Funny/Odd Work Stories
By Myrrdin
@Myrrdin (3599)
Canada
April 2, 2007 1:11pm CST
Ok, work makes up an important part of our lives, many of us spend almost as much time at work as we do out of it. So everyone must have an interesting story about work.
My tale:
I worked at McDonald's for a few months when I was younger. On my first day (still a trainee even) I was told to clean the filters above the grills. This is not really a tough job, but this particular McDonald's had about an inch of grease covering the floor, while I was putting the filter back on I slipped on the grease and was faced with the ever difficult decision of put my arm on the grill or smash my face into the grill. Obviously my arm ended up on the grill with my whole body weight resting on the arm leaning into the grill, I could hear my flesh sizzle. When I had help standing up and prying my arm off the grill (leaving only a moderate amount of skin behind for the next customers burger) I got to smell what my own flesh smelled like cooked, and I promptly passed out.
You may be asking yourself what is funny about that story? Well several years later (I think about 5 years, maybe 4) I was relating the tale to another coworker while eating lunch at a different McDonald's when an McDonald's employee overheard the conversation and exclaimed "You're THAT guy?" He had heard the tale on his first day and it appears it is now a legend they pass on to all McDonald's employees in my hometown as a cautionary tale about moping the floor which the McDonald's I worked at did diligently ever since my accident. I knew that it was being told at the McDonald's I worked at for at least a year later because I had a buddy that worked there and he was told the tale and actually laughed during the training session that it was brought up in because he knew it was about me.
4 people like this
5 responses
@Drakhan (240)
• United States
5 Apr 07
My first newspaper job was as an intern at a small, rural weekly paper in Delhi, La. One day the owner of the paper sent me up into the attic to find some back issues he's stored there. I picked up the bundle of papers, stepped in the wrong spot and plummeted through the ceiling to land on my back in the newsroom. My boss strolled over, looked down at me and said, without batting an eye, "They aren't that urgent. You could have taken the stairs."
@piropos (312)
• Philippines
5 Apr 07
I started to work in a call center here in Manila three years ago. The product I handle is a software that comes bundled free with a popular camera brand. I had this call from a nice old lady asking for help in downloading her video from the camera to the pc. She said the camera is not working and the software is defective. I started to give instructions on how to download videos by asking her to turn on the camera. And that's when she exclaimed, "oh, it's working now!." She thanked me and hung up.
@Myrrdin (3599)
• Canada
5 Apr 07
LOL that is a good one.... I once worked at an ISP (Internet Service Provider) and I took a call from one woman irate that the internet would not work. This was back in the bad old days of dial up, from her description of the problem I determined that she had the phone line going to the wrong jack on the modem. back in the day modems generally had two jacks on them, one for a handset and one for the phone line, you could have them reversed and the phone plugged into the handset line would still work but the modem would not dial. I told her my assesment and asked if she was on the phone plugged into the modem she said she was I told her she would have to hang up switch the cables and attempt to dial. She told me, while we were still on the line together that she had done so, I asked if she was sure, and she said yes, she unplugged both phone cables and switched them while I was talking to her. I asked "So, you unplugged the phone that we are now speaking to each other on and plugged it into the other jack while we remained on the line." She replied that she had done exactly that. It took me quite some time to get thru to her that this was impossible as when you unplug a phone that you are speaking on it hangs up, she claimed she just did it really fast, I told her it didn't matter how fast she was if she unplugged the phone it would hang up. She yelled at me for calling her a liar and hung up, a few minutes later I saw her get online.
1 person likes this
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
5 Apr 07
I used to work temporary/contract jobs before accepting a full time position somewhere, one time I took a job that was only a few days, secretarial for a small oil company here in town, the first day they needed some papers shredded so while working the large shredder I did not realize the tie on my dress got caught in the blade and starting pulling my dress off my body, I could not reach the stop button so I was pulling on the cord to get it to quit, I finally was able to remove the plug from the machine but not before he ate my entire tie on my dress. I was thankful that I did this at the end of the day since it was so noticeable what I had done, and I never had to go back to that place and I am so glad.
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I got another one, I was working at an oil company and was at a pretty high level of status there while speaking at a meeting I had called for the upper executive team I was making my final closing arguments and hit the side of my reading glasses which proceeded to hit the top level executive straight in the face, my mouth dropped, I was so embarrashed, I shook it off and everyone laughed the exec saying that I didn't need to throw things at him that he would give me the extra budget money I was needing.
@annieliucn (18)
• China
20 Apr 07
I have ever worked for a manufactory. On the first day at work, I entered into the workpshop and found everyone was solid muffled by the work clothes and just two eys showed. I felt that is very interesting. Finally, I found I also have to be equipped like that when I entered the place.
