Is a CLEAN and FUNCTIONING workplace too much to ask for?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I've been very stressed out at the call center later and not just because of the customers.

When I went in today I logged into a workstation that was missing a headset, I didn't notice at first because almost all the stations DO have headsets (whether they work or not is another story).

So then I logged into a different station but computer was SLOWER than a snail with a broken leg, obviously this isn't going to work.

Then I go to a THIRD station and in the process of logging in my supervisor asks me why I haven't logged in yet since I am supposed to have started 10 minutes ago. I tell him of the problems I've been having and all he responds with is "just hurry up and get on the phones." Gee, thanks for understanding.

After taking a call on the third station I tried, I realized, wait for it: The MUTE button didn't work! Argh!

So I went BACK to the first station I'd sat down at (the one with the missing headset), then I wandered around one of the other bays and found a headset I could swipe.

Through all this insanity I lost about 20 minutes I would've been on the clock, so to avoid getting yelled at for not making my hours (and I've come up short several days lately due to, you guessed it, malfunctioning equipment) I had to stay 20 mins past my scheduled shift end to make sure my time record would actually be OVER 8 hours. When I've blamed my short shifts on technical problems my supervisor seems to think I am just making up an excuse.

In addition to that, I would say a good third of the workstations routinely have some garbage/refuse left on them and the end of the shift and only around half actually work pretty well.

Then on Saturday there was some kind of overflow in the mens room. The shift manager told us since there was no cleaning crew on weekends, the mens room was now closed and if we had to go were to use the Mens room in the GROCERY STORE nearby, which is about a 5 minute walk across the parking lot.

I guess he thought that wasn't a great solution so later he announced the mens room had been cleaned up was usable again. Well it hadn't been cleaned up so much as the piss water had been mopped up. I could understand that since the cleaning staff didn't work, they just did a half assed job of it so we'd have a bathroom to use, but on Monday afternoon, long after the cleaning staff was on shift, the bathroom STILL smelled like piss!

I wish they'd spend some money on fixing the place up, I'd say on any given day at least a third of the stations are not usable.

And the absolute funniest part of all: My supervisor was BEGGING me to work overtime hours on my days off this week.

Take a wild guess what I told him?

[Dreamstalker]

I hear ya. At the game store, the office and computer I had to deal with were nightmares.

The server (which is the computer I was using) would regularly crash due to being choked with dust--server dies, everything dies. Why it wasn't secured in the electrical closet with a client machine in the constantly-unlocked office I know not (that in itself opened up a whole slew of security issues that fell on deaf ears). The keyboard and mouse were probably never ever cleaned (ick ick ew, I'm surprised I never got sick) and the office itself was a disaster. I'm not a neat freak by any means, but I should not have to pick dust elephants out of the packing supplies or worry about any of my belongings touching the floor. I wasn't looking for a sterile environment, just sweep/mop the damn floor, pick up the papers and clean the computer desk!

Of course, I wasn't being paid for anything other than listing items (um, online sales covers more than just listing), so I'd get complained at if I actually tried to clean the place up.

[Sableonblonde]

That really does suck when you come in and are ready and willing to do a good job but are just unable to because things don't work. I worked in this office a couple of years back, I actually really liked the job (for awhile). We used a bunch of different little supplies, like ink pads, different ink stamps, letter openers, etc. Of course you'd sit down at your desk and 10 times out of 10 all of the supplies you needed wouldn't be there, so everyone would have to go on a scavenger hunt all around the room, trying to gather up all the supplies they needed, often having to fight somebody for something.

We weren't allowed to take the supplies out of the office with us, although a lot of people must have or something because I can't fathom how the previous shift managed. There were never enough supplies to go around, never. I thought each person should have been assigned one set of supplies to keep in their locker and be responsible for, rather than having to come in each night and go on a ten minute scavenger hunt for things. Eventually I DID start keeping my own set of supplies in my locker even though we weren't supposed to do that, and somebody told on me, so I got a talking to by the supervisor. I think that is when I started to hate that job. I was only keeping my own set of supplies so that I could come in, sit down, and get right to work (I was far and away one of the BEST workers they had!!) and here I am getting talked to like some kind of errant child. After that I was just like, screw this. Yeah, still a little bitter LOL

And yes, people from the previous shift leaving their garbage and not cleaning up their desk was another huge peeve. More often than not you'd have to spend another five minutes cleaning up after the person who just left.

[Primer]

That really does suck when you come in and are ready and willing to do a good job but are just unable to because things don't work.

And yes, people from the previous shift leaving their garbage and not cleaning up their desk was another huge peeve. More often than not you'd have to spend another five minutes cleaning up after the person who just left.

As a college teacher, this is a HUGE peeve of mine! I have taken to purchasing and carrying my own chalk and erasers, pencils, pens, stapler, staples...EVERYTHING I could possibly need that the school should supply. The only "perishible" they actually do supply is copy paper.

And yes, I do have to clean up after the instructor before me, too.

[rerant]

You guys should have been able to use the women's washroom.
You just KNOW if that mess was in the ladies room they would be allowed to use the men's so it's only fair.
And besides, like one day of co-ed washrooms is going to ruin lives. Honestly now.

[Boochan]

My experience when I didn't work for the first half of the week, just Thursday to Saturday during the latter half of last year.
Check Validator doesn't work.
ePay Machine (for various voucher services.. i.e iTunes) not functioning.
Losing a packet of pens a day due to customers or them getting "lost" down crevices.
a Cracked glass cabinet TAPED up.
Having an office the size of a Jail cell where we couldn't see the floor.
The crate we used as waste disposal piled much, much higher then it should be.
Written Off, broken products not disposed/destroyed and piling up.
40 to 50 Boxes of stock stacked almost to the roof blocking walkways.
Shelving held together with duct tape.
Our ducted vaccum was blocked and we couldn't vaccum for a few weeks due to the managers lack of caring for it/not owning a working vacuum cleaner.
Promotional Posters lopsided as they haven't been taped to the window properly.

If the manager doesn't care, then sadly the place just goes to crap very quickly.
This problem was solved by them finally hiring (and paying well) a competent manager, as well as renovating the store. Now only 2 of those problems remain (customers stealing pen, intermittent check validator).. Our front sign (recently replaced, our previous signs logo had not been in use since 1998.. previous managers didn't care enough to report it) now does not light up, but its hardly something we can fix.