Jobsworths

#1

Talk to me about the last jobsworth that you had to deal with?

I get that people do jobs that are necessary and irritating, and that some of these people take a sense of pride in their job… but when was the last time someone in a position of relative authority did something annoying and unnecessary and really got your back up?

The other day I parked at a car park at a football ground and the man in charge wanted me to drive around a full industrial estate so that I could park facing the right way. I told him i could just reverse into the space, but he wasn’t having it.

Then yesterday I had the thing where you get to the checkout and start unpacking and then realise that the next conveyor is about to be opened up. Pick up my things to to move over and then the lady at the newly opened till says to THE LADY BEHIND ME ‘would you like to join this queue’… so she then starts to put her stuff down and I’m just stood there looking at them both like WTF. The Sainsbury’s lady then clocks me and says ‘oh sorry I invited her’… like it was her mate or something and completely disregarding that I was there first. So so irked

#2

you were already on the belt and decided to move!?

wow

#3

Train people have to be the absolute kings and queens of this. When you’re travelling a minute or 2 either side of some godforsaken ‘peak’ time which bears no resemblance to fuck all meaning you pay an extra fiver or whatever. brexiteers the lot of them.

#4

Newly opened tills are a free-for-all. Existing queue positions hold no weight in those circumstances, I’m afraid.

#5

not really a jobsworth there though, she was probably in the right. if you’ve started putting your stuff on the conveyor belt, I would have spoken to the person behind you too. also she didnt tell you you couldnt move over. come on jon

#6

basket was on the conveyor with a couple of items being placed on conveyor

#7

The point of no return.

#8

So what everyone is saying is that jont2001 is a shoppingsworth?

#9

But I went across to start putting my stuff on the conveyor in front of the woman who was putting things on the back of the conveyor (e.g. from behind me). but they were both looking at my like WTF are you doing. My hesitation was my failure here, I should have just got my head down and carried on pushing in front.

#10

jobsworths are my mortal enemy. nothing more pathetic in the world than a jobsworth.

work with one at the language academy I do some work at. she’s a qualified teacher (a rarity in the english teaching ‘community’ in this city), and constantly complains at the lack of people with teaching diplomas etc/quality of the teaching at schools.

thing is, she’s pretty much been blacklisted from every major school because of her attitude, and can’t find work outside low paid academy work as a result. Have to see her fairly often as she’s my m9’s brother’s wife, which is a shame.

#11

Broken Britain

#12

I do hate queue jumpers, but if I was already on the conveyor belt i’d consider myself close enough to the front and not really worry myself about it.

#13

Normally I’d be the same, but it was the “Oh sorry I invited HER” comment that really annoyed me. Really sneering attitude that some people can have.

#14

Feels like this thread’s gone really well for jont.

#15

ftfy

#16

Thanks, that comment has really helped

#17

Depends. From a customer’s point of view you don’t want someone who’s a bit too keen, but in a work environment i’d sooner work with adults than chronic skivers all day.

#18

Had an interaction with the complete opposite of a jobsworth recently. My ScotRail Smartcard doesn’t work on the barriers but is fine when a ticket inspector scans it. So I went to the ticket office to explain the problem and the person in the ticket office stood there with a dumbfound expression on their face, shrugged and said “don’t know…”. Then there was an awkward silence.

Me: So what should I do?
Ticket office: Call them
Me: Call who?
Ticket office: The number on the card
Me: Ok… I think it might because I didn’t scan out at a station…
Ticket office: Could be.
Me: Ok… [thinking of asking whether she could scan the card on a computer behind her desk to check if there’s any errors or something]
Me: Ok thanks… bye.

The whole thing made me feel quite uneasy. The replies were so blunt as well

#19

Why do I not get ushered to the front of queues?

#20

Do you bear a passing resemblance to @jont2001?