How rude!

[laundryhater]

This is just me venting...



I just had a customer WRITE on my desktop Thomas Kincade calendar!



How rude! I don't go over to people's houses and write on their stuff without permission. Why would he think it is okay to do this at a place of business?



I love my Thomas Kincade calendar. It was a gift from someone and is my personal property not the company's!



Ugh!

[Katie G]

Ooooooh, Laundryhater, that's one of my pet peeves!



I've had people come up and just TAKE pens, pencils, sticky notes from my desk, or just come by and pick up my stapler and walk away with it ("Oh, I need to use this a minute.") or worst of all, just walking over and picking up my phone to make a call.  They NEVER ask permission, they just DO it, as if my desk is somehow community property.  And not just coworkers and supervisors (bad enough), but clients as well!



Are we, as admins, still so "invisible" to the rest of the world?

[admin2geeks]

That sucks!



As for the pen stealing issue, I solved that. In a toy store I found this huge pen that with a long curvey body, and a bird head with big feathers sticking out at the top. It came with a footto cradle it in. WHener someone came into my office and asked to use a pen I gave them that and hid all my others, that way no one would steal it.



I have no idea why admins are so invisible. That question ranks right up there with why do the employees ask the admin the craziest questions like" How do I fnd a dentist covered on our insurance plan? or "Can you fix the copier it's jammed?" I try to look at it as a compliment. An admin is like an encylopedia, very useful rescoruce for info, and great for smashing spiders and flattening corsages.  

[elleny]

Get this!  I actually had one of my bosses ask me to preserve her daughter's prom corsage.  I was very flatter by the request though because it meant she listens when I talk about my life.  Now isn't that sweet  



Ellen (is it 5:30 yet?) in TX

[radaro]

My cubicle used to be in front of a boardroom.  When I would come back to my desk, stuff (pens, stapler, etc.) would be missing.  What would happen is that people would arrive at a meeting and realize they had forgotten something and "borrow" it from my desk.  The thing that really kills me is that the office manager has all the supplies they need, FREE OF CHARGE!!!  Also, they knew they were coming to a meeting, why don't they come prepared?



The worst was the one day that someone had torn a page out of my notebook (I guess they forgot to bring something to write on).  I kept a lot of confidential information in that notebook and I was really aggrevated about that.  Do I have to lock up my notebook when I go to the washroom?!!  Now, I don't use a notebook anymore.

[execsec]

I agree with everything above.  People used to make fun of me because I locked up all my stuff (pens, stapler, etc.) in my desk every night before I went home.  If I didn't I wouldn't have anything when I returned in the morning!



You can solve that people using your phone problem by bringing the biggest bottle of Lysol you can find and sit it on your desk.  When someone asks to use the phone either spray it first, saying that you haven't been feeling well lately; Or, you can make a big production out of spraying your phone after THEY use it all the while mumbling about a virus going around and you sure don't want to catch it. Hopefully they'll get the hint, if not you may have to make up something like, "You may not want to use my phone, I just sneezed on it!"

[elleny]

It wouldn't matter in my office if I sneezed on it or not.  It's an office full of (no offense to any clean men out there) gross guys.  I've watch them pull food out of the frigde that I would swear in court was 2 weeks old and eat it.



Ellen (now that's just gross!!!!!!!!) in TX

[bohorquez]

I hate when everyone thinks my desk is the official collating table.  They grab the pens, pencils, paperclips, stapler, post-it notes!!  GRRRR!!!



I was tired of it!  I had to stand up and say that's the collating table over there!!!!  



Bridget  

[mlm668]

I used to work for a precast concrete company.  My office was downstairs close to the breakroom.  The guys knew they wouldn't get caught as quick using my phone as they would one in the offices closest the breakroom because those folks were in by 7 and I didn't get there 'til 8.  I quickly became known as a very @itchy person because of the ruckus I'd raise over finding someone who had no business in my office being there when I came in or came back from lunch.  And I would lock my pens, stapler, everything up in the filing cabinet every night just so I could be sure it was there when I needed it.



I try to overlook things like that now, but in my book its just plain inconsiderate.  Why can't people just ask if we know where they can find such and such to use and then give a chance to offer ours instead of just taking it?

[bethanial]

I don't have a problem with co-workers getting into my stuff.  My problem are bossies 3 children (all of whom are old enough to know better).  Sometimes bossie brings them up here with him "after hours" when he's trying to get caught up on some stuff.  What do they do?  Sit at MY desk, wasting my post-it notes (especially the little flag-like ones), drawing all over stuff on my desk (doesn't matter if it might be important . . .if it's out, they doodle on it), etc, etc, etc.



Aarg!!!

[radaro]

OMIGOSH - I would never in my wildest dreams ever let my kids play at any desk other than my own!  (BTW my son loves the 3M tabs, too!)



My cubicle is now tucked out of the way but the phone stories remind me of something that happened to me.  Someone borrowed my phone and when she finished she stayed to talk (we were somewhat friendly).  During the course of the conversation she happens to mention that she thinks she might have pink eye!  Now I can't pay attention to the rest of the conversation 'cause I'm thinking of how I can sterilize my phone.  AUGH!

[lioness70]

I hid all my pens at my last job.  Good thing I did.  Since I didn't get in until 12, people had NO problem with ruffling through my desk looking for things they needed OR using my phone (I could tell because I always put on the out button before I left, and lots of times, I'd come in and find it off).



Unbelievably, I'd come back from my lunchtime receptionist stint or somewhere else and find people sitting at my desk, at my phone or using my stuff.  "Do you mind?"  I told them I did and it stopped-but it still persisted when I wasn't there!  They figured what I didn't know couldn't hurt me!



Now, they didn't do this to their fellow engineers, but they had no problem doing it to the admins.  OK, that tells me an admin's personal stuff (like her time) isn't as valuable as an engineer's.  Her stuff is available for everyone, just like she's expected to be available for everyone's requests...oh well.  Some attitudes die hard.

[nici]

Bethanial, it looks like we have the same boss  

It's the same problem here in my office - on weekends bossie brings his kids up here, and when I'm back on mondays, my desk looks like a bomb has fallen on it  

 

[vegasadmin]

I just had this conversation at work.  I've mentioned before that I work for my step-dad.  Well, he's recently brought in my grandfather to help him out with drawing and some other things.  It's a real family business - DH is one of the shop employees and my mom does all the office supply purchasing.  (BTW, grampa is actually my step-grandfather - and he and step-dad are half brothers.  Yes, I have a bit of an odd family.  :-O )  Grampa and I share an office and there are plenty of other people in and out of there as well.  I have a particular spot on the counter to put the outgoing mail and the letter carriers are aware that they need to look there.  Except that people have taken to moving the mail when I'm not there (so they can put their own stuff down, I think) then don't put it back when it's done.  Thursday I saw that the mail had been moved again and I said that people need to quit moving the mail because if it's not there, the letter carriers won't know where to look for it and the mail won't go out.  Grampa immediately says, "Well then you'd better find another place to put it because people are going to move it whether you want it there or not."  I politely - but firmly! - said, "They need to learn to leave things the way they are; this is my desk and it shows a lack of respect for me when they refuse to leave things on my desk the way they found them."  "Well people are going to move things anyway, you should change how you do things."  "People can be trained to leave things the way they find them.  Not doing that shows a complete lack of respect."



Respect is going to be a bit of an issue here.  Its not between me and Boss - he didn't raise me (I was an adult when he and mom got married) and it seems pretty easy for him to separate "step-daughter" from "employee" and treat me the way he'd treat any office manager or admin.  (Actually, he's never had a problem separating "family member" from "employee" no matter who the family member is and he's employed many over the years in various businesses.)



Grampa, on the other hand, has been my grampa all my life and I think he doesn't - and probably can't - separate "granddaughter" from "co-worker".  Plus he's from the old school in which the office manager/admin/secretary was "just the secretary", certainly not a professional and definitely not someone who requires any respect.  (Of course I'm also a woman - and therefore anything I say doesn't carry nearly as much weight as it would if I were male and saying the same thing.  *sigh*)



Not seeking advice, just commisserating!  This isn't going to become a big problem because we'll either learn to work together or I'll find another place to work - pretty simple.  <g>  So far, it's not bad but we've had our rough spots.  It's only been a week, though; we'll see how things progress for a little while.



In the meantime (thanks to some gentle prodding from the nice folks here) my resume is up to date and ready to go when need be.



Colleen

[countrigal]

I've solved the problem of folks taking my stuff off my desk by doing 2 things.  For pens, I keep the cheap pens that no one here likes out on my desk.  I put them on my keyboard, in a cup on my desk, by the phone, anywhere that someone might see it if they want a pen.  Those tend to stick around (or find their way back to me) better than any others, and my good pens can be put in the drawer and used by me only.  Then I also use a green or purple pen for daily notes, messages, etc., saving the black and blue good pens for official writing.  Then when I see someone with a green or purple I know it's mine. (I buy these myself so I make a point of asking folks "Have you seen my green pen?  It's the only one I have and it's my favorite".   )  Then for staplers, staple removers, etc I put 2 on my desk, one labeled in big letters with either my name or position.  The other is more readily available for their use.  My staple remover is a Stanley Bostitch (think seam-ripper for staples) and again is my personal property.  Due to it's uniqueness and color (again purple) folks tend to borrow it right at my desk and leave it there.  (My desk is right next to the copy area, so folks often borrow staplers and such for their copying.)

In 3+ months on the job, I have not lost any pens, staplers, or staple removers!  Yippee! And no one borrow my phone without asking permission.  Now if I can just get them to ask before using bossie's phone when he's not in his office!