Office Promises

So, like most other young 20-somethings, I work in an office environment. My office is small, and we all get along great, but there are some things you have to do in order to make it work for yourself. And sometimes, there are some things you have to do in order to make it work for your coworkers. I should have started out by telling you how awesome my coworkers are. Seriously, the bomb. But recently, I have had to make some pretttttty hefty promises to them about things I will continue or will not continue to do. Some of them center around office etiquette, and others are well.. personal.

1. I am no longer allowing myself to ask "hey did you get my email?" I am notorious for this. I just want an immediate response.. instant gratification, if you will, and it's my way of forcing it, but there is apparently nothing more annoying to my coworkers. One in particular, when I just asked him that question, said "No katie. I got all the other 900 emails you have sent me, but that one that you really want to know if i got it, nope, never received it, don't know what you are talking about." I hung my head in shame and walked back to my cube and have been clicking send/receive in Outlook in anticipation of his repsonse. Knowing him, it probably won't come until next Tuesday, just to piss me off.

2. Most weeks, I come in with goodies. Cinnamon rolls, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, leftover birthday cake, and God only knows what else I have brought. This week has been extra fun because I had two cookie mixes I wanted to use up. I've now been banished from bringing in desserts for the rest of the month. Good thing July just started, suckers.

3. Every office has that dude who just talks SO LOUD all the time. Thank God it's not me, but it was a close call. For a while I was spending a lot of time on Skype, talking to a counterpart in England. I totally picked up the American-speaking-to-a-foreigner accent where you talk louder and dumber in your same language, because surely the louder you speak the better they will understand you, and clearly they have to be able to hear me across the Atlantic Ocean. Yeah, that was around the same time I won the Employee of the Month Award for No longer talking on Skype. I've been restricted to domestic calls only. Let me tell you how disappointed I am about that...!

4. Office supply stealing. It's like an art around here. I have two staplers (shh, don't tell) because my boss is constantly stealing mine. I keep the 2nd one hidden. The Big Bossman is out of the country, and last night I crept into his office and stole back my tape dispenser and grabbed a calculator for good measure. I'll need it eventually, and office supplies are like gold. "Katie, will you do that report?" "Yeah sure, when you give back my ruler!" And as I typed that sentence, he called from China to ask me about his calculator. JK, he didn't ask about his calculator, but he did call from China! He reads minds.

Most lists have 5 things, so I'm going to end there with a measly four. Anybody else have any quirky office habits or things that happen on a regular basis to share? I surely can't be alone in my office-supply-stealing-endeavors!