A Case Of The Mondays: Vent Your Work Spleen Here

[MargeGunderson]

I am deep in the hell that is writing a cover letter. I really need to leave current company, as it’s pretty clear that the head of my department does not value what my group does. My immediate boss is awesome, but there is only so much she can do. The position I’m applying for is in the same industry but is a director position (I’m currently a senior manager with no promotion path). I’m not sure I really want to be a director but it’s the obvious next step. I’m procrastinating by reading cover letter advice on askamanger.org. Someone yell at me to just get it done already!

[emma675]

MargeGunderson, if it will help...GET IT DONE ALREADY!!!  😁

[theredhead77]

@MargeGunderson - does this help?

 

[MargeGunderson]

@emma675, and @theredhead77, it worked, thank you! I finished it (and my resume) and submitted them. Writing cover letters is one of my superpowers (that and recognizing actors’ voices). This one was pretty good - it was conversational, didn’t regurgitate my resume, and had a nice conversational style. My opening paragraph was truly a thing of beauty, if I do say so myself. Now the wait begins!

Edited February 2, 2020 by MargeGunderson

[Browncoat]

Good luck, @MargeGunderson!

[RealHousewife]

I have a coworker who constantly asks me where I've been if I come in late or leave for something. He is not my boss nor does he handle our leave time. It drives me crazy!

[magicdog]

10 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

I have a coworker who constantly asks me where I've been if I come in late or leave for something. He is not my boss nor does he handle our leave time. It drives me crazy!

Careful with that one!  He could be trying to ingratiate himself into management and act as a tattletale for the office.

Although, you could always mess with him - give ridiculous answers like:

"I was in a meeting with the President."

"I was busy fermenting a rebellion between the cattlemen and the sheepherders."

"I was busy saving the world from UFOs!"

"I went for an audition for the Rockettes!  NYC traffic was hectic!"

"The Pony Express is reopening for business and I figured I'd apply as one of the riders!"

 

Hopefully, he'll stop asking when he realizes you won't be intimidated by him and will not treat him with the respect he thinks he deserves.

[RealHousewife]

3 hours ago, magicdog said:

Careful with that one!  He could be trying to ingratiate himself into management and act as a tattletale for the office.

Although, you could always mess with him - give ridiculous answers like:

"I was in a meeting with the President."

"I was busy fermenting a rebellion between the cattlemen and the sheepherders."

"I was busy saving the world from UFOs!"

"I went for an audition for the Rockettes!  NYC traffic was hectic!"

"The Pony Express is reopening for business and I figured I'd apply as one of the riders!"

 

Hopefully, he'll stop asking when he realizes you won't be intimidated by him and will not treat him with the respect he thinks he deserves.

I know. I thought he was a nice guy, and I do still think he had good qualities. But he’s such a busy body! 

LOL! I love those suggestions. Thank you! I don’t want to be a bitch, but he hasn’t left me alone despite me trying to politely be as direct as possible that I don’t appreciate him prying. I know if I were to just bluntly say “not your business,” it would either hurt his feelings or I’d be known as the bitch of the office.

[ABay]

Gator wrasslin'

Practicing my kiwiflip (apparently this is a skateboard trick)

Casing the jewelry store down the street

Designing the next phase of my death ray

Learning to say "jeez, you're nosy" in other languages

Time traveling. Watch your step tomorrow.

[hoosier80]

I've had the displeasure of working with individuals who will take advantage of everyone, but the latest Dip shenanigans take the cake.  We have been told we have to support a client event over 3 separate weekends (two in a row - coming up soon).  As in round the clock being online , at the ready, even if they do not need us.  We are hourly, so the OT has been approved.  Dip took it upon herself to write up a schedule for all weekends.  All the same hours, with me during the day  for 6 Saturday and Sunday combos.  I never agreed to that schedule.  I was so irate today, scheduled an overdue meeting with boss.  I refrained from responding to her, but who in the hell does she think she is?  I typically avoid conflict, but no, I'm not standing for this crap.  Granted, I will be the one they reach out to, as Dip can barely log into any system.  She's proven her inadequacies many times, and I even said now honestly, who are they going to call?  She's not been involved even though she protested when meetings initially excluded her, then came into meetings with a pad of small sticky notes (everyone else had notebooks or binders).  She eventually stopped going.  It was all about how she wasn't on the invite.

I've also been working on another project, automating some new way to get tasks done.  She needed something from me right then and there, even though she didn't need it for another week or more.  I said fine, let me drop everything for you.  She backed off big time. I told her how to get the data, and was asked is it hard?  No, it's something you should know already!  I just had zero time for it.   I then said I had to do 3 or 4 other things, plus this automation thing was only updating one line, not multiple.  Her response, "great so now we'll have something that only works off and on".  I wanted to smack her.  I'd asked her and another person to log into this new system and test some I already had done.  She just logged in today.  5 months later.  She then told me she'd need to be trained.  I got one document with codes, and was told have at it.  Yeah, don't expect me to spoon feed you.  I tried to calm myself down and said no, I'm only marking those as completed or ok, once they totally work.  I really should have said, fine, I'm done working on it.  Since you know how it should work, you can finish all this crap.    I'm going to write it all down for boss.  Even the PM handling all of the scheduling was like this is for every day?  He knew it was beyond wrong.  His team is alternating.  Dip always likes the early hours so she can do stuff with her hubby - who works in a completely different metro area, so he's gone for an entire week at a time.  She was asked, why don't you move there?  Nope, not doing it, he can just drive it.  (We're talking a 3 to 4 hour drive each way).  So everyone should just bend to what she wants.  I wrote so many emails to her today, then deleted, wanting to think over my response.  I am so upset with her crap, that I've been working remotely a LOT.  I might need bail money.  

[magicdog]

So who is Dip sleeping with?  I can't imagine how else she gets away with all the things you have previously described and not have a "office sponsor" who protects her.

Or is she related to a big shot?

[bilgistic]

OK, y'all. I can't talk to my family about this. I've talked/cried to my very amazing, supportive boyfriend about it all Saturday night and yesterday. I have therapy tomorrow.

The new job is awful. Epically awful. It is four ten-hour shifts (Wednesday through Saturday) in a fulfillment center (enormous warehouse). I work in quality control, counting items in little cubbies housed in huge, mobile bookcase-like pods. I stand at a station and scan the cubby that I'm told to by the handheld scanner, count the items, enter the number in the scanner, and repeat. For 10 hours a day. ("30-minute" break after 3.5 hours in morning and again after 3.5 hours in afternoon). To reach the cubbies at the top of the nine-foot(?) pods, I have to climb and descend a mobile staircase that moves laterally. The bottom cubbies are maybe a foot from the floor. So I'm going from the floor (crouching/squatting/kneeling) to up a staircase every other minute. It's absolutely unbelievable. And of course, I'm (and everyone in my same role is) expected to go at lightning speed.

I was in incredible pain last week. Every time I moved that staircase (it's on wheels), I'm using my chest muscles that were injured in the wreck. Every time I pull myself up on the stairs--pain from my injuries. I almost walked off the job Saturday.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't go back to my grocery store job, because they'd already hired someone when I was out for the week and a half. They gave me only 18 hours my last week, and I didn't work the final, five-hour shift. The pay was only $10.50 an hour. I now make $15.

I've made a huge mistake in taking this job, but I certainly figured out why I never learned during the hiring process what I was actually going to be doing. If people knew, they'd never sign on.

And yes, I asked if there was anything different I could do to accommodate my injuries. No dice.

Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment at a staffing agency that I've worked with many, many years ago. I'm figuratively praying they can place me in an office job with a chair. That's seriously my criteria right now.

I don't expect sympathy, because I guess I should've known better. I really needed to get out of the shitty job that was the grocery store, but I'd rather be doing that than this. I feel like an asshole for making a bad decision and being devastated about not being able to do the job. If I was half my age, I could do it. My arthritic knees, hips with bursitis and injured chest and ribs absolutely ache now. I feel like I'm never going to heal from the wreck because I've not been able to stop doing physical labor. And yes, I know...be glad I have a job. It's all so guilt-laden and I feel so shitty about all of it.

I've made so many mistakes that landed me here. So many.

[theredhead77]

No advice but I can completely relate going to a job you think is going to be amazing and finding out it's complete shit. The utter disappointment never has a chance to go away because you are reminded how much it sucks on a daily basis by showing up.

Hopefully that temp agency can help and update your resume and get it out to other, legitimate temp agencies. Let them know you are looking for any position, not just one in your career wheelhouse - an entry level admin role or file clerk would be fine because you need to get back into the swing of working in an office.

You're also a prime candidate for a re-entry program at a community college and with your income being what it is for the past year, you should qualify for grants & tuition waivers. A class or two in a relevant field certainly can't hurt.

[magicdog]

16 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I've made a huge mistake in taking this job, but I certainly figured out why I never learned during the hiring process what I was actually going to be doing. If people knew, they'd never sign on.

What did the ad that brought you to them say?  They never said what you'd be doing?  sounds strange.  Did they hint you'd be doing something else?  If you're working for who I think you're working for, I've heard many nightmare stories about working for them.  

 

Speaking of, Bitcheroo has been keeping her distance which is fine by me.  However, I still keep an eye out just in case.  My edit partner leaves 2-3 minutes early (shows finished, everything is edited and it's down to the final moments when the anchors sign off) but I don't take the risk - lest I give her reason to cite me for something.  

Meanwhile, I came into work to find signs posted everywhere about the coronavirus!  I enter the building to find a sign about a new policy when bringing in guests who may have been exposed;  in the bathroom I find notes on how to wash my hands (how long, use soap and hot water, because Mom never taught me these things!) and to make sure I have washed them long enough to kill the virus, I can recite the lyrics posted nearby.  I can sing Eminem or Lady Gaga while I make bubbles in the sink! 

Then I go to my edit bay to find signs taped to the tabletop urging me to wipe the desk down and keep them clean (fortunately my supervisor said that was more for the edit bays that are in constant use, whereas my bay is typically only use by myself and the nightside editor).

Then I found a giant dispenser of hand sanitizer in the newsroom to use when I can't sing Lady Gaga in the bathroom.

Then we got to edit all sorts of corona related stories because it's not discussed enough as it is.  My fave was how kids seem to have a natural resistance to it - while the elderly are dead meat.

That's not including the Strip hotels which are having staffers do what they SHOULD have been doing long before this thing got started:  cleaning escalator handles, door handles, and other frequently touched surfaces.  Personally, I'm still put off by buffet utensils unless I'm the first one to fill the plate. 

[theredhead77]

@magicdog the workplace signs seem par for the course these days. Our office has these signs up everywhere and distributed wipes for us to wipe our desks, keyboard, mice and phones down with daily.

Given how nasty people can be in the restroom, company kitchen and their workspace I'd hazard a guess people don't know how to properly wash their hands or don't care.

[magicdog]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Given how nasty people can be in the restroom, company kitchen and their workspace I'd hazard a guess people don't know how to properly wash their hands or don't care.

Sadly, you have a point!  

[hoosier80]

Management is just hoping Dip will retire and go away.  She was demoted years ago when she had a female boss who had more balls than any of the male managers around.  How do I know this - Dip told me.  She's not sleeping with anyone; nearly 70 and not a femme fetale o maneater at all.  

Well I had a discussion with boss and he agreed, it was unfair.  I'd also listed out some major shit she'd done - not errors but foot in mouth stuff, and he was just stunned.  Like saying we can give a new client code 101 when 101 is the HUGE client we're working on now.  Then tried to throw me under the bus saying it wasn't recorded in the client list - hello you get stuff EVERY day for this client with that 101 notation, try again dumbass.  

Anyhow the schedule WAS changed.  Even the other person on the team was rolling their eyes, because Dip did not understand what I said.  I wanted one day - daytime hours - where I wasn't changed to a laptop so I could do my errands, etc.  

We also have days marked off by management - like ones where you have to get permission to be off, then blackout days.  Blackout is supposed to be only for emergencies or you're given the day off by an Act of God.  Yeah a team member who is supposed to help out with overflow emailed today saying yeah I'm off, he finally approved it (boss).  I was like WTF.  It is during a blackout time, so we won't get any extra support or help.  The reason why - college visit with her son.  Hello - all colleges here have suspended classes on site for at least 3 weeks.  What are you going to see - empty buildings?  I almost emailed something back, but I think the old Dip will.   Let her step in it, and I'll sit back and watch the show.  I am really irate, but I am going to see how this plays out. 

 

[bilgistic]

8 hours ago, magicdog said:

What did the ad that brought you to them say?  They never said what you'd be doing?  sounds strange.  Did they hint you'd be doing something else?  If you're working for who I think you're working for, I've heard many nightmare stories about working for them.

This is a very long answer.

I get my hair done at the Aveda school here. In December, the young woman that did my hair told me that she works at the place I now work when she is not in school. I asked her, "Wait... don't you have to walk like 80 miles a day at top speed around the warehouse picking orders??" (I, too, have read some of the exposés.) She said no, that she stands at a station and puts orders in bins. I said, "Oh, well, I can do that!" She said the warehouse was going to be doing a round of hiring in January. I started looking every day at the hiring website and when the hiring event was finally posted, I filled out the info, was approved, and I showed up.

They never said at the hiring event, where there were about 30 applicants, what specifically we would be doing. The current ad for a similar position in another state says, "Fulfillment Centers – Work inside a warehouse, selecting, packing and shipping customer orders. If you like a fast-paced, physical position that gets you up and moving, then come help bring orders to life. Work a set, full-time schedule. Shift options include overnight and days, and usually at least one weekend day."

I asked one of the coordinators specifically about the stories about the miles of race-walking the order pickers have to do, and she said, "Oh, nooo, this is one of the easiest warehouses to work at!" She still didn't tell me what I would be doing.

We saw YouTube videos during the downtime while people filled out forms, etc. The videos showed people walking slowly, being stationary, standing on the warehouse floor, etc. I absolutely do not recall seeing anything like the job I have. There were several videos about how many "opportunities" there are at the company, like how one person came in knowing nothing about coding and now does it (sitting at a desk, while in reality, there are NO chairs in the warehouse except in the breakroom and in training rooms).

I had my car accident the day after the hiring event (2/27). I was initially supposed to start at the company about two weeks after the hiring event. There was a delay in my background check, which I think was because I had my credit frozen. They didn't tell us to unfreeze our credit (if it was frozen) and I stupidly didn't think to unfreeze it until I hadn't heard back from them after three weeks. Meanwhile, I'm trying to work here and there at the grocery store and having a very hard time because of all the pain I was in. I couldn't have physically worked at the new job on the original hire date anyway. I wasn't healing from the wreck (and still haven't) because I was still doing physical labor at work.

After my background/credit check cleared, I finally got notice that orientation would be on (last) Tuesday. It was about 2.5 hours, and was a group of about 20 people, none of whom I recognized from before. We watched slideshows and were instructed on safety and company policies. Again, very little info about our actual jobs.

The next day, (last) Wednesday, was my first day. More slideshows for a couple hours, then we had a trainer assigned to breakout teams of four. We went onto the warehouse floor and were finally shown what our jobs were. Not everyone in the group got the same job. There are at least two roles, mine and picking, which is (my vague understanding is) getting items from their storage location in the warehouse and putting them into the pods. My role is the next step in the chain, as quality control, counting the items in the pods, to ensure the right amount of items were picked.

At no point prior to the job did I know anything about having to climb up and down a steel staircase on wheels that I had to pull back and forth. I knew I'd be on my feet for 10 hours. I knew I'd be walking a lot because it's a huge warehouse. I thought I could manage the standing and walking, and had a vague concept that I would be performing an item-moving task similar to grabbing things from a grocery conveyor belt and putting them in another nearby location, i.e., a bin or box, as I had been told by the hair student.

Sorry this is so long.

There IS a role like that--the employee takes the items from the pod and puts them into the bins and sets the bins along the conveyors that then send the bins throughout the warehouse to the packing destination. There's less climbing, as several items are pulled from the pod and binned. It's not like how I have to count a cubby on the top right corner of this pod and that's it for this one. Now the next pod is lower left corner. You don't ever check each pod top-down, left to right. You might have four on this pod, 10 on the next, one on the next and three on the next. And they're all over the place, from a foot off the ground to nine or ten feet high.

Anyway...I met with the staffing agent this morning and it felt hopeful. I laid it all out for her and she was very down-to-earth and understanding. They sent me some software assessments, which I did pretty well at (25 out of 30 correct on Excel and PowerPoint, 28/30 on Outlook, and 29/30 on Word), despite not having touched three of the four programs in 2.5 years. She said having the assessments will help her place me. I told her I will do anything at this point--just get me in an office with a chair! I did show her my portfolio, so she knows my "creative" capabilities, but I assured her I am open to all opportunities.

I am meeting with another recruiter tomorrow, thanks to @Moose135, who got me in contact with the agency that placed him at his current position. I am not going into work. I'm still in considerable pain from last week. I have already arranged for the time off. I will get a deduction for it, but I need to focus on a way out as fast as humanly possible. I haven't decided about Thursday. I'll see what happens tomorrow.

I went to therapy this afternoon.

Edited March 11, 2020 by bilgistic

[ABay]

@bilgistic, I'm so sorry the new job is awful but glad @Moose135 was able to provide some concrete help. Fingers crossed it works out.

[emma675]

I love that people in here are helping each other in real life! And bilgistic, I hope you find something great asap and can ditch the crappy new job. 

[magicdog]

On 3/10/2020 at 10:18 AM, magicdog said:

Personally, I'm still put off by buffet utensils unless I'm the first one to fill the plate. 

Quoting myself because we just reported this morning that several Strip properties will close their buffets for the duration!

I'm hoping there won't be issues today.  Because of copyright legalities, we're forbidden to use music of any kind (without permission or using copyright free music from our own library) in our videos.  This puts a big crimp into our entertainment stories (every Friday we do reports on who's in town for a performance and until a few months ago, we used to introduce the story with the song the singer/band was famous for) but rules are rules.  Sometimes the reporters forget and ask us to edit something and we have to decline.  Even if it's a score from a film scene.  Today I was asked to edit a video of a car chase and it had funny sound effects and music in it (don't know if the music was written by the person who created the vid or not).  Naturally, I said we couldn't use it based on my understanding of the music situation.  Reporter had a list of FAQs from our legal eagle about using background music from a clip - and was told via email that it was ok if the clip is 5 sec long or less.  I looked at it, discussed it with the producers and got approval to do it.  We ran it.  I told reporter to send the email to relevant parties (my supervisor, myself, my edit partner and the producers) My supervisor came in this morning  wanting to talk about it.  I got scared.  He said he was gong to follow up on it with the legal eagle and promised to back me up should anything go south as I took the correct steps.  Corporate owners  don't want to risk having to pay 100s of thousands of dollars for violations.  

To be continued....

Did you know Springsteen charges over 100K to use his songs???  Yikes!

 

[bilgistic]

I saw @Moose135's recruiter today and it was a positive experience. Again, I laid it all out and he seemed to feel that there is something either admin, customer service or junior data that he can place me in. I also walked into to a third agency that I had tried working with about a year and a half ago. The rep I worked with had left the company and I guess never transferred my case file to another rep. I met with a kind young woman that seemed understanding and positive about finding something.

I'm going to try going in to work tomorrow. I'm in pain today despite not doing much physical activity besides driving all over town, but I know I'm still tense when I drive because of lingering accident fear, and that makes me hurt.

I'm emotionally exhausted. My depression and anxiety are pretty bad right now.

I stopped by my old store and everyone was so nice and huggy and said they missed me. I miss my coworkers. We had fun despite the stupidity of the general management and swarm of humanity. I told them the new job isn't good. My former manager asked if I wanted to come back. I told him I didn't know, and he said he'd talk to the store manager about the possibility. He said everyone he ever knew who went to work at my current workplace didn't make it there long, including his own stepson.

Going back to the store is obviously not what I want to do, but I need income and I need to be able to physically perform a job...until something better comes through. I'm not saying yes right now. If I am going to get only 20 hours a week, it's pointless. I can try to struggle through 20 hours at the new job and make $100 more a week.

[ABay]

Since it seems like I'll be working at home for a bit, I have until Monday to figure out video chat, regular chat, screen sharing, and other things that haven't been an issue. I like learning new stuff but it's too much all at once with little guidance and I feel overwhelmed.

On the upside--no urgent need to do the laundry.

[theredhead77]

On 3/13/2020 at 3:37 PM, ABay said:

Since it seems like I'll be working at home for a bit, I have until Monday to figure out video chat, regular chat, screen sharing, and other things that haven't been an issue. I like learning new stuff but it's too much all at once with little guidance and I feel overwhelmed.

On the upside--no urgent need to do the laundry.

What software do you use for these things? I bet the collective can give you a few pointers.

[bilgistic]

Update of sorts...I got a call yesterday from @Moose135's recruiter, and he is submitting me for a communications position--tech writing for intra-company communications and some social media posting. It's a bit of a stretch, but would be a nice position for my brain.

Tuesday's recruiter is actively working on positions. I have a video conference (nooooo!!!! I'd rather get dressed up and meet in person!) with a fourth agency/recruiter on Monday.

[Browncoat]

Fingers and toes crossed for you, @bilgistic!  

[theredhead77]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I have a video conference (nooooo!!!! I'd rather get dressed up and meet in person!) with a fourth agency/recruiter on Monday.

This could be due to COVID-19! 

[emma675]

I love video interviews! I had one before my previous job and I had on a really nice top and sweat pants no one could see. I also had a bunch of talking points on paper set up to the sides of my laptop where I could see but the interviewer couldn't. It went really well. 

[Bastet]

I don't like video interviews (whether I'm interviewing or being interviewed) unless distance necessitates, but I love initial phone interviews; after that, though, I want to meet in person.

But, yeah, reducing close contact with strangers right now is going to make video interviewing more common.  When you're the interviewee, at least, like @emma675 said, you only have to dress up half of you.  And you can spend the time you'd have otherwise spent commuting to/from the interview sleeping or playing with cats.

[hoosier80]

So first working weekend is done.  Nothing too awful.  In fact, midway during my shift the project manager sent an email, all done.  LOL.  Dip tried to stick me with the bad shift, and she ended up having to log more hours than anyone.  

We were told Friday - WFH effective 3/16.  Dip and some other person had a cow.  Dip took home, two monitors, mice, and her laptop docking station.  I was asked you have everything you need.  I believe so - just my laptop.  She cannot use her laptop screen as it's too small.  Then bitched about having to haul all that tuff home.  Your choice.  Not sure if anyone else in or group did the same.

Then I see someone asked a question why is this line blank for xxxx.   I said I'm looking at that email (to  Dip  - kind of asking did she do anything with it).  No she didn't know who  the person was addressing.  It was to the entire team, but once again Dip just ignores and figures I'll handle it.   I reviewed the stuff and one group was updated no problem. Same utility tool updated another group, same data, and skipped random accounts.  I had ran scrapes of everything, which I normally check with a fine toothed comb, but missed it.  My two stellar reviewers (Dip and QB) said oh it's all fine (they put their electronic John Hancock's on it).   Boss saw all of the chatter and said was qc bad again?  They'd messed up another system checks a while back and the originator let them both have it.    That originator now asks me to check their stuff.  We'll see how it plays out tomorrow.  No impact to end client as it was caught by someone else way ahead of time.  Just reinforces what I'd told boss  again and again that their work is sloppy at best. .

[hoosier80]

I couldn't edit the above post, but the whole error that was found - fixed and the two twats who 'reviewed" did not make any comments - just ignore and it will go away I guess.

Boss had call to go over a few things, and asked how everyone was doing - day 1 of mandatory work from home today.  Did we have any questions?  Dip - immediately asks - when can we go back into the office?  I do not like this at all.  She didn't know how to hook up all of the equipment she took home, which is not a shocker.  We were told indefinite, could be 8 weeks or more or less - no one knows.  Have to get approval to even go into the office to fetch anything now.  She then complained how bars and restaurants were closed!  Can't even get food (this from someone who has a freaking JUMBO sized freezer at her house).  Us mere mortals are getting by with a standard fridge/freezer.  There are some on the team who also have their kids home, so they have to do work and watch them - and they complained less.  I mean, times are tough, so put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

Hope everyone is staying safe.❤️

[theredhead77]

9 hours ago, hoosier80 said:

Dip - immediately asks - when can we go back into the office?  I do not like this at all.

There's a solution for that: retirement!

[ABay]

My university is now online-only until the end of the spring semester. And that's fine. However

1. The little laptop I've been assigned is tiny and difficult to use. It was apparently built for Keebler elves.

2. It's a Dell so it runs very hot and the fan is on a lot. I can't prop it up because all the weight is in the back and it tips over.

3. My colleagues need to clam the fuck down. Every few seconds another email about new and different software or apps we could use to do x,y, and z. Oooh we could use this! Oooh, we could use this!  Oooh, look over here something new and shiny! It's overwhelming, and I'm reasonably tech savvy. We're going to be working this way for a while, we don't need to know everything this goddamned second.

4. If it's my turn to be on the virtual reference desk, I will answer questions. Twice so far I've been in the middle of answering a question and someone else has jumped over me. I think the patron will survive that extra 30 seconds it takes me to answer, Usian Bolt.

5. My office is a shaky tray table. I don't have room for a desk or a table. This less-than-optimal arrangement adds to the amount of time it takes me answer, as well as the child-size laptop/tablet I've been given.

6. I don't live on my phone and I'm trying not to use my personal laptop for work. Because although I'm ready for the Self-Isolation Olympics, I do cherish my own time.

7. IT has still not figured out how to connect people to the campus VPN if they weren't already on it. They're also swamped and I don't need it immediately, but I also thought it was just me and thus not a high priority. Now I know it's many people and should be near the top of the To Do list.

Edited March 18, 2020 by ABay

[GHScorpiosRule]

14 minutes ago, ABay said:

. The little laptop I've been assigned is tiny and difficult to use. It was apparently built for Keebler elves.

@ABay, I "laughed" at your post because of the text above! Because I was also given the option to work remotely from home (which, as of last night has turned into a "required"). But they gave me this rinky-dink monitor, that has no speakers or a mic, so I can barely hear any emails I receive, and any calls we conduct via Skype or Zoom, they can't hear me, because, hello, no mic. And my work...speed, if you will, is down 50% because I've been spoiled at work due to being given two 23 inch monitors. Which makes my work so much easier and faster. Here? Nope. Open one doc, minimize, open second doc, minimize; rinse, lather, repeat.

I'm tempted to buy another monitor, if only because it would be more efficient.

But I am grateful that I work in a firm that allows me to work from home. So I need to stop complaining. Even if I hate the new Outlook and New Word.

[Spartan Girl]

Not everyone at my office has a work laptop so they had to take their desktops. We were given the choice to stay or WFH since our buildings is open. I know this will sound crazy, but I chose to stay because 1) I don't want to hassle with my stupid work computer at home, 2) I need any excuse to get out of the house since everything fun is closed, and 3) downsizing the building staff makes it less risky. It is like a ghost town there; it is really lonely and I miss some of my coworkers. But I'm clinging to any bit of normalcy I can.

Fuck corona virus. I hope in a month things are better.

[emma675]

I swiped my docking station and a giant monitor when I left the office on Monday. IT can complain all they want, but it's impossible to use one of our communication programs on a tiny laptop screen and we are sending out company-wide comms constantly right now. I did forget my mouse and wireless keyboard, so that's a pain. My office is still technically open so I may run out on Friday and swipe those, too. 

In other news, my new work-from-home assistant has an annoying habit of throwing herself at the windows and barking at everything real or imagined outside. She's definitely not getting a raise come annual review time. 🤣

[roamyn]

Our bosses told us today that if a spouse (or adult child in my case too), comes down w/COVID, they expect us to come in and we won’t get paid for anything other than our vacation & sick days (they won’t give more than 2weeks - not even to the guy who’s been there 20 yrs), and they don’t have to because the new COVID emergency sick pay law only applies to companies w/employees between 50 - 500.  Is this true, does anyone know?  From the little research I did, that appears true. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

I swiped my docking station and a giant monitor when I left the office on Monday. IT can complain all they want, but it's impossible to use one of our communication programs on a tiny laptop screen and we are sending out company-wide comms constantly right now. I did forget my mouse and wireless keyboard, so that's a pain. My office is still technically open so I may run out on Friday and swipe those, too. 

I took everything home but my chair.  I wish I had thought to take my chair.  My butt hurts.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, I was going to buy a monitor anyways, so I just got one from Amazon. That's right, Amazon. 

1. Staples: OUT OF STOCK
2. Best Buy: OUT OF STOCK
3. Amazon: Available

Plus, I called my go-to IT guy at work and asked for suggestions about which monitor that isn't a name brand I've ever used or am not familiar with. It's arriving next week. It has what I need: built in speakers, display port and blah, blah.

And seriously, the attorneys and paralegals here will understand why having two monitors when cite-checking goes more smoothly!

And I'm going to go into my office EARLY Saturday and get the headset my IT contact is leaving for me.

[Browncoat]

I had to bring in my laptop today and get it set up so I can get my work desktop virtually.  We also had a training session for Zoom.  There haven't been any official announcements yet, but it's pretty obvious that we're going to be asked to work from home starting next week.  Which is challenging for me -- a big chunk of my job is inventory and ordering things.  Not only can I not count things I can't see, I can't unpack things I can't order.  Even if I could order things, no one will be there to sign for them.  The security folks are going to have to feed the fish and water the plants so they don't all die.

[roamyn]

13 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I had to bring in my laptop today and get it set up so I can get my work desktop virtually.  We also had a training session for Zoom.  There haven't been any official announcements yet, but it's pretty obvious that we're going to be asked to work from home starting next week.  Which is challenging for me -- a big chunk of my job is inventory and ordering things.  Not only can I not count things I can't see, I can't unpack things I can't order.  Even if I could order things, no one will be there to sign for them.  The security folks are going to have to feed the fish and water the plants so they don't all die.

I know this is stupid, but can you have things delivered at home and then take them in a couple times a week?  Or are they large shipments?  I order stuff a lot and sometimes have it shipped home.  But those are smaller shipments, so a maybe this wouldn’t apply to your job.

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, roamyn said:

Our bosses told us today that if a spouse (or adult child in my case too), comes down w/COVID, they expect us to come in and we won’t get paid for anything other than our vacation & sick days (they won’t give more than 2weeks - not even to the guy who’s been there 20 yrs), and they don’t have to because the new COVID emergency sick pay law only applies to companies w/employees between 50 - 500.  Is this true, does anyone know?  From the little research I did, that appears true. 

I don't know what the new regulations are but that is so shitty and when this is over you and the dude who has been there 20 years should be looking for new work.
 

[Browncoat]

44 minutes ago, roamyn said:

I know this is stupid, but can you have things delivered at home and then take them in a couple times a week?  Or are they large shipments?  I order stuff a lot and sometimes have it shipped home.  But those are smaller shipments, so a maybe this wouldn’t apply to your job.

That might not be a bad idea.  They are large shipments, but some of them could certainly be broken down into smaller bits.  A few things are just large, but *might* fit in my car.  I'll ask my boss if that's a possibility.  Thanks!

[magicdog]

Can I just say, "F**K Corona!" ?

After having done authentic OT last weekend, my supervisor asked if I'd do it again this weekend.  I said sure.  Then he says maybe I or my edit partner will have to take off Thursday and Friday to work Sat and Sun! (inauthentic OT ) .  My partner then agreed to take the days off and work the weekend as she is positively frazzled by the Corona mess.  Everyday there's a new rule related to it and being a bit high strung it has her worn down emotionally.  First she had to call off her planned vacation (she planned to go to San Jose for a hockey game only for NHL to put the kibosh on the season) and she is scared to death of putting older loved ones at risk (in-laws, grandmother) and of course, the closure of everything in town (day spa, clubs, shopping malls, etc.).  

I feel badly though for workers not getting paid during this time - I hope the governor will be generous and offer HIS pay to those who won't get anything between now and April 16.  I can't get a facial, mani-pedi, massage or my hair done until something gives.

[roamyn]

9 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I don't know what the new regulations are but that is so shitty and when this is over you and the dude who has been there 20 years should be looking for new work.
 

Unfortunately we’re both in our mid 50s and I’m overweight.  Perception is hard to overcome.  Not to mention many employers think people our age come with a high price tag.

[janestclair]

On 3/18/2020 at 6:23 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Well, I was going to buy a monitor anyways, so I just got one from Amazon. That's right, Amazon. 

1. Staples: OUT OF STOCK
2. Best Buy: OUT OF STOCK
3. Amazon: Available

Plus, I called my go-to IT guy at work and asked for suggestions about which monitor that isn't a name brand I've ever used or am not familiar with. It's arriving next week. It has what I need: built in speakers, display port and blah, blah.

And seriously, the attorneys and paralegals here will understand why having two monitors when cite-checking goes more smoothly!

And I'm going to go into my office EARLY Saturday and get the headset my IT contact is leaving for me.

What monitor did you get? Now that I'm teaching from home for the foreseeable future, a bigger monitor is definitely needed or I'm going to go blind trying to decipher student's chicken scratch handwriting off blurry images of the worksheet they printed out.  

Edited March 20, 2020 by janestclair

[GHScorpiosRule]

42 minutes ago, janestclair said:

What monitor did you get? Now that I'm teaching from home for the foreseeable future, a bigger monitor is definitely needed or I'm going to go blind trying to decipher student's chicken scratch handwriting off blurry images of the worksheet they printed out.  

I got the  Acer R240HY Abmidx 23.8" Full HD (1920 x 1080) VA Monitor (HDMI, DVI & VGA Ports)

And yay! My director arranged to have a headset with mic (so I look like a freakin' telemarketer) delivered to me yesterday. I was all disgruntled when it looked like an ordinary headset for just...listening. I couldn't see the mic. Then I call my IT go to guy, and as I'm asking him if they have any headsets with mics, because one without it does me no good, I see this long black handle thingie resting inside the right hear speaker. I pull it down and whaddya know? It's the mic! I felt like such a NIMRODIC MAROON.

Me: 

It's been quite the growing pains and challenge, this working remotely from home for the first time. I mean, yeah, my last job (where asshole boss fired laid me off while I was undergoing chemo, I had a laptop, and it was easier because very small firm. But I'm at a larger firm, and being looped into the tracking team that's monitoring and tracking all news and updates from multiple states about the COVID-19--I'm bombarded with emails from the many groups, in addition to the pro bono work and regular work I'm doing.

But one of the attorneys from my practice group called this morning to see how I was doing...if I felt overwhelmed or needed help, not to hesitate to reach out, because this is a new thing for most support staff. And my director said the same. So I don't feel so guilty for asking for the headset. Hey, as long as I have my trusty Blue Book (attorneys and other paralegals, legal secretaries here will know what I'm talking about) with me, I'm good. And this second monitor will definitely help.

But I suspect a lot of the billable work will slow down next week, what with courts extending deadlines for motions and briefs.

I say they should just waive the billable hours requirement for the last quarter and just give us our bonus. Yeah, yeah, it'll be TAXED to death, but it's SOME extra moolah I can bank.

In hindsight, I should have just brought home at least one of my bigger monitors. Oh, well.

[magicdog]

F**k Corona part Deux:

tioday is pay day and I went to HR to pick up my check only to find it closed.  Apparently they’re part of the crew that get to work from home.  I email her and she says [so and so] sent you an email.  I check and sure she sent one- in the middle of the afternoon when I’m asleep!  Turns out my checks will be mailed to me for the duration!  Why they didn’t just bring it to the news desk or leave it in my office mailbox or tell me via phone or in person when I’m in the office (8-9am)???

Not bad enough I can’t even cash them at the casino (I get great stuff- more than any bank would offer!) but now I have to depend on USPS!!!

 

[ABay]

Today is the last day we could get things from our offices, so I brought home my desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, and various doodads. The PC is an all-in-one monitor and weighs a couple of pounds. Easy peasy. The stand that holds it, however, is solid steel and weighs a metric ton. My back and leg are displeased.

I can't believe I got it home and set up without an elaborate systems of pulleys and levers.

[janestclair]

Teaching remotely is a super pain in the ass.  Obviously, there's no expectation of continuity of instruction, so that's a problem. I feel like I am doing more work than I would if we were in school planning and prepping all these activities my students can do at home, and then I have to grade their poorly handwritten and photographed assignments (no typing because they'd all just pass around the same document) and provide meaningful feedback, all while attempting to not go blind using my district issued laptop's miniscule screen with muddy resolution.  Good times.