In the mid-1980s, I worked for a naval architecture firm. Our building didn’t have a secure entrance; you could just call an elevator from the garage or walk in the front lobby door at any time. Our office suite, however, did have a mechanical cipher lock. It had five buttons, and the office manager regularly reset it to a three-digit code for security purposes. Due to the mechanics of it, duplicate digits weren’t possible for an entry code.

One Saturday, I went in to finish some work because I’d left early on Friday. But when I got to the suite, the code that had worked Friday didn’t work today. I really needed to finish my work, and I didn’t think anyone else would be in the suite, so knocking wouldn’t help. This was before cell phones, so I couldn’t call anyone. Even if I’d had a cell phone, I knew only one coworker’s number, our receptionist.

I went down to our lobby, which had a payphone, and called her apartment. There was no answer. I then started thinking about the cipher lock. With only five possible digits, and using only three uniquely, there were only sixty permutations possible. So, I went up to the suite and started trying all the permutations: 1-2-3, 1-2-4, 1-2-5, 1-3-2, 1-3-4, etc. In less than a minute, I’d hit upon the new code. I went in and finished my work.

On Monday, I went to my office manager and told her how easy it was to crack the cipher lock. She then looked at the lock manual and decided to incorporate simultaneous button presses to make it more secure. I then noticed that we had a new receptionist. The office manager said our previous receptionist had been fired late Friday, and that’s why the door code had been changed.

It was a good thing, then, that she didn’t answer her phone. That would’ve been an awkward conversation.

I work in a little business park where all the little offices are set up like little houses. We get along well with the other businesses, particularly the one next door. Their owner plays golf with our owner. We even had our Christmas Dinner combined one year.

One month, we held a big event for our customers. One of the managers over-ordered, which prompted the catering company to over-deliver. Suddenly, we had all this food that we struggled to give away and probably wouldn’t be good tomorrow. The owner asked if I could take a big box next door; their owner loves his food.

Dutifully, I packed up an assortment and went next door.

Through the glass, I saw a receptionist, a new one. She watched me struggle to open the door and walk up to her. And with an exasperated sigh, she said:

Receptionist: “We don’t want it.”

Me: “Oh, no, you see, I’ve just come from next door, and—”

Receptionist: “Look. Frankly, I don’t care what you’re selling or what charity you’re supporting. I’ve told you lot we don’t want it.”

Me: “No, you see, I’m not selling them. It’s all for—”

Receptionist: “Ugh, I don’t care. Call it what you want. I don’t want it.”

Me: “Jeez. Fine.”

I walked out the door; she watched me struggle again. I saw their owner get out of his car and walk to the door. This was going to be perfect.

Owner: “Ooooh, freebies?”

Me: “Help yourself!”

Owner: “Thanks! Hey, where are you going?”

Me: “Oh, I was told if you didn’t want them to throw them.”

I threw the box into the big roll-top bin in the car park. The owner stared, mouth open.

Owner: “But why?”

Me: “Ask your receptionist.”

I went back to work and didn’t say a word. I forgot about it.

A few days later, the owner asked me what happened, and I told him that his receptionist was incredibly rude and abrupt.

She wasn’t there the following week.

Related:
A Most Unreceptive Receptionist, Part 15
A Most Unreceptive Receptionist, Part 14
A Most Unreceptive Receptionist, Part 13
A Most Unreceptive Receptionist, Part 12
A Most Unreceptive Receptionist, Part 11

Several years ago, I used to work for a healthcare company. When I started, it became abundantly clear that one of my team members really didn’t like me. During my training, she often refused to help and would just tell me, “Figure it out!” whenever I had a problem. Any time I made a mistake, she would loudly berate me or CC me on emails complaining about me to the boss. Frequently, she would come in late or spend her shift discreetly talking to her boyfriend over the phone. Because she was a longstanding employee, some things were overlooked.

My morale was in the toilet early, but thankfully, one of the managers took notice and angrily told [Coworker] to knock it off and that she would be watched closely. Instead, she tried to mess with me another way; this time she would call in sick frequently, often minutes before her shift. This would leave me either working overtime to sort things or scrambling the next day to clean up the mess. She would then brag to her friends about how she just stayed home and watched movies or washed her car. Again, management took notice and she was told they wouldn’t put up with her shenanigans anymore! Realizing that her grace period was up, she quickly found another job and left.

After [Coworker] departed, I found out the reason why she hated me. Apparently, she was mad that her boyfriend was not rehired and the job was given to me, instead. Her boyfriend was allegedly not a good employee the first time around, so naturally, they had no interest in rehiring him!

A year later, the company was in disarray as management was poor and the environment was very toxic. Numerous employees and managers had quit or been fired and we were in danger of losing a contract.

I heard on the grapevine that, apparently, [Coworker] was being asked to return. According to gossip, her new job wasn’t at all enjoyable and she was working in a far stricter environment, so she was desperate to leave. Her friends started cheerfully bragging to everyone that her coming back was a “done deal” and she would be returning very soon.

Once again, I became nervous and anxious as I feared the bad times would return. However, over the coming months, I noticed that we had hired several new employees but none of them was [Coworker].

After a while, I became curious about what happened to her, so I went and spoke to my manager. 

Me: “Hey, [Manager], can I ask you something?”

Manager: “Sure, what’s up?”

Me: “Was it true that [Coworker] was coming back to work for us? I heard rumours, but she never came back!”

Manager: *Laughs* “Yeah… At first, [Senior Manager] and I were in contact as we felt an experienced staff member would be good. Unfortunately, she overplayed her hand a little.”

Me: “What do you mean?”

Manager: “Well… take a look at this.”

He swings his computer around and shows me an email from [Coworker].

Coworker’s Email: “Dear [Manager],

I would be happy to consider returning; however, I have some demands if I am to come back to [Company]. These are non-negotiable! 

1. I want [My Name] fired and [Boyfriend] reinstated. Frankly, I have no idea why you didn’t re-hire him in the first place.
2. I want [Boyfriend] and me to be on exactly the same shift and days at all times so we can carpool.
3. I want a raise of at least 50%!
4. I will only work 8:00 to 4:00, nothing else!
5. I will not work weekends or any evening shifts.
6. I want at least six weeks of vacation a year.
7. I refuse to sit near the following people: [My Name], [Employee #1], [Employee #2], or [Employee #3], because I can’t stand them!”

The list went on and on; it was over thirty items long. It was requesting some ludicrous things such as certain snacks in the vending machine, her own parking spot, and various other things that made her look supremely entitled! 

Manager: “So, in the end, we told her thanks, but no thanks! Now she’s stuck working at [Strict Company]. Apparently, she’s miserable because she has to turn up on time and do her job, plus they don’t tolerate so many absences, so I hear she’s hanging by a thread there! Hate to say it, but she’s her own worst enemy!”

Six months later, I was laid off along with many others and the company looked to be in dire trouble. I found work in a better industry with better coworkers. I wonder if [Coworker] ever improved her attitude at all?

I have worked at the company for a little under twenty years. While I did start as a secretary, I have moved up to a commercial project manager and designer. However, due to how small our company is, I still answer the phones as a secretary. The owner/president will also be a secretary sometimes.

My boss, the owner, has told me to screen all calls to him early on. This is due to the company name being the same as his name, so everyone asks for my boss. This is so he doesn’t get scams or junk calls.

Me: “Hello, [Company] Office. How may I help you?

Caller: “Yes, I like to speak to Mr. [Boss], please.”

Me: “Sure, but first, could I take down some information on the purpose of the call?”

Caller: “Just tell him [Caller] is on the phone.”

We have at least three other clients with that name; however, I have never heard this voice before.

Me: “I’m sorry, I need more information as we have others with the same name. What type of job is this in reference to?”

Caller: “Just tell him that [Caller] is on the phone. He knows who I am.”

At this point, I think he is a scammer as this is a very common way to get past me.

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but we have at least three other clients at our office with the same name. I would need a job number or name of the job site.”

Caller: “The job number is 123456. Just tell him [Caller] is on the phone.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but without the information, I cannot pass you over to him.”

Caller: “So, I can’t speak to him? I need to talk with him. This is urgent.”

He is starting to get angry at me.

Me: “Sir, I’m sorry, but you can’t speak to him.”

At this point, because he hasn’t given me anything, I refuse to let him speak to my boss. This goes on for another minute before he gets the message.

Caller: “Fine. Bye.” 

He hangs up the phone. I think nothing of it until a week later when my boss comes over to me. 

Boss: “Did a [Caller] call?”

Me: “Maybe? Which one?”

Boss: “[Caller’s Full Name].”

Me: “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

Boss: “Well, [Caller] is my sister-in-law’s husband. He said he tried to call the office to say that his wife is in the hospital. He spoke to you and said you were nasty to him and didn’t let him talk to me.”

I explain what happened and how [Caller] refused to say anything other than his name.

Boss: “Don’t worry too much about it. You did what I pay you to do.”

Me: “If he said he was a relative, then you know I would let the phone go right to you.”

My boss admitted that his relative most likely didn’t give enough information to pass him through as he is blunt and to the point.

Management around here is very stingy about Paid Time Off. The owner doesn’t actually care, but one manager has made it her mission to shame people for taking PTO, and if that doesn’t work she pesters them when they ignore her blatant attempts.

Due to the global health crisis and working from home, one of my coworkers feels extremely guilty about taking any PTO for all of 2020. There is nowhere to go anyway. Our base of PTO is eighty hours with up to forty hours being allowed to roll over.

In the past, [Coworker] has had an issue with [Manager] refusing to allow her to use any PTO despite starting in May like everyone else. The owner gave us this PTO from the jump, but this manager refused to give it to her until the last week of December. Overall, she has 120 hours of unused PTO when it is all said and done by mid-September 2021. On top of it, she has been with the company since May 2019 and has taken exactly one week of vacation.

The owner decides to give us each forty hours of extra PTO. [Manager], being the jerk that she is, drags her feet, but I keep applying pressure to the right people and get it relatively quickly. [Coworker] sees this and asks for her extra forty hours of vacation so she can actually have a holiday with her family for the first time in three years.

Naturally, there is pushback. Several times, [Manager] insists that it is already being taken care of. She deflects. She guilt-trips. She shames. She implies that my coworker is not dedicated. She even scoffs and asks if my coworker has a “European cruise” planned and if not, not to worry about it, then. But [Coworker] is not having it and keeps gently applying pressure.

Later that week, after [Coworker] finally gets her way, [Manager] has the nerve to complain to anyone who will listen how ungrateful [Coworker] is. This is the same woman who takes two-week-long vacations every three months and comes back to complain how she hadn’t taken a vacation in “so long”. She was not happy when I pointed that out.