Work inconveniences
 

After two weeks with no A/C it's finally fixed this morning. It is a huge relief to feel cool air blowing in my office. I brought a thermometer to watch the temp and the average for the last two weeks in my office is 84 fahrenheit. To make matters worse, I am on some medication that results in hot flashes a few times a day. My sympathy for menopausal women has gone way up.:lol:

The heat made everyone a little on edge and resulted in several arguments and lots of complaining around here. Hopefully things get worked out and we can all get back to work around here now that the temp will be more comfortable.

It got me wondering though, what inconveniences do other TFPers endure at work and how do they deal with it.

For the time with no A/C I went across the street a couple of times a day and bought smoothies to cool me down. I also found that cold yogurt makes a great cool down snack. I wore shorts everyday to work and would spend most of my day with no shoes on to try and keep cool.

My inconvenience is the opposite of yours. My Boss is "big boned" and keeps the temp at 60!!! Its freezin’ cold in here right now, and he is Jamaican. Go figure. 102 degrees outside and I got goose bumps at my desk.

And of course playing musical parking spots, cause I’m a cheap bastard and won’t pay 60 bucks a month for parking.

Inconveniences? :lol:

My "office" is my Ford Escort, sans A/C or anything else automatic, which I drive into the Philly ghetto every day as a research assistant (west and north Philly). Temperatures on most days this summer have been in the 90's, with this week's temps being over 100 (not including the 75% humidity which adds to the effect). Due to the high crime rate, however, I can't keep all my windows down (not that it would help much), so my car is usually in the 90's if not hotter, while I'm working.

Most of the people I survey (grocery store owners) are immigrants who struggle a bit with English, so I've had to resort to my smattering knowledge of Spanish, Arabic, and Thai on occasion, accompanied by repeated hand gestures, facial expressions, and pointing around the store. It's worked so far, and I love meeting these people... but it does slow down my efficiency somewhat.

Also, the city is rated #1 for homicides this year, with 230 so far in 2006 alone... (and thousands of non-fatal shootings so far). I work directly in the areas where these crimes happen, which can be a little intimidating since I'm alone, female, 5-2", and 125 lbs. On a positive note, it's incredible convenient that I'm half-Thai, since no one can figure out if I'm Latina, Asian, or something in between. I'm not black, but I don't stand out too badly compared with the usual suburban American.

Those are my major inconveniences so far. But they're also what makes the job so challenging, and I love a good challenge. I mean, hey, it beats last summer in rural Zambia, what with living in a tent for 2 months and shitting in a hole in the ground where bats flew out at night! :lol: Then again, very low homicide rate in rural Zambia... so there are trade-offs. :D

Not to mention this summer, my per-diem is $40 a day, so I can have $20 posh lunches outside the ghetto and free gas all summer. MAJOR perq! :thumbsup: Almost worth the risk of getting shot. :)

I work with surly teenagers coming down off of major drug addictions in a facility with no A/C. There are virtually no bathroom breaks because the kids have to be constantly supervised, and no rest breaks to speak of. Also, I am expected to teach these kids English but I rarely get any planning time in which to make a lesson plan or plan out a unit. Since I am paid on a wage, I refuse to do that at home when they're not paying me. Were I on a salary, I'm sure it would be different.

People are pigs when the stuff they handle isn't theirs. Kids are pains in the ass and they're even worse when their parents let them run and use those skate-sneakers things.( And for the love of everything precious, PLEASE take that screaming toddler outside!!) The store has AC, but it's lousy and I work along the outside back wall-might as not be any AC.
The pay S.U.C.K.S I think most of the people I work with are so nice because they're in the same sinking boat with me.
Shoppers all think we're their private hired help and treat us shitty, especially non-english speaking shoppers. I have to keep from yelling at them "this is NOT the open market in Marrakesh!!"
Ok...done with rant...off to work:p

My job involves moving things outside under the sun all day. Whether it be moving the mountain of crud and weeds off the ground, trees from one side of the complex to another, long stacks of trollies, big bags of compost or pots so big we've lost staff members in them, thats me.

And i get a shit wage.

My inconvenience is being strong and absent minded enough to do all these damned jobs.

My boss brings his 7 year old boy and 2 year old girl in to work almost every day. He is an abusive father. The only reason I work where I work is to support my family.

That would really get to me.

Every at work thinks that they need to hold meeting after meeting to provide me with "knowledge transfer" on software that I've been working on for years longer than they have. It's a reiteration of things I know, and usually I spend most of my time correcting their incorrect understandings.

I don't think anyone can top that one. I am sorry you have to witness that!

I work at a school as a music teacher. Believe it or not, it isn't even air conditioned. There were some pretty hot days in June before the school year ended. I stuck it out though because I'm pretty used to not having air conditioning. I've never had it at home. I usually just wore capri pants and a lighter shirt, but something that fits with the dress code.

I work at home most days.

It's hard not to switch off and go watch Oprah...


Mr Mephisto

Yeah, I'm having a tough time deciding when it is or isn't appropriate to call the DSS about the abuse. On top of an obviously unhealthy work environment, I do worry about the safety of the children. I'm lucky to have people I work with that can share my concern, but it's also tough essentially being second in command to the CEO, who routinely puts people in the most uncomfortable situation I can imagine. I'd rather deal with a simple problem like sexual harasment or a union than this. I've spoken to him on several occasions about his inability to control his rage and release it constructively. I recommended a psychologist to him, but he decided to send his son instead (leading me to wonder if he blames his son for the abuse instead of himself). I'm also concerned about losing my job if I speak up. I know that sounds selfish, but I am responsible for my family and my employees. If I lose my job, I will not be able to find a similar income easily, putting strain on my family. Also (not to toot my own horn), I'm a pretty good boss - or so I've been told. I'm the only member of the upper managment who considers the good of those who work under me. If I were to be terminated, they would not be protected from the mindless, money driven ambitions of some of the other board members and the CEO (things like 'corporate restructuring' suddenly seeing half the staff layed off and replaced by a firm in Bangalore, or seeing a loss of benifits and such). At the same time, these children deserve a kind upbringing and a fair shot at a good life.

It's tough having a savior complex. :confused:

My job carries 2 major inconvieniences:

1. The majority of our customers are in the far east, so the only time to talk to them is late at night (EST).

2. Sometimes I have to visit these customers to help solve critical problems, and I typically get only 1 or 2 days notice.

Otherwise, it's not a bad place to work. I live 5 minutes away & I've been with this company for 13 years.

My major work inconvenience is the fact that I do a fair amount of my deals with underwriters in London for clients located on the West Coast. If I get up at 5, I can spend 5 or 6 hours dealing with my London brokers, and it's not unheard of for my cell phone to ring at 7:30 or 8 at night when someone in Vegas or San Diego is trying to track me down so that I can get something done for them during their "overnight". That means that I'm legitimately working most days from 6 am to 8 pm.