Need help creating an in-office SOS call...

Now for an honest suggestion: you need the 'wrap it up' box from the Dave Chappell show.

Wrap it up B!

I just tell them, "I'm busy, can we do this later?"

There is a group of 3 - 4 that sit around all day bitching about the world and how they would fix it; or complain for 30 minutes about a 10 minute job they were assigned.

STFU ! Go pump gas outside in the winter for minimum wage and then come and tell me how bad it is.

If you have VoIP phones that are reachable from the office LAN, just ring them with a softphone on the computer.

I'm to old to be politically correct. I just tell people I have to get work done so please go away. If they ignore it they will usually end up having to work weekends as there work load will mysteriously pick up.

914Driver wrote: I just tell them, "I'm busy, can we do this later?" There is a group of 3 - 4 that sit around all day bitching about the world and how they would fix it; or complain for 30 minutes about a 10 minute job they were assigned. STFU ! Go pump gas outside in the winter for minimum wage and then come and tell me how bad it is.

ugh... I hate those types. We have a couple of them at the one casino I work at. I am a "casual" meaning an on-demand employee. The worst one is a fulltimer. Everyone knows he is a complainer, time waster, and does not pull his own weight.. and unfortunately, it came down to him and me last time they hired for somebody for full time.

914Driver wrote: I just tell them, "I'm busy, can we do this later?" There is a group of 3 - 4 that sit around all day bitching about the world and how they would fix it; or complain for 30 minutes about a 10 minute job they were assigned. STFU ! Go pump gas outside in the winter for minimum wage and then come and tell me how bad it is.

Exactly!! Whenever freelancing starts to get to me, I just remember my old newspaper workplace full of toxic negative gossip. Those shiny happy people didn't know how good they had it - $22/hr. to do sweet-feck-all but bitch and make personal calls.

OK, ok- I get it. Ask the people to leave. I do ask people to STFU and leave all the time, but many of them are friends.

This thread need to get back on track- how do I create some ridiculous device that can alert others to my plight? Think Rube Goldberg machine of some sort. Sure, the answer is obvious- just ask them to leave. But I want to do something that is more fun.

Whenever the owner at Mustangs Unlimited was on the prowl handing out his little "to do" stack of notes that drug you away from your main job, we'd play the Imperial March from Star Wars. You'd have your head down in your cube trying to hammer out your daily mandated quota of busy work and suddenly from across the hall you'd hear "DUN DUN DUN dun DU DUU..." which meant to go find a reason to hit the warehouse for a "R&D" run. He never caught on.

Mezzanine wrote: OK, ok- I get it. Ask the people to leave. I *do* ask people to STFU and leave all the time, but many of them are friends. This thread need to get back on track- how do I create some ridiculous device that can alert others to my plight? Think Rube Goldberg machine of some sort. Sure, the answer is obvious- just ask them to leave. But I want to do something that is more fun.

wireless doorbell, wired to a light?

slefain wrote: Whenever the owner at Mustangs Unlimited was on the prowl handing out his little "to do" stack of notes that drug you away from your main job, we'd play the Imperial March from Star Wars. You'd have your head down in your cube trying to hammer out your daily mandated quota of busy work and suddenly from across the hall you'd hear "DUN DUN DUN dun DU DUU..." which meant to go find a reason to hit the warehouse for a "R&D" run. He never caught on.

Place I worked at we had something similar... but it was the typical circus theme music. Had a lot to do with seeing the owner on an electric scooter once... think bear on a tricycle.

That job was so bad towards the end. It got to the point where you were not allowed to sit while working.. even if it made your job easier.. because you "didn;t look busy" while sitting

Mezzanine wrote: OK, ok- I get it. Ask the people to leave. I *do* ask people to STFU and leave all the time, but many of them are friends. This thread need to get back on track- how do I create some ridiculous device that can alert others to my plight? Think Rube Goldberg machine of some sort. Sure, the answer is obvious- just ask them to leave. But I want to do something that is more fun.

Did you check to see if you can reach the phones from the computer LAN? Ask the IT guy if you don't know.

GameboyRMH wrote: Did you check to see if you can reach the phones from the computer LAN? Ask the IT guy if you don't know.

My buddies in IT are looking into a possible solution. As far as they know, there isnt anything set up currently.

mad_machine wrote:

slefain wrote: Whenever the owner at Mustangs Unlimited was on the prowl handing out his little "to do" stack of notes that drug you away from your main job, we'd play the Imperial March from Star Wars. You'd have your head down in your cube trying to hammer out your daily mandated quota of busy work and suddenly from across the hall you'd hear "DUN DUN DUN dun DU DUU..." which meant to go find a reason to hit the warehouse for a "R&D" run. He never caught on.

Place I worked at we had something similar... but it was the typical circus theme music. Had a lot to do with seeing the owner on an electric scooter once... think bear on a tricycle. That job was so bad towards the end. It got to the point where you were not allowed to sit while working.. even if it made your job easier.. because you "didn;t look busy" while sitting

I saw a store manager at a wal mart up in colorado iirc that was so overweight that he used one of those mart cart scooters to get around the store.

i'm told that the stools at autozone and the counter broken up like it is into pods like they have them now because guys sitting on a stool across the counter looked lazy.

Lock your door?

Use the situation to your advantage. If the culture is to be supportive and resist conflict, ask everyone that comes through your doors a menial favor of some kind. Generate some report, explain some process in whatever program you use, provide you a draft of their latest work for you to look over, etc. Before long everyone who was wasting your time will hesitate to enter without reason.

Frame the question as "Hey, since you've got a minute..."

You know Mitchell...that just might work! I am thinking of things that I can use. It will definitely backfire on one or two people that I can think of, but I am willing to give it a shot!