Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Workplace Wonders: You're showing your age there, sister!

Let me tell ya about a few of the folks I work with -

First we have Boss. Now, Boss isn't really the boss but she sure thinks she is! She is in her 40's and is on my sales team and has been here the longest of all the sales folks. She is very helpful when I need help or have questions, but everything goes to her head and she is ALWAYS RIGHT. Therefore she knows more than anyone else here, and should be the boss.

Next we have BikerBabe. BikerBabe is a 61 year old lady that is also on my sales team. She smokes like a chimney and always talks about going to Bike Night, and hanging out at the Bike Shop. She is something else I tell ya!

I sit between Boss and BikerBabe so I can hear pretty much everything they say and do - super exciting, I know. Anyway, I've been noticing lately the different ways all three of us go about doing things. For example - when one of us needs a phone number: I go to google it, Boss calls directory assistance, and BikerBabe looks it up in the phone book. If I need a file that BikerBabe has on her computer - she prints it out, goes to the copy machine and scans it in as a PDF then sends it to me. Of if she's in a hurry she just prints it out and lays it on my desk. Attaching it directly from her computer is not an option for BikerBabe (I've showed her numerous times but she never remembers that is an option).

Another example: Yesterday we all received updated and revised maintenance agreements that we are supposed to be using from here on out. Here is what we all did with them. Boss saved a copy, then printed out 25 so she could have them sitting in her file cabinet ready to be used (she will have to manually fill these out), BikerBabe asked me to help her print out 1 copy. She then took that one copy up to the copy machine and made 100 copies of it so that she could always have one available. What did I do? I just saved it to my computer. This way I can fill out all the information on the computer then print it out as needed.

I could go on and on - don't even get me started with how they manage PowerPoint and Excel. Oh, and checking their voicemail remotely - ha! What an ordeal!

I'm not saying that one of us is right and one is wrong - I'm simply pointing out the differences in which we all use technology. The thing that got me thinking most about this was the phone number thing - I'm sure by the time I'm 40, I will have children and they will be like "mom? you're using the INTERNET to look that up? Get with the times!" (I have no idea "what the times" will be - but I can only imagine!

7 comments:

Weith Kick said...

What's a phone book?

Yeah, at my work I have similar issues with coworkers who are "tech challenged."

Ellen said...

That is too funny! What a cute post :)

Anonymous said...

That is so funny!

I work with some people that are the same way! I will never forget when the one guy asked me how to save a WORD document. I almost had to chuckle but held it in! I felt bad for him because he really stuggled considering all we do is with computers.

I often wonder what it will be like when I have kids...what will they have that I just "don't get"?

Good thought!

Jennifer Owens said...

Ah, the workplace. BikerBabe sounds like a riot - I used to work in a huge office where we had one of those too. How funny!

By the way, I am no creative blog background genius - it was a template I found on a website. I wish I was smart enough to do something like that!

Valarie Lea said...

Hi, thanks for visiting over at my place!

This whole thing sounds very familiar. It actually sounds like the people at my work. The other day someone came in my office and asked for a phone book and I just looked at them and said "Umm I don't even know where a phone book is, just look it up online" Then they looked at me like I had two heads. :)

Anonymous said...

This was such a funny post and I can so relate!!!

Joy said...

Yeah, I'm that mom over forty with children telling me to get with the times.;~)
But blogging has been a fun way to learn how to "get with it."

Thanks for visiting my blog.