The Economy

This was in the '70s. The woman was a good friend, drinking buddy (as was most of the newsroom).

Also around that time, a new newsroom secretary complained to HR about cigarette smoke. She was not let go, but she was told to quit complaining. This is your job, these are the working conditions. Do it or find another job.

 

Well, a "good friend/drinking buddy" is a bit different from a neurotic/ semi paranoid reporter worried about their job.

In 1988 I arrived as ME at a small 5-day daily with a newsroom staff of five (three smoked). On day one I banned smoking from the building.

On day two my SE leans over from his adjacent desk. "I guess you don't mind if I spit tobacco into this styrofoam cup," he nodded toward a cup swimming in his saliva swill about 18 inches from my desk.

"Wrong-o, grass hoppah. One thing I've learned about cups and mugs in any office situation is that sooner or later (usually sooner) they all get tipped over, and by the planet shaking authority vested in me, I am ruling that there ain't gonna be no cups of tobacco spittle turned over on the side of my desk. No tobacco in this building. Do it or find another job."

 

Well, I'm glad you can make this statement without knowing any of the people involved.

In your tiny newsroom, how did you rule on the abandoned coffee cups that had mold growing in them? Did you ban coffee?

 

We had one guy in NYC in the 80s, smoked like a chimney. One longtime coworker next to him died of stomach cancer, another at the next desk had a heart attack in the lobby and died. The company installed an air purifier directly over his desk. I used to throw his lighters away when he wasn't looking. He ended up in retirement and then some, still smoking on the street.

 

It's funny. I have a decent job, but still get regular job "bulletins" from various employment websites. And honestly, some of these robot "job counselors" are terrible. They act like they "know you" and clearly have no idea what your job skills or experience is or they wouldn't have sent you a "job match" for a senior mechanic of semis for a company 2,000 miles from where you live.

 

My LinkedIn page says "retired" right at the top, but without fail, I'll get emails about adding connections or how many times my name came up in "searches." Unless they can get me a tee time at TPC Sugarloaf next Tuesday, I don't care.

And yeah, Indeed was the worst for suggesting jobs -- like forklift operator -- that made no sense. Not that I wouldn't think operating a forklift wouldn't be cool for a couple of hours. Especially if you could race them.

 

When I worked in a warehouse, we had bats flying around. We’d take pieces of wood from pallets and charge at them on stand-up reach forklifts. If you hit one solid, it would go flying a hundred feet and go BLAM! when it hit the far wall of the metal building.

We also jousted with giant plastic wrap rolls.

I work for too responsible of companies to do that anymore, though. We’d get drug tested.

 

olroycoin

 

When I was in high school working construction, they foolishly let me drive the extension fork lift. I've recounted on here how it lead to the scariest moment of my life (really, it did) but man was it fun to play around with as well...Once I drove it the three-and-a-half miles from the construction site (Middle Tennesseans in the audience may be familiar with Burton Hills office park in Green Hills) home to my house for lunch. Mother wasn't thrilled.
On Friday's, we'd pick guys up on the forks and raise em up over the little lake and they'd jump in from 15-2o feet. Good times.

 

NotSoGreat Value Coin.

 

I like how the foolish part wasn’t “hire a high school student for a construction crew.” The world was so different when we were coming up.