Tag Archive for 'Hall of Shame'

I work at a publishing company. A paperback edition of this book we did that won a Pulitzer was about to come out, and even though basically anyone at our company can get a copy of any of our books that they want, the paperbacks of this book were on lockdown. One of my best work friends is an assistant in the PR department, and she managed to sneak me a copy because she knows the writer is my favorite author. She left it on my desk while I was at lunch with a little note attached to it. I never saw the book. When I got back from lunch my (male) boss handed me a gift bag with tissue paper and bows on it and ordered me to have it messengered to his girlfriend. It turns out he’d seen the book on my desk and decided she would like it and wrapped it up before I could take it for myself! I didn’t realize what had happened until my friend in PR asked me what I thought of the book and then the next day the boss’ girlfriend sent an email gushing about how much she liked the book. I guess I should have thought it was weird that he wrapped something himself instead of making me do it. How fucked up is it when a boss has to steal from an assistant?

–Submitted by “Trixie,” New York City

First thing one morning I am called to ”Employee X”’s department to view something on the floor in her kitchenette. End result is on the floor in front of the sink is a LARGE pair of damp panties. Now as Health/Safety/Security person I am ultimately the one to deal with this along with our boss. She had spent the night (AGAIN) and was a no show in the AM. She called and left a message on the answering machine that she had to go to the doctor and would be in at 1.
 
Now this isn’t the first time she “worked late” and then didn’t come to work but it is the first time she has left underwear on the floor. I am now forced to go to the Security office to view video  from 4 cmaeras to make sure no one else was on the floor at 3 Am and that she wasn’t attacked or anything horrible. Also not the first time she has caused more work for others by her actions. Her staff is freaking out wondering why there is wet underwear on the floor and are they safe and can they sit in their chairs or are they dirty etc. After repeated phone messages to her she finally calls in and tells the big boss’ assistant that she was “working late” and had “an accident” and had to change her underwear and she would appreciate if it was never brought up again.
 
He accepts this as perfectly normal until I mention that removing one’s underwear in an area where food is heated and washing them in the sink isn’t a great thing and now we have to worry about urine on her chair and on the carpet. Her staff is really freaking out. She always stays until 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning going through computers and desks while sitting in their chairs. No one wants to sit down now with good reason. Best part is our big boss gets mad and yells at me for bringing up the concerns and questioning why she is in the building at 3 AM peeing in her chair and getting naked in the kitchen.
 
His assistant had to sit down with her and ask the detailed questions of where she was sitting when she had her “accident” do we need to have the chairs cleaned, the carpet cleaned, why was she taking clothes off in the kitchen and not using the gym facility downstairs etc. She became offended that the questions were asked she she was working so hard at night. Never mind the computer files were never accessed and the volume of backlogged work never decreased.–Submitted By “A”