Bizarre things that happen at work
Discussion
Last week I met with a guy from Chubb. He's a senior regional manager type chap, and visits commercial customers to discuss selling them large scale fire and security systems, and suchlike. I've dealt with him for a few years, mostly over the phone/email and met him on a site once. Nice chap. Been with Chubb for about 25 years.
This was the first time he had been for a meeting in our office. We chatted for a few mins after he arrived, then I suggested we have a walk to the kitchen/coffee area to get a cup of tea. He said he wanted tea, so I got a couple of mugs from the shelf, put the teabags into them, and began pouring water into them from the boiling water tap.
He then suddenly lunged past me, pushing me out of the way, and grabbed the mug nearest him, swilled the teabag and boiling water around inside it, poured it all out into the sink, and then put a new teabag into it, and refilled the mug with boiling water. He then proceeded to apologise loudly and profusely, informing me that "He was from Yorkshire" and "was brought up to always warm the pot first otherwise the tea won't be right"
It was incredibly bizarre, and it was hard for me to take him seriously, or not start laughing about it, during the meeting which followed.
I could probably write a book on all the weird, bizarre, creepy, and nutty stuff I've seen people do in offices over the years, but the 'tea lunge' would certainly make the list.
What have you seen people do at your work that has been odd, bizarre or strange?
This was the first time he had been for a meeting in our office. We chatted for a few mins after he arrived, then I suggested we have a walk to the kitchen/coffee area to get a cup of tea. He said he wanted tea, so I got a couple of mugs from the shelf, put the teabags into them, and began pouring water into them from the boiling water tap.
He then suddenly lunged past me, pushing me out of the way, and grabbed the mug nearest him, swilled the teabag and boiling water around inside it, poured it all out into the sink, and then put a new teabag into it, and refilled the mug with boiling water. He then proceeded to apologise loudly and profusely, informing me that "He was from Yorkshire" and "was brought up to always warm the pot first otherwise the tea won't be right"
It was incredibly bizarre, and it was hard for me to take him seriously, or not start laughing about it, during the meeting which followed.
I could probably write a book on all the weird, bizarre, creepy, and nutty stuff I've seen people do in offices over the years, but the 'tea lunge' would certainly make the list.
What have you seen people do at your work that has been odd, bizarre or strange?
There was an odd woman at an office I was in back in the '80s who had a real phobia of balloons. Not good come Christmas time.
Some balloons were blown up and she had a total screaming fit. Bizarre just didn't cover it! Didn't know what to do, everybody was just so shocked.
She also stunk. The worst BO from anybody I've ever known at work.
Some balloons were blown up and she had a total screaming fit. Bizarre just didn't cover it! Didn't know what to do, everybody was just so shocked.
She also stunk. The worst BO from anybody I've ever known at work.
I had a sales pre sales guy turn up trying to sell me an IT solution, my office was on the other side of the foundry at my then works, I met him at reception and took him to a machine on the wall where you twisted the top and two little foam ear defenders popped out.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a f
king idiot.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a f
king idiot.Vickers_VC10 said:
In fairness those boiling taps are universally st at making tea in my experience and not the same as a kettle.
I will admit to not knowing much about the chemistry behind water quality and tea making, it seems to me that if boiling water comes out and meets a teabag, it can't be that much different to a kettle??t at making tea in my experience and not the same as a kettle.It's one of those high capacity industrial Zip boilers which genuinely does dispense properly boiling water at all times, and not a domestic thingy, which I will agree sometimes doesn't seem as hot as a kettle.
Sheets Tabuer said:
I had a sales pre sales guy turn up trying to sell me an IT solution, my office was on the other side of the foundry at my then works, I met him at reception and took him to a machine on the wall where you twisted the top and two little foam ear defenders popped out.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a fking idiot.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a f
king idiot.
As a 'sales pre sales guy' I find that very amusing. There are some complete divots in the role. And no, this story was not me.
I worked in an office in Thailand for a bit to top up my backpacking cash and that was a strange place. On guy reckoned he could cure AIDS with herbs he grew in his garden and the second-most senior manager came in one day and announced he had changed his surname on the advice of a soothsayer.
Sheets Tabuer said:
I had a sales pre sales guy turn up trying to sell me an IT solution, my office was on the other side of the foundry at my then works, I met him at reception and took him to a machine on the wall where you twisted the top and two little foam ear defenders popped out.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a fking idiot.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a f
king idiot.
Somewhere else I worked a guy called Wayne who also had terrible BO used to go and eat his packed lunch on the middle of 3 toilet cubicles in the gents every day and just leave the remains on the floor. It took a while for anyone to realise what was going on or who was doing it but HR woman had a meltdown over it.
Lord Marylebone said:
Vickers_VC10 said:
In fairness those boiling taps are universally st at making tea in my experience and not the same as a kettle.
I will admit to not knowing much about the chemistry behind water quality and tea making, it seems to me that if boiling water comes out and meets a teabag, it can't be that much different to a kettle??t at making tea in my experience and not the same as a kettle.It's one of those high capacity industrial Zip boilers which genuinely does dispense properly boiling water at all times, and not a domestic thingy, which I will agree sometimes doesn't seem as hot as a kettle.
Sheets Tabuer said:
I had a sales pre sales guy turn up trying to sell me an IT solution, my office was on the other side of the foundry at my then works, I met him at reception and took him to a machine on the wall where you twisted the top and two little foam ear defenders popped out.
I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a fking idiot.
That was in "Hot Shots!"I thought I'd show him how it works and twisted the top, simple enough I thought. He went over, twisted the top and two foam buds popped in to his hand, then he put his hand to his mouth and swallowed them.
I didn't say a word, I just looked at the buds in my hand and placed them in my ears, you should have seen his face when he realised what they were.
Anyway I didn't give him the contract he was a f
king idiot.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICteJQ6jVaA
Electronicpants said:
My first thought too Not in work, but on the way there.
Four of us used to travel together in a car school.
One Monday morning the front seat passenger kept moaning and groaning, obviously in a lot of discomfort. The driver kept talking to him almost oblivious to the situation.
For a number of miles the situation developed to where the passenger could not keep conversation with the driver as his discomfort grew - along with the moans and groans.
Then suddenly the passenger said: “Stop the car now, I need to get out”.
It was a dark, wet and windy morning so it was difficult to understand what was going.
When the passenger returned wearing only one sock - it all became apparent.
Four of us used to travel together in a car school.
One Monday morning the front seat passenger kept moaning and groaning, obviously in a lot of discomfort. The driver kept talking to him almost oblivious to the situation.
For a number of miles the situation developed to where the passenger could not keep conversation with the driver as his discomfort grew - along with the moans and groans.
Then suddenly the passenger said: “Stop the car now, I need to get out”.
It was a dark, wet and windy morning so it was difficult to understand what was going.
When the passenger returned wearing only one sock - it all became apparent.
Electronicpants said:
Perhaps but it did happen, I made sure I kept eye contact with him as I slowly raised my hands to my ears to drive the point home he was a moron.A woman I once worked with took dislike to lots of people, but I got on with her OK, noting she was as mad as a box of frogs.
She fell out with one colleague because he (rightly) questioned her technical solution to an issue during our weekly team meeting.
On his return from lunch that day he found an earthworm with a bit of soil on it, crawling across his desk. She'd gone out into the car park, dug it out, and left it with a scribbled note saying "this is you", then refused to speak to him for about 9 months afterwards until her contract expired.
She then got the hump that my boss declined to renew her!
She fell out with one colleague because he (rightly) questioned her technical solution to an issue during our weekly team meeting.
On his return from lunch that day he found an earthworm with a bit of soil on it, crawling across his desk. She'd gone out into the car park, dug it out, and left it with a scribbled note saying "this is you", then refused to speak to him for about 9 months afterwards until her contract expired.
She then got the hump that my boss declined to renew her!
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