RateItAll: The Opinion Network

I don't see anything wrong with talking to your co-workers as long as your work is getting done.

I try to do this all the time, but my secretary doesn't really know anything about Pokémon.

Every employee does this at Winn-Dixie, because, honestly, the only things we do there is scan and bag groceries. What's funny is that the managers stand at the customer services desk and yak about the time they got wasted at the beach-- even when a customer is standing in line waiting to get their lotto cashed or their Western Union slip scanned! Oops, big dis on my job there.

i dont talk to people at work. they are too busy being joe and joanne workers to talk. besides no one at my job knows anything about Proust.

I almost always end up doing this- and almost always get caught!

How else would you make a lame job fun?

Back in the days before I was a manager, this was only my favorite way to goof off. When you are bored, it seems the time flys by fast when you are visiting co-workers. I didn't like some of the nasty gossip however...

I teach dressage (type of horseback riding) and am now lucky enough to work for myself and (to some extent) pick my students. When I worked for a large stable however, the torture of listening to all the mothers talk about how talented their kids were, and were they going to be in the next show, and didn't I think they were ready for the next level, and blah blah blah - never again!

A good way to kill time, but I'd rather be surfing the web or playing minesweeper in my office. I guess it has to do with the culture at work. In my experience, when co-workers do chat, it's typically about work. The conversation usually consists of someone wronging me and other sorts of gossip. Sometimes it's funny, but I become numb to it after awhile. Sometimes I can get a good sports discussion going. Political discussions are out. My politics are center-right. Liberals hate anyone right, and conservatives hate all moderates. Naturally, most of my co-workers are on one side or the other, so I just watch the chips fall.

Normally, I would like to do this. But you don't work at my place. I am trapped in an office where no one gives a damn what I do or what I'm interested in. But, they'll be more than happy to tourque your ear for an hour and a half straight about Them..Them..Them. One dude here is so damn boring, that you'll say how was your flight and an hour later he is droning on about when he was in the Navy in 1962 and how his aircrew chief's uncle's brother's grandpappy hitched on his bib overalls before going out to do an oil change. That's exciting. I might even ask a question or two but he just ignores me and keeps on with his boring story about people I don't know or even care about. Then we got The Suit. You go into the suit's office to ask him about a work-related matter, and he waves you out because he is soooo busy with something. Later in the day, the suit comes into my office and now he is more than glad to interupt your project and tell you all about the great things he did in his life and his wondrous (to him) Tales of the Sea when he was in the Navy (even though its the 11th time I've heard this one). Ironically, the only one here who I can have an intelligent conversation and talk about things like sports and family is the Company Vice President. To be honest, I would rather talk about work than hear boring stories. Better yet, I would rather just work than hear these stories.

If you work with a congenial group of people, it's natural to want to talk about subjects not related to work. I'm usually too busy to socialize, and I find it's better to do my visiting during breaks or lunch.

Work would get pretty damn boring if my conversations consisted entirely about work topics: This job sucks; Why is it so hard for people to spell forty?; People who can't spell shouldn't have control of this much money . . . ; YES, Indiana IS a state!; YES, IT IS!; No, you're thinking about India! INDIA is a country, INDIANA is a state!!!; YES, I'M SURE! . . . etc., etc.,

uhh I don't think this is a likly thing to do. Hang out after work.

That's what we do quiet often. When you think about it though it seems like we see our co-workers more than our own family which is very sad. However, it is nice when you can get along with the people that you work with.

Sports, the weekend (past or future) current events, it all works.