Petty Things Banned From The Workplace

Golaco

A client of ours whose office I'm in quiet a bit have a bit of a thing about usage of handrails when climbing a stairs. It's weird. You'll be stopped and reminded to use the handrail if they see you not using it. It's like they've all been brainwashed! Weird thing is the stairs has no handrail on the wall side so if you meet someone on the stairs should we engage in a game of Twister and slither over them while both maintaining contact with the rail?!

Birneybau

Golaco wrote: »

A client of ours whose office I'm in quiet a bit have a bit of a thing about usage of handrails when climbing a stairs. It's weird. You'll be stopped and reminded to use the handrail if they see you not using it. It's like they've all been brainwashed! Weird thing is the stairs has no handrail on the wall side so if you meet someone on the stairs should we engage in a game of Twister and slither over them while both maintaining contact with the rail?!

Quite

Ruu

We can only wear shirts with the company logo on Fridays (they are really nice dress shirts). :?

Toots

gozunda wrote: »

Falling asleep at your desk (even accidetly) was a sackable offence in one screwed up crew I did business with ...

I don't think that's all that unreasonable.

In one place I worked, we were banned from making coffee in a french press. The manager said it was too expensive, even though the 4 people in the office who drank it would buy their own ground coffee out of their own money, and bring it in to share in the office. It actually worked out cheaper because there were only two or three others who drank coffee, so the instant crap that was bought from the tea fund lasted ages.

Soup was banned from another office I worked in. Apparently a collection of 25+ year olds are incapable of carrying a bowl of soup from a microwave to a table without spilling it over someone and melting their face off.

jester77

We're banned from using nerf guns and radio controlled airborne devices on one of the floors due to the sensitive sprinkler system.

donegal.

Trebor176 wrote: »

Today, myself and five colleagues in the office were notified by e-mail from the boss that radios are banned from today. Now, three of us always had radios on, never that loud, and nothing was ever said until today. The ban extends to the use of headphones and any way of listening to music.

its cost cutting.
if you're listening to music/radio in the workplace them fees have to be paid to imro and ppi.

The Backwards Man

I've noticed this last few years that manners and a friendly disposition seem to be banned up and down the country.

Vandango

Nodin wrote: »

Human decency.

And sadly, the lack of it is not just confined to the office.

ArnoldJRimmer

Whatever the reasons, 100% agree with a radio ban, its extremely irritating. However, if headphones are used, knock yourself out

We're banned from having kettles/coffee makers at our desk or work areas. Apparently a H&S issue. Work in a huge office and there are very few kettles as it is. Conveniently, you can buy as much overpriced tea or coffee in the canteen downstairs if you want though

Fishyfreak

Toasters banned. One clever guy tried to bring in a George Foreman, it lasted a week.

One colleague wore his "I found jesus........he was behind the sofa" t-shirt one day, also banned.

THE MONSTERS!!!

irelandrover

Moved into a new building and were told that plants were banned. Apparently they produce oxygen which is a fire hazard.

uch

gozunda wrote: »

Falling asleep at your desk (even accidetly) was a sackable offence in one screwed up crew I did business with ...

There's a Bedroom in the office I work in, in case you need 40 winks, great on a Monday when dying with a sore head

Karl Stein

Dwarf throwing. PC gone mad I tell thee.

jimgoose

Karl Stein wrote: »

Dwarf throwing. PC gone mad I tell thee.

Went the way of writing up bug-fixes in the same Middle-English as Geoffrey Chaucer, eh? I hear that.

anncoates

Light slapping on the arse as a harmless method of office flirting.

Killjoys.

I'd crack up without being able to listen to music with headphones at work. Way easier to concentrate than listening to people talking in the background.

They banned drinking at work a while back,. It's a bit crap as no wine receptions etc can be held at christmas anymore and also we used to have great craic in the tea room some Friday evenings before hitting the pub with a few bottles of spirits from the home country's of people at work, tried many different things in them days.

who the fug

Golaco wrote: »

A client of ours whose office I'm in quiet a bit have a bit of a thing about usage of handrails when climbing a stairs. It's weird. You'll be stopped and reminded to use the handrail if they see you not using it. It's like they've all been brainwashed!

Bp ?

seamus

fleet_admiral wrote: »

I work in a pub/bistro

We arent allowed drink or eat there. I can understand the no drinking rule but not being allowed eat there (we have to pay for food, even when we work, and dont get breaks. Food has to be taken away) is silly

I know some larger pub chains have a rule that employees aren't permitted to eat or drink there (like, ever), primarily so that they don't get hammered drunk and do something to shame themselves or the company. As in, go get pissed and embarrass yourself somewhere that your boss can't see you
Maybe that's the thinking there? Or maybe they feel that a staff member taking up a table looks bad or something.

ThisRegard wrote: »

Not so if using headphones. In fact they can come in handy in blocking out colleagues who are on calls while you're doing your thing.

It depends on the work environment. An environment where everyone has headphones on and listening to music can become very cold as nobody interacts with one another and people actually feel like they can't talk to colleagues and disturb their music-listening.

In some jobs though it can be essential, where you need to focus on what you're doing, like programming.

Lollipops23 wrote: »

A mate worked in an office in Essex and they were told they weren't allowed to run up the stairs. Like taking two stairs at a time was banned.

Guessing it's a H&S thing, but jesus you'd swear they were 5 years old.

Heh. Get someone from Intel here and they'll be able to list off hundreds of childish rules and "solutions" in there. Like feet painted on the stairs to show you where to step. And an "auxiliary" handrail installed on stairs in case the one that's there suddenly falls off the wall while you're using it.

uck51js9zml2yt

That fad of banning people from working was a big thing . then they told you to retrain and upskill only to then be told...sorry overqualified to work.
Never happy:)

IrishCule

Think the radio is fair enough but the headphones? What do you work as?

Toots

Fishyfreak wrote: »

Toasters banned. One clever guy tried to bring in a George Foreman, it lasted a week.

One colleague wore his "I found jesus........he was behind the sofa" t-shirt one day, also banned.

THE MONSTERS!!!

Toasters, George Foreman grills (and sandwich toasters), and burco boilers were banned in our company for health and safety reasons. The branch I was in promptly ignored this and continued to use them anyway. Then one day the health and safety auditors came, so we had to stash them in the boot of the manager's car. The weird thing was our kitchen had one of those old freestanding electric hob and oven combos, which I would have thought was far more of a hazard than the toaster or kettle (hob being left on, tea towel on hob, etc) but they weren't worried about it at all.

A petty busybody bean counter who works in the office told me my t-shirt was inappropriate for work and actually tried to send me home to change, even though she works in a support position (it was a day when I was in my office alone and I do dress accordingly when I've to be in front of anyone). She added that cartoon t-shirts were particularly unwelcome, although she has NO authority over me and no hard dress code exists. My boss had words with her and told me to ignore her, so I have, and both of us take great pleasure in seeing how close we can push her to the edge. He's come in in baggy shorts and baseball caps, and our mission is to find him an hawaiian style shirt like Matt Taylors. That would make her spontaneously combust.

Every chance I get I come in in another cartoon T-shirt as I've a bit of a collection. I've shown up in everything from Care Bears to He-Man and She-Ra. I hate the days I've to wear a suit now, it feels like she's winning.

Keeping her opinion to herself is killing her, which makes me quite happy.

super_furry

Hope. It's not exactly a formal ban but it's well observed.

Wacker The Attacker

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Porn sites, Nothing funnier than hearing a random loud grunting groaning sound.

I plan on making those in the bog

Aongus Von Bismarck

I've tried unsuccessfully to have sneakers and uncollared shirts to be banned from our offices. In fairness most people stick to a professional dress code, but you have the odd few who insist on dressing very scruffily!

Aongus Von Bismarck

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I've tried unsuccessfully to have sneakers and uncollared shirts to be banned from our offices. In fairness most people stick to a professional dress code, but you have the odd few who insist on dressing very scruffily!

Jeans, t-shirts or polos and casual shoes or runners are standard dress in my office. If you see someone in a suit they stand out like a sore thumb and know there must be something very important going on that day for them.

I detest pointless dress codes like the one you appear to like. Such a waste of time.

deise08

I read that as pretty things banned.
was wondering what the f ya were talking about a radio ?

CPSW

I worked for a US bank in the IFSC for 7 years and the list of things banned were laughable. No decorations allowed to be stuck to the wall at Christmas, all devices that were not the companies had to be tested before they could be plugged in, so you couldn't make a cup of tea/coffee you had to avail of their overpriced coffee dock, even the stairs had arrows to direct you as to which side you should walk up and down. I do understand the reasons behind some things, but all were a great way of demoralising staff.

Here I am sitting at my desk listening to the radio (and running down the clock till 5:30!!), with a beer in my hand which is permitted after 5 every Friday, same industry, but a world apart in workplace happiness

miezekatze

ArnoldJRimmer wrote:

We're banned from having kettles/coffee makers at our desk or work areas. Apparently a H&S issue. Work in a huge office and there are very few kettles as it is. Conveniently, you can buy as much overpriced tea or coffee in the canteen downstairs if you want though

It's the same where I work.

We don't have any soap by the sink next to the bin area so I asked if this could be provided, or even if we could buy our own and leave it there. No, not allowed! Have to go to the bathroom at the other end of the building to wash your hands properly.

YFlyer

fleet_admiral wrote: »

I work in a pub/bistro

We arent allowed drink or eat there. I can understand the no drinking rule but not being allowed eat there (we have to pay for food, even when we work, and dont get breaks. Food has to be taken away) is silly

How do you have time to take the food away?

Sure bring your own.