If I owned my own company...

[thistlechaser]

...I'd be a mean person and probably get sued. Why? Because I wouldn't hire anyone who smokes or has kids.

At every job I've ever held, smokers have had free rein. Not only can they take breaks as they wish (which usually meant 10-15 minutes of break for every hour or so), they cluster around doorways and other exits, so your first breath of "fresh air" as you leave the building smells awful. Here in this job, the elevator is literally one step from the door into the building. As far as I can tell, the smokers inhale, toss out their cigarettes (onto the ground), step into the building and into the elevator, then exhale. The elevator *reeks* of cigarette smoke. Grr.

And okay, not all parents are bad about this, but I'm tired of picking up the slack for the ones who are. Co-worker is home with a sick kid. She's "working from home" which is all well and good, other than our job is to answer the phone which she cannot do from home. So *I* get to do twice the work because she's home with a sick kid. And, since I don't have any spawn, it's not like we'll ever make this difference up...

Le sigh.

Grumpy morning. Bitch, bitch, bitch. It's hard getting back into the swing of not enough sleep.

Comments

[spenceraloysius.livejournal.com]

See, I think you should retaliate by having a child of your own.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh god... I think I'd rather do the extra work at my job! :)

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

Get even with both groups...get knocked up, and smoke constantly whilst pregnant. Then inflict your microcephalic flipper-baby upon those who annoy you.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I should snicker or ugh at you. :)

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

The solution to the 'sick kids' problem is to not allow phone workers to work from home, but let them take sick days (if they have them left) or vacation days. You want to be compassionate about these things, because taking care of kids is important, but these days should fit into the normal flow. If there's not enough - increase vacation days. Nobody would mind that!

You're dead-on about smokers. Most of them are so used to it, they don't understand any more how unpleasant that smell is to many non-smokers. I can understand in rainy weather why they cling to doorways, as much as it sucks, but it's just plain bad manners in the summer. You want me to respect your right to smoke, you damn well better respect my right to not breathe in smoke as best you can. Walk 20 feet downwind from the door, and don't just throw your used butts on the ground like the Butt Fairy is going to magically fly by and take them away to her Magical Palace. Some smokers get it, but so many of them are so damn rude, that I have very little respect for them as people.

If I did own a company and the building it was in, I'd paint a line in a 10 foot radius around the door, and post signs saying 'No Smoking Past Line'. And, I'd make sure there was a covered area with an ashtray not far away, but with at least some distance from the door, and typically downwind. Carrot, stick, everyone wins. As it is now, just the smokers win, and a single inconsiderate smoker can ruin it for everyone.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I like your idea about smokers. I think some state is trying (or has succeeded to?) make that into a law: No smoking within X feet of a building.

You want me to respect your right to smoke, you damn well better respect my right to not breathe in smoke as best you can.

Exactly!

And your idea about sick kids works as well. I do understand that it's important, but I don't think you should get some sort of special rights for it. Vacation time is fine, sick days? Cool. Bot not this magical "working from home" when you cannot do the job from home.

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine refers to the posse of puffers outside every office complex as the "Smokin' Gauntlet of Doom". And yes- why do smokers rate all those breaks?

And despite my parent status, I can definitely commiserate with your gripe about work absences due to child illnesses. There are other grievances I can recall from my (then childless) working days, too- these mostly refer to the world of retail, but some might carry over into office life, too: on the eve of a holiday, it's parents with "little ones" at home who get first dibs on leaving early. Employees with children also get the best (daytime, weekday) shifts, because they have that ironclad "gotta pick up Johnny from school" excuse to nab the premium work hours.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

"Smokin' Gauntlet of Doom"

*snicker!*

And yeah to the rest as well...

Sing it!

[metron-ariston.livejournal.com]

Man, unfortunately you /would/ get sued. Not for forbidding smoking (at least one rather large company in Houston does) but for making people with faaaaamily do the same job as everyone else. *suggests you point this rant to the childfree community, if you can handle the, er, atmosphere*

Erm, I have a feeling that the community link isn't going to work, since it's not showing up in the preview. *posts anyway, whee*

Re: Sing it!

[spenceraloysius.livejournal.com]

What is the community tag?

Re: Sing it!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

(lj comm="communityname")

Make the () into their pointy siblings.

Re: Sing it!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep, it worked! And thanks for the pointer!