Is Compassion in the Workplace Possible? (455 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.08 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Drone of Industry (View user info) at 2005-11-10 12:30:10 EST
Hmmm... Weird feelings. The older lady that works here just got a phone call and started repeating "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god". Everyone perked their ears. Her brother in law was apparently shot and killed in Florida last night. She ran out in a hurry. A few seconds after the dust settled, the yucks started right up again.
I don't know what to expect from my coworkers though. Is compassion possible in the workplace? I stared at my donut and coffee for 30 seconds or so. I thought real hard about her loss. I could feel the tears welling up, but like a coward I let go to quickly restore my composure. For a moment I saw that light at the end of the tunnel. There, I started crying and then I started yelling at everybody in the office, venting to them that they have no decency and to shut the fuck up. I at least give a moment of silence!
Who am I kidding. I wish we could all be bawling and have a company hug and share our feelings like a buncha fucking psychotics.
But we're not naked in an open field. We're isolated in this fucking office.
I know everyone was thinking, "Well, it's just her brother in law." But even if it was her SON, that doesn't stop the deadline. It's Never Not business as usual. Company first! And although we now have an available computer to render and process the huge files for this new project, we are missing a valuable employee. And her deceased relative could very well mean my working this weekend on both Saturday AND Sunday.
Just like this past Monday when I discovered that a sinister tornado ripped through my hometown. I called my family and everyone was fine, but I went into 'shitty fantasy mode' and wondered what would it be like if my sister had died.
And as I repressed my emo tears, the coworkers babbled on like a buncha fuckin retarded monkeys about Full House, Christian Slater in the 80's, and their favorite hamburger topping.
I hated every last bone in their body.
Part of my mind wonders if this is a conspiracy that lady set up just to get time off from work. We're grinding down to the bone on this project (or some figure of speech like that?), so maybe she freaked, and had her crazy suburban friend act out the frantic telephone call. Now every time we refer to her brother in law, she will have to live the lie that got her an extra two weeks paid vacation. Perhaps a lot of people truly are crazier than what I make them out to be!
Shit I'm getting paranoid again. Maybe I'm the crazy one.
Now my coworkers are behind me talking about cameltoe.
Nothing is sacred in this world anymore.
User Reviews
Submitted by crazyaardvark (user info) at 2005-11-10 22:01:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
It's true. September 11 happened just before my final school-leaving exams. One hour the next morning was devoted to watching the news and talking about the tragedy. Then it was business as usual, as though nothing had happened.
The world never stops, even for things like that. Shit still has to happen, no matter what.
Submitted by Saffron (user info) at 2005-11-10 15:23:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Sometimes people just don't know what to do with emotion. So they bury it in work or dull it with humor. Or maybe I just like to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes because it helps me to continue to like them.
Submitted by morontian (user info) at 2005-11-10 15:19:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is the type of thing I loved most about one of the jobs I've had. Operations have been closed down for half a day on two different occassions due to a funeral of an employee's family so all the workers could attend. It's one of the benefits of small town life. It's probably also part of the reason I go out of my way to work there part time while I have a full time job and don't need the extra cash as bad as I did.
Submitted by MyTeeOne (user info) at 2005-11-10 15:08:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Have a 2, i hate corporate America.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2005-11-10 13:47:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Compassion in the workplace works in exactly the same principle as compassion on ubersite. If the people have an emotional attatchment to an individual then they will feel compassion and display compassion. Working in HR I have seen it happen.
Somebody comes to Uber and for their first post writes something about lonliness and isolation then they get a load of reviews along the lines of "Fag!" or "I bet you're a fat heffa!", yet if they spend eight months or so getting to know people and making friends then they will get sympathy.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:59:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I've got one for you. There is a woman I work with who flat out cannot stand one of the guys here. I've never had issues with him, he's odd and can be annoying, but he doesn't bother me. She just hates him. One time she was being particularly snarly and I asked her why she didn't like him.
She said that a couple of years ago her daughter and son-in-law were in a really bad car wreck. Her son-in-law was killed and her daughter spent several weeks in the hospital. This happened "back home" wherever that is, I don't remember now. So she and the other grandmother split time going up there to take care of the grandkids and deal with the funeral and all.
good times to be sure
In the meantime, back in happy officeland she was in the process of taking over something or other that this guy had been doing. This all started the first month she was supposed to take this over, but she had not actually done it yet so this guy ended up having to do it again that month instead of passing it off to her. You would think that under the circumstances this wouldn't be a problem, but apparently at some point in there he actually complained about how she was missing too much work and he was tired of having to pick up the slack.
that's just cold man COLD
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:51:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
If by "compassion" you mean "a burning hatred hotter than a billion suns" then, yes, compassion in the workplace is possible.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:39:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
*insightful and yet witty comment*
Submitted by WildcatMcGee (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:36:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
So.......um, about the camel toe. When is the picture of said mythical beast going to be posted?
Submitted by PokeyPecker (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:34:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Sorry man. As I was reading this post I started thinking about this one hot girl I knew way the fuck back in high school. Then I started thinking about "The Grapes of Wrath" and the Joad family. Then I fell asleep and drooled on my peener. When I woke up, I figured I'd best give up on your post.
Have a pity 0, you little emo bitch.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:33:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
You're barking up the wrong tree if you're looking for empathy on ubersite.
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2005-11-10 12:32:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"bury the hammer"