Apparently state employees aren't allowed to eat...

[Slave to the Phone]

Our customers sit in the lobby until they are called back into the office area, so I can go outside on my breaks unmolested. Or rather, I can make it OUT the door unmolested. I have lost track of how many times someone came into the smoking area (which is on the other side of the building from customer's entrance) to ask if I could look something up about their case.

"No, i'm sorry, you need to go in and get a number." "But, it will just take a minute, I only want to know X."

[Food Lady]

Basically people need to mind their own business. Busybodies.

[Lace Neil Singer]

my strategy for going on break is to just tell people I'm already helping someone and keep going, not even giving a chance.

I do this, as well, cuz I only have half an hour for my break and I won't get another chance to eat/smoke til after my shift. There are loads of other employees around who are not on break, ask them!

I got into the habit of changing out of my uniform and into my regular clothes way back at the first job I had that meant I didn't work from open to close, cuz of annoying customers stopping me when I was on my way out to the door and asking me questions. When I'm wearing street clothes, I'm safe; I blend in. Customers have been known to bother employees who are shopping after work, complete with accompanying other half and trolley, just cuz they are still in uniform. One woman even had her children with her, and an SC still bothered her.

[Sparklyturtle]

There's construction going on in front of my house, and yesterday morning several workers were standing around talking. However, the conversation I overheard sounded like this:

"Okay, Joe, I want you down in front of 14 working on the driveway entrance. Fred, I need you to pick up fallen branches and feed them into the wood chipper. Sam, you start digging in front of 26. Angela will be right there with the dump truck." (Angela had a hot pink dump truck.) In essence, the foreman was passing out jobs for the day, so definitely work-connected.

I saw a fire engine being towed the last time I was on the freeway. It was a paramedic vehicle, too. Tsk. (Not really. Fire engines can break down just like any other vehicle.)

[Chromatix]

Railway maintenance workers (aka the Orange Army) are often seen "just standing around" by passengers of passing trains.

The reason?

They've moved out of the way of the dirty great train bearing down on them at a rate of knots.

[TawnyMyst]

Railway maintenance workers (aka the Orange Army) are often seen "just standing around" by passengers of passing trains. The reason? They've moved out of the way of the dirty great train bearing down on them at a rate of knots.

Also, as a railway worker, I can tell you that I'm required by law that except in a few unique circumstances to stop what I'm doing and watch the train past. Do an inspection and radio it in, for the safety of the passengers/freight, also for the safety of the general public. All of my attention must be on that train as it goes past, so it can often look like "I'm just standing around".

[Deserted]

Railway maintenance workers (aka the Orange Army) are often seen "just standing around" by passengers of passing trains.

The reason?

They've moved out of the way of the dirty great train bearing down on them at a rate of knots.

How... how DARE they?!

[Lace Neil Singer]

A little while back, there was a parade thru town (See Sucktomer Random Thoughts thread) and while it was on, my colleague and I were watching it. An idiot customer apparently complained about us just standing around, she was told that since it was deader than dead and there were three of us working at the time, then there wasn't a problem. Said customer was probably just hacked off cuz she was too stupid to get out of the car park before the barricades went up.

[Difdi]

well in new jersey the busybodies complained because security guards in uniform were stopping at restaurants that serve alcohol to pick up lunch.

yes, not staying, not actually drinking, just stepping in to pick up a to go order.

It's now illegal for any new jersey security guard to enter ANY establishment that sells intoxicating beverages, while in uniform. yes that includes the pharmacy of green walls which sells wine, and pretty much any restaurant that isn't fast food.

It occurs to me that if you were to get a similar law passed that applied to members of the state legislature while the legislature is in session, you could drastically reduce the number of bad laws of that type.

[flyonthewall]

The idea that state employees are salaried employees that get lunch breaks just like average 9-5 people is hard to grasp for some. VERY hard to grasp.

[mjr]

Once when I worked at King of Burgers, I got sent on a break, and climbed on top of the restaurant (I used that ladder that goes part-way down the building -- I was in better shape back then) and had my break up there. It got busy, and I know people were looking for me, because I heard people come outside yelling for me.

[EricKei]

"But, it will just take a minute, I only want to know X."

"Do you SEE a computer with a database out here?"

[Deserted]

Once when I worked at King of Burgers, I got sent on a break, and climbed on top of the restaurant (I used that ladder that goes part-way down the building -- I was in better shape back then) and had my break up there. It got busy, and I know people were looking for me, because I heard people come outside yelling for me.

That is GENIUS. It's one thing to hide, but DAMN.

[Food Lady]

That is GENIUS. It's one thing to hide, but DAMN.

I know! I thought about it once. I've worked at several BKs and 2 of them had those ladders, IIRC.

[smileyeagle1021]

The idea that state employees are salaried employees that get lunch breaks just like average 9-5 people is hard to grasp for some. VERY hard to grasp.

I also think that a lot of people have a hard time remembering that "official state business" means a lot more than just road construction and highway patrol. I think that the vast majority of people would be surprised at just how much the state government does behind the scenes.