Are all workplaces b**chy in your experience?

StevenB12

Not entirely. 

I work in construction/utilities so there's always been an element of gossip as it were, especially between "office and workers" which has always had an element of "bitchy" to it. 

I've since moved into said office and there is similar, but not to the exact of yours. Most arguments etc take place face to face, as does the name calling lol. 

MattMattMattUK

B0bbyEwing said:

MattMattMattUK said:

 office politics

 I always find this one interesting. It's always offices that are referred to. You instantly say office politics. I've seen on here when others talk about issues with finishing or whatever, the replies come in & say what about taking your work home with you or why don't you come in to the office earlier - when no mention of working in an office has even been given. The individual could be working in an operating theatre or in the sewers for all we know.

So yeah, nothing at all against you here. I'm just saying I find it interesting that everyone (or at least my experience on this forum is this) assumes everyone else works in an office. 

Office politics is the term, it is called office politics whether the people in question work in an office, a hospital, a field or a space station. It is not making an assumption that people work in an office. 

B0bbyEwing

fair enough regards the phrasing. You'll have to forgive me - when someone says in an office, I thought they'd be talking about an office.

StevenB12 said:

Not entirely. 

I work in construction/utilities so there's always been an element of gossip as it were, especially between "office and workers" which has always had an element of "bitchy" to it. 

I've since moved into said office and there is similar, but not to the exact of yours. Most arguments etc take place face to face, as does the name calling lol. 

Haha I'm with you on that one, although I'd say much more than an element in our case.

I had a guy out to do a job at my house one time. You get talking & so he asks where I work & I tell him.

"There's a divide in your place isn't there" he says.

Not knowing who he knows & whether he's now testing me, I play it neutral - yeah the labouring work gets done over at X-place & the offices are at Y-place, although I have a good idea this isn't what he's talking about because everyone who labours has pointed out there's a huge divide - office staff looking down on us like we're stupid donkeys.

No no, not that he says. I'm talking about an "us & them mentality". He goes on to tell me he was working away but hearing office staff (actual high up management, about as high as you can get before you get to the owner of the place) absolutely rinsing us lot. We're idiots, morons, clueless, waste of space yada yada yada.

He also went on to tell me he heard same person tell someone to not bother calling out another tradesman for servicing when asked so my guy there & then knew he wasn't going to get called out for any follow ups so he instantly put his pricing for the job up

But yeah, because some wear a shirt it makes them think they're better than those who don't. In the end we all go the same way so who cares.

StevenB12

B0bbyEwing said:

fair enough regards the phrasing. You'll have to forgive me - when someone says in an office, I thought they'd be talking about an office.

StevenB12 said:

Not entirely. 

I work in construction/utilities so there's always been an element of gossip as it were, especially between "office and workers" which has always had an element of "bitchy" to it. 

I've since moved into said office and there is similar, but not to the exact of yours. Most arguments etc take place face to face, as does the name calling lol. 

Haha I'm with you on that one, although I'd say much more than an element in our case.

I had a guy out to do a job at my house one time. You get talking & so he asks where I work & I tell him.

"There's a divide in your place isn't there" he says.

Not knowing who he knows & whether he's now testing me, I play it neutral - yeah the labouring work gets done over at X-place & the offices are at Y-place, although I have a good idea this isn't what he's talking about because everyone who labours has pointed out there's a huge divide - office staff looking down on us like we're stupid donkeys.

No no, not that he says. I'm talking about an "us & them mentality". He goes on to tell me he was working away but hearing office staff (actual high up management, about as high as you can get before you get to the owner of the place) absolutely rinsing us lot. We're idiots, morons, clueless, waste of space yada yada yada.

He also went on to tell me he heard same person tell someone to not bother calling out another tradesman for servicing when asked so my guy there & then knew he wasn't going to get called out for any follow ups so he instantly put his pricing for the job up

But yeah, because some wear a shirt it makes them think they're better than those who don't. In the end we all go the same way so who cares.

Yeah that's something that I've got in my current place as well as a few previous. 

We've just started a new senior manager who's only done the role for about 3 years, so you've got workers who have done it 30 years asking him questions that he hasn't got answers to and then the cycle just starts again lol. 

leinten

I’ve worked in offices, in factories, in warehouses and on sites. Offices can have an awful atmosphere but the smaller it is, the less likely it is to happen so long as management are good at keeping their employees under control. Must say that I’ve had some bad experiences in more male dominated environments to be honest. In factories and on sites, HR is almost non existent and banter becomes bullying from what I’ve seen and experienced. If you report anything you’re a grass and are now a target. If you don’t report it, you hate work and can’t get work done because of practical jokes that are going too far. Only difference is that it’s not going on behind your back but some things you’d rather not know. 

B0bbyEwing

leinten said:

I’ve worked in offices, in factories, in warehouses and on sites. Offices can have an awful atmosphere but the smaller it is, the less likely it is to happen so long as management are good at keeping their employees under control. Must say that I’ve had some bad experiences in more male dominated environments to be honest. In factories and on sites, HR is almost non existent and banter becomes bullying from what I’ve seen and experienced. If you report anything you’re a grass and are now a target. If you don’t report it, you hate work and can’t get work done because of practical jokes that are going too far. Only difference is that it’s not going on behind your back but some things you’d rather not know. 

I can echo this from my experience.

And I can also add in - reporting anything is 'confidential' ... except there's no such word. Anything you say can and will be passed around the workplace. 

This isn't just me either. Others have said things thinking it would be confidential yet we all end up finding out anyway .... so the problem comes from the top on that one.

D0lphine

No they aren’t. I’ve worked in the same organisation for the last 20 years but moved around different departments and the difference can be like night and day. Honestly life is way too short to put up with a bitchy work environment. The worst I experienced had a huge impact on me. Even after I left that team it took me over a year to come to terms with the nasty bullying I experienced. My family noticed a difference in me after I left that team. 

badmemory

The only time I have come across the resentment re holiday booking was when someone used to always book the school holidays before anyone else had chance to when they didn't have children.  It was just a tad annoying.

Bazzalona13295

Not all no.

I'm 51 but have only really had 3 jobs, the first lasted 22 years running a small engineering office.

All men including the engineers, we didn't stand on ceremony or hold back, so at least you knew where you stood. Not seen any of the staff lately but I still see my old director from time to time and have a chat, 35 years after I began there.

Second job was in a small Co-op store (two branches), both sets of staff was relatively harmonious and it was genuinely sad when the store was sold and we all went our separate ways.

And on to my current (for now) job in a garden centre.
Deary me is this place bitchy. Everyone talks behind your back and the amount of petty rubbish is ridiculous, most of it from so called senior staff. Suffice to say I know who is behind most of it and they are aware of my feelings......which involve not doing something if they were on fire.

Looking forward to getting out of there.

MeteredOut

badmemory said:

The only time I have come across the resentment re holiday booking was when someone used to always book the school holidays before anyone else had chance to when they didn't have children.  It was just a tad annoying.

Do you think that should give them a lesser priority to book holidays when compared to those that do have children*?

If it was an issue for others, they should have booked their holidays earlier.


(*) Or perhaps they went on holiday with friends/family who did have children