Have you ever had a work experience that was funny, bizarre, or just plain awful? Share your experience so we can all laugh at those who frustrated you. Email us your stories at daligrind@att.net and we'll post the choicest ones. We don't publish real names of you, your coworkers or your employer.
Friday, February 04, 2005
STORY: Bosses Too Stupid to Live
Mr. S decided he wanted to hire someone to help with general housecleaning and to pull some weeds from his yard. . . . Since it's just an occasional job, Mr. S decided to call one of those agencies that provides laborers on a daily basis, a labor-on-the-spot kind of thing. We got on the phone together and called the one nearest his house.
Mr. S: Yes,this is Mr. S calling. I need a worker for today. . . Someone to do some housecleaning and some weed pulling. . . .I'd like it to be a man.
Agency Woman: I can't discriminate like that. If a woman is qualified for the job, I'm gonna send her.
Mr. S: Well, I can request a man, can't I?
AW: No, you can't.
Mr.S: Well, what if there's heavy lifting? . . .
AW: If I have a woman qualified for the job, then I could send her.
Mr. S: What is the law about how much weight a woman can lift vs. how much a man can lift unassisted?
AW: I'm not aware of any law like that.
Mr. S: Well, you should be, because there are laws.
AW: Well, can you clue me in about that? I haven't heard of it.
Mr. S: I don't know the exact statute, ma'am, and I'm not going to try to quote it for you, because I don't want to tell you something incorrect . . . Well, what about a construction environment that is not conducive to a lady?
AW: Is this a construction site? Because I thought you said it was housecleaning.
Mr. S: No, just hypothetically.
AW: If a woman is qualified to do the work, I can send her to the job. If there's a problem at a construction job, she might have a sexual harassment claim.
Mr. S: Well, what about a locker room?
AW: A locker room is one of the only places you can discriminate because of gender.
Mr. S: So what if I had a job for someone where there were men showering?
AW: I thought this was a housecleaning job.
Mr. S: (very agitated now): Ma'am, there are laws about this and I suggest that if you're going to be in this business, you familiarize yourself with them.
AW: Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't have anyone available for your job. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.
From Office Confidential, Does the "S" Stand for "Sexist?"
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