Reply to: Working Conditions

[conned tractor]

In an office working on a makeshift boardroom style table turned into makeshift lab with 3 other engineers. A hydrogen fuel cell, a bottle of hydrogen, power supplies, scopes, programmers, couple of laptops to play with. No real structure, back of a fag packet design, a couple of pages of A4 as requirements for the whole system. No management, or performance metrics, or targets (ok, well just the overall goal of getting it working). Oh hang on, that one was the best one.

Worst one was where the boss didn't speak to anyone, the engineers department was a throwback from the 70s, especially the bogs. Always driving down rates. No appreciation. Freezing in winter, roasting in summer - yep I stayed a year. Crap over priced canteen. Wrist-slitting teritory. Worst of it is, as I was leaving they have a bit of a reshuffle and the management moved into this area and everything was refurbed as we were moving out.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Germany 15 years ago, the worlds leading comms company at the time.

Wooden hut with a broken sewer underneath it so it stunk. Had to keep the windows wide open, but it was winter and minus 10 degrees C nearly every day. Three of us worked in there, wearing several pullovers and our coats.

Wow - now that takes some beating - how long did you work there for - sounds as much fun as a Stalin Labout Camp !

[redgiant]

Spent 5 years working as a butcher, grim beyond belief, ended up in casualty getting my finger stitched after cutting a vein, my boss lost a finger in a sausage machine accident.

The things people do to increase the meat content in sausages (also called magic sacks where i'm from for that reason)

[minestrone]

Spent 5 years working as a butcher, grim beyond belief, ended up in casualty getting my finger stitched after cutting a vein, my boss lost a finger in a sausage machine accident.

[Doggy Styles]

I did a contract in a Portakabin, next to the runway at Luton Airport.

Apart from the small desks I enjoyed it actually.

[configman]

BMW in Bracknell by far the worst place I've been. Day one security made formal complaint because I parked my non-BMW in the staff car park. Day 2 security complained again as I was caught smoking on my way home on the business park but outside BMW premises. Project manager did not allow any socialising at all so no-one spoke all day. You were only allowed to take lunch when the Project Manager took lunch. I stayed 2 weeks.

[Wilmslow]

Well known phone reseller in Stoke, offered me a lifeline and stepping stone to better prospects so took a deep breath and went there (perm too). Office was semi-converted warehouse unit (they had put carpet tiles in), still full height, toilets from long ago, roasting in summer/freezing in winter.
Desks tiny (room for PC + A4 pad)in long lines and so close that anyone walking down the long line behind your desk bumped every chair.
THE most uncomfortable cheap office chair I have ever seen, body was in pain for weeks until I adapted to the physical stresses (they were all like that). Mgmt by screaming at people, 3-4 leaving speeches EVERY Friday out of 60 strong team. Next to a call centre area which you could hear constant noise from. Hopeless canteen hatch on site, nowhere local to go instead. Standard hours 9-6.
Took me 8 long months to get a contract with large pharma, boss never spoke to me from moment I told him I was going.
Took me back a couple of days ago when perm in here was chatting to someone in the very cosy office I am now in. Yeah, still in this s**thole with a broken blind.
I was desperate at the time but NEVER AGAIN.

I have been there myself, next to Crewe Hall. I actually really enjoyed it!!

Great for learnng, they had the Nike Just Do It approach, never mind change management!!

When were you there? Was around 2002/2003.

[jmo21]

My worst long term was recently. The office wasn't too bad but it was chicken farm hot desking where I was the only techie sitting with a bunch of sales people. Utterly hating it. For some reason they have to shout in to the phone to show how confident and salesy they were. The racket was unbelievable and it was just annoying having to listen to sales bs all day. Especially when you actually understand the technical side and can hear them lying or misunderstanding or whatever. When they made personal calls they spoke at normal levels funnily enough.

They'd come in to the office and do this overally familiar thing - "Hey Davy, Dave-o, Wavy Davy, Davy Boy, Wacky Macky Davy" kind of thing. I have only ever introduced myself as David. If you tried to actually have some kind of non-superficial conversation with them it would wither on the vine though. There was this weird atmosphere of competitive small talk, hair gel and suits.

Dear god, you've just described my ultimate living nightmare of a workplace.

I'm not sure I could have survived that.

[lukemg]

Or maybe not. She's talking about working conditions for burglars

"Yeah at one place this fella came at me with a fcking big knife"

Quality, trying desperately not to laugh out loud.

[xoggoth]

Been in portakabins but generally they were ok.

The seat I was given at last place was disgusting, all black and greasy, looked like someone had died in it. Fortunately another place was vacant and I swapped it. Great fun watching the new contractor inspect his seat.

[mudskipper]

I've done some short consultancy stints in some grim place. Tescos Welwyn Garden City and Glasgow City Council come to mind. The latter was in the basement of some creaking building with all the decor from the 70s and some bonkers super high security swipe card system to go anywhere.

My worst long term was recently. The office wasn't too bad but it was chicken farm hot desking where I was the only techie sitting with a bunch of sales people. Utterly hating it. For some reason they have to shout in to the phone to show how confident and salesy they were. The racket was unbelievable and it was just annoying having to listen to sales bs all day. Especially when you actually understand the technical side and can hear them lying or misunderstanding or whatever. When they made personal calls they spoke at normal levels funnily enough.

They'd come in to the office and do this overally familiar thing - "Hey Davy, Dave-o, Wavy Davy, Davy Boy, Wacky Macky Davy" kind of thing. I have only ever introduced myself as David. If you tried to actually have some kind of non-superficial conversation with them it would wither on the vine though. There was this weird atmosphere of competitive small talk, hair gel and suits.

I used to spend as much time as possible in the server room. I think they thought me very strange. I've worked in probably coming up for a hundred different office environments in my life and never seen anything like it.

That's what MP3 players are for. Plug in, turn up and ignore. If they do try and speak to you, remove one earphone only whilst frowning and saying "WHAT?"

[redgiant]

I went a client visit a couple of years ago. When I got there I was faced with ancient portacabin offices that were elevated right above the car production line (so were very noisy, very cold and stank of engine oil). You also had to keep your wits about you when you walked out the office as you could have been knocked down by a forklift carrying engine parts if you wern't careful. There were about 40 people in a space designed for 25 and they had to share two chemical toilets

Luckily I didn't have to work here myself but some colleagues in my old firm did for over a year ... poor sods

[DieScum]

I've done some short consultancy stints in some grim place. Tescos Welwyn Garden City and Glasgow City Council come to mind. The latter was in the basement of some creaking building with all the decor from the 70s and some bonkers super high security swipe card system to go anywhere.

My worst long term was recently. The office wasn't too bad but it was chicken farm hot desking where I was the only techie sitting with a bunch of sales people. Utterly hating it. For some reason they have to shout in to the phone to show how confident and salesy they were. The racket was unbelievable and it was just annoying having to listen to sales bs all day. Especially when you actually understand the technical side and can hear them lying or misunderstanding or whatever. When they made personal calls they spoke at normal levels funnily enough.

They'd come in to the office and do this overally familiar thing - "Hey Davy, Dave-o, Wavy Davy, Davy Boy, Wacky Macky Davy" kind of thing. I have only ever introduced myself as David. If you tried to actually have some kind of non-superficial conversation with them it would wither on the vine though. There was this weird atmosphere of competitive small talk, hair gel and suits.

I used to spend as much time as possible in the server room. I think they thought me very strange. I've worked in probably coming up for a hundred different office environments in my life and never seen anything like it.

[minestrone]

2nd contract.

East Kilbride, Winter, Dev lab was in the basement next to the noisy factory, daylight came in through a postage stamp sized window.
Mobile reception was only available if you stood on one particular floor tile.
Bogs were an unheated breezeblock afterthought; I can still hear the cell door clang of the cubicles.
Lunch facilities were provided by the van which arrived at 13:00 +- 20 minutes and departed ten minutes later.
Driving rain/sleet all the time I was there. I lasted five weeks.

East Kilbride is a hole, last contract up there all the contractors ended up geting gashed in the local boozer over lunch time.

[Fred Bloggs]

AND you had to walk there, uphill both ways, in snow, with no shoes?

Luxury..................... etc.....