Lunch Time!

When our company was going through some reorganization, the owner of
the company decided to have our division in for lunch. Lunch was
ordered, we all met in the large conference room ready to have lunch
with the “head honcho” (whom we hardly ever saw). The owner came in,
gave a speech about how we shouldn’t worry and that we were still one
big happy family, then he left to eat lunch in his office, not around
us peons. He also was sure to tell us that if we have any further
concerns we could talk to him at any time, just be sure to see his
secretary first and she’d decide if it deemed worthy enough for him
to be disturbed.

Born In The U.S.A.

The last 30 minutes of the shift is tidy-up time, so the next person
starts with a clean workspace.

My coworker only cleaned up when a male would follow him. I (female)
followed him about 90% of the time.

One day, I refused to clean up since he was following me. I was
ripped a new asshole by his (not my) supervisor and made to stay late
to clean.

I complained to management. My boss explained that my coworker’s
Mexican culture dictates that a man won’t clean for a woman. I just
had to accept this cultural difference and do his cleaning because
I’m a “younger female” that’s how it is.

The guy was Scandinavian and Native American. Born and raised in the
U.S.

Dirty Jobs

I used to work at an ACE Hardware store.

I had 3 bosses. There was my immediate manager, and then his parents
owned the store. My manager had a massive pickup truck he would use
for deliveries.

One day in the middle of July, he tells me his parents (my other
bosses) need 70 (40lb) bags of dirt, and to load them all in his
truck. So I, and another employee did just that.

Not more than an hour later, my boss comes back to me and says “Now,
don’t shoot the messenger, but my parents changed their minds. Can
you unload my truck?” So 2800 pounds of dirt later, the truck is
empty, and all the bags are once again on their pallets.

With 30 minutes in the day left, my boss once again comes to me, and
says “Yea, my parents changed their mind again.”

Now at the end of the day, the thought of moving all that dirt was
none too appealing, as you can guess. Luckily for me, my boss decided
not to fire me when I spent the next 15 seconds swearing my head off.

I still had to move the dirt though.

Plains, Trains & Automobiles

I used to work for this older man part time at his small business
making parts for train models. That summer, I also became pregnant.
The smell from the shop made me so ill in the mornings that I couldn’t go
in right away. I had to wait for the morning sickness to pass, and I
had yet to tell him why I kept missing that first hour or so.

Finally I decided I should tell him.

Me: “I’m pregnant.”

Him: “Well, THAT WAS STUPID.”

Me: “…”

I continued working there in silence over the next week, and when I
finally did speak to him again, he said “Oh good. I thought I was
going to have to fire you.”