Thursday 13 - Cranky Edition

Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007 by Travis Cody in
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I took the last two weeks off from doing the 13. But I'm back now. These are 13 things that irritate me at work.


1. Being given a project, specifications, and a deadline, and then being asked about my progress three or four times a day. I know what was asked, I know how to do the project, and I know when the project is due. Leave me alone and you'll get it on time.

2. Working through lunch. I don't mind it every so often. But I've been doing it every day for six months now.

3. People who use speaker phone in a cubicle environment. There are great headsets available these days - get one! Speaker phones are fine in an office or conference room when you can close the door. But they shouldn't be used when there are others around you trying to work.

4. People who don't respect deadlines. In my business, timing is everything. Shipments have to be on schedule, and the only way to ensure that is if every deadline is hit from conception to finished good. I can't deliver to distribution on time if I don't get product in my warehouse when it's due.

5. Stupid mistakes. My own are intolerable to me.

6. Mixed messages. Let's get on the same page gang - from the top of the organization down to the interns.

7. Wonky systems. Most of the time it's my order processing system. Sometimes it's the accounting software. Every once in awhile the network crashes. Whatever it is, it's something every dang day. Today it was a wonky mouse that had to be replaced.

8. Sales guys. They want what they want when they want it. Problem is, what they want changes every time they ask for it.

9. When the copier/printer starts pulling from the bottom tray, fill the top tray. You can tell the paper is pulling from the bottom tray because it prints out in the opposite direction. When the paper pulls from the bottom tray, the copier/printer jams. To prevent jamming, fill the dang top tray.

10. Don't walk away from a paper jam. Either fix it or tell somebody about it.

11. People who find it necessary to repeat an instruction from an email on which I was copied, copying all the original addressees so they get the impression that you are managing your business and taking control of the situation. You know what? I read the same email you did and I understood what was being asked of me. I don't need your "reminder".

12. Legacy processes. "Because that's the way we've always done it" is no valid reason to perpetuate a process that didn't work then, and doesn't work any better now.

13. Let's face it - sometimes the customer is NOT right. Sometimes the customer is just stupid. I had a customer send a very cranky email wondering snarkily why his shipment had been sitting on hold for two days. Two whole days!! I very professionally replied that I would be pleased to ship his order as soon as he provided a credit card that had not been expired for nearly six months.


You may infer from this list that I am unhappy in my work. Not so. I love my job and my company. I get a real kick out of what I do. And I enjoy the people with whom I work and interact every day. But even the best jobs have these little annoyances.

Update: I wrote my list a couple of days ago. Now today I find out that I may have an opportunity to transition from logistics to project management. YAY ME!! I'll keep y'all posted.

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17 comments:

  1. Janna says:

    I remember the days when I worked in an office environment sorta like that.
    Hated it.
    Spent most of the time reminding myself that it is not good professional etiquette to strangle one's boss.
    Good luck; hang in there.

  1. TopChamp says:

    I don't hate my office job either but nearly all of those things irritate me LOADS too.
    Particularly the reminders one before deadlines. I quite regularly get chased to complete tasks for which the deadline has not passed. I discovered last week that this is because my boss's boss chases her. But she should just tell him the deadline she's set, and wait at least to see if I forget before sending more e-mails.

    Bah to e-mail at work (I sit next to my boss but she will e-mail to ask if I can work extra hours).

    And to text messaging important things - not work related.

    Hope you're well - sounds like you're doing ok! Struggling to find a TT this week but I'll battle on. See you soon x

  1. Janna: No worries - luckily all of these things generally don't go wrong at the same time!!

    TC: This is why I enjoy blogging so much - just gives me a chance to be silly when I've had a tough day.

  1. Piacere says:

    Ummm...were you in my head, Trav? I can SO relate to all of these in some fashion. I'm especially intolerant of #3...ARRRGGGHHH!!!! I hate this SO much!!! Great 13 - Happy Thursday!!!

  1. tiggerprr says:

    LOL I can relate to a lot of these. At least I could, when I worked. It's been so long, I'd be thrilled to clear a paper jam. I'm always the person in the office that can fix whatever ails a piece of equipment.

    I have to admit, the picture that flashed in my head while I was reading this goes with the phrase "Awww Somebody has a case of the Mondays!" ::impish grin:: Please don't kill me, step away from the stapler. :)

  1. Maryfly says:

    I can SO relate to most of these.... and I must mention, I despise speaker phones.

    (Trav, I wrote that before reading the other comments, too funny that Pia and I said almost the same thing!)

  1. #3!! TOTALLY Annoying. The woman in the cube across from me does it all the time. I adore her as a person, but that just drives me batshit.

  1. Oh Trav.... I have those same pet peeves, as I call them...

  1. Anndi says:

    Bro... woooo for the possibility of a move!

    *Hands Trav his woobie and gives him a kiss on the cheek*

    You know you can't put that mouse through the shredder don't you.. just saying.. ;)

    *twirls pigtails nervously*

    Want to know what really annoys me... trying to find the last in a chain of mass e-mails so I only have to read it once.... and so I can delete the 17 others that are just people passing the buck and shoveling it out of their box into anyone else's...

    Wait.. the shredder kinda looks good right about now...

  1. Numbers 10, 12 and 13 hit close to home with me too.

    Very good list.

  1. Also good luck with the job move. Hope it works out for you.

  1. Julie says:

    Whoa...what a list. I guess that all would be very irratating! This is one of those posts that make me happy that I'm not stuck in an office with people!

  1. I hate, hate, HATE stupid mistakes, especially my own!! Happy TT!

  1. Unknown says:

    Bless your heart...sounds like you could use a good snog.

    :snog snog snog:

  1. Amanda says:

    good luck trav..and at some point we all hate what we love to do! sometimes u just need a break! love ya!

  1. yes yes yes yes yes ...(until you get to 13 yes')

    I agree with each and every one of those

  1. Liz Hill says:

    Good luck with the job thing Trav. This is a great thirteen--I HATE speakerphones, my own mistakes and when my secretary tries to clear a paper jam by yanking the paper out of the roller even though it says not to. *shaking head* LOL

    Oh and thank you for liking my TTs *sweet smile*