CLOTHING IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Let's talk about clothing in specifically in the business environment.

Let's start with flip flops. Ladies, there are some places that call for an actual shoe (sole, heel, toes covered, etc). Unless you're a life guard at a beach or pool, I can't think of another place of business where flip flops should be worn. If you're out on farm picking oranges, wear flip flops all you want but you certainly take the risk of snake bites. The sound they make is their biggest irritant. That "pap pap pap" sound they make against the heel of the wearer is extremely distracting in a business environment and they look terrible in my opinion. At the risk of plagiarizing a couple of news articles I read recently, it's as though someone "almost" got dressed before leaving home. This is especially true when paired with traditional business attire. I don't care how fancy the flip flop appears. They can be made by DKNY for all I care. It's still a nasty foot exposing, loud flip flop. I'll allow (oh yes, I did say "allow"!) them to be worn in a small office if your co-workers don't mind. But if the office has more than 3 people, I can't allow them to be worn. Also, I've encountered several females who think people want to see their feet. Newsflash, I don't like feet. I don't care how well they're pedicured. They're feet. You don't do anything with them besides walk so why would do you consider them to be so special? I've had female coworkers bring up the subject of their feet for no apparent reason other than to make an opportunity for them to be seen. Example...

Me: "Hey, we're ordering lunch from the Thai place down the street. Do you want anything?"
Female Coworker: "No thanks. I brought my lunch".
Me: "Ok".
FC: "I like Thai though". (before I can leave she says...) "I really think I need a pedicure" and then she takes a foot out of its shoe and wiggles her toes. I refuse to look but I can tell what's happening through peripheral vision.
Me: (Blank stare directly at her face) "So?"

I must be an island to myself because in my current place of employment, flip flops are being worn as if that's THE required foot apparel. It's annoying and with some of these ladies, it's quite disgusting. As an aside, a former buddy of mine once told me that he was on a first date with a female who said to him verbatim "see my cute feet?". If I'm not mistaken, his reply was "naw dawg, that's aight".

Now let's talk about clothing above the foot. 99.98912% of men in their place of employment wear shoes, socks, pants, usually long sleeve shirts if not jackets and ties. If a tie isn't required, then the shirt is buttoned up to the second button from the top and underneath is usually a t-shirt. So what skin do you see on a male at work? If he's wearing a short sleeve shirt, you see his forearms. Other than that, you see his hands and his face. What about females? I see tank tops, skirts (below and above the knee), spaghetti straps (what?), tube tops (excuse me?) and those gawd-awful flip flops and open toed shoes. If I owned my own business, my blanket policy would be you cover up as much skin as possible. I don't want to see arms above the elbows, shoulders, cleavage, ankles, legs, thighs nor feet. With hard bottomed shoes being the exception, I hate noisy clothes. The flip flop "pap pap"? Don't test me. The "schwish schwish" of bell bottom jeans? Don't get yourself hurt. If your shirt is making a "whoosh whoosh" sound under the arms, loose some weight.

Clothes that are too tight on either gender is unacceptable but this is especially true for men. Gentlemen, those polo shirts you've had since college graduation? Guess what, you can't fit them any longer. Notice I didn't say "THEY don't fit YOU any longer". The reason? It's not the shirt's fault that you've gotten bigger. People aren't fools. Those aren't muscles bulging under the shirts. You don't look sexy. You look stupid. Those dress shirts whose collars are now 1/2 to 1 size to small causing all of the blood in your body to be trapped in your head? They can now be used to dust your furniture. I don't have a problem with you being fat but for goodness sakes, wear clothes that fit properly. Come of the river known as "denial". Those pants where the legs no longer extend past the ankle (a.k.a. highwaters)? They are to be tossed. Don't even give them to charity. Gentlemen, choose your color (and I emphasize YOUR color) wisely. If you look sickly in yellow, that's a color you can't wear. If you look like a strawberry dipped marshmellow in pink, that's a color you can't wear. Stick with neutral colors. If your sweaters are full of fuzz balls, have them defuzzed or they are to be tossed. And stop wearing those sweaters with 1000 colors and designs. Those aren't something that all men can wear. This isn't the '80s and you aren't Bill Cosby.

***special thanks to Tommy for coming up with this! Hilarious! Vent on!! I LOVE it!***

4:59pm on a Friday afternoon

Useless character(UC): Hi. I was having problems with my timesheet entry
Payroll Admin(PA): (ahhh Shit! NOT at 4:59pm!On a friday? Hot damn some people are soo inconsiderate!) Oh yeah? Whats's the problem?
UC: Everytime I enter it into the system it's paying me at the wrong pay rate. I had a similar problem a few weeks ago and you forwarded me to nameless lady at corporate. Could you please hold for a moment?
PA: Sure...(by now it's already 5:02pm..such nerve!)
*4 minutes later*
UC: Thank you for holding. It's a busy Friday night. (oh so this fool knows what day it is). Anyway, now when I enter the time into the system it's paying me at $125/hr but I'm trying to input it for $900. I know I'm doing something wrong. Puttin in the wrong code or something
PA: ok. What code are you puttin into the system?
UC: I don't know.
PA: I'm looking at your last two checks and it looks like you were paid at $125 rate but I would need the code info from you to figure out what you are doing wrong
UC: Well see, I'm not near a computer right now. So I can't tell what option I pick out.
PA: Ok. Thats the only way I can tell. Also, since you are entering the wrong code, in order for me to pay the right rate, you'd have to call nameless lady at corporate to fix it in the system. She's the only one who can go in the system and switch it around.
UC: (laughing sheepishly) Yes. You had told me the same thing when this happened a few wks ago. I guess I shouldda just called her before calling you at this time on a Friday huh?
PA: hahaha. No. Thats quite alright. Let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.
UC: Thank you. Have a good weekend
PA:(UGH! Die slowly!) U huh. thank you. You too. Bye

5:12pm!
Goodness gracious I need some alcohol!!!

Text msg from a higher power

It has recently come to my knowledge that everyone(most of) I work for/ with thinks that god sends me a text msg to tell me EVERYTHING!

Crazy Buffoon(CB): PA, oblivious contractor has worked for the past two weeks and he hasn’t been paid. Why haven’t you paid him? ( because I’m the kind of evil bastard who just likes to not pay some people from time to time. It’s just how I do things! What do you think?)
PA(Trying to figure out who oblivious contractor is..): Who?
CB: OBLIVIOUS CONTRACTOR!
PA: Where does he work?
CB: Nowhere important!
PA: What’s his position?
CB: Seats on his ass and makes over a hundred gees(getting increasingly irritated by my questions. But I have to ask)
PA: I haven’t received any sort of correspondence from him be it timecards or expense reports.
CB: WHY NOT? (Because I told him I would kick his ass if he contacted me in anyway! Ask him! I don’t know! Shouldn’t he be the concerned fool calling me because he’s been working for us and hasn’t received a paycheck since his start date? )
PA: *silence*
CB: Have you called him?
PA: (well considering 5 seconds ago I didn’t even know who he was…) No. But I will in a few minutes.
CB: Make that as soon as you get off this call and let me know what he says
PA: Sure.

5 minutes, a v-mail and email sent later

PA: I just left him a v-mail and followed up with an email so hopefully he will respond by Monday.
CB: You should get him paid as soon as possible. (NO SHIT!)
PA: Yes. As soon as he sends me an approved timecard, I’ll pay him.
CB: Make sure of that
PA: (Thinking of different ways of saying I HEARD YOU! Without being rude). Sure.

Apparently I forgot to read the text msg that god sent me telling me that oblivious contractor is an employee at my branch, started working 2 wks ago, is too lazy to send me his timecards and get paid like everybody else so I have to chase him around so I can give him his money. Forgive me father for I have sinned! UGHHHHHHHHH!

paper cut of the week

For the past three weeks all my contractors pay stabs have had a notice that says

“Due to Holiday week, direct deposit will be delayed. Please be sure to turn in your timecards by Friday May 26th for timely payment.”

Off course the language used is not easy enough for some of the most simple minded people I have to deal with.

Stupid Contractor (CS) calls on Tuesday: Hi, I just wanted to verify that you got my timecard on Friday and that my $$ will be in my account tomorrow
Payroll Admin (PA..aka Me) : I’m sorry CS but the last three pay stabs have informed you that since Monday was a national holiday, you direct deposit will be running late this week
CS: (raising her voice and getting nasty) Yeah but I faxed my timecard on Friday so I assumed that you would process it on Friday and pay me on time!!
PA: well, **** unless you work Saturday and Sunday, you are supposed to send me your timecard on Fridays. Payroll is processed on Mondays. Since Yesterday was a public holiday, the banks were closed so we couldn’t process payroll anyway.
CS: (louder) NAH AH! That’s not good enough! I need to have that $$ in my account tomorrow. A gat checks rolling in I can’t have non-o-that. You need to get this fixed I faxed in my timecard on Friday so I should have been paid by Sunday.
PA: Actually. That’s not how it works. Your pay stubs clearly stated that you check will be late so…
CS: (cuts me short) NO! I need that $$ in my account tomorrow. Something needs to be done!
PA: (calm and short) Miss ______ I’m sorry there is nothing that I can do for you at this point. If you would like to contact the corporate office or my boss to confirm this info I would be more than happy to provide their phone numbers.

*hangs up on me*

Good gosh some people are just so exasperating! I don’t understand it. Every week someone finds a new way of being the paper-cut in my life.