to think that office wor is not natural, and working in an office always since leaving school does something weird to you socially?

[Boomba]

I had a 5 year spell where my job was office based. Once I got over the novelty of having a desk/phone/computer/stationary cupboard etc etc...i got to thinking its damn strange....

i struggled anyway to stay still all day and sit in a chair etc etc...but its more than that

the thread about work experience kids making the tea, has brought it all flooding back. Peoples weirdy expectations are all magnified. Its like a continuation of school...with people all forced to be together all day in the same room with the same people

People who thrived, seemed to revel in the gossip and 'drama' and bloody organised 'things'...like 'Movember'

[Pigsmummy]

People evolve, some people fly areoplanes/ride motorcycles/drive taxi's or lorries full time to earn a living, I find that more at odds with our bodies than working in a building tbh.

We have moved on from living in caves, running around naked with a life expectancy of 30. I do wonder how the world would be if the concept of money had never evolved/been created.

[NoelHeadbands]

Yy arabesque. Ironically it makes them sound like David Brent.

[Boomba]

i think thats your own pespectives though. By not wanting to work in an office, I d not consider myself 'different' or 'special' in anyway. Apart from the people I met when I worked in the office...non of my friends work in an office environmet

[seeker]

There used to be a poster on here who talked about "the mundanes" - meaning anyone who wasn't quite as hipster and unique as she was.

Only time I've ever wanted to call a woman I don't know personally a wanker!!

[arabesque]

There's an arrogance about "oh, I couldn't bear to work in a office". It's a bit like the "I've got nothing in common with the school gate mums" threads. [Quote]

Totally agree with this. As I said up thread, it is usually said by people who just like to feel they're 'special' or 'different' or 'interesting' or 'a bit quirky'. Like those annoying people who state 'I'm mad, I am'.

[IsItMeOr]

manic wellllll...some of that is true, although I think it's a luxury to have a desk of your own in many places now.

I've worked in offices for about 18 years, and they don't fulfil many of the stereotypes quoted here.

We have health and safety checks to try to keep the working environment healthy - isn't that the norm/law?

We have workplace policies which make it clear what behaviour is okay, and what isn't (e.g. bullying, harassment, discrimination, etc).

We don't have a dress code, and people go in anything from jeans to 3-piece suits. We dress smarter when we have important meetings with external people.

I get to change the topic I work on when I want to, and I spend my days trying to work out how to make the world a slightly better place, with a varied group of generally like-minded people. We happen to work in offices (and from home sometimes).

[Trills]

Space station is definitely the winner :)

Unless you were one of the "pretend astronauts" who spent 6 months in a pod pretending to go to Mars, to see whether you would go insane or not.It's weirder to breathe canned air and never go outside when there is an outside to go to.

[cory]

Dh has just moved from a varied site-visiting job to an office job. He finds it more interesting because he has more responsibility. Come to think of it, I am not entirely convinced that nature designed us to hurtle down the motorway in little steel boxes.

From what I see around me, the job that really makes people put on weight is working on boats: able seamen, mates, captains- they all get very little exercise and food on tap.

[manicinsomniac]

I've never been inside an office work environment and always secretly thought it would be really exciting (almost romantic - I know, I'm odd!) I love the probably innacurate and stereotypical idea of getting up in suburbia, putting on a suit, grabbing a starbucks coffee aon the way to the tube and running through central London in my high heels to work in a shiny glass and metal building with my own desk and lots of other people to talk to.

I have been in the education system without a break from the age of 3. Nursery to School to University to Teaching. Now that's unnatural! I completely institutionalised

[ShadowStorm]

I have been thinking more about this, and the most 'unnatural' work environment I can think of is... being an astronaut on the space station.

The astronauts are stuck up in space without any gravity, breathing canned air, with the same people surrounding them, for months on end. I suppose they must have to pass all sorts of psychological tests before being sent up to space, but I can still imagine that doing wierd things to people socially. Even with whatever the space station equivalent of Skype is.

Office work of any description seems like the most natural thing in the world in comparison

[seeker]

There's an arrogance about "oh, I couldn't bear to work in a office". It's a bit like the "I've got nothing in common with the school gate mums" threads.

[nooka]

I've worked in an office all my working life and am no more 'weird' socially than friends who are truckers, or farmers, or lab technicians or nurses or stay at home parents. Really stupid generalization IMO

If you have a job you hate then that will affect you of course. Currently my office environment does not have a clear sight of any windows which I dislike but otherwise it's OK. I don't do 'drama' because I am busy working (on tasks I generally set myself to my own timetable) or learning new stuff but I do enjoy the people watching aspects.

I'm in a corporate environment right now, doesn't seem any more natural/healthier than the hospital environments I've worked in previously.

[angelsonhigh]

I used to work in very interesting and exciting environment but on a Monday morning I used to sit in this huge room with one other person and add up money and balance books. (Very basic explanation).

One day I took my DS with me. He had plenty of toys and books etc. with him and as it was only for 4 hours he was great.

On the way home I stopped at the shops and bought tights among other things.

Severl weeks later I heart DS tell a visitor that "Mummy goes to work and just sits there and drinks coffee and then she spends all her pay on Tights"

[butterflyexperience]

Op
I agree with you office life is unnatural...

It's a way to keep us all chained into a consumerist life style

Break free people!!!!

[Lavenderhoney]

to add from my previous post, think of it as being in a big brother type environment but you can go home each day.

I have worked in good and bad, and still find "the office" hard to watch:) bit too like a documentary for me.

And that's why there is so much money to be made by consultants doing " team building" and psychometric testing. And coaching etc etc. plus it keeps the hr dept busy:)

[Boomba]

dondrapers yes, that is what i mean..the environment. The work is obviously varied

ice i was an engineer. The work itself was interesting

ifnot

signora i kept a list of all those phrases. I cat bear that industry speak. Its the same as talking in cliches isnt it

lala interesting though

[LaLaGordon]

Wrong thread .

[persimmon]

I worked in an office for several years after graduating. My colleagues were mostly very young and it was pretty much like school. Cliques, bullying, gossip. I loathed it.

[SignoraStronza]

I don't think I could ever work in an office again. Been thinking about what I'd like to do when I've finished having children and decided am just not 'political' enough. When Dh forgets himself and says things like 'moving forward' or 'touch base with' in my company I am liable to snap 'As opposed to travelling backwards?' or 'you mean meet/see so and so?' at him. I'd be highly likely to ask my hypothetical boss to speak plain English too.

I CAN temper my caustic tongue/bluntness when it really matters to me, or am bothered about causing offence but nine times out of ten my input goes uncensored

[frosty21]

I think working inside can drive you a bit potty tbh.

I worked inside a shopping centre before starting college. There were no windows in the shop itself and it was souless. I used to leave work never knowing if it had been raining or boiling. Hated it.

In my last job I work outside for 11 years and love it.

Horses for courses though isn't it?

[frosty21]

LtEveDallas - Do you work near the AWE?

[IfNotNowThenWhen]

I hate the tea etiquette.
There are 5 people in my office. we have a kettle, and, when I started, everyone would bring in their own tea bag.
On my first day, I hadn't brought any, so I asked if it was ok to take a tea bag, and there was a looong pause, until finally someone said "I suppose you can have one of mine".

I brought in a 200 bag the next day and said cheerily "I thought, since we all drink tea, I would bring in a big bag, Help yourselves."

There is also that thing, when you want a cuppa, but you don't want to have to make everyone one as well.
I wish offices had, like, a charter or something where they clearly lay out the unspoken rules of that particular office.

Eg:

1.Jean uses the mug with the picture of the Chippendales on it for coffee, but the bunny one for tea.
2.Amanda uses anyone's, but that's because she is the one who always cleans the mugs left on people's desks.
3.We like our tea bags separate,(even though we all use pg tips),but share sugar.
4.When making tea, please do not offer to make one for everyone, because then we will all feel that we have to do the same.
And we don't want to.

1. If a temp arrives and asks for tea, she must be made aware immediately that this must never happen again.

[Oblomov]

I find the Op quite offensive really.
I work in an office. A large % of workers do, presumably.
Actually, I'm not sure quite what the OP is actually getting at. What are you trying to say? It's not natural? err, what do you suggest is?
You seem to have a very negative view of office life. I don't.

[whoopwhoopbib]

Lavenderhoney you have just described my manager - do you know them??? You are right when you say some people just want to spend their time moaning and trying to cause trouble.

I am of the mindset that I am lucky to have a job which pays well for what is expected of me, I get in well with the rest of the team so I try and make the best of it and enjoy it where I can.