What's The Worst Job You Ever Had?

03-09-2020 12:41am

KevRossi wrote: »

In the early 90's I worked in a factory in Germany that made cardboard boxes, they were designed, cut and printed there. They were made flat and were glued elsewhere. They came down from the printer on a huge conveyor belt every 10 seconds and were pushed very gently onto a pallet by a machine. Only issue was they would slide out by 0.5mm each time, so if there was 100 on a pallet, it would be out by 5cm at the top.

This was no good, so myself and another fella had the job of pushing them level every time they landed onto the pallet. So every 10 seconds I would look at him, he'd look at me and nod and we'd push this flat piece of cardboard back together, very gently by 0.5mm with our fingertips so it was level with the one below.

8 hours a fcuking day. Do 700 boxes (7 pallets), then take a 15 mins break, then another 700, then 30 mins, 700, then 15 mins, 700 and then go home. They had a counter on the thing and could see the pallets we had done. No escape. Coldotz was easier to get out of.

The guy I worked with was disabled, his knees were bad after injuring himself as a teen soldier in the war, he was about 60/62 years old and delighted with the job, as it wasn't easy for him to find one at that age. He didn't speak to anyone, would mumble something about football in the morning and leave it. "I'm here to work", was his standard quote. No book, papers, radio or headphones allowed. I went slowly mad and after about 4 weeks I just didn't bother going in one morning. Went in the 15th of the following month and got my wages.

I get a twitch just thinking about it.

What a nightmare of a job!

Why didn't they just put a vertical stop in place to prevent the "creep",

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 03-09-2020 12:42am

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

Dunnes Stores. Enough said.

The majority of my workmates were sound and we all had a bit of a laugh together, but Jesus there are a lot of Dunnes managers that should have been drowned at birth.
I think I met about two decent ones.

It's mad how many people have mentioned Dunnes Stores managers on this thread! I worked in both Penneys and Dunnes in my late teens and while one or two of the floor managers in Penneys tended to treat us like little children at times, generally they weren't too bad and you could have a laugh with them.

Dunnes was a completely different kettle of fish. I think trainee managers were actually instructed to talk down to staff. I was working in the drapery stockroom at the time (my manager in there, oddly, was actually fairly sound) and a friend of mine who would have been 19 or 20 at most started as a trainee manager and almost immediately started treating me like a complete pleb.

My worst job would have been working in a Social Welfare office in a fairly rough town during the recession. That was draining. Neither the clients nor the staff wanted to be there, there was a constantly toxic atmosphere. People who say civil servants are too highly paid should try working somewhere like that as a supervisor (or at any grade to be honest). Being abused and threatened by idiots and scumbags on an almost daily basis is not good for your mental health.

smellyoldboot · 03-09-2020 12:52am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What a nightmare of a job!

Why didn't they just put a vertical stop in place to prevent the "creep",

I'd say the 2 boys standing there were cheaper. lol

manatoo · 03-09-2020 1:06am

KevRossi wrote: »

In the early 90's I worked in a factory in Germany that made cardboard boxes, they were designed, cut and printed there. They were made flat and were glued elsewhere. They came down from the printer on a huge conveyor belt every 10 seconds and were pushed very gently onto a pallet by a machine. Only issue was they would slide out by 0.5mm each time, so if there was 100 on a pallet, it would be out by 5cm at the top.

This was no good, so myself and another fella had the job of pushing them level every time they landed onto the pallet. So every 10 seconds I would look at him, he'd look at me and nod and we'd push this flat piece of cardboard back together, very gently by 0.5mm with our fingertips so it was level with the one below.

8 hours a fcuking day. Do 700 boxes (7 pallets), then take a 15 mins break, then another 700, then 30 mins, 700, then 15 mins, 700 and then go home. They had a counter on the thing and could see the pallets we had done. No escape. Coldotz was easier to get out of.

The guy I worked with was disabled, his knees were bad after injuring himself as a teen soldier in the war, he was about 60/62 years old and delighted with the job, as it wasn't easy for him to find one at that age. He didn't speak to anyone, would mumble something about football in the morning and leave it. "I'm here to work", was his standard quote. No book, papers, radio or headphones allowed. I went slowly mad and after about 4 weeks I just didn't bother going in one morning. Went in the 15th of the following month and got my wages.

I get a twitch just thinking about it.

This is absolute gold. ðŸ˜‚

Being Germany I'm guessing it was well paid all the same?

KevRossi · 03-09-2020 1:10pm

Deleted User wrote: »

What a nightmare of a job!

Why didn't they just put a vertical stop in place to prevent the "creep",

I didn't tell the whole story..... 97%* of them landed down OK, but a couple would get slightly stuck as maybe a small cut of cardboard hadn't been removed. So these ones would stop about 10cm short, thus fecking up the whole pallet. It was actually cheaper to employ us to do it. Or it was condiered cruelty to machines to get them to do it. In fact, IIRC, the guy who did the job before me also had some disability, so the company would get some sort of a rebate on them, or else they were meeting some quota.

It would be a dream job for some people I know.

Also, you could order 50 of one type of box and 50 of another, so we could end out with two sizes on one pallet. I'd like to meet the machine that could hand that.

*I know it was 97% because I was told this in advance and I checked it out of hysterical boredom.

wally1990 · 03-09-2020 1:47pm

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

It's mad how many people have mentioned Dunnes Stores managers on this thread! I worked in both Penneys and Dunnes in my late teens and while one or two of the floor managers in Penneys tended to treat us like little children at times, generally they weren't too bad and you could have a laugh with them.

Dunnes was a completely different kettle of fish. I think trainee managers were actually instructed to talk down to staff. I was working in the drapery stockroom at the time (my manager in there, oddly, was actually fairly sound) and a friend of mine who would have been 19 or 20 at most started as a trainee manager and almost immediately started treating me like a complete pleb.

My worst job would have been working in a Social Welfare office in a fairly rough town during the recession. That was draining. Neither the clients nor the staff wanted to be there, there was a constantly toxic atmosphere. People who say civil servants are too highly paid should try working somewhere like that as a supervisor (or at any grade to be honest). Being abused and threatened by idiots and scumbags on an almost daily basis is not good for your mental health.

Friend of mine worked in turas nua (welfare gig to get people jobs)
2 memorable story's are

1 guy from The northside of Cork (the Glen) mid 20s, never worked nor wanted to decided to drop an e tab going into him which he told him as he was coming up/buzzing so that meeting ended shortly.

2nd was a junkie who whipped out a neddle and threatened to stab him.

He quit the week after that threat.

Still in recruitment related role but for a professional agency now

Christ, imaging working on a daily basis with the scum of the earth who don't want to be in that position either (getting a job)

03-09-2020 2:39pm

KevRossi wrote: »

*I know it was 97% because I was told this in advance and I checked it out of hysterical boredom.

That explains it, also explains why your co-worker sounds like he has turned into a work droid, "Only obeying orders!".

Lollipops23 · 03-09-2020 3:29pm

I did 9 months in a bookies back in 2010 when jobs were thin on the ground. That was an experience.

But worst was defo cold calling businesses to get them to advertise with the Yellow Pages and try to pimp their awful MySites (basically a really shítty website page they could buy for 200 quid). Terrible and outmoded product being sold by the WORST people- our team lead was a really sleazy body builder who was 100% on the sniff and juice. An awful, cruel and aggressive man- I left there to go to the bookies, that's how bad it was. And I pretty much ran screaming to it- a shít, worse paid gig. No amount of money is worth that torture.

Justin Credible Darts · 03-09-2020 5:50pm

wally1990 wrote: »

Friend of mine worked in turas nua (welfare gig to get people jobs)

Christ, imaging working on a daily basis with the scum of the earth who don't want to be in that position either (getting a job)

Sorry but doing a turas nua exploitation scheme is not a "job".

It is just a way for the government to manipulate unemployment figures and hide people away on these, working for 20 quid a week

SlowMotion321 · 03-09-2020 8:14pm

(Worst and best)

Teaching! Having to deal with bull**** every day! The students were cool though!

Hotblack Desiato · 04-09-2020 3:05am

SlowMotion321 wrote: »

(Worst and best)

Teaching! Having to deal with bull**** every day! The students were cool though!

Being a pupil - Some teachers were ok but the others gave you bull**** to deal with every day

Didn't get paid either and my "co-workers" were assholes

Howard the Duck · 04-09-2020 2:49pm

South Dublin IT buisness, basically computer repar and sales. I done the repairs with a couple of others, the pay was terrible but the work was grand and normally interesting enough.
The problem was the boss, he was a clueless bully. He actually thought we were in competition with Micrsoft and used to bad mouth Bill Gates to customers, it was cringy.
He also held the company back, I remember he sold the motherboard of a pc I was using for work for 20 euro but it meant I couldn't use the pc which meant I lost days of work. When he went on holiday every year I think productivity picked up.
If I wasn't physically picking something up or moving something he thought I wasn't working despite the fact I have 4-5 pcs on that I was fixing. He would stand over my shoulder watching me work and I'd have to tell him to go away.
He would regularly try to keep me late which meant I constantly missed my bus and had to wait another hour for one.

The worst thing about him was the bullying though, he made the girls that worked there cry all the time and their was a really timid foreign guy that he used to really pick on , shouting at him in front of customers.
We nearly came to blows a couple of times and it got to the stage where we didn't speak and he ask the other staff to tell me stuff.
It was common for people to ring in sick every couple of weeks, it was just so stressful and toxic working there.
One day he tried to threaten my job in front of his new girlfriend so I just said fine and walked out, he proceeded to follow me telling me "You're not being fired, you're not being fired". I still remember leaving that place as one of the best days of my life.

The company is still going and the same moron is running it. He is a complete spoofer trying to pretend they invented a product when all they have done is get it rebranded in China and pretend they make it themselves.

Airyfairy12 · 04-09-2020 3:50pm

When I was 21 I worked in a small run Summer camp in the town, as it was so small some days we'd accept walks ins, the 'camp' was more like a cheap childminding service for passers by who wanted to do their shopping in peace. I was often left alone to mind the kids and manage the business while the owner wasn't bothered showing up.
Mostly it was fine, the pay was terrible, most of the income went on rent payments, insurance and supplies so there wasnt much left over for wages but it was all I could get at the time.

What made it a horrible place to work was the parents, now I understand that they want their kids to be safe and looked after and sometimes parents would insist on staying with their child which I had no problem with generally except for a few occasionas..

One time this man came in with his little girl, he sat down at the arts and crafts table and questioned me like I was a criminal trying to kidnap his child. - I was a very timid 21 year old trying to make a bit of money between college mid terms - He gave me a death stare asking intimidating questions, the other children were picking up on it, usually the room was filled with children chattering/shouting/playing and generally having fun. but throughout him being there, the room was total silence, the atmosphere was heavy and uncomfortable. He eventually left just after he threatened to kill me if I upset his child, after he left he kept walking by the building and peering in the windows.
Another parent came in and insisted on staying with her newborn baby who screeched and screamed continuously, so much that we couldnt play any of the planned games or activities. When I suggested she leave she refused.
Another parent questioned everything I was doing and wanted to know why I was using cheap poster paints, why I wasnt using more expensive materials, why I was helping a child (who had Dyspraxia) cut shapes out of a sheet of paper, why I wasnt paying more attention to her child, why I wouldnt allow her child to take home some of the Summer camp materials, then she argued the price and refused to pay when leaving.
Another time a group of rough kids walked in off the street, threatened a few kids, stole some money, ripped art work off the walls, threatened to beat me up and knocked over a couple of tables. When I finally got them out I locked the doors, after which they hung around outside banging the doors and windows trying to get back in.

Not the worst job I ever had but not something id be interested in doing again.

Gorteen · 04-09-2020 7:32pm

HSE middle manager. Frustrated by incompetence at all levels, waste of resources, penny-pinching about the wrong things (penny wise & pound foolish), union intransigence aided and abetted by HR from time to time, perpetual overspend with no commensurate increase in quality of care, endless policy documents which rarely are implemented in full, senior management never seem to stay long enough to be held accountable for failure to change in any meaningful way..... I could go on and on...……… Roll on retirement!

What's The Worst Job You Ever Had?

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