing the hazard "Stop! You are committing a safety violation" They should respond "Good catch" - you then record the "catch" Both people are then rewarded for catching unsafe behaviour.

The idea that this is "ratting" out people is ridiculous, people have died doing stupid things against safety policy in factories. Anyone who thinks in terms of "ratting out" in this context really wants to grow up.

MadsL · 16-08-2012 7:07am

woodoo wrote: »

I used to work in a place that if you clocked in more than 1 minute late then the computer would dock 15 mins of your pay.

I used to work in a sales job where if you were one minute late to the daily sales meeting you were sent home for the day. As a commission only job that really hurt.

geeky · 16-08-2012 9:57am

Stepping Stone wrote: »

I worked for a large insurance company. I basically entered the policy details that people filled out on paper and answered calls from brokers regarding basic policy details.

My manager had recently been promoted and was an absolute ass. He had a huge ego and was always shouting at us over nothing. Someone would call and verbally abuse us cos they were too thick to make sure that every box was filled in (not very hard) and we had to take it.

Anyway, one day I got a call about some company policy that had been ambiguously worded, way above my league and nothing to do with me. So, the manager stood over me while some wagon ranted at me for half an hour, when I got off the phone, he roared at me cos the policy was not well worded (nothing at all to do with me). Anyway, he told me to fix the problem, so I did.

I wrote a letter to every single broker in my area (Leinster) and threw in all of the others that I could find. I told them that we were willing to accept complete responsibility and to shoulder the financial fallout. I wrote that I had been given authority by my manager to do this. I then handed in my notice.

Luckily for me, the legal sh1t only hit the fan after I left, but he had, very loudly ordered me to deal with it, so it was entirely his problem. I heard that he was very nice after that, and he had months of training to deal with staff properly after that. I hope that he is rotting somewhere. Sad little man.

And there we have it, the real reason Quinn went bang. Seanie, we owe you an apology...

Solair · 17-08-2012 1:52pm

Worst I had was a part time job while in university in a call centre where this American manager called me in and patronisingly ranted at me because I wasn't being a team player. Basically, they'd bought the office pizza and I declined to eat some but was at the party chatting away. Then I refused biscuits and sandwiches... And I refused to eat canteen food as everything was wheat based and most sauces served contained gluten... Notice a pattern?!

Anyway, I explained that I was coeliac and she responded : "well there's no need to be stuck up about good food just because of your religious beliefs!!!"

gimli2112 · 17-08-2012 1:59pm

pretty sure our staff manual on what to do in the event of fire says something like "You should only tackle the fire if it's absolutely safe to do so"
There's some very good advice in those manuals.
I'm not a fireman!

I am pie · 17-08-2012 2:02pm

Not a regulation or a request, but somehow at our place (around 120 staff) it has become tradition for any leavers to shell out for a breakfast. Cue a trip to the local supermarket for a job load of sausages, rolls and whatnot for a hundred odd people.

Strictly observed....even for contractors. Never seen the like of it before.

zcorpian88 · 17-08-2012 6:19pm

Solair wrote: »

Worst I had was a part time job while in university in a call centre where this American manager called me in and patronisingly ranted at me because I wasn't being a team player. Basically, they'd bought the office pizza and I declined to eat some but was at the party chatting away. Then I refused biscuits and sandwiches... And I refused to eat canteen food as everything was wheat based and most sauces served contained gluten... Notice a pattern?!

Anyway, I explained that I was coeliac and she responded : "well there's no need to be stuck up about good food just because of your religious beliefs!!!"

Oh my god and this one gained a management position and has no idea what a coeliac is. That's the American education system for you, another child left behind. Excellent post, got a good laugh!

fasttalkerchat · 17-08-2012 6:33pm

gimli2112 wrote: »

pretty sure our staff manual on what to do in the event of fire says something like "You should only tackle the fire if it's absolutely safe to do so"
There's some very good advice in those manuals.
I'm not a fireman!

That reminds me.
During an induction day I was told that in the event of a fire to hit the alarm button if possible but that the priority was to get the staff (about 3 of us) out and to the meeting point. Then call 999.

I asked should we get customers to leave with us or to make sure they're out before we leave.

He shrugged and said, well if you get the staff out that;s all you can do because you don't know who the customers are so can't account for them anyway. Let the fire brigade handle that!

fasttalkerchat · 17-08-2012 6:34pm

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Oh my god and this one gained a management position and has no idea what a coeliac is. That's the American education system for you, another child left behind. Excellent post, got a good laugh!

Actually I wasn't sure myself the first time I heard that. I knew it was either lactose or gluten related but had no idea which foods that rules out.

mightdomighty · 17-08-2012 6:40pm

babymanval wrote: »

Hi all,

Workplace policies/procedures/rules/directives from management etc. can often be ridiculous, counter-productively nonsensical at times. However I heard the most ridiculous one today. A friend of mine texted me at lunch to tell me about a farcical 30 minute meeting that she had to sit through:

She got an email requesting her to attend a meeting with her line manager this morning. It transpired that the purpose of this was to discuss any support that she may need for "any addictions that [she] might be suffering with"... The catalyst for this? Her manager had observed her taking three, rather than the recommended two tablets (for her Katie Taylor homecoming-inspired hangover). Furthermore, the manager observed that she had 2 packets of Solpadeine on her desk, "in full view". She came away from the meeting with some literature on addiction agencies, and a heartfelt reassurance that the management have a staunch policy of standing behind employees where they need support.

Sounds like theres more to this story

mathepac · 17-08-2012 6:49pm

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Oh my god and this one gained a management position and has no idea what a coeliac is. ...

It probably wasn't a requirement of the job to have medical knowledge, in fairness; I think the real joke is immediately assuming it was a religious thing. OMG! LOL! Americans, you just have to laugh and then join them!!

zcorpian88 · 17-08-2012 6:58pm

mathepac wrote: »

It probably wasn't a requirement of the job to have medical knowledge, in fairness; I think the real joke is immediately assuming it was a religious thing. OMG! LOL! Americans, you just have to laugh and then join them!!

You're right I suppose but it is one of those things a person should know, Like I must have been 11 or 12 when I found out what a coeliac was. Honestly though even if you weren't a coeliac I don't see how not eating some food makes you a non team player. I'd just say I just ate or I'm on a diet.

I'd have to correct her just to see the embarrassment than have a laugh with her over it!

retalivity · 17-08-2012 8:14pm

razorblunt wrote: »

Probably saved pennys while working there though did you? ;-)

Similar situation, worked in retail they employed alot of "mature" women on p/t contracts, who (most of )after a few weeks proved to be so incompetent that the full timers and student p/t workers were absolutely smashed with work carrying the load. Leading only to managers giving the students a hard time to get things done. Not one of the olders crowd were giving warnings or let go. Jokeshop.

Jokeshops are renowned for their abysmal working conditions & clowns in management.

Esoteric_ · 17-08-2012 11:45pm

Last place I worked in was full of completely ridiculous rules, but I'll just mention two that I was bítched at over.

We weren't allowed wear our uniforms in to work, for hygiene reasons (no outside contaminants). This meant that we had to iron them in the staff room once we got in to work, not a bother. However, the iron was broken for 6 months and they refused to replace it, but we still weren't allowed iron and wear in our uniforms, and they'd get crumpled in a bag on the way in. One day, I was sent back upstairs FOUR times to re-iron my shirt, despite the fact that I told the managers that the iron was broken, and all of the staff had creased shirts as a result of this.

Another time, there was a staff party. Basically, they were all going out for dinner and drinks (paid for by ourselves). I couldn't go, as my mother is disabled and I had to be home on weeknights to look after her after work. Management knew this, because I was on specific shifts as a result of this (I told them this during my initial interview, they only wanted me for the busiest shifts during the daytime anyway, so suited everyone). My area manager asked me during my shift if I was going to the party. I said that I wasn't because I had to look after my mother and the party was starting at the same time my shift finished anyway, and it'd take me three and a half hours to get home, change and get back into the city for the party, even if I wasn't looking after my mam. She told me that I could be sacked for not socialising with the staff. I pointed out that myself and several staff members went out clubbing every week together, and that all the staff and management had gone to my birthday party, but she still insisted I go. I didn't go, and found out the next day that neither did she!

A week later, after finding out that I didn't go, she said that she didn't care about my initial agreement to do all the morning and day shifts, if I didn't agree to do night shifts, I'd be sacked. Cue me working from 5pm-5am every night and being the last dropped home by the driver, out of three stores, so I didn't get home til after 9am most mornings, then had to leave my house again at 3.30 for work.

Needless to say, I ended up quitting. Still can't believe I stuck it out there for 2 years. :pac:

woodoo · 18-08-2012 12:02am

LyndaMcL wrote: »

Another time, there was a staff party. Basically, they were all going out for dinner and drinks (paid for by ourselves). I couldn't go, as my mother is disabled and I had to be home on weeknights to look after her after work. Management knew this, because I was on specific shifts as a result of this (I told them this during my initial interview, they only wanted me for the busiest shifts during the daytime anyway, so suited everyone). My area manager asked me during my shift if I was going to the party. I said that I wasn't because I had to look after my mother and the party was starting at the same time my shift finished anyway, and it'd take me three and a half hours to get home, change and get back into the city for the party, even if I wasn't looking after my mam. She told me that I could be sacked for not socialising with the staff. I pointed out that myself and several staff members went out clubbing every week together, and that all the staff and management had gone to my birthday party, but she still insisted I go. I didn't go, and found out the next day that neither did she!

A week later, after finding out that I didn't go, she said that she didn't care about my initial agreement to do all the morning and day shifts, if I didn't agree to do night shifts, I'd be sacked. Cue me working from 5pm-5am every night and being the last dropped home by the driver, out of three stores, so I didn't get home til after 9am most mornings, then had to leave my house again at 3.30 for work.

Needless to say, I ended up quitting. Still can't believe I stuck it out there for 2 years. :pac:

I'm amazed how easy it seems to sack people in this country. And then everyone is anti union :eek:

fasttalkerchat · 18-08-2012 12:30am

woodoo wrote: »

I'm amazed how easy it seems to sack people in this country. And then everyone is anti union :eek:

Its very hard to sack someone here but it is very easy to push someone out of a job if they don't know their rights.

Katgurl · 18-08-2012 2:59am

Omackeral wrote: »

cashback wrote: »

My manager told me once that she didn't hear enough of a 'smile in my voice', when talking to customers on the phone.

That is something like Buddy the Elf would say. Seriously.

I've obviously been institutionalised by the crappy industry I spent too long in because I think that's quite reasonable. One company I worked in suggested we kept a mirror by our desks so we could ENSURE we were smiling on the phone. That same place made us sign contracts to commit to everyday wear of: full make-up, manicured nails, pantyhose and fully enclosed shoes. There was nothing about weight but there wasn't a love handle in sight. If hair was not up to standard we got presented with a voucher for a blow-dry and told to take it as a friendly first warning. The third could mean dismissal.

In another company my manager once summoned me looking very serious and awkward. After much humming and hawing it came out that I had broken Informal work policy of offering the milk to any nearby colleagues in kitchen before returning to fridge.

fasttalkerchat · 18-08-2012 3:05am

Katgurl wrote: »

In another company my manager once summoned me looking very serious and awkward. After much humming and hawing it came out that I had broken Informal work policy of offering the milk to any nearby colleagues in kitchen before returning to fridge.

I would have responded with **** off. In writing if need be. They can take that as my written notice!

Ridiculous Workplace Rules, Policies, Requests, PC, Initiatives, etc.

Comments