Sometimes Work is Fun

[Amanda Crisp]

So I work in a “Critical Industry”, meaning that as the government advises people to stay home - *we* are ramping up to 7-day weeks 🙂

This is not a commentary on our schedule 🙂

What entertained me tonight was how much joy an act of minor insubordination brought the workforce....

So as soon as I got here, I found out that we had a new shortage.

We already got through “Medical Masks”, “Exam gloves” and Printer Toner....but this one had people stressing; we were out of the free coffee for the lunchroom.

Evidently, the coffee service stopped along with everything else and as we’re running at 130% - we sucked it down quickly.

So I’ve got people looking at me -plainly distressed- and I’m on the spot to say or do something.

So, I gathered up a couple of strong looking people and we went upstairs.....

The Office Staff is Working From Home and for some reason  - their 10% of our workforce has 4x the coffee stored in their kitchenette as Operations is allotted.

There was a big sign on the cabinet that was left by a long-gone and un-beloved Administrator; “These Coffee Supplies for Admin Staff Only. I’m Serious”

The protective force field failed to strike us dead as we redistributed the Company Property down to the main lunchroom.....

My offgoing counterpart was in the lunchroom when our little parade came through and he plainly was concerned about what was up.....one of my helpers told him we were “stealing”.....

So the coffee crisis  was averted, the Resident Manager thought the whole thing was completely understandable when I called him after the fact..... (I’ve never heard him giggle before)

But the part I keep hearing about is the look of satisfaction on my face when I gave that sign a vigorous yank.........I *may* have said a bad-word too.......

I have issues.

Edited March 24, 2020 by AmandaKeen

[Beth Macbain]

We take our victories where we can. Well done!

[Beth Macbain]

Also, as someone with a sister in law who is a nurse caring for the all-the-symptoms-but-not-tested-yet patients and reusing masks, and as an employee of a place caring for immuno-compromised children, thank you to you and your entire team for ramping up the schedule. ❤️❤️❤️

[Amanda Crisp]

25 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Also, as someone with a sister in law who is a nurse caring for the all-the-symptoms-but-not-tested-yet patients and reusing masks, and as an employee of a place caring for immuno-compromised children, thank you to you and your entire team for ramping up the schedule. ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you Beth 🙂. I’m pretty sure the Big Auto Makers and such are curtailed, but our sector is headed straight to mars. We’re feeling the pinch as odd things run out, but maybe this is what brings about the Paperless Office for real.

We’re so automated that everyone is an Isolated Worker on a normal day, so probably the only hazardous part is the commute here 🙂

Many, many thanks to you and your Sister-in-Law as well. I think you have it a bit harder than me 🙂

Edited March 24, 2020 by AmandaKeen

[Ardy Lay]

Mars!  You may be taking this "social distancing" thing a bit far.

[Amanda Crisp]

10 minutes ago, Ardy Lay said:

Mars!  You may be taking this "social distancing" thing a bit far.

Ardy, the control room I run looks like a refugee from the Expanse already.......so it might not be a stretch

...altho some days Its the “Out-of-Control Room”

 

Edited March 24, 2020 by AmandaKeen

[Paul Hexem]

Generally speaking, admin staff is useless anyway. Clearly they didn't need it or it'd have been used up. 

[Tolya Ugajin]

11 hours ago, Gadget Portal said:

Generally speaking, admin staff is useless anyway. Clearly they didn't need it or it'd have been used up. 

lol try cashing your paycheck without the admin staff.

Accounting:  We count it all and tell you we can't afford to spend any of it.

Sales:  We spend it all and blame marketing when we don't sell anything.

Marketing:  We could sell more if only we had a bigger budget.

Legal:  YOU CAN'T DO THAT!

IT:  I'm sorry, the system won't do that.

Customer Service:  I'm sorry, I don't do that, let me transfer you.

Production:  Sorry, I'm on my break.

Service:  Sorry, we'll need to order a part.

Maintenance:  Sorry, we can't fix that in-house.

HR:  We're only here because the rest of the children can't behave.

Management:  We're at an off-site meeting.

Edited March 24, 2020 by Tolya Ugajin
ETA: I forgot production and service and maintenance

[CaerolleClaudel]

9 hours ago, AmandaKeen said:

I work in a “Critical Industry”, meaning that as the government advises people to stay home - *we* are ramping up to 7-day weeks

OMG, you make toilet paper??????

(bows and chants) I am not worthy, I am not worthy....

[Amanda Crisp]

51 minutes ago, CaerolleClaudel said:

OMG, you make toilet paper??????

(bows and chants) I am not worthy, I am not worthy....

Actually I did spend a *looong* time working for a company that does make toilet paper (among other things), but I moved on before the poo-poo hit the fan 🙂

[CaerolleClaudel]

Just now, AmandaKeen said:

Actually I did spend a *looong* time working for a company that does make toilet paper (among other things), but I moved on before the poo-poo hit the fan 🙂

Thanks for what you are doing now. I think a lot about the frontline medical providers, and the risks they are taking and the horrors many of them are living through. And of course those providing care in long-term residential facilities, who are often very poorly compensated in financial terms. However, those folks are at least somewhat used to dealing with that kind of environment and those kinds of risks. So I feel we also have to keep in mind the people doing things like you are that are critical, but who are putting themselves and their families at risk to support society instead of being able to quarantine themselves. And of course so many of those people, such as those working at WalMarts and the like, are very poorly paid also.

[Syo Emerald]

I would crumble and desintigrate, if I had no coffee in the morning. I'm part of a group of people at work, who organized a "coffee circle". Everyone participates in bringing a pack of coffee or filters to work, so we never run low. 

[Tolya Ugajin]

26 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

I would crumble and desintigrate, if I had no coffee in the morning. I'm part of a group of people at work, who organized a "coffee circle". Everyone participates in bringing a pack of coffee or filters to work, so we never run low. 

I'm working from home for at least 3 more weeks.  I got a call from one of our factories at 6:45 AM about someone saying they didn't want to work because Covid.  Answered it in bed.  Grabbed the laptop to look at a document the call was about.  Next thing you know, it's 8:45, I'm in the living room with my first cup of coffee, on the phone with my boss about a different location, and casually mention I'm not even dressed yet it's been so many calls and emails.  He says, "that's nothing, I haven't even had my first cup of coffee yet."

I told him to call me back after he had coffee and hung up on him.

I'm pretty sure working without coffee is against the Geneva Convention.

[Amina Sopwith]

I can't understand the coffee thing. It doesn't give me energy or focus, it just makes me jittery. I drink decaf and herbal tea; if I overdo it, even the decaf isn't good. There's still some caffeine in it and I don't seem to react well to it.

Though this might be just my disposition. A co-worker once walked in first thing to find me spinning in my chair and singing to my plant. He turned to the person behind him and said, "She's a morning person. Let's tie her to the chair and sling her into the stationery cupboard."