(I am traveling for business and my laptop stops working. I am a female who works in a largely male-dominated business. I have a few emails that require attention, so I ask the supervisor at this location if I can log in to my email through his computer.)

Supervisor: “No problem. Let me just get it turned on and set up for you.” *completes login* “There you go. All set”

Me: “Thanks. I appreciate it. This won’t take long.”‘

(The supervisor takes a seat on the other side of the desk, but never leaves the room. I proceed to answer a few emails, but I get to one customer email that requires me to look up some information on an outside website. Assuming this will not be an issue with the supervisor, I open the browser on his computer and began typing the URL on the address bar. I don’t even get two letters into spelling the website name when the recently-visited sites begin showing. Much to my surprise, all the previous websites are clearly p*rnographic and most certainly NSFW. I stop typing the URL and just sit there for a moment, not knowing whether to be horrified or giggle. Not wanting him to catch me seeing this obviously private information, I try to quickly go to my website and finish the task. After completing my customer email, I log out of the supervisor’s computer.)

Me: “All done here, [Supervisor].”

Supervisor: “Okay, well, if you need to use it again later, just let me know!”

Me: “Thanks. I should be done for the day.”

(I quickly leave the area to go out to the plant floor. Fifteen or so minutes later, the supervisor catches up with me on the floor.)

Supervisor: “Are you sure you don’t want to use my computer again?”

Me: “No, that’s okay.”

Supervisor: “Well, if you liked those sites, you should have told me! I’ve got subscriptions to them all!”

(I just stood there, a mix of horror and disgust on my face. He just winked and walked away. I must have left the browser open when I logged out of the computer or, even worse, he planted those URLs, hoping I would find them in the recently-searched items. Rather than report this or confront him, I just ignored the issue; I was young and inexperienced at the time. After more misogynistic happenings, I left the company a few years later.)

(I am the receptionist of my office. I have a button that opens the inner door to our office. When someone walks through the front door, I greet them, and then ask their name and who they are here to see. I then call the person they are looking for, and either let the person come through the inner door, or escort them to the office of the person expecting them. I do this with everyone, no exception, even if I’m familiar with the face or name of the person. This afternoon, a man walks in and starts to open the inner door, only to discover he can’t. I greet him, and ask for his name and who he’s looking for. He says something close to the name of the office director, and when I ask his name again he looks at me:)

Director: “I’m [Director], the new director of this entire department.”

(I get up and personally open the door for him. I then introduce him to my support staff coworkers. He says something about making changes, and that’s when I say:)

Me: “By adding a bounce house?!”

(My coworker tries to shush me by waving her arms.)

Coworker: “No! No! Don’t say that!”

Director: *laughs* “I’ll even throw in a water slide, and donuts!”

(I take him to my boss’s office and go back to my desk. Half an hour later they both come back around.)

Boss: “…and you know [My Name]. She let you in.”

Director: “Yes, and she almost didn’t let me in.”

(My boss looks at me questioningly.)

Me: “He wouldn’t tell me who he was.”

(The director smiles, laughs, and then leaves. My boss tells me the director was impressed that I didn’t let him in right away without asking his name, who he was, and to whom he wished to speak.)

Boss: “He won’t forget you now. You’re a very responsible gatekeeper.”

(The next morning the director personally brought a box of donuts for my office!)

(The owner of the company where I work is not a nice person, to say the least. He mismanages things, makes changes without telling anyone, and gets mad when people come to him with problems.)

Coworker: “You know, people might appreciate it if you gave them a compliment every once in a while.”

Owner: “Why would I do that?”

(And he wonders why the turnover rate is so high…)

(I’m the scheduler and operator for a counseling office.)

Me: *answering phone* “Good afternoon. This is [Counseling Office], [My Name] speaking. How may I help you?”

Caller: “Uh… Who is this?”

Me: “[My Name] with [Counseling Office]. How may I help you?”

Caller: “Um. What is this place?”

Me: “We’re a counseling office.”

(I was thinking, “Shouldn’t you know, since YOU called US?”)

(I’ve just started a new job and have had a several-hour-long meeting with my new coworkers. The coffee is percolating through me so I head straight for the bathroom. The CEO, who has a reputation for being eccentric, looks across to my urinal.)

Boss: “Ah… Are you Jewish, or did you go to public school?”

Me: *turning red* “Um… er… Just ‘done’ is all.”

Boss: “Well, at least you know you’ll never be a banker. They’re all complete pricks.”

(I wish I could say this was the limit of his behaviour, but it wasn’t.)