Office Discussions

My husband bought me a back massager for the chair I have at my computer desk.  It doesn't fit the chair properly and when I use the darn thing, it actually hurts my back.  I rarely use it.  He thought it would make me more comfortable. I wish I could get rid of it but I don't have the heart to throw it out.  It's slowly wearing away from just sitting on it, so some day, hopefully soon, it will just fall apart. 

My entire cube... Oh how I long for an actual office with a door :)  But I love my stapler.

Stay away from my stuff! I have a hard time keeping my tools and things in my workspace. People wander in and wander off with a screw driver here, hex wrench there, never bring stuff back, and wonder why they can't find it the next time they come in here looking for it. d:-(

The worst thing I've come across is an automatic staple remover.  I used it for the first time on a big report I had to give to my boss.  It grabbed the paper and tore the first few pages (important pages).  I was glad I hadn't bought it with staples coupons ( http://discounts.shopathome.com/Coupons-Staples.discounts/5424/ )
rather than at full price because it would've been an even bigger waste of money.

Screw the door, I want a window!  Oh wouldn't it be nice to know it was sunny outside without having to leave my cube to see?

I know this is our chance to complain about equipment and supplies but Sparky's post above reminded me of something from long ago.

I used to work in an office where I kept a tube of toothpaste in my drawer for occasional use after lunch.  My boss (who probably made twice what I did) always wanted to "borrow" my toothpaste. 

When I went on my vacation, I locked my desk because there was nothing official in there that anyone needed and I didn't want to come back and find that someone had "reorganized" my supplies for me (which sometimes happened).

When I got back, someone told me that my boss had tried to hire a locksmith to come in and open my desk while I was gone.  The guy was working away at it when someone else walked up to my boss and asked her what she wanted out of my desk and she said:  "Anna's toothpaste, I want to brush my teeth!"

Thank God, someone else was able to lend her some so no one had to change the lock on my desk!  I personally am not in favor of employees leaving desks locked when they go on vacation and the fact that I felt I had to do that, in order to be able to find anything at all when I got back, is a sad commentary on the inability of some people to mind their own business!

Sometimes, it's not the value of an item but the principle involved.

My boss had a desk and the money to buy her OWN toothpaste.

 

I got my door shortly after I wrote that comment!  It happens to be on an office with no real window but it's a door nonheless... It came in really handy when I was nursng for 10 months after my son was born.

AnnaBanana said…

Thank God, someone else was able to lend her some so no one had to change the lock on my desk!  I personally am not in favor of employees leaving desks locked when they go on vacation and the fact that I felt I had to do that, in order to be able to find anything at all when I got back, is a sad commentary on the inability of some people to mind their own business!

Sometimes, it's not the value of an item but the principle involved.

My boss had a desk and the money to buy her OWN toothpaste.

 

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Funny you mention this now Anna... We just had a similar thing happen at my office.  Early May mos of the staff get laid off as the school year is over.  One of my good friends knew she would be moving to a new office in the fall so she made sure to pack up all her stuff and label it.  Her box of personal stuff came up to my office for safe-keeping as well as her nice flat screen computer monitor.  Within one week of her being gone, it was snagged out of my office on a morning I was not in.  No one said a word to me about it.  I had just realized this week it was gone.  We stored it up there just so this sort of thing wouldn't happen and it did anyway.  Luckily we are getting new ones this fall... but it's the principle of the matter.

Oh yeah... the theif was her own boss too.

Anna, you know what would have been funnier?  If you left the desk unlocked and left an EMPTY toothpaste in there :-D

I don't like "borrowers".  It's ok to borrow something every now and then, but if someone was asking me to borrow something on a daily basis, I would be annoyed to say the least.  Likely I would stop bringing the item in.  You bring things in for your own convienence, not for everyone in the office. 

That's nice.  The reason I don't care about the door is b/c everyone leaves their door open unless they have a meeting.  It's common practice for everyone to leave their door open unless they have a meeting or a speaker phone call.  What gets me is the people who leave their doors wde open while they are in a meeting or on speaker phone.  I want to get up and shut their door, it's so distracting!

Anyway, a window is the best for me.  Looking outside gives my eyes a chance to look away from the computer. Watching rain can be relaxing and seeing the sun can raise my mood!

I could never do that!  Ok if someone is let go, people tend to go through their remaining office supplies and take what they like.  That's fine because the person is gone and won't be coming back.  But I could never take something from another current employee!  How awkward would that be when they come looking for it?  That's just rude!

Of course, we are in ore of a giving office.  People will offer up things they don't use anymore and it's often easy to get your hands on something just by asking around to see if anyone has an extra or something they aren't using.

Hehe... I agree a window would be nice as I've walked downstairs after several hours in my office and said "oh it rained today."  But it's nice to be in walls and not a cube anymore as it's actually less tempting for others to walk in and talk to me, which means I get more work done (if I'm not playing around on here or FB that is).  In a perfect world I'd ditch the office completely, but right now there's no money in that.

Hey, now THERE'S an enterprising rascal.  Didn't bother with toothpaste, went for the BIG stuff!  I'm telling ya, it is a terrible feeling because stuff we can replace but trust and faith in our fellow humans is not so easy to restore!

 

Oh yah, that's a WONDERFUL idea!  It's like when someone leaves a carton of milk with two tablespoons in in the fridge!  HAHA!

Wasn't it Art Linkletter who used to say:  People Are Funny!

 

 

 

This just remined me of one time at work, I left a sealed package of fig newtons under my monitor (had a perfect sized slot there).... well I'd eat a few and then put them back each evening.  One day, I came in and it was suddenly like 1/2 empty.  I know it wasn't me, but who ate it!  Now i keep snacks in my drawer.

Another time I put a bag of bagels in the fridge for breakfast with my name on the bag.  I had one for 2 days in a row, then the 3rd day the rest of them were all gone!  Someone told me they think the evening cleaning crew eats stuff.  That was the last time I ever kept stuff in the fridge there for more than just the current day.  It stinks that I have to bring in breakfast every day or else fear someone will eat what I leave! 

You know, windows are really more important than a lot of people think.

The last time I was in the recovery room after surgery, they put me in a bed by a window.  I could only see the tops of some other parts of the building but it was a nice sunny day and it just made all the difference and really cheered me up.  I think that was the best recovery I ever had from surgery.  Hospitals might be better if they had more windows that people in beds could really look out of!

What a good point you made about wanting a window!  PLUS a window is something no one can "borrow" and take away!  HAHA!

 

That's HORRIBLE.  Like I say, it's not the value of the item, it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing! 

eeeewwww - eeeewwwwww - he touched your toothpaste?      

 

eeeewwww = eeeeewwwww= they touched your food?

 

(can you tell I have issues about germs?)

 

and - yes, a window is so very important.

If you have issues about germs, listen on up.

We learned not to leave half-eaten take-out food in our communal fridge because of SOMEBODY who would finish it up with their own fork!

YECH!!!!!

 

 

AnnaBanana said…

If you have issues about germs, listen on up.

We learned not to leave half-eaten take-out food in our communal fridge because of SOMEBODY who would finish it up with their own fork!

YECH!!!!!

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OK I'm not a Germ-a-phob and that grosses me out.  We usually have to do a good cleaning of out office fridge once every 6 months or so (that's when it usually gets too full to put anything in.)  Most people mark their stuff but for a while some co-workers had issues with people taking their food.

I just can't imagine eating someone else's food!  Leftovers - definitely NO WAY.  But even if was a sealed TV dinner that they hadn't touched, or a juice that was unopened, I never ever would.  Heck, sometimes I forget whether or not the yogurt in the fridge is mine so I don't eat it!  I've learned to label everything mostly so I can remember if it's mine, not because I'm worried about it being stolen.

As for the original topic of this thread, I took a look around my cube and there is nothing that I can't live without as far as supplies go.  The stuff I like such as pictures, calendar, my plant those are all things I own so they can't be taken away.

How about a co-worker who wanted to "borrow" your stick of deodorant? I just gave it to her. I didn't want to use it after she did!

Funny you ask. I work at home and my husband works many days at home. A couple of days ago we cleaned up our office space and what a difference organization makes. If only it could stay this way. He does get crazy though when I don't put back his stapler. My chair is fine. I usually sit at the edge, since Hanna, our pampered Pomeranian, sits behind me..sigh.