-
gossip around the water cooler….
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The time-honored office tradition of whining at the water cooler just might get you fired, according to a newly compiled list of workplace horrors around the world.
Two workers who exceeded the official limit of two moans per employee at one unnamed German firm were fired this year. Several colleagues quit before their moans could be counted.
Their employer’s strict policy tops a list compiled by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement firm gave nine notable examples from hundreds of cases.
Most involve petty rules.
Workers at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Kokomo, Indiana, should drive a Chrysler model or they may find their car in Indianapolis, 50 miles away. That’s because a rule limits parking space for non-Chrysler cars. Violators will be towed.
“These are things that make you go hmmm,” Challenger spokesman James Pedderson said.
Such stories pour in throughout the year and Challenger plans to make the list an annual tradition, he said. The point is to encourage managers and their staff to communicate better.
Some of the worst stories involve discrimination against a worker’s religion, ethnicity, or, less seriously, squirrels. A librarian lost her job for devoting too much time to saving a squirrel stuck in a ceiling.
“I think reason has to prevail in some of these instances,” Pedderson said.
-
1 Reply
-
I got a good one from my work on wedensday I was flying to Norway at 5 pm so as you do I (usual procedure is to got to the check in and not bother going to work) called at lunch time to speak to my new boss.
In the conversation he said that this would be a half day.
How come I said “cause you aint here”
Man did I go ballistic asked him what is it with the company all take take take I worked late on three nights previous two of them I travelled 90 mile round trip to do 20 min work and one till 10 pm called back in after I got home and he has the cheek to try and take a half day off when I am flying at night.
he is lucky I wasn’t at the work at the time or things couldv’e got ugly. I told him he was takin the p!!s and that this wasn’t on.
The outcome has still to be settled.
Looks like a change of job me thinks. EDIT or because i work at two places just start at the main base at my usual time of 8:30 and travel to it in company time I will also do the same for my finish time of 4:45 thus him getting only 5 hours a day work at the other place and see how he likes that.
Or has anyone any better suggestions or dare I ask?Goop
Goop
Log in to reply.
