Mental Health Thread #5 - It's a New Year!

[lda01]

Space Heaters? Watch out for the safety committee patrolling for violations
.
From the frigid office files:
- After banning space heaters I once had an employee ask if she could build a fire in her waste basket.
- I once found the IT guy with twelve PCs cranked up in his office for "testing". (testing the heat output I'm thinking)
- An admin once asked for the company to provide finger-less gloves as a "reasonable accommodation" so she could keep her hands warm while typing.
- "Letting my car warm up" becomes an acceptable excuse for being 20 minutes late.
- Wearing a heavy coat, boots, ear-flap hat and mittens to a staff meeting to make a statement.
- I will plead guilty to writing OSHA codes in the frost on the inside of my office window one time.

 

[ElleMD]

These space heaters are the "official" ones that came straight from maintenance. They are not the most efficient, but better than nothing. It is essentially just a panel that heats up and if you sit an inch away from it, radiates a tiny bit of heat.

 

[lda01]

These space heaters are the "official" ones that came straight from maintenance. They are not the most efficient, but better than nothing. It is essentially just a panel that heats up and if you sit an inch away from it, radiates a tiny bit of heat.

The companies that I've worked for that did permit space heaters required that they have tip-over switches (pretty much std. these days) and a timer so they wouldn't accidentally be left on over night. Beats building a fire in your wastebasket.

 

[cbg]

Those of you who know me from the old AHI days, and maybe even some of you newer folk, will remember my story about the heating/cooling system when I worked for the biotech company. It had been set up to a previous tenant's specifications (I never did find out what the previous tenant did that they needed it like this); in some of the offices you could hang meat and in others you could grow orchids. I was always surprised when we didn't have a little thunderstorm going on outside Research and Development where the two fronts met. It was not at all unusual to hear variations on this theme:

If you need me, I'll be in Joan's office
Why? Is there a problem in the lab I should know about?
No problem, I just need to warm up

 

[cynthiag]

These space heaters are the "official" ones that came straight from maintenance. They are not the most efficient, but better than nothing. It is essentially just a panel that heats up and if you sit an inch away from it, radiates a tiny bit of heat.

We had one of those in our house for awhile and you practically had to be sitting on top of it to get the benefit of any heat!

We just had a house fire in town last weekend that was caused by a space heater...burned one house down completely and did some pretty bad damage to the houses on either side of it. I'm assuming it was probably an older space heater without all the safety features the newer ones have, and it was probably sitting too close to something that ignited, but still every time I hear about something like that it renews my basic fear of the things.

 

[Betty3]

I woke up to more snow this morning on top of the 10 inches we got earlier this week. I am so sick of snow!! We at least no longer have below zero temperatures but it hasn't got above freezing yet though.

 

[lda01]

I hear ya Betty, stay warm up there. I wonder if the cold has anything to do with the SHRM board being down the last few days?

 

[Betty3]

I guess it possibly could have something to do with it.

We at least didn't lose power like some areas close by did.

 

[lda01]

I hear ya Betty, stay warm up there. I wonder if the cold has anything to do with the SHRM board being down the last few days?

 

[txls]

So a person gives notice because she's moving and keeps telling me she wants to stay in good standing with me in case things don't work out and she moves back.
Then on her last day, leaves for lunch and doesn't come back. WTH?

 

[cynthiag]

So a person gives notice because she's moving and keeps telling me she wants to stay in good standing with me in case things don't work out and she moves back.
Then on her last day, leaves for lunch and doesn't come back. WTH?

Maybe she figured she was in such good standing with you she could flake out on you the last day and you'd be all right with it?

 

[cbg]

Many, many years ago my then-employer had an employee who about 10:30 in the morning one day got up, put on her coat, punched out and was never seen again.

We heard about her, though. Several months later, a postal inspector showed up asking to see the owner. In private. Very, very private.

The owner told me later that the employee who walked out in the middle of the day (who was a very cute, very bubbly, very friendly little blonde) had been using the company postage meter to send out pornographic letters to her ex-'s new girlfriend. He had been shown the letters and said they were absolutely filthy. Admittedly, Jim (the owner) was slightly more than moderately conservative and could be shocked fairly easily. But even so...

 

[cynthiag]

Wow! I would have been more inclined to suspect that something had happened to that girl than what she was actually doing! I'm not all that easily shocked but she doesn't sound like someone you would have expected that of.

I've known a number of people who have left jobs in strange ways...on my first job, my supervisor left for lunch one day and never came back. She didn't get along with our manager, and she cropped up not long after that working for a competitor. I always suspected that once she was offered another job she didn't feel like she had anything to lose by just walking away from us on the spot to go to work for them. Another girl I know went out for a cigarette break and never came back (it was her first day on the job and she'd already decided she didn't like it, so she just walked away) and we had an employee who turned in their keys in the middle of the day and said "I have to go to church", and never came back. We never figured out what was up with that one!

 

[Betty3]

We had an employee who went to HR & told them she was just told over the phone she was accepted for another job so she is leaving right now. She didn't even work out the day let alone give a week or two notice. I guess it was something that she at least told HR. She just had her 10th anniversary with the co. & got her anniversary award.

 

[Betty3]

Gad, it's 4:53am cst. I was just hit with a tiredness/can't keep eyes open situation so off to bed I go. I may have to take a nap during the day later. I did stay up once until 7:00am deleting spam on another forum. (once was it) Good night to anyone still up.

 

[ElleMD]

Had an allergic reaction to something over the weekend and it caused my right eye to sweel up like a prize fighter. Had debate all day on Saturday so I could just take allergy meds and ice it. Went to urgent care yesterday and they gave me a steroid and told me to take Benadryl. Gonna be an interesting day. At least today the swelling is down and I almost look normal. Saturday I could barely open my eye.

 

[cbg]

Aw, hon. Hope you're feeling better.

 

[Betty3]

Oh gosh, Elle. I'm glad the swelling is down --- feel better soon.

 

[ElleMD]

Feeling fine. Woke up entirely too early on Saturday morning with an itchy face and spotchy skin in addition to the swollen shut eye. I was quite the sight to see. I had 250 teenagers and about 75 adults counting on me to run a tournament so my options were limited. Once I took allergy meds, the itching stopped and the spotchy skin either went away or was hidden by make up, so I didn't frighten the childen too greatly. By awards, my eye was swollen but I no longer looked like I lost a fight. I felt fine otherwise. No pain or other allergy symptoms, just this stupid swollen eye. Ironically, my Dad ended up in the hospital Saturday for swollen, red legs that are baffling doctors. No infection for him (or other scary stuff). He is doing much better now as well. My bf joked I had sympathy swelling.

 

[Betty3]

I read about your Dad elsewhere. I'm glad the swelling in his legs went down after some "treatment" & I believe you said he was able to go home.