What’s the best way to improve a situation you hate? Just add a cute animal. Case in point: when the phone just won’t stop ringing, this kitty goes and answers it. Talk about talent. Cats may not be great with printers, but it seems like their phone-answering skills are a bit more on track.
Tag Archive for 'animals'
Ever worked for a company that let people bring their pets to work? I did, and when my cubemate brought in his cocker spaniel it made my whole day more interesting. Well, one office in Corpus Christi, TX, has the right idea. When an employee of the J.C. Elliot Landfill found a cute kitten among the garbage, he brought the kitty (named, appropriately, Elliot) back to work. Elliot is now the “office cat.” If you click this link about the story, you will find both an adorable picture of Elliot at work on his computer and a good Office Space joke. In the meantime, I’ve decided this is an excellent excuse to post one of my favorite kitty videos. This is really going to improve the quality of my Monday.
Perhaps this is what comes of having been a beleaguered assistant, but I think we should judge people by how they treat their inferiors - in the cases of celebrities, we should judge them by how they treat their employees. And while this story is about a maid instead of a personal assistant, I think it is safe to say that actress Victoria Principal sucks as a person.
The former Dallas star is being sued by her former housekeeper Maribel Banegas. Banegas claims that she suffered lots of abuse while working for Principal. She claims that when she asked her boss for outstanding wages that were owed to her, Principal pulled a gun on her. She says that when she came back from walking the dog, Principal thought she had taken too long and began screaming at her.
For what it’s worth, Principal is countersuing, claiming that Banegas was abusing the dog, and that she’d been hired from a temp agency and had only worked three days, thus meaning she hadn’t had time to accumulate back wages. Also for what it’s worth, I almost never believe the celebrity in cases like this, but I admit again to being biased. Usually they have enough money and influence to get people to shut up and go away, but luckily this one is going to trial instead of being hushed up.
Thanks to STA reader Susan, who pointed me to this awesome video. Let’s just say if I had a bunny hanging out in my office, I’d be a happier person. And if the bunny moonlighted as a letter opener, I’d also be more productive. Bunnies: is there anything they can’t do?
I totally prefer British soaps to American ones - maybe it’s just that the accents make them more fun, but I love the wacky storylines you can only get away with on a show that’s been on forever. Coronation Street, or as my friend Fiona calls it, “Corrie,” is one of those English soaps, and their most popular new cast member is a rabbit. The bunny, whose name on the series is Leanne, is the pet of a main character’s son. Clearly she’s already destined for stardom, because in addition to getting a costarring role, Leanne has her very own personal assistant.
That’s right, a bunny has an assistant, and you don’t.
Then again, I think rabbits are really cute, and would way rather spend the day hanging out with a rabbit than an asshole boss. At least when the rabbit goes on an all-lettuce diet it doesn’t make her act like a total bitch the rest of the day.
Have you ever thought that your boss is kind of like an animal? Turns out, you’re right. According to a recent study from the University of New South Wales, many bosses consciously or unconsciously do things like wear bright colors, talk really loudly on the phone, or have huge decorations in their offices as a way of ‘marking their territory.’ You know, just like how your dog pees on things!
To demonstrate their status, they have bigger chairs than everyone else, speak more loudly and interrupt more frequently. They lace their conversation with management jargon and acronyms, in order to confound people. They spend most of the day in meetings, jealously guard their personal space (office with view), and show off their superior gadgetry, including cars and mobile phones.
“What we found was universal animalistic displays of power, masculinity, sexuality and authority that seem to be hard-wired in,” said Professor Braithwaite. “This tribal culture is similar to what we would have seen in hunter-gatherer bands on the savannah in southern Africa.”
He told The Sydney Morning Herald: “Groups were territorial in the past because it helped them survive. If you weren’t in a tight band, you didn’t get to pass on your genes. But it is surprising how many … workers are still very tribal in their behaviour.
“It explains all sorts of undesirable behaviours, including bullying.”
Science. Is there anything it can’t do?
Funny, because I think I have done exactly this when dealing with a piece-of-shit office appliance, but I still have to go to work anyway.
When you’re going to pick out a pet, you may decide solely based on the cuteness factor, or you may play with the little guy for a couple of minutes to see how friendly he is. However, the ASPCA is going even further, creating the Meet Your Match program. The program is designed to match cats up with potential owners by pairing them based on personality. The cats are categorized as “types,” and one of the most popular types is called “the personal assistant.” Here’s a description of this kind of cat: “You’re working on the computer? Let me press the keys. Reading the paper? I’ll hold the pages down for you… You’ll wonder how you ever managed without me.”
So, I guess now when I say I a trained monkey could probably do my job, I should substitute “cat” instead.