So I work with a pig... now what?

Genius! I'm saving it for when I'm ready to quit

Leilany

One day, just casually leave a voodoo doll obviously meant to represent her, complete with pins inserted, on the desk in a little ceremonial bed of her discarded trash alongside a copy of "Voodoo Curses that Really Work".

I like this one.

Unfortunately, nothing ends well when dealing with people like this. Common decency is a Holy Grail of human behavior. Unfortunately, you should probably leave a trail prior to any confrontation - photos of the area, bring witness over to point it out, get HR involved early as an FYI, etc. The offender will surely blame something on you if go to the supervisor so be prepared for that. Make sure you offer workable solutions - each can have a drawer specifically for themselves, so and so will switch desks with me, fuck you I quit, etc.

The only thing you can't do is let it go. In the long run you will be the one that suffers from that course of action and I know you don't want that.

I hate people

leilany, im good with a club for ten bucks i can fix your "problem" for you

I hate people [/QUOTE]


I like the voodoo doll idea, too (especially if it works).

It's a shame, but so true that common decency is so rare these days. People can't be bothered with being nice and minding their manners.

I liked this job so much better when I did it from home and only dealt with people every once in a while. Elbonia here where I live, however, is not prepared for the work from home crowd.

I am going to send her that e-mail (Saving Zapotheth's for later if she doesn't get the message ) And hope I don't have to clean up after her again... those stairs sure do look slippery to me

And yeah... people suck in general (I still have hope)

Leilany

You inspired me to clean up my work area. No food around, but a lot of unnecessary paper, scribbled notes to myself, old useless pens, etc. I don't share office space, and my supervisor is pretty much a "work from piles not files" type too, but sheesh, the idea of RATS eating my papers just...yeesh!

a) dump a wastebasket on her work area. Every day.
b) Put up The Buddy Christ from Dogma on your desk, as well as a few Darwin fish.
c) Come into work in a clean-room suit (like the ones the folks at Intel use)
d) While she's working, spray lysol at her desk every 5 minutes.
e) Chew Bubble Yum and stick it under her desk (where her legs are) when she's not there.
f) For office parties, give her Oscar the Grouch memorabilia.

Good luck with your letter and let us know what happens. The problem is she doesn't know she is a pig. She might not realize it is bothering anyone so after it is brought up to her she might feel bad and be compelled to clean up a bit. BUT probably not. hahahaha
I like the idea of messing with her if she doesnt take notice to her junkie problem. Get some stinky socks and leave it in the drawer next to her food!! Ketchup smells really gross....squirt some in the seat for her? OR get a 5 star Wiccan cross and hang it buy her pic of Jesus along with some books on vampires.

Let us know if you still have a job after all of this!!! hahahaha

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around a 40 something year old that doesn't realize chewed up gum on the desk is not right, used napkins w/lipstick and food stains are not ok and half eaten food is not meant to be kept in drawers. I shudder when I think about what her house must look like...

I am sending the e-mail and will post again tomorrow w/whatever reply ... or lack thereof I may get (I'm betting on non reply).

Hope your day is cleaner than mine LOL

Leilany

This is so sad. It's sad if the person that leaves gum on a desk and food in drawers doesn't realize the impact it has and that they are a disgusting slob. When did we reach the point where anyone wouldn't think that food left in a common desk would not be cool?

It is equally sad to know your a pig and not care about how it impacts others. It's an all too common feeling that "ours" means "mine" and that entitles me to do whatever the F I want.

If this had happened to me in a desk-share situation, I would already be in jail.

Beings as she is the WWJD type, perhaps you could put up a little sign that says "Cleanliness is next to Godliness?"

But a kind of quiet subtle "eeewwww" every now and then might work just as well. But be friendly in every other way. She sounds like she is not used to working with other people.

I could say something mature and insightful here but it just has not been that kind of day.

Leave a mousetrap in the middle of the desk and clean up the desk to a ridiculous extent. Do not offer an explanation.

Hell,stand up infront of the whole office and point repeatedly at the gum while shouting "ewwww". This should grab her attention,and embarrass her enough that she will think twice about sticking shit where it don't belong.

Muaahahaha >

Put up a couple of fake newspaper clips on the wall, where you will tell the story of a serial killer who preyed on people with messy desks and stuffed trash down their throats until they choked on it, for the poetic justice of it all.

My own solution to this very same problem (I had a similar situation at my workplace) was to simply request a different desk. My situation was a bit different as I was the person working in the afternoon/evening/night shift and the morning/day person was the slob. I initially attempted to solve the problem by transferring the mess to the slob's manager's office (day and night teams had different managers, such that I was not messing up my own boss's desk). I'm willing to bet the day manager was not happy with random M&Ms littering his floor and coffee stains on his desk either, but obviously not unhappy enough to remove the problem for me.

So my solution was to just ask for a different desk as I could no longer work at the one I was at. I ran around and found the cleanest and barest looking desk and suggested that I could move there. So I got the new desk and all is well. Nobody currently shares a desk with the slob.

Additionally things to look out for are people who have insane color schemes or change their color schemes on their computer often. Being blinded everyday with neon green and pink and the like (after it having been changed back to default everyday) is just as annoying as leaving food/gum/messes out.

This won't be solved by passive aggression, overt aggression, bribes, pleading, or otherwise.

By that age, the person has already become who they are.


They won't change for you, for a loved one, for themselves or even eternal salvation.

Flee. And never look back.

I'm guessing you never met a cancer survivor

Have you never ever met someone like this? I have and it was a case of being raised in a messy, unorganized and utterly nasty inviornment! This person could obviously see she was different but didnt care to change herself. It was who she was.................

I'd leave something like this book just lying around on the desk



(but then again, I do tend to be a tad bit passive-aggressive )

I would pack up all the trash and junk at the beginning of her day.

Then when she comes in to take over the afternoon shift. I would take all her garbage and place it back where you found it right in front of her. Gum and all.

If that doesn't work, just slap her hard across the face and say, "Clean up after yourself you filthy pig!"

Be sure to really put your body weight into it. She needs to feel it and remember it.

Steps to an agreeable resolution:

1) Begin putting ALL her junk in one drawer, including gum.
2) If she doesn't take the hint after a week, send her a non-confrontational email calmly explaining that her junk is affecting your productivity.
3) If that doesn't work, destroy her without impunity.

(Im"pju;nItI) [ad. L. impGnitQs, f. impGnis (see impune and -ty), or ad. F. impunité (14th c. in Littré).]
Exemption from punishment or penalty.
1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 716/2 For the safegard of heretikes, and impunitie of all mischieuous people. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man (1631) 648 Wicked acts and misdemeanours are allured by impunity, as it were by rewards. 1660 R. Coke Power & Subj. 45 This unlimited power of doing anything with impunity, will only beget a confidence in kings of doing what they list. 1736 Butler Anal. i. ii. Wks. 1874 I. 41 Delay of punishment is no sort nor degree of presumption of final impunity. 1872 Black Adv. Phaeton xxv, You can't commit murder in this country with impunity.
b. In weaker sense: Exemption from injury or loss as a consequence of any action; security. 1800 Med. Jrnl. III. 50 Men of strong constitutions began to stimulate in excess very early in life, and continued in the practice for several years with impunity. 1806 Ibid. XV. 442 Mr. Fewster+had the small-pox in his youth, and was exposed to the infection with impunity for forty years. 1834 Pringle Afr. Sk. viii. 285 The venom of the most deadly snakes may be swallowed with impunity. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xiv. 142 Its runners+seem to bear with impunity the fierce shocks of the ice.



Yeah, you probably would destroy her without impunity.

Make her join us in SL (so that she can read the forum), then email her a link to this thread.

I don't get the point of this post. I didn't misuse the word.
Wouldn't we want to prevent her from being exempt from destruction?

From: Leilany LaFollette

Well, there's nothing sensible, professional or even adult like about this situation, which is why I don't know how to go about it. I do feel that if I don't do something today, I'll shove her down the stairs tomorrow *Mommy* is out of the question as like I said, they're buddies and mommy really is a crazy moving target so who knows how she'll react?

People suck

Question. Have you tried? At the very least to talk to the person?

It's usually a matter of how you do it or how you deal with the situation. Remember that there is no perfect work situation, there will always be this one guy in the office you will hate, the boss who hates you, the pervert, and the backstabber. Its situations like these that will test your mettle and your capability to adjust, fix and adapt.