Open plan offices, a real eye opener

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
When I worked in an office, some of the partners owned a bottled water company, so they brought in big fridges of the stuff free for staff and encouraged us to drink it/take some home/spread the word/do their marketing for them. My mate and I decided to turn the bottled water thing into a competition and see how many we could drink each day. We would line the bottles up on our desks in obvious places and talk shit about the importance of remaining hydrated when other people walked past us.

Our timesheets were done in 6min increments and there was a code for going to the toilet. Ended up getting a talking too for going to the toilet too often when I was at peak water drinking game levels.
 

Lazmo

Old and hopeless
Our timesheets were done in 6min increments
Wow, what a load...

Our head office has just moved to new 'activity based work' digs... lucky for me I've still got my old office elsewhere... fingers crossed it lasts.
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
Wow, what a load...

Our head office has just moved to new 'activity based work' digs... lucky for me I've still got my old office elsewhere... fingers crossed it lasts.
Was it six minutes so they could do the moronic "7.9 hours" thing, like it somehow makes sense to have metric time? I hate that BS
 

nakedape

Likes Dirt
The thing is I find the opposite. I look around, all good, fart, then voila someone appears beside me at my desk, invariably had to lean right in, and is usually female. I've no idea why, it's almost a theory now. I have found best to drop it, quick sniff, then go and get a coffee/water etc if it's a bad one.

We might need an office pranks/hacks thread at some point.
You've got weird colleagues - must be into strange stuff
 

nakedape

Likes Dirt
When I worked in an office, some of the partners owned a bottled water company, so they brought in big fridges of the stuff free for staff and encouraged us to drink it/take some home/spread the word/do their marketing for them. My mate and I decided to turn the bottled water thing into a competition and see how many we could drink each day. We would line the bottles up on our desks in obvious places and talk shit about the importance of remaining hydrated when other people walked past us.

Our timesheets were done in 6min increments and there was a code for going to the toilet. Ended up getting a talking too for going to the toilet too often when I was at peak water drinking game levels.
A code for going to the toilet? "FUCK OFF PERVERTS" is all they'd find on mine
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Fuck I do not miss timesheets... Finally got to a level where I dotn have to do them :dance: In my 8 year consulting career, I had to do 30 minute blocks with billable targets - thats pretty tame compared to lawyers and the like, but it was still a monumental pain.
 

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
Was it six minutes so they could do the moronic "7.9 hours" thing, like it somehow makes sense to have metric time? I hate that BS
It was 6 minute increments so there could be 10 'units' per hour. Start was 8:42, finish 5:12 (although if you left before 6pm you'd be looked down on. This was KPMG by the way. Accounting can get farked, place almost killed me.
 

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Timesheets are the biggest waste. I did billing 30 minute periods. We had a sacrificial project that was overbilled by about 800%, we were basically using it so that our projects would appear more profitable.

As for open plan, it works well for some work types. At my work, we have 'quiet rooms' and a lounge area. It's where most people go to youtube and browse rb. Traffic seems to increase when ozbargain ebay deals pop up I've noticed.
 

scblack

Leucocholic
It was 6 minute increments so there could be 10 'units' per hour. Start was 8:42, finish 5:12 (although if you left before 6pm you'd be looked down on. This was KPMG by the way. Accounting can get farked, place almost killed me.
While I was going through university doing accounting degree I worked for a chartered firm who did the 6min increments. I decided back then that such a way of work was not for me and have always worked in Commercial/Financial accounting roles.

I HATED the process.
 

MARKL

Eats Squid
Time sheeting can be the biggest wank. I used to run a program of work that was logically 1 item in the time sheeting system, they had it split into 15 :noidea: the only bit of the time sheeting that was based on reality was the start and finish times, everything else:pound:
 

Moggio

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I have had a really shitty 3 weeks in my twelve year self employed exile from corporate hell and was almost missing having a decent and regular salary and some sense of job security and not having to fork out my tax from my bank account. HOWEVER reading this thread has cheered me up greatly and makes me realise how cruddy being employed in a stupid office can be.

SO essentially... a big thank you!
 

moorey

call me Mia
I have had a really shitty 3 weeks in my twelve year self employed exile from corporate hell and was almost missing having a decent and regular salary and some sense of job security and not having to fork out my tax from my bank account. HOWEVER reading this thread has cheered me up greatly and makes me realise how cruddy being employed in a stupid office can be.

SO essentially... a big thank you!
I work in an open plan office...and self employed!

Luckily, I really like my job and workmates.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
:spy:Mate of mine and I would get into a lift with a person that we didn't know well but knew what floor they worked on/roughly what they did. Then we would talk between ourselves but be overheard by that person about something that was going on that would impact that floor/team. We would make up ridiculous crap from the salacious to the inane it didn't matter whether it was moving our office, a new office romance, job cuts, the 'real reason' somebody left etc. Used to love it when we would hear the rumors back a couple of weeks later.
That is awesome. I used to give people new names. Then keep using the new me until they would answer to it as though it was their name.

I defended a few members (when I was a union strong bully) in instances of their employer using their system long on vs log off times to claim their time sheets were fraudulent. Time sheets are an ace in the hole for dealing with useless employees. Same as internet access...one slip up against the appropriate use of IT facilities policy and you're done real fast. If you're a problem.
 

richie_gt

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I work in a large open plan office with a large kitchen/eating area, have witnessed a bloke wash a plate with the dishwashing brush then use it to give his beard a good scrub, of course you need to towel off after this so why not use the tea towel! Have seen multiple people wipe their face with the tea towel so must be a common thing!

There are two coffee machines in this kitchen area too, one weekend someone turned them both off not knowing there is a refrigerated section where the milk tub sits, come in Monday and the place reeks so bad, bloke who looks after the machines opens each one and out comes a whole tub of cottage cheese type looking substance, rough as! I've never drunk a coffee out of those machines since!

Recently walked into the changeroom downstairs with a workmate to get changed to do some exercise at lunch, upon entering the room we were met with a shit stench of epic proportions! As we were getting changed the offender exits from the cubicle, turns out it was our ex-Manager who is this arrogant annoying wanker who has recently got himself a promotion. Obviously he's ducked down to the changeroom toilets to drop the atom bomb without anyone noticing, the look on his face when he saw it was us standing there was hilarious!

I think the worst thing about working in a big open plan office is people seem to really take notice on your movements, what time you come in, how long you take for lunch and what time you leave! It's ridiculous!
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Poo time politics. Awesome...always go interfloor, never shit in your own nest.
They're pretty fraught... Dunny on another floor always a good idea, no one likes small talk with colleagues when you've just made a smell from hell.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
But a good immediate team makes it all bearable. Some days I just want to hug my boss and tell her what an awesome person and manager she is. And most of my colleagues are awesome too.

The people you work with really do make or break a job.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
They're pretty fraught... Dunny on another floor always a good idea, no one likes small talk with colleagues when you've just made a smell from hell.
You're one of those public servants! The toilet is a no conversation zone...Hello at most. Worst are the people that want to converse while they shit.

But a good immediate team makes it all bearable. Some days I just want to hug my boss and tell her what an awesome person and manager she is. And most of my colleagues are awesome too.

The people you work with really do make or break a job.
Eeeeeeew! And one of those people. Canberra man...it's getting to you.
 
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