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Pet peeves

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ke5frf

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OK, I saw a post about a computer mouse and it made me think of this pet peeve of mine.

I work with an older fellow, both of us as technicians repairing the same electronic lab equipment, i.e. shared responsibilities.

We share a computer in our shop/office.

When he is at the computer and I am working or (catching a nap), the tap, tap, tap of the right, left click switches on the mouse get rather annoying.

It isn't the "normal" soft click of the tactile switch in his case. This fellow, who'll remain nameless because I've worked with him for a decade, actually lifts his fingers two or three inches off the mouse to tap the switch. Both index and middle finger. Poor mouse, we go through them at least once a year. I equate it to driving a jeweler's screw with a drill.

Once, after having my nap interrupted several times, I mentioned to him that the switches on the mouse are tactile and don't need any "momentum" to actuate.

After a decade he still beats those switches like a scolded dog.

LOL, any pet peeves you want to share?
 
Maybe beating up the mouse is his form of stress-relief. Most people expect their co-workers, to..., well, work, not sleep. Must be aggravating for him as well...

Not really one to laugh, I work in a warehouse, where most of my co-workers apparently earned their G.E.D. by questionable means. I endure many of them, who have a driving need to pull something 'clever' over on me. The only fun I get out of it, is occasionally turning those silly little pranks back on them, without being suspected of having anything to do with it.
 
Aggravating for him? LOL trust me, he manages twice the zzz time I get.
But we are like the Maytag repair guys. Or firemen. We are there to put out the fires when they happen, but when there isn't a fire to put out...

I know what you mean though.
 
My pet peeve is people sleeping on company time :)
 
My pet peeve is people sleeping on company time :)
Was thinking the very same thing, only from his boss' perspective! A biblical verse from Christ's Sermon on the Mount comes to mind:
And why do you watch the splinter, the [one] in the eye of your brother, but do not notice the plank in your eye?
 
I love electronics,

in how many professions can you flick hot lead down the back of supervisors collar and say it was an accident ?

Pet peeve - people warming thier lunch with the flow soldering machine..
 
how many professions can you flick hot lead down the back of supervisors collar and say it was an accident ?
Exactly how many times can you use that excuse before you get written up or fired?
 
Was thinking the very same thing, only from his boss' perspective! A biblical verse from Christ's Sermon on the Mount comes to mind:
And why do you watch the splinter, the [one] in the eye of your brother, but do not notice the plank in your eye?

Why would my boss be mad about anything?
Do you guys not get breaks at your work? LOL. Break time is MY time, not the company's.

And my boss is as likely to be resting his eyelids as anyone.
 
Why would my boss be mad about anything?
Do you guys not get breaks at your work? LOL. Break time is MY time, not the company's. Technically no, if you're still on company property and the fact that your behavior is subject to scrutiny while on company property. You can be called back to service anytime even if it's a union workforce.

And my boss is as likely to be resting his eyelids as anyone. But he's the boss and you're not! Then again a good boss leads by setting good examples.
I'm salaried so official breaks do not exist.
 
I'm salaried so official breaks do not exist.

LOL. My goodness.
How on Earth do you know my company's policies?
Some companies actually ENCOURAGE nap breaks, did you know that?

But technically NO, my hour lunch break is my time, and I am allowed to do whatever I feel like so long as it is legal. That is the technicality at my workplace. Your mileage may vary.

Oh, and BTW I'm salaried as well.
 
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Exactly how many times can you use that excuse before you get written up or fired?

Depends wether you collect or write the paycheques;)

Health & Safety is of course paramount in the workplace now and the days of forklift racing in the machine shop car park on a Sunday and shutting the apprentice in a dark cupboard with two exposed wires from an ageing hand cranked insulation tester are gone forever.

Though saying that it is still common to find some swine has swapped out your new soldering tip and replaced it with one of the cooked ones, borrowed your favourite set of wire cutters and put cheese powder on your sponge.

Bosses are getting thier own back of course, one I could name & shame has CCTV watching the vending machines and the rest break areas (all piped through to his desktop PC), another had the novel solution to staff taking extended toilet breaks by sawing the bottom six inches off the main restroom door.

Serious peeve - on friday afternnon the company ran out out of coffee, Monday morning ther was still no coffee.. oh boy did the grief roll down hill that day!
 
I'm salaried so official breaks do not exist.

Federal law would state differently. Even salaried people have the same break schedule as hourly. It's the companies themselves that try to tell you differently.
 
Since the thread got sidetracked into discussing napping at work, a philosophical question...

Why would it bother you for someone to take a nap while on a break at work, vs. read a newspaper, use the restroom, eat a snack, take a walk or jog, or make a phone call?

What is "wrong" with napping? Why is it any more wrong than any of these other personal, healthful, or beneficial activities afore mentioned?

And why would it be something a company would scrutinize any more than the rest?
It has actually been documented that workers on average are MORE productive after a nap.

IMHO this is an example of an old fashioned value that got brainwashed into us that has little merit. otoh, I do agree that sleeping and all of those other activities (except for bathroom breaks) should not be done while on the clock.
 
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I agree with you completely. It's just the people that want everything to be a certain way that have issues with that kind of thing.
 
Since the thread got sidetracked into discussing napping at work, a philosophical question...

Why would it bother you for someone to take a nap while on a break at work, vs. read a newspaper, use the restroom, eat a snack, take a walk or jog, or make a phone call?

What is "wrong" with napping? Why is it any more wrong than any of these other personal, healthful, or beneficial activities afore mentioned?

And why would it be something a company would scrutinize any more than the rest?
It has actually been documented that workers on average are MORE productive after a nap.

IMHO this is an example of an old fashioned value that got brainwashed into us that has little merit. otoh, I do agree that sleeping and all of those other activities (except for bathroom breaks) should not be done while on the clock.

In your original post, you never mentioned naps on your lunch break. So who could know what time of work day you were referring to? I see nothing wrong with nap on your own time, which a lunch beak is.
 
Federal law would state differently. Even salaried people have the same break schedule as hourly. It's the companies themselves that try to tell you differently.
That may be so but there are always specifics that can preclude some laws such as being "on call" of which occurs in my situation. My former boss was very cool about taking comp time as long as business was addressed properly. My new boss is strictly a "company policy to the letter" type of person. He's stuffy and about as charasmatic as a doorknob.
 
That may be so but there are always specifics that can preclude some laws such as being "on call" of which occurs in my situation. My former boss was very cool about taking comp time as long as business was addressed properly. My new boss is strictly a "company policy to the letter" type of person. He's stuffy and about as charasmatic as a doorknob.

What you are touching on is the classification of exempt vs. non-exempt. Wikipedia has a good discussion of that difference, look about mid-page: Fair Labor Standards Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is clearly defined what hourly workers get in terms of personal time, overtime, etc. Abuses generally arose/arise with salaried, non-exempt employees. Non-exempt employees may be salaried, but they also qualify for overtime and comp time. Exempt employees do not, so employers will try to have as many salaried employees as possible classified as "exempt." The dirty tricks are legend. Calling a secretary an Executive Assistant was one of them.

From what you describe, I suspect you are a non-exempt salaried employee. Company policy should define your expected hours of work, overtime, and comp time. The penalties for violating that policy or Federal law are pretty stiff. Most important, the employee cannot waive those rights. There are many cases in which a non-exempt salaried employee worked extra time, but said in effect, "Don't worry, I won't record it." In fact, the employee was doing just that, and when her affair with the boss broke up, she in turn screwed the company royally.

Your new boss may just be following policy, but that is what I would expect any responsible boss to do. You must have access to those policies and can determine whether the boss is following them or going overboard with them.

John
 
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I am salaried, exempt status with no time card or ticket to punch in/out. From admin. on down thru the managerial ranks, there's an underlying acceptance that comp-time "may" be allowed at the discretion of the supervisor. It's a topic that's not discussed at length, but it does exist. Actually my colleagues do not abuse it as far as I know of. Under my former boss, even though he allowed us generous comp-time, I always remained on the safe side and only took 30-50% compensation of total amount accrued. So if I worked 10hrs over, I'd take 4-5hrs comp. during a least busy day. Comp time was handy for doctor appts. and such.

My new supervisor is a workaholic, skipping lunches, often arriving 30-60 minutes early, and works often on weekends. He's finicky as a cat on many things and micro-manages despite his claim otherwise! His family flew the coop so I think the workplace substitutes that somewhat.
 
Sorry about suggesting you were non-exempt. It was this that made me think that, "company policy to the letter."

There might still be company policy regarding working hours and other conditions, but I have never seen one that strictly set working times, i.e., beginning and ending times, for exempt employees. There is often the expectation that you will work "at least" so many hours. My first job had an expectation of at least 55 hours per week for exempt employees in my category, but arrival and departure times were flexible.

In the end, what really matters is keeping your boss happy.

John
 
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