I am posting stories from my job, because I think they're funny. I've done my best to disguise my company name, even the industry, and to keep the people I write about and even some details of the situation anonymous. If you know me, and know where I work, please don't include details in your comments. I'll have to delete your comment and reconsider posting these stories.
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We have an employee whose spouse frequently calls here, usually to ask the employee to call home. To be fair, the employees who work in the production area of our company are welcome to carry cell phones and use them on their break, but can't hear them ring while working due to the noise of the machinery. So if the spouse needs to reach the employee urgently (and they do have kids, so it's possible an emergency crops up now and then), the only way to do so quickly would be to call the main office. Fine.
But the spouse ALSO calls in the afternoon/evening to ask when the employee is getting off work. To give the benefit of the doubt, I could see where every once in a while, someone might REALLY need to know what time to expect their spouse. But in most cases, they'll be there when they get there, right? And the spouse calls sometimes multiple times a week. Seriously. It's like the employee isn't trusted to come straight home and not get into trouble on the way, and believe me, there's no way the employee is having an affair AT work. It just rubs me the wrong way as a person, and if the employee's co-workers knew how much the spouse called, the employee would probably take a lot of ribbing here at work. I try to be discrete when notifying the employee of the call--just radio to come to the office, and only explain why once the employee gets here.
Well, today the production employees have the day off. Not enough orders, not enough material to package, so the people who make the material are working, but the people who package and load the trucks have the day off. The employee in question is in the latter group, so is off work today. We received a call from the spouse, asking when the employee is due to come to work today.
Now, if the employee actually worries that maybe they're misremembering and were supposed to come to work at some point, then the EMPLOYEE would call us, right? So this really seems as if the employee is sitting at home, not getting ready for work, and the spouse asks why. And the employee says there's no work today. But the spouse doesn't believe the employee and CALLS in to ask. Who DOES that? Does the spouse not think about potential consequences for the employee when undermining the employee to the employer like that? Ugh, I feel so bad for the employee--clearly they are not trusted at home, and obviously the spouse is rather controlling. Ugh.
The employee may have a drinking problem and use every spare unscheduled 10 minutes to stop off for a drink somewhere. Spouse's calls can't prevent it but at least the employee knows she is keeping track. A friend's father used to do that. He'd leave us in the car while he stopped in "to make a phone call" and have a beer or two. His wife thought he wouldn't do that with young teens in the car, but he did.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think that's the case--the employee is very responsible here at work and doesn't ever smell of alcohol. But that's sad about your friend's father, or anyone else who feels the need to do that. :-(
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