*HHGGGRRRRNNNNGNGGGGGHHHH* *BLLLLEEEAAAAARRRRGGHHHH*!!!!!!!!!

[Queen Victoria]

Reading these posts brings back memories.
 
I've been retired 20 years.  I've worked in gymnasiums, supply rooms, a large walk-in safe (on a typing table), freezing offices, a law library basement, etc.  The joy of being a state government auditor.  Don't miss it.  In fact I've come to realize that at 70 most of my office skills have gone kaput and my age is against me for just about any job.  Even so, I enjoy retirement's challenges.

[Jack]

Reading these posts brings back memories.
 
I've been retired 20 years.  I've worked in gymnasiums, supply rooms, a large walk-in safe (on a typing table), freezing offices, a law library basement, etc.  The joy of being a state government auditor.  Don't miss it.  In fact I've come to realize that at 70 most of my office skills have gone kaput and my age is against me for just about any job.  Even so, I enjoy retirement's challenges.

Never understood why people would do that. Audits, and thus auditors, are a bit intimidating. Would have to guess an auditor might like that aspect of their work, so it makes sense to treat them as such. In my first job here, was responsible for corporate, osha, and sox compliance. We had a 'guest' office, but it wasn't really a guest office; it was an abandoned office filled with dirt and the remnants of whoever worked in there. Told my boss it was a crap hole and embarrassing to put people there, so he let me clean and clear it and stock it with the best of everything. An auditor once told me what a pleasure it was to work with me, not only because of the space, but especially because I presented my supporting documentation on tables in easy to use hanging file crates. They said it's most common they're either forced to invade someone's workspace, or stuck in a crappy hole bending and crouching to dig through file cabinets, or placed in a conference room and given a mountain of folders to sift through.

[odeon]

^Jack, no, I never had an office at my current workplace, only a desk.

Came to think of it, another really annoying thing that seems to regularly happen in open office spaces is that people appropriate your stuff - office chairs, keyboards, mice - and replace them with something that is broken, dirty or just awful. I don't know how many times I've had someone nick my chair while I was away.

That's awful. Nothing has ever been taken of mine, and don't hear of it from others. Have nice metal rulers and years ago one came up missing so bought a new one. About a year later, found it in some paperwork when cleaning and felt like a total ass for assuming it was taken. Another time my keyboard came up missing, but it was when I was training my replacements so I didn't have a designated workspace of my own, and my things were sitting off to the side looking abandoned. It was returned because it was part of a wireless keyboard and mouse set; the usb was in my machine so it wouldn't work for anyone else anyway. People tend to borrow chairs from the conference rooms instead of people. There's plenty of them and they're a different color, so people put them back too.

Office chairs going missing are the worst. Some of the chairs in the office are old and worn out, and I always seemed to get those. Or this one time, those weird ergonomic ones that only a few people can actually sit on for more than a minute or so.

In the UK, good keyboards were the real commodity. The hot desk system made it really difficult to track everything but there were always some desks that nobody wanted to use. People would even borrow desks on other floors if too many people decided to work in the office rather than remotely.

Have really come to appreciate being with a company which values uniformity of equipment. It equates to equality, and frankly looks much nicer. It was sometimes a sore spot with my previous company, people complaining about others having nicer things. One time a team member who had back problems requested and received a new chair, which prompted half the department to crybaby want a new chair. Was offered a new chair even though not asking for one, but declined. My chair was a little scruffy, but had sat in it for years without any discomfort and wasn't willing to mess with that. Another time I asked my boss if I could open a service ticket for a new mouse, and she offered me a new monitor. She told me she was ticked because she had replaced a faulty monitor for one team member and they ended up getting a much larger and nicer one as a replacement. This prompted three other people in the department to open tickets for new monitors without asking her permission, spending the department's budget which apparently didn't require management approval for them to do. Told her thanks but my monitor was fine and would settle for a mouse that doesn't frustrate me.

The thing is that there's always going to be new employees who will get the latest tech. A nicer monitor, a better mouse, anything. And people will notice.

Working remotely is perfect for me. I have the stuff I need. Nobody can nick it, nobody will be jealous.

[Jack]

^Jack, no, I never had an office at my current workplace, only a desk.

Came to think of it, another really annoying thing that seems to regularly happen in open office spaces is that people appropriate your stuff - office chairs, keyboards, mice - and replace them with something that is broken, dirty or just awful. I don't know how many times I've had someone nick my chair while I was away.

That's awful. Nothing has ever been taken of mine, and don't hear of it from others. Have nice metal rulers and years ago one came up missing so bought a new one. About a year later, found it in some paperwork when cleaning and felt like a total ass for assuming it was taken. Another time my keyboard came up missing, but it was when I was training my replacements so I didn't have a designated workspace of my own, and my things were sitting off to the side looking abandoned. It was returned because it was part of a wireless keyboard and mouse set; the usb was in my machine so it wouldn't work for anyone else anyway. People tend to borrow chairs from the conference rooms instead of people. There's plenty of them and they're a different color, so people put them back too.

Office chairs going missing are the worst. Some of the chairs in the office are old and worn out, and I always seemed to get those. Or this one time, those weird ergonomic ones that only a few people can actually sit on for more than a minute or so.

In the UK, good keyboards were the real commodity. The hot desk system made it really difficult to track everything but there were always some desks that nobody wanted to use. People would even borrow desks on other floors if too many people decided to work in the office rather than remotely.

Have really come to appreciate being with a company which values uniformity of equipment. It equates to equality, and frankly looks much nicer. It was sometimes a sore spot with my previous company, people complaining about others having nicer things. One time a team member who had back problems requested and received a new chair, which prompted half the department to crybaby want a new chair. Was offered a new chair even though not asking for one, but declined. My chair was a little scruffy, but had sat in it for years without any discomfort and wasn't willing to mess with that. Another time I asked my boss if I could open a service ticket for a new mouse, and she offered me a new monitor. She told me she was ticked because she had replaced a faulty monitor for one team member and they ended up getting a much larger and nicer one as a replacement. This prompted three other people in the department to open tickets for new monitors without asking her permission, spending the department's budget which apparently didn't require management approval for them to do. Told her thanks but my monitor was fine and would settle for a mouse that doesn't frustrate me.

The thing is that there's always going to be new employees who will get the latest tech. A nicer monitor, a better mouse, anything. And people will notice.

Working remotely is perfect for me. I have the stuff I need. Nobody can nick it, nobody will be jealous.

Taking other people's stuff is unacceptable, so definitely empathize with that. While often not relating to materialistic jealousy, it's generally understandable. You're right it's part of the territory in dealing with other people and senses of entitlement. There's the jealous one, but there's also the ones with nice equipment covered in dust, smears, and greasy paw prints. Can relate to people who want something better for themselves, more so than people who don't take care of their things.

[Jack]

I have busted a lot of office chairs over the years. Sometimes I end up sprawled on the floor, laughing, surrounded by what used to be my chair.

Breaking a chair in front of people is probably a fat girl's worst nightmare.

[Gopher Gary]

greasy paw prints.

 

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I have busted a lot of office chairs over the years. Sometimes I end up sprawled on the floor, laughing, surrounded by what used to be my chair.

Breaking a chair in front of people is probably a fat girl's worst nightmare.

Even when I'm in good shape I weigh more than most fat girls.

I am normally laughing too much to be embarrassed.

[odeon]

It's my last week in the office. They've moved people around again and I no longer have a desk since they've made me redundant. So I found a sofa in a breakout area and hooked up my gear there. Perfect. Nobody's going to bother me there. People walk by and stop to say things like "I was surprised to see you in the office again."