Corporate Life - Pepper Valentine

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021

Obnoxious and Unwelcome Surprises at the Office

I definitely do NOT miss any of the pranks or hijinks that would often occur at work. One of my most famous unwelcome surprises at the office is captured in my featured image. Check it out.

Unwelcome Surprises at the Office – Pranks

I was minding my own business and the next thing I know, I found this creepy murdered stuff bear in my desk drawer. I was not very happy about it. And it’s definitely a shock when you’re not expecting it.

I eventually tracked down the person who did it. And it was a prank only – no other ulterior motives. They actually spent alot of time and effort on it as they had to create all the murdered bits of the bear themselves. Imagine if they spent all that time and effort on a work-related endeavor instead.

I’m very paranoid and uptight, so antics and pranks like that aren’t my favorite. I start obsessing over WHO did it and WHY did they do it? Do they not like me? Am I being targeted?! Why are people in my desk drawers? What else could they be doing to me that I haven’t discovered yet?! What’s next?! Etc etc.

That’s definitely what goes on in my mind when something like that happens.

But basically, I don’t like being messed with. Joke or not. It just annoys me. And there’s something about the office environment that makes some adults feel like they can run around like unsupervised children. It’s ridiculous.

Do I sound uptight enough? I did a fun post earlier (link here) about which character from the TV series “The Office” I relate to most, and my answer was Angela. Lol, I probably sound alot like her right now.

Unwelcome Surprises at the Office – Cleaning Out Desks

Definitely one more thing that I do not miss about being at the office, is that when a coworker leaves us, we clean-out their desks. This leads to even more chances to find some unwelcome surprises at the office.

Usually we’re looking for a treasure that we’d like to keep for ourselves, like maybe a new pair of scissors or a stapler that isn’t jammed. But for the most part, everything left behind is trash.

One time a coworker left behind a nice framed photo of their family and kids. We actually called and asked if they’d like it returned to them somehow and they said “absolutely not”. Lol, ok. That same photo and frame later made an appearance at the company’s “Dirty Santa” gift-exchange that year. It was a very popular gift too. As I said, the frame was really nice.

The one thing I’ll never forget in my whole life… is when we discovered that a coworker had been hoarding the office coffee cups! And we are still stumped to this day – WHY did he DO this to us?!

I have photos of our discovery, but I need to warn you – do NOT scroll down to see these pics if you have a weak stomach or if you are about to have breakfast…

Don’t.

Do.

It.

I’ll actually wish you all a great day here, in case you do heed my advice and exit now. Catch you later!!! Bye! 🙂

Stop.

Scrolling.

Please.

Listen.

You.

Have.

Been.

Warned.

….

Unwelcome Surprises at the Office / Image Source: Pepper Valentine

January 24, 2021April 24, 2021

Which Character from The Office Are You?

This quick fun game might help us get to know each other a bit better… So which character from The Office are you (U.S. version)?

I really found myself most like Angela. Lol, don’t hate me now! What do you think? That’s me in the top right corner of the image, striking my typical arms-crossed pose. It’s my typical pose because I never have pockets in my work pants and I don’t like my arms to dangle, so… I cross them. Alot.

[The animated part of my image is from Marisa Livingston and can be found on her Instagram.]

I know Angela on The Office comes off as really unlikeable, and I think I do as well. Especially in person. But I can attribute that mostly to just being awkward socially.

But I definitely compartmentalize my life. There’s a time for work and there’s a time for play. And when I am at the office, I am in work mode and I don’t mingle much playfulness into that. When I see my co-workers goofing-off at work instead, it does bother me. Alot. And I do judge them for it too. So that’s particularly where I relate with Angela.

So I usually skip all the extra-curricular events that get scheduled during work hours so I can complete all my work during that time. And I do NOT enjoy any office pranks either. Especially those at my expense. Check out what my co-workers hid in my desk drawer here.

On the other hand, I’m a very good sport about any after-hours events that get scheduled. Happy-hours with fun coworkers at the end of the day were always my fave.

And except for Angela’s situation where 2 men were dueling for her (lol, THAT’S never happened to me), I do relate to her most of all.

How about you? Which character from The Office are you?

January 13, 2021January 17, 2021

4 Things to Look for in Your Perfect Office Bestie

I’ve been working in the corporate world for a longgggg time. And one thing I’ve learned is that you NEED an office bestie to survive. Your mental health requires it. This bestie could become the only thing you look forward to at the office and everyone needs that one thing. Otherwise, it can become a miserable existence there and that’s a LOT of your life you are spending miserable. Life’s way too short for that.

You won’t realize how important this office bestie is to you, until you need them. I actually didn’t come to this conclusion until I myself became the target of a toxic office, and everyone except this one person turned their backs on me because they chose their career over a friend. Most people will probably make that same choice. But when you find that one person who doesn’t, they deserve so much appreciation for it.

[My intro post about my toxic office experience is here, in case you missed it…]

This bestie will be important to vent to, to ask advice from, to make you laugh, to goof off with, to keep company while eating or breaking, etc. Basically, you won’t feel alone there bc of this person.

But while your office bestie can help you survive the daily grind, they can simultaneously have a crippling effect on your career goals. So you must be very careful who you choose for this. Some things to look out for:

1) That they are trustworthy. They hear all your venting, which isn’t anyone’s best moment. If they share any of that with others at work, you are in jeopardy of being seriously misconstrued and targeted as a squeaky wheel.

2) Their “side” in the toxic office. Are they a target of the toxic office? Or are they a part of the toxic office? Bc you’ll be lumped in with them, so choose wisely. This is where you do have to choose either your friendship or your career, because I don’t believe it’s possible to maintain both.

3) That they aren’t a higher position than you. Even a well-deserved promotion will be disputed by your peers when they know you have a friendship with a higher-up. And their cooperation going forward will be much harder to come by.

4) Marital Status. Here’s the thing, if you and your office bestie are the opposite sex, regardless of whether or not there is any intimacy after-hours, the office gossips WILL loudly proclaim that you two are most definitely an item. Are you willing to accept such gossip? If the both of you are single, then the gossip might not be a big deal. But if either of you – or both – are married, then this gossip can be devastating and you would probably be better off choosing a different office bestie.

And there’s probably a few more tips for this I could share with you. But these are the top 4 for sure. Do you have any tips regarding this you’d like to share? 🙂