Office Bureaucracy

Ice Burn · May 16, 2007, 03:08 PM

Share your experiences with your office's inane bureaucratic processes.

Here's mine.

This is when I started my new job. I noticed there was no trashcan in my office. So I checked for the services link on the company's intranet site. There's a maintenance and materials request link. Good I thought, it should be easy enough to file an online request for a trashcan. So I filed the request online. Maybe an hour later I received a call. Here's how the conversation went.

Person: Hi. Is this Ms. Ice Burn?
Me: Yes
Person: Ma'am did you request for a trashcan?
Me: Yes
Person: What kind of trashcan do you need? A blue or a black trashcan?
Me: (*Puzzled) What's the difference between the blue and the black trashcan?
Person: The blue trashcan is for soiled waste, the black is for paper.
Me: Ok, can I have both then?
Person: You need to call extension XXXX for the black trashcan, we only supply the blue trashcan.
Me: (*What the hell?) You mean there's a different department for the black trashcan?
Person: Yes.
Me: But I can request for the blue trashcan now?
Person: Yes, we'll deliver it to your office tomorrow.

So I call the other extension for the black trashcan.
Me: Hi. Is this where I file a request for a black trashcan?
Person: Yes. Do you need a black trashcan?
Me: Yes, that's why I am calling.
Person: Can I have you name please?
Me: This is Ice Burn
Person: What is your department and room number?
Me: *gives my department and room number
Person: Who is your supervisor?
Me: *gives supervisor's name
Person: Ma'am I need to verify first that you are authorized to request for a black trashcan because you are not in the system yet.
Me: (*Good lord, over a friggin trashcan???) How long before I actually receive a trashcan?
Person: Once I verify that you are authorized to request for a black trashcan, we'll have it delivered to your office.
Me: All this for a trashcan?
Person: Yes ma'am.
Me: (*Shakes my head) Thank you.

Like I'm going to steal a trashcan from my office. And so much for the online request sheesh. All these policies and paperwork over something as mundane as requesting for a trashcan.


May 16, 2007, 03:08 PM	#1
Ice Burn Conflicting Karma Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Rimakyr	Office Bureaucracy Share your experiences with your office's inane bureaucratic processes. Here's mine. This is when I started my new job. I noticed there was no trashcan in my office. So I checked for the services link on the company's intranet site. There's a maintenance and materials request link. Good I thought, it should be easy enough to file an online request for a trashcan. So I filed the request online. Maybe an hour later I received a call. Here's how the conversation went. Person: Hi. Is this Ms. Ice Burn? Me: Yes Person: Ma'am did you request for a trashcan? Me: Yes Person: What kind of trashcan do you need? A blue or a black trashcan? Me: (Puzzled)* What's the difference between the blue and the black trashcan? Person: The blue trashcan is for soiled waste, the black is for paper. Me: Ok, can I have both then? Person: You need to call extension XXXX for the black trashcan, we only supply the blue trashcan. Me: (What the hell?)* You mean there's a different department for the black trashcan? Person: Yes. Me: But I can request for the blue trashcan now? Person: Yes, we'll deliver it to your office tomorrow. So I call the other extension for the black trashcan. Me: Hi. Is this where I file a request for a black trashcan? Person: Yes. Do you need a black trashcan? Me: Yes, that's why I am calling. Person: Can I have you name please? Me: This is Ice Burn Person: What is your department and room number? Me: gives my department and room number Person: Who is your supervisor? Me: gives supervisor's name Person: Ma'am I need to verify first that you are authorized to request for a black trashcan because you are not in the system yet. Me: (Good lord, over a friggin trashcan???)* How long before I actually receive a trashcan? Person: Once I verify that you are authorized to request for a black trashcan, we'll have it delivered to your office. Me: All this for a trashcan? Person: Yes ma'am. Me: (Shakes my head)* Thank you. Like I'm going to steal a trashcan from my office. And so much for the online request sheesh. All these policies and paperwork over something as mundane as requesting for a trashcan.