I May Have a Vandal at Work (UPDATE: DAMAGE)

"i86hotdogs" (i86hotdogs) 06/25/2020 at 09:30 • Filed to: None

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These last few weeks, I have come into work with some of my belongings misplaced. I’ve never had an issue in the past. My drawers and cabinets do not lock, and they’ve never locked. I tend to keep any valuables well hidden in said drawers and cabinets with no issues.

Earlier this week, my wireless charging pad and wireless mouse were both stashed in one of my junk drawers. I have left those out on my desk ever since I started working here, and have never had an issue. I’ve been stashing them in a drawer ever since.

This morning, I came in to see my laptop was removed from its laptop bag which is stored in the cabinet above my desk. The laptop was stashed in another drawer of mine. But the dongle for the wireless mouse was taken out of said laptop and put into a different drawer. My radio, which also is stored in the cabinet, was removed and hidden in my snack drawer (yep, snack drawer).

I have a few theories on who may be doing this:

1. Cleaning crew-in light of the Covid outbreak, there are cleaning crews scrubbing everything in sight. I initially thought it was them who was putting my charging pad and mouse into the drawer so they can clean the desk surface. But the mouse pad was never touched.

2. My counter part who sits behind me in the same “cubicle” area; the same individual who has quarreled with me about many work related things-I wrote about this individual a while back. Always challenging anything I would do, never seemed to do it the way he would so it must be wrong, He would always accuse me of never reaching out for questions or help; but when I do reach out for assistance, he says, “You’re an engineer, you figure it out”. Due to my new work hours, his and my paths do not cross. He does not come in for another 4 hours after I leave, so I would have to stick around that long to talk to him in person.

3. A random individual that is getting joy out of messing with my stuff-another possibility, but I am leaning toward options 1 or 2.

I’m a patient guy. Optimistic as well, almost too naive. I was involved in one fist fight in my life, and it was between myself and my best friend who thought it was a great idea to duke it out for fun after sharing several beers together. I’ve taken this in stride and kept my mouth shut thinking it was a one time thing. Now, I think it’s going to be routine and it needs to stop. If I could not recover any of my belongings, I would have gone to the boss and let them know what is happening. I am definitely reaching out to get some locks and keys on my drawers and cabinets.

I know for sure, that regardless of how I bring this up to my counterpart, it will be a shit show. If arguments conjure from asking questions about work related functions, him feeling accused of messing with my stuff with take things to 11.

I do have a cheap amazon action camera that I may set up hidden somewhere. Need to figure out a way to record it overnight without dying or running out of memory space. He or she may steal that too, who knows?!

Update

Yesterday, I figured out a way to lock the upper cabinets. There is a plastic insert that can be turned to lock the door. You then can take the plastic piece out (See be low). So I stashed all valuables up there, locked up, and brought home the plastic inserts.

Came in this morning to one of the doors clearly damaged in an attempt to open it.

The door remained locked, so nothing was taken or messed with. The contents of the unlocked drawers were also left alone (still shocked they haven’t even sampled the snacks). Now that actual damage is done, I’m informing my boss about the events taken place the last few days. I’ll update when appropriate

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:41

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vandal?

wouldnt that mean shit was getting damaged

anyhoo...ill bet you a beer its the cleaning crew

ive no idea how ill get you a beer if i lose....but thats what im betting

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:42

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Could someone be trying out a practical joke on you? Although moving around someone else's work laptop is too much imo

i86hotdogs > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/24/2020 at 08:43

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vandal, thief, troublemaker...I decided on vandal since things were just inconveniently placed in other locations.

i86hotdogs > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/24/2020 at 08:45

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the joke stopped being funny after the first move. “haha my mouse was hidden.” Now I start my day searching through my drawers just to get set up. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:45

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fair dinkum mate

good luck with that....and let me know if i owe you a beer

i86hotdogs > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/24/2020 at 08:46

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if it is a practical joke, it’s not very....

nice

Grindintosecond > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:48

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Did he......

.... rock the mike like a vandal...?

nerd_racing > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:49

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If your cabinet drawers are metal, setup a nice little battery and some jumper wires.  Give whomever it is a nice little shock next time they go to pull the drawers open.  I’m willing to bet they would complain to your boss about it.  Then you will have your culprit.  Either that or rig it with a dye pack or some sort of ink in the drawer handle.  

66P1800inpieces > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:50

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Relative in IT told me that they had to put in cameras and watch someone’s computer (cameras and through a snooping tool that captures screenshots and sites visited) because the employee was watching feet videos at work. Maybe they learned to use someone else’s computer. Check your history!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:52

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Nice? NICE?!?!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:52

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Ya, its not a good one...but someone may have a bad sense of humor

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:53

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Could be worse, could have a Visigoth

TheRealBicycleBuck > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:56

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We had an issue with leftovers disappearing from the break room fridge. One of the engineers came in after hours and discovered all of the edibles spread out across the break room tables and the cleaning staff helping themselves.

They were fired the next day.

CalzoneGolem > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 08:57

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Before you set up that camera you might want to look into the legal ramifications of doing that. My job would not be happy if I set up a camera.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > nerd_racing 06/24/2020 at 09:01

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shit mate.... rig it up to a power outlet and i bet you there wont be any complaints

412GTI > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:04

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All I can add is that I too have a snack drawer (as all should)  and I’m quite surprised it hasn’t been ransacked yet. Good luck man!

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:05

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Careful setting up your own camera on private property, I could see that causing unnecessary problems for you with HR.

Asking for the locks is a good move. M aybe at the end of the day take pictures of your work space and the n take pictures of it when you arrive as well so you have a record of how it changes overnight.

Ho nestly dude, at th is point I’d try not to leave anything valuable at work.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:07

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I think a few padlocks might be the best thing to do in this case. That and a note saying it's not at all funny.

Thomas Donohue > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:09

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The camera is a good idea, but it’s better placed in an adjacent cube if possible. Or, if you can stream via wifi you’ll be able to record the perp before they move/cover the camera.

Lastly, an  ink-bomb in the drawer will do the trick. (I doubt it’s the cleaning crew....I feel someone is doing it intentionally to F_ with you.)

nerd_racing > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/24/2020 at 09:10

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I don’t want to kill anyone, but I do want their intrusion to be inconvenient .

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:13

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$20 on FleaBay. Might be worth a try.

When someone would go on vacation at a previous job we’d have a little fun and rearrange their belongings, but it sounds like you've got something more sinister going down 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:15

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I’d send an email to the whole office saying that there is some shifty business going down and to lock up your possessions at night. Then lock up your possessions and tell building management and the office manager.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > nerd_racing 06/24/2020 at 09:18

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*shrugs*

im pretty sure killing them is inconveniant.....anyhoo...its tricksy wiring up something that will shock someone across the room but not kill em

turns out most people grip when shocked

amazing we got this far as a species

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:22

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Definitely let your boss know. Definitely don't set up a camera without consulting your boss first. Maybe put some greasy wet ink or dye of some sort on the banks of your drawer handles, then whoever it is will have stained hands.

i86hotdogs > nerd_racing 06/24/2020 at 09:25

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I was thinking of the ink in the handles as well. We caught a guy hitting e-stops on machines at my old job with blue paint.

i86hotdogs > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 06/24/2020 at 09:26

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The only valuable thing I leave here is my work issued lap top and radio. The charger is $10 so if that grew legs I wouldn’t care too much. Good point on the HR issue with the camera, though

PartyPooper2012 > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:27

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usually, when I want to prank someone, I wait for them to go to bathroom and take a screenshot of their desktop. They come back to what appears to be their workspace, but in fact its just an image. They click... and I laugh and laugh... 

nerd_racing > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/24/2020 at 09:28

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We are truly not a species built to last.  I feel like safety labels have ruined our development as a species. 

i86hotdogs > Grindintosecond 06/24/2020 at 09:29

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Whomever it is, is not even close to being as cool as Mr. Ice

i86hotdogs > 412GTI 06/24/2020 at 09:30

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Yeah, really. Pork rinds, honey jerkey, and a dark chocolate bar for emergencies.

Thisismydisplayname > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 06/24/2020 at 09:30

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That’s not a bad move. Keep the info factual and general and you may find you’re not alone in the situation.

I mean if you want to mess with someone, clearly, jello is the way to go.

i86hotdogs > PartyPooper2012 06/24/2020 at 09:32

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I see harmless pranks as leaving a post it note with something funny on it. Or leaving something funny in my roledex. But the laptop is a tad too far even in my class clown eyes

i86hotdogs > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/24/2020 at 09:33

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I’m agreeing that a camera may breach some corporate rules, so that will be a last straw if necessary. Obviously, once I get the locks set up, things will not move. 

i86hotdogs > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/24/2020 at 09:34

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Yikes, living with four other football players taught me not to mess with anyone’s food.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > nerd_racing 06/24/2020 at 09:34

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eh...... bare with me on this one

but im pretty sure safety labels are americas fault

over here.... if you stick a poodle in a microwave ....your a fucking idiot..and maybe go to jail

over there if you stick a poodle in a microwave you’ve got a case

coz how was i sposed to know....not like there was a fucking warning sticker

i86hotdogs > 66P1800inpieces 06/24/2020 at 09:34

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Fortunately, only I can log into my own laptop. No other user can log into their own system.

facw > PartyPooper2012 06/24/2020 at 09:34

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Having worked at a place where we were required to lock our machines while away (which is good practice anyway), on the rare occasion that someone didn’t I left them a fun little reminder in a text document, then spam pasted it to fill their entire desktop...

facw > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:37

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Honestly, absent any other evidence (and considering it doesn’t sound like anything was stolen?) , I’d just assume it is the cleaning staff (without any malicious intent). But regardless I’d just bring it up with your boss and see what they want to do about it.

PartyPooper2012 > facw 06/24/2020 at 09:38

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Yeah. that’s a bit much even for my taste, but sure.

We get bottled water deliveries. One day few bottles fell on the floor. I went to the office manager and told him there was water all over the floor... 

PartyPooper2012 > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:40

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yep. Hiding things is crossing that funny/annoying line.

I’ll move someone’s glasses 3 feet... on same desk... just to see if they are so oblivious they cant see them... but then again, they probably need glasses to see...

I don’t know. I’m just a mean old partypooper

i86hotdogs > PartyPooper2012 06/24/2020 at 09:42

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My go-to is to flip something small upside down. Like a mouse pad or a picture frame. Sometimes they’ll go a while without noticing

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Thisismydisplayname 06/24/2020 at 09:43

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I think someone is maliciously fucking with you but going public would be an easy way to stop the fucking and perhaps identify the person. In any case the goings on are not cool.

nerd_racing > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/24/2020 at 09:46

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no argument here.

PartyPooper2012 > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 09:57

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back a decade or two ago, office chairs were cheapo chairs. The lever controlling elevation pushed a button on a shock that controlled the height. What I used to do is jam a pen in that space activating the shock button. When person sat down, chair lowered automatically.

Few good laughs when office manager went down unexpectedly.

Stopped being funny when those shitty chairs shocks stopped working and people blamed me for breaking them... sigh... nothing to do with their fat asses. All me

i86hotdogs > PartyPooper2012 06/24/2020 at 10:06

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See, THAT’s funny!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 10:08

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You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t bet on that. Lockpicking is super easy. And I’ve been victim to someone rifling through my stuff in the workplace before, and ultimately theft from a locked compartment. Luckily, my vandal(s) was caught in the act and fired.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 10:10

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I was going to suggest cleaning crew as well, particularly if they are spraying stuff for covid disinfecting. But the laptop being taken out of the bag pretty much rules that out. Sounds like someone is just messing with you. 

haveacarortwoorthree2 > 412GTI 06/24/2020 at 10:14

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My office has a company-supplied snack cabinet! Chips, kind bars, cliff bars, beef jerky, 3 different kinds of trail/snack mix, etc. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 10:16

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Setting up a camera could wind up with you in the cross hairs. Just having locks installed should solve the problem because they’re pranksters, not hardcore thieves, it sounds like.

i86hotdogs > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/24/2020 at 10:22

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My theory is whomever is doing this is doing it because it’s quick and easy to do. Adding even the smallest line of defense may deter them. I have doubts the perpetrator has the ambition to pick locks just to move my laptop to a different drawer.

i86hotdogs > haveacarortwoorthree2 06/24/2020 at 10:24

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When I first experienced the mouse and charging pad, I too assumed it was the cleaners clearing the surface. But yeah, taking the laptop out of the stored bag; and removing the wireless mouse dongle leads to something further

412GTI > haveacarortwoorthree2 06/24/2020 at 11:00

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We get free water!! That’s awesome 

Future next gen S2000 owner > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 11:09

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Sounds like a prank I would pull on my co-workers. We are kinda assholes like that. We think it’s hilarious though.

We only mess with the ones we get along with though. It’s a little different.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > 412GTI 06/24/2020 at 11:40

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Oh, we get drinks too. Bottled water, flavored water, sodas, and even ultra zero Monsters (the COO used to drink those, and we just kept ordering them even when he stopped) . We try to take care of our people.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > i86hotdogs 06/24/2020 at 13:19

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The person who was fucking with my stuff and ended up stealing from me, I thought was a friend until we caught him 

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > facw 06/25/2020 at 09:36

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I change the color saturation in windows, everything becomes reddish orange

CalzoneGolem > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 09:38

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Wow they really want in, huh?

i86hotdogs > CalzoneGolem 06/25/2020 at 09:40

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Just dying to move my laptop to a different location

CalzoneGolem > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 09:42

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What a fucking weirdo.

shop-teacher > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 09:42

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What an ass.

Tareim - V8 powered > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 09:44

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Someone needs to be fired, I don’t think a warning would change much and they’ll be more sneaky next time

i86hotdogs > Tareim - V8 powered 06/25/2020 at 09:49

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Once we figure out who’s doing it, yes.

functionoverfashion > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:00

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Wow, for sure this is an escalation that warrants official intervention. Time for a glitter bomb.

Tapas > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:02

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That is crazy! Hope you find the vandal!

Jb boin > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:11

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phenotyp > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:15

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Yeah, time to escalate. Clearly not a prank.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:19

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That is one d ent too far. What kind of person want to look up  feet on someone else’s laptop that badly?

sn4cktimes > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/25/2020 at 10:40

1

Not a lot of 120 AC running about in nature... But I agree; people are a surprisingly stupid intelligent animal.

I mean 120 Volts at 15 A mps won’t kill most people.... If they’re willing to wreck something to mess with personal stuff....

sn4cktimes > Thisismydisplayname 06/25/2020 at 10:44

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I was too busy with life and whatnot but I really wanted to Jello some stuff at work before I got laid off. B een a nice summer so far, I haven’t been unemployed since being 11-12 so I’m enjoying this.

i86hotdogs > functionoverfashion 06/25/2020 at 10:46

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i86hotdogs > Tapas 06/25/2020 at 10:47

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hiring the finest of investigators

i86hotdogs > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/25/2020 at 10:48

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If they want the smell of cheese so badly, I have a few pieces of Bab ybel cheese in my mini fridge

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > i86hotdogs 06/25/2020 at 10:52

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Lay out a cheese trail to the nearest security camera and review the footage!

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > PartyPooper2012 06/25/2020 at 11:02

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Don’t get me started on chairs. Oops - too late...

At one place I worked I was using the office shared by the assistant managers when working on a 10-figure sales contract with a colleague from corporate.  We had this one guy, a rather immature and ignorant oaf that we should never have hired; I saw through his BS in the pre-interview but the idiot that I worked for didn’t. Anyway, I was using his desk when one of the wheels on his chair broke. It wasn’t from anything that I did - it was an old, cheap chair and would have happened to anyone who sat there. Purely coincidental. I felt a little guilty and offered to bring in some JB Weld to fix it, which I did. His response? Go downstairs to my office and intentionally break my chair. Fucking idiot. Thankfully he was canned a few months later, but I now had even more doubts about my manager’s competence and judgment, particularly when it came to hiring and his ability to listen to the concerns of others in hiring (and a thousand other decisions, but we’ll save those for another day...)

PartyPooper2012 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 06/25/2020 at 11:25

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I get where you are coming from, but people are weird about their seats.

One time a buddy of mine bought a car. He was so happy with it. I said - let me test drive it - wasn’t gonna do two wheel turns or anything. Just see what it’s like.

He reluctantly agreed. I sat in driver seat and started adjusting seat because unlike some people, I cannot drive in window licking position. ooooh my god did he flip a lid... DON’T TOUCH MY SEAT SETTINGS. IT TOOK ME 8 YEARS to get them perfect.

Same with office seats. God forbid someone adjusts the height of the seat or the arm rests. People get crabby.

You “broke” his chair so seemingly he was upset and maybe did not view JB weld fix as acceptable... I get it. It’s not the same. Breaking your chair is probably not a thing one does. Maybe order a replacement chair and rough it while it’s shipped on the JB Weld chair...

but yea. People get upset about their seats. Weird. All the adjustments are easily controlled. Up down... done. I don’t get it. 

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > PartyPooper2012 06/25/2020 at 12:01

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Dozens of people had used that chair before him. It was nothing special. The company was cheap, so a replacement chair wasn’t really an option. If anything, it was stronger after the repair than before. This guy was just a petty, immature little prick. He didn’t have the respect of those he managed, nor was he viewed as an equal by the other assistant managers. If anything he should have just taken my chair and stuck me with his broken one, but no, he had to intentionally destroy company property in the name of revenge. It came as no surprise to learn that he had several divorces under his belt. His pre-teen children were probably more mature than him.

When I was in dispatch I remember calling him to go investigate an incident involving airport police and one of our employees over at service road A 3. He couldn’t figure out where that was. This airport is one giant grid, with the north-south   service roads and taxiways labeled alphabetically from A to E and the east-west components numbered 1-17. It’s pretty simple and obvious and well-marked , and you pick it up within 2-3 months on the job even when you’re a complete newbie on the field. Well, he couldn’t figure out where A3 was and he’d been working at that same airport FOR 18 YEARS. Based on the grid pattern you should be able to easily determine that it’s on the south side of the field, towards the eastern side - you don't need a map . Just head in that direction and look for a cop with one of our vehicles pulled over. His inability to figure out where to go, with all of the discussions broadcast over the radio for all of the other managers and supervisors to hear, just made him lose more credibility in the eyes of everyone that he worked with.

i86hotdogs > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/25/2020 at 13:09

1

I’m tight with security here thanks to working the temperature scanners in their guard shack. They might stake it out for me