Job Nightmares...we have all had them!

Rockee

Hey all...Just wondering what kind of current/ex job nightmare stories you have. Mine mustve been when I was working as a barman at a golf club. I loved being behind the bar and serving people, havin the craic etc. The nightmare began when I was left to count the till/float at the end of the night. I made a complete pigs ear of it, left the till WAY short(found out the next day after the boss counted it, it was okay!) and got a phone call the next day from the bar manager. Needless to say I got tonguelashed big time. Anyone else have had problems with doing tills etc? Or just job nightmare stories in general!?! Thanks.:)

Kernel32

This is the first one that comes to mind...

My first programming job was with a tiny software company. I was 20 and this company took a risk on me as I was a college dropout. There were three owners and I was the first employee. We didn't have much for equipment or procedures etc. About 4 weeks into the job I was working on the crappy machine, the old 486 which kept running out of HD space. It also was the master source control machine. I was also on my own in the office, the rest of the guys were working on site. I had the bright idea to copy the code over to another machine. I did the copy, or so I thought and proceeded to delete the entire set of source code for all projects. After the delete, for some reason I wanted to make sure the files were OK on the other machine. To my horror they weren't there. I nearly sh*t myself right then and there. I vainly hoped the files I deleted were in the recycle bin but these were the days when Win95 was new and I detested Windows Explorer so I had done a deltree on the command line.

After panicking for a bit I dug around and found a tape drive and some backup tapes. I restored the code to a version that was 2 days older and never said a word to anyone.

Tha Gopher

Sending out a run of Big Macs in McDonalds WITH NO MEAT:rolleyes: Twas my second day, I was mildly stoned, I just plain forgot to lay the meat on the grill after getting distracted for some reason, and they sold three before it was noticed.

One guy who got a takeaway had taken it home, he had to drive all the way back when he realised Christ that was embarrasing.


Luckily I was too quick to fall victim to the notorious pranks played on new staff.

I refused the order of a superior to go over to the supermarket and get the keys for the coal bunker, and then shove the coal into the underside of the grill

Ive better work now though, cant recall a major foul up....yet.

rick_fantastic

i used to work in a diy store and i was hiding in a display wardrobe on the shop floor cos i wanted to scare one of the lads that worked with me

so i was in the wardrobe and a lady and her young daughter come along and start lookin at the wardrobe while i was inside.

thinking this was my mate i jumped out of the wardrobe and scared the living **** out of the lady and her daughter who started crying.

then the manager walked over to see what the problem was and she started going mad at him.

he saw the funny side of it when she was gone

Dellgirl

This is not so much a nightmare but an on going senario.
my boss - for some reason - assumed I had a degree in whatever it was he needed at the time - and put me along with the rest of the team on a big project that the company had just won. I was given a portion of the project to run - even thought I had no experience in the area whatsoever. I was in tatters cos I didnt want to have to say to my boss that he had totally the wrong end of the stick so I thought id let it run for a while and if it didnt work out Id come clean and hand over (or be fired - whichever came first)

To cut a long story, we done really well and won the contract this year as well an Im doing the same thing - only this time without the night sweats and panic attacks!

Cake Fiend

Tha Gopher wrote:

Sending out a run of Big Macs in McDonalds WITH NO MEAT

So, pretty much a regular Big Mac then...






*badum-tshh

Kinetic^

Sico wrote:

So, pretty much a regular Big Mac then...






*badum-tshh

Can we get this guy.....TO GO!!!

annR

I did the same thing except it was banana splits with no banana in them . . . Italian ice cream cafe in Frankfurt. Owners took themelves way to seriously!

Rockee

Come on lads, gotta keep this thread alive! Ive told you mine, theres no way y'all have/had perfect jobs!

nesf

When I worked as a door to door salesman someone set their dogs on me.

kittex

The worst I've had was when a colleague at a works party, got very drunk and tried to convince me to sleep with him.

He was fairly aggro with it, got very offensive.

I flatly refused and the next day, before I got in, he reported me to the boss for "drunken inappropriate behaviour". Said I was on the floor wasted - I had 2 beers the whole night. I don't belive in getting drunk with work people.

Obviously, he woke up felt the fear I'd report him and got in first!

Luckily I was believed and he got in trouble, not me. Although I left soon after as they didn't really do anything proper about.

I still regret not suing the ass off them

onedmc

I was implementing a fault tolerant solution on the backoffice of a major Irish bank (10 years+ ago).

It worked by constantly backing up the main server and copying it over to the seconday sytem. It was working perfectly between two sets of server in a test environment and it was now time to go into production. We had done all the tests, pulled out the disks in the middle of transaction and all worked exactly as pridicted.

The system was mission critical but as this was an add on product there wasn't going to be any effect on production so we didn't need to stop operations - My decision -.

At about 4:30 on a thursday we decided to go, but we had got the ip addresses of the servers the wrong away around so now the secondary server was sending transactions to the primary and dumping transactions added to the primary. Worked fine for about 30 seconds when the whole f***** systems crashed coz they couldn't send ACK's back to about 5000 international banking transactions.

What a nightmare, never been back to Northern Ireland Since.

Civilian_Target

onedmc wrote:

At about 4:30 on a thursday we decided to go, but we had got the ip addresses of the servers the wrong away around so now the secondary server was sending transactions to the primary and dumping transactions added to the primary.

LOL! Oops!

So easy to happen, but so very very fatal...

Rockee

Jeez, Kittex. That guy seemed like a bit of a slimebag! Its amazing the lengths people in jobs go to just to get someone in hot water. I suppose though when interviews are being held its hard to spot whos going to be the slimey one cos they all act nicey nice at the interview...

James Hunt

Used to work in a well known garage/main dealer in Dublin. Anyway, for those busy business people who couldn't actually arrive in during opening hours to leave the car for a service, we had a late night/early morning drop box, whereby the client would leave the car parked in the parking area, and put the key into the drop, where we'd get it when we came in and do the work on the car. We were having awful trouble with this one guy, jeep kept overheating no matter what we tried....he was in 4 or 5 times, and wasn't the most calm of individuals, although in fairness, I'd've been the same in his shoes. Anyway, late one Friday evening, I was there on my own, about to leave for the weekend, in arrives yer man....'Is it ready?', he goes...'and properly this time'.....It was just around then that I realised that I hadn't checked the drop box all week, and nobody noticed his yolk in the car park either. He flipped entirely. Still remember it, we were caught badly that day.

Chinafoot

My job nightmare is still ongoing even though I left about 2 weeks ago.

Basically I started work for a very well known chemist/shop in late september on a three month part-time contract. I'm in my final year in college so it was a good way to get a bit of money together for my fnal semester when I wouldn't be working.

Anyway, basically the managers are unbelievably inept. The manager in charge of the wages has never once got them right for me and took massive offence everytime I came to her to question them. For my first wages, I was taxed €200 in emergency tax because she had "forgot" to send off my tax details. Ever since then my tax ranged from €105 to €80 every two weeks and when I asked her about she said that it was an issue for the tax office.

Over christmas I worked an extra 36 hours on top of my normal 51 and they weren't put into my wages. Apparently she "forgot" and I would have to wait another 2 weeks. (This was the second time she had "forgot") Anyway, so I was due to get the extra hours today. My wages should have been €445 before tax and my bank account says I got paid €299.98. Suffice ot say I'm not happy.
I need to get my P45 and P60 off this pathetic excuse of a manager and god only knows how long that will take.

There are so many other people in the job who are still being emergency taxed despite having given all their details to this woman. Two of these have phoned the tax office and were told that they are not registered as working for this company because there were no details sent in. When the manager was pushed for an explanation she said "Oh, I must have lost it....but I'm sure you'll get your tax back so whats the problem?"

Going down there later to get my payslip and see where she messed up and I'm not leaving til she gives me what I'm owed.

Then...I'm going to report her to the Head Office. :mad:

Red Alert

I briefly worked for a small business software/database/business-logic company. The manager was a total cow who took issue with people who were late and then proceeded to take off loads of time herself for her son who was apparently 'sick', but it turned out she was just shopping when a few people heard her on the phone. I was only there for six weeks, don't know why I bothered staying at all.

[Jackass]

nesf wrote:

When I worked as a door to door salesman someone set their dogs on me.

lol, Release the hounds!!

Kittex wrote:

I don't belive in getting drunk with work people.

You couldn't be more right...I've been living with the consiqueces of that for a couple of months now...every..day..for...8...hours...she's there!

Anyway, my story isn't me, it's a girl I work with (in a major bank) sent out contracts for a car loan to a branch...never occured to her or the person in the branch (or even the client for that matter) to double check the figures before signing...

Funds were issued, but repayments on docs were for far less...cost the bank about 5k!!

Hehe...After that, I'm REALLY careful!!!

phantom_lord

DubGuy wrote:

Funds were issued, but repayments on docs were for far less...cost the bank about 5k!!

Which bank was this in....:rolleyes:

Plastic Scouser

A friend of mine told me a story about her first work experience placement when she was 15....

She was asked to make tea for everyone so she went into the kitchen and found the kettle. She couldn't see a cord anywhere so presumed it was one of those that you put on the hob and proceeded to do just that......except it was an electric kettle and it was plastic so of course it melted all over the hob!!

She was so embarrassed!!

The thing is she's a really smart girl. She must have just been really nervous! Thankfully she's developed a lot more common sense now she's a grown-up!

deisemum

I worked as a Dental Assistant, a job I enjoyed most of the time but the bad side of it was having to clean up after patients got sick and puked everywhere or worse when they'd be so nervous they'd pee themselves. Actually once had a very nervous patient puke, pee and cr*p themselves. It was only my 2nd week in the job so it was a baptism of fire.

When I worked in the hotel industry you'd occasionally come across a sleezy guest who'd try and corner you in a bedroom or bathroom.

[Jackass]

Plastic Scouser wrote:

A friend of mine told me a story about her first work experience placement when she was 15....

She was asked to make tea for everyone so she went into the kitchen and found the kettle. She couldn't see a cord anywhere so presumed it was one of those that you put on the hob and proceeded to do just that......except it was an electric kettle and it was plastic so of course it melted all over the hob!!

She was so embarrassed!!

The thing is she's a really smart girl. She must have just been really nervous! Thankfully she's developed a lot more common sense now she's a grown-up!

Haha, that's very good!! I'd say the lads in the office had some laugh about that one!!

phantom_lord wrote:

Which bank was this in....:rolleyes:

hehe i know...probably the only time we've ever under-charged ye lot!!

pork99

When I was a student years and years ago I went to London to work for the summer and did a series of crappy jobs. The worst one was in a t-shirt printer cleaning the screen-printing screens. You had to use gallons of solvent and you worked in a small booth in the middle of the factory floor without daylight and ventilation. The latter meant that you spent the day inhaling solvent fumes and you used to go home spaced. Also the solvent would splash onto your clothes and after a while you would get blisters were your skin was in contact with the solvent soaked cloth. Did that for about a week and a half and moved on before I got permanent brain damage.

Got another job that involved working as a kitchen porter for a catering company at a banquet in a marque. That required working longer shifts each day so you went from 12 hours to 16 hours to 20 hours on the final day. I staggered home at 6 am exhasted and covered in gunk. One compensation though was that they gave away the surplus booze rather than send half used crates back so I went away with my arms full of beer

stepbar

A few yr ago, durin the summer hols I worked for the IT dept of a bank in the IFSC. Loved the job but a few days before I left I f**ked up the computers in a store we supported. In those days what happened would be that the store would ring up the helpdesk (me) and I would IP into the machine to see what was up. So in this case I diagnosed that an install of Service pack 6 for Windows NT 4 (I no and this was only 3 yrs ago...) was needed. Of course I it happened to be the first time I had done something like this in the 3 months I was there. Proceeded to install the service pack over the network using the cd rom in my computer. Trouble was the line between the office and the store was bloody nothing more than dial up!! When I discovered this I tried to cancel the install and restart the machine but of course got the blue screen of death! Computer f**ked!! Ended up that someone out of the office had to trek out to blackrock with a computer, the store were pi**ed because they couldnt print any mortgage statements or approvals for half the day! Lucky enough I dont think anyone found out my real part in all of it!!!!!;)

Muckmagnet

My best mate's first job was working in jacobs biscuit factory in tallaght doing night shifts, he was looking after the marsh mallow thing that goes into the mikados. He left in the morning and didnt turn the machine off and for two hours it just pumped marshmallow out into the factory , they had to shut down the mikado line hours after to clean up , he was called and told not to come back again......his one days work in Jacobs resulted in the great mikado drought of '96.

kittex

Rockee wrote:

Jeez, Kittex. That guy seemed like a bit of a slimebag! Its amazing the lengths people in jobs go to just to get someone in hot water. I suppose though when interviews are being held its hard to spot whos going to be the slimey one cos they all act nicey nice at the interview...

Cheers Rockee.
Yep, the guy was(is) a slimebag. He had issues with ego, you likely know the type. But hey, moved on and am happier than I ever would have been in that place anyway.
Generally, anywhere someone feels comfortable behaving in that way, there will be a problem with the office, be it bad management or bad staff dynamic/competition.
Life's too short to stay in these places but man, when I see the pay outs some people get for this kind of thing, I do regret walking away so 'nobly'.
Must supress greedy side...

Metacortex

This happened last summer. I left a really good job for this place and the horrible thing about it was, i actually liked the job.
I started working in my so called dream job, basically doing what i went to college for four years for.

Anyway two days in the nightmare started. The boss was a complete bastard, a total bully. He would scream and give out over the smallest thing. Bear in mind, i was there TWO days, maybe its just me, but people are expected to make mistakes at the start.
Another guy started working there about a week before me and he got the exact same treatment.
Every single day, the bastard would find something wrong, no matter how small. It was awful.
By the end of the third week, i was a wreck. I would get so nervous everytime he was around. I was going home in tears. It was unbeliveable.
Needless the say, i quit the next week and i wasn't the only one. The guy who started the same time as me walked out as well.
I found out after that, the bastard was the reason that the two people before us had quit too.

I still fail to understand how anybody can treat people the way that 'man' treated us.
I really feel sorry for anyone who works there at the moment. Its a true nightmare.

timeout

Well I had a cushy Job that I enjoyed but decided to move on. Took another job and was happy there but got bored after a couple of months and decided to leave going back to my cushy job that I enjoyed but got told by a friend that the chances of me being re-hired were slim. Apparently the new manager that was there a month before i left believed i'd said "this place will fall apart without me" and as such was not looking favourably on me.

Now i might have said it jokingly to some of my mates there but not to him directly and meaning it. Anyhow I wasn't in the mood to argue or explain so moved onto another job and although happy still miss the cushy part of that job

Not sure how this is a nightmare but thats my tale.

Big Nelly

Prob one from years ago comes to mind, we where working on the major bank headquarters, they where renovating the building so we where working on clearing the floors so all that was left was the concrete walls so the carpenters etc would come in and do up! anyway we had to take down the suspended ceiling and there was miles of cables running above the ceiling, whoever had installed the cables didnt bother to tie them up half the time so it tooks us ages to take down the ceiling while trying not to cut a cable, anywya after a while we got pi**ed off with this, anyway about 4 cables where caught up in the ceiling at one stage and we couldnt get them free so we just snipped the 4 cables. 5 mins later a manager comes up to see if we cut anything! said no way it wasnt us!

He went off to Electricians to ask them, we just laughed. Asked the electricians the next day and seemily those 4 cables knocked out the whole computers system in the bank:eek:

kittex

Metacortex wrote:

This happened last summer. I left a really good job for this place and the horrible thing about it was, i actually liked the job.
I started working in my so called dream job, basically doing what i went to college for four years for.

Anyway two days in the nightmare started. The boss was a complete bastard, a total bully. He would scream and give out over the smallest thing. Bear in mind, i was there TWO days, maybe its just me, but people are expected to make mistakes at the start.
Another guy started working there about a week before me and he got the exact same treatment.
Every single day, the bastard would find something wrong, no matter how small. It was awful.
By the end of the third week, i was a wreck. I would get so nervous everytime he was around. I was going home in tears. It was unbeliveable.
Needless the say, i quit the next week and i wasn't the only one. The guy who started the same time as me walked out as well.
I found out after that, the bastard was the reason that the two people before us had quit too.

I still fail to understand how anybody can treat people the way that 'man' treated us.
I really feel sorry for anyone who works there at the moment. Its a true nightmare.

Something like 85%* of people bullied or sexually harrassed in the work place do not take any action - they just move on.
They wind people up (or down maybe) to the point were they are nervous, stressed, anxious and just want to get out.

And that's how they get away with it.

*estimated by some expert in a book I can't remember right now...

Ph3n0m

First ever job as paper boy - didnt deliver papers to a house for nearly 2 weeks cause their dog barked at me....and I like dogs

Another job was working in a petrol station - lasted 2 days - the station got ripped off twice by blokes passing dodgy cheques (my ignorance) and also the money was down

A low paying tech job I had a few years - I got fire for gross laziness

Working for an ISP was caught by my boss asleep at my desk, snoring quite happily

Metacortex

kittex wrote:

Something like 85%* of people bullied or sexually harrassed in the work place do not take any action - they just move on.
They wind people up (or down maybe) to the point were they are nervous, stressed, anxious and just want to get out.

And that's how they get away with it.

*estimated by some expert in a book I can't remember right now...

Thats a shocking stat. I feel really sorry for people in that sitaution. In my case, i didn't have much choice besides leaving, it was a small company and the person in question owned it.

I was lucky because i was only there a few weeks and was able to get another job quite quick, but still haven't been able to get a job doing the same thing.

marie_85

My first job when I was fifteen was in a well enough known fast food restaurant. Our manager would get a bonus from the owner if he kept profits up and wages down, so when he was short of money, he'd dock our wages for the week 'accidentally' then pay us what we missed the next week.