Humour in the work place

My work environment is just as complicated as my life it seems. Let me start with this week. I explained earlier how busy it gets at this time of the year and my office is off the side of the warehouse. I sit there busy with all my capturing and costing and placing collections. I hear the noise of the fork lift but do not really pay much attention.

It was only when Bern needed to come into my office that I saw I had been barricaded in my office. The workers had moved the tables they use to sort their waybills out across my door. Now this was not such a big challenge as I am sure you are thinking but they had then packed the boxes against the desks and I was trapped in my office.

As funny as it may have looked, Bern was not impressed and in a split second she had the boxes moved and my door cleared for me. I sat their and wondered what would have happened if she was outside on the fork lift loading the boxes into the containers and I needed to leave my office in a hurry. I need to bring grappling gear to work.

The other day I was filling my “Processed” stamp and before I knew it my hands were covered in this awful pink stamp ink. My desk was covered in it and my hands were a disgrace. I braved the boxes to go to the ladies and no matter how I tried there was no ways I was going to gain entrance into the kitchen or bathroom. I walked to Bern’s office and told her she needed to follow me.

We have been quite stressed out at work and have had a few altercations in our business dealings with our two companies and words have been spoken in harsh tones and the pressure has been getting to us. It got so bad at one time, that Bern told me to watch my tone of voice! I was mortified and realized that I had over stepped the boundaries of work and our relationship. I walked off and was highly offended and upset and decided that this just was not worth it. So when I asked her to accompany me she was sure I was going to moan about a service failure once again. When she saw that the kitchen and bathroom areas was totally blocked off she though this was quite funny and barked instructions that the staff need to clear a path for me to the kitchen area. “Common Guys, what you think you are doing – Michelle Needs to use the bathroom!” Why not announce it to the world Bern! If it’s not the toilet being disconnected from the wall as happened when I first moved in, I now have to fight the boxes to find the ladies!

I have also had the delight of going to the ladies, only to find my path blocked on the way out. I stood there shaking my head and try as I might there was just no way out. It is for this very reason that I keep cell phone with me to call for help. I rang Bern on her Cell phone and she answered “Very Funny – is this the only way you can get my attention?” as she is always on the phone- to which I responded “No actually I would like to be let out of the ladies and would appreciate some assistance!”

She had no clue what I was talking about and I had to explain that I was trapped in the ladies. It is very hard to have a conversation when the person on the other side of the phone sounds like a hyena that has just found the mother load and is inviting the world to join in their discovery. When she finally managed to control herself she barked instructions for the boxes to be moved once again. I swear the workers have it in for me and watch my every move – just waiting for the chance to trap me and “Box me in!” Trying to find my way back to the office is also a challenge.


It is also very amusing trying to find Bern on the floor as I have to follow her voice, and I do the climb over boxes, through boxes between pallets and stock. Reminds me of Jack -Jack Flash your light or Hide and Seek – but not as enjoyable.

We had this friend who one day got it into her head that she could drive the fork lift. Now this piece of equipment is not for the use of imbeciles. She was past annoyed on this particular day and had decided that she had had enough of the excuses of why her freight was not being loaded for her client that she deiced to take control and load it her self.

This almost 6ft blonde Amazon climbed onto the fork lift and like a warrior goddess charged the fork lift in the direction of the Operations manager. The evidence of her rage is still in the walls as she rode into the wall and it now has two distinct holes where the forks went through the dry wall.

I offered to help Bern the other day on the fork lift. Once she had gained her composure, and was able to talk without collapsing into this fit of uncontrollable laughter which became a magnet for more laughter, she explained that Fork Lifts were not designed for people of my stature. At least she did not have the cheek or courage to call me short or a Hobbit as I swear I would have flown across the boxes like a witch in flight and throttled her.

Although I must admit I did see her point as I know that reaching the peddles would have been quite a challenge for me. One of the guys on the floor offered to find wooden pieces I could attach to my shoes but then added that even stilts would not help me. These people think they are comedians! I on the other hand think they are just plain rude!

One of the drivers at our previous job was so busy driving the fork lift and moving the freight around he misjudged a wall which was a divider about 1 and a ½ metre high. He drove into the wall, the wall fell over and he climbed off the fork lift and ran to the taxi rank and refused point blank to return to work!

This industry is very challenging and stressful and has moments of absolute madness. I still ask myself why on earth I chose this to be my career – but there are times when it is extremely rewarding and a lot of fun. We have always managed to find the humour in even the worst and most challenging situations. Like the other day, the trailer was being loaded and the packers did not think of the laws of gravity as they merrily placed more and more boxes into the trailer. Before they knew it the trailer had tipped like a see saw and they were sprawled at the bottom of the trailer with the boxes yelling for help.

Everyone rushed out and they with a lot of bodies who had lost control and were rolling on the loading bay with fits of laughter with Bern shouting instructions they finally managed to balance the trailer and continued to load the boxes in. This industry does have its moments of sheer anger and frustrations but we do find humour in the strangest places.

I will continue to ask myself why I am doing this and hopefully I will find the answers, but until then I will walk the walk of the hopeful and never give up hope. I have put in a request for a flag to be placed above my office so I don’t wonder around the office looking for the entrance to my office.