Insert Global Warming Reference Here

[nem0.livejournal.com]

Okay, I get that it's -30 outside and all, and the heaters in this new building don't work worth a damn, but if all of you bastards bring space heaters, it will blow the goddamn breakers, and you know what? I'm not going to fix it. If you don't have power in your office because you couldn't be bothered to buy a fucking sweater, do not bother crying to me. And if your cube neighbor blows the circuit you share? Take it up with her, not me. I DON'T CARE THAT YOU'RE COLD. LONG UNDERWEAR. IT IS CHEAP. INVEST. Seriously, how long have you lived in Montana? Oh, you're a proud native, are you? HOW ARE YOU NOT USED TO THIS BY NOW?

And before anyone else asks, no, I can't adjust the thermostats. Last time I did that, I got yelled at because, despite being in charge of building security and maintenance, I am apparently not authorized to adjust the heat. Look, the people in charge won't even fix the A/C in the server room, what makes you think they'll fix any of the other climate systems? Ask your secret santa for heated USB gloves if it bothers you that much.

Oh good, now there's that nice, happy burning smell in the air. Maybe I should print out some fire escape route posters before I go to lunch and don't come back.

Comments

[major-error.livejournal.com]

As you've already recognized, you're fighting a losing battle...

Had the same problem at my last job. Told them the same things...
Their solution? plugging it in to another row and stretch the cord across the aisle.

Must be another one of those differences between the sexes. A guy will bundle up as necessary (or not if he's acting tough.) From what I've seen a girl will only wear something approaching warm to get to/from the car, and would prefer every enclosed structure have a 75*+ temperature (since dressing warmly apparently isn't fashionable?)

Yeah, there are exceptions, but like I said, last-job womens' antics. In retrospect, it's pretty funny.

[oceanica.livejournal.com]

Just try finding warm women's clothing, especially office-appropriate clothing. It's not easy. Few retailers will carry much of it, and most is VERY casual.

[jimbojones.livejournal.com]

hello, SWEATERS? undershirts under sweaters? multiple undershirts under sweaters if necessary? sweat pants / long johns underneath slacks if that's still not enough?

I'm just saying.

[nem0.livejournal.com]

I am a woman, but luckily the office is informal enough that I can get away with a fur-lined hoodie or a clean shell jacket when the heat's not cooperating. Even at a business casual office, though, I did okay with layered sweaters and lined khakis. With proper accessories, a few layers of Old Navy stuff can look pretty snazzy, or put on a light long sleeved shirt under a blouse with a fairly hefty blazer. Shoes, however... that could get complicated.

The gender divide is pretty sharply defined, though. All the space heater users are women, but nobody bothered to break into the thermostats until it got cold enough to bug the men. Which, you know, I'm okay with, because if the office was 75+ degrees, I'd leave and refuse to do maintenance except in the middle of the night.

[major-error.livejournal.com]

heh. Not trying to be insensitive. Just stating observations.
The women in question were younger than me, and seemed more concerned about looking good than being warm. I always wore long-sleeved shirts with a t-shirt underneath regardless of the outside temperature.
The office was in a high-rise, and Facilities kept it at 72 almost year-round

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

My last office had a dress code that included not allowing shorts, miniskirts, tank tops, or similarly revealing work clothes. Work-appropriate winter clothes (sweaters and slacks, wool pants-suits) were easier to find than work-appropriate summer clothes.

[reanimated.livejournal.com]

man, i'm sorry you have to dress business-like at work. FSM bless my office for just specifying 'you know, clothes...and shoes...' but dude, warm sweaters? can very easily go with slacks. just hit up the gap.

[reanimated.livejournal.com]

lol in tech support, what women dress up for work? shit i wear sweaters every day and hey, i'm still cold. i haven't seen any women around the office here NOT bundled up. we don't fuck with this cold business. ;p

i would think women working support are disproportionately "exceptions" to your "rule." but i guess your office is different, dunno.

[salavora.livejournal.com]

*g*
I am really lucky, that you only have to wear business clothing around here, when you go to the customer! (We are nearly all programmers).
Other then that we can dress as we see fit!
Right now I am sitting here in jeans (warm jeans! Yes!) and an old but warm hooded jumper.

But when I did an internship in a hotel... Skirts, a certain type of socks, a certain type of shirt.. argh!
I was cold all the time -_-

[jimbojones.livejournal.com]

The other thing that pisses me off: wherever the hell their workstation is, they INEVITABLY want to position their goddamn space heater so that its exhaust blows DIRECTLY INTO the intake of the workstation. Hello, forty degree rise in case ambient temp...

Oh yeah, and let's not forget that the space heater INEVITABLY gets plugged into the UPS. Usually on the battery side.

[salavora.livejournal.com]

*g*!
Tell them, rather casually, that they better back up their files, since unlike them their computer dosn't like heat much and hence will most certainly shut down shortly.
(And if it doesn't, pull the main plug yourself like wxgeek recommended ^^)

[wxgeek.livejournal.com]

The next time this happens, pull breakers on the offending sections of the building. State that the breakers have actually shorted due to overuse of space heaters. Inform them that power will return tomorrow, which is the soonest you can have these proprietary breakers airmailed in.

Sit back, sip warm coffee, enjoy.

[nem0.livejournal.com]

I like the way you think.

[wxgeek.livejournal.com]

The second time it happens, bill for it.

[ptstech.livejournal.com]

THIS!

[wolfhound668.livejournal.com]

I worked in an office where there were several women using space heaters on the same circuit as one of the big laser printers. Every time someone printed, *pop* went the breaker. I always had to reset it because hey, if it's electric it's an IT issue right?

I could see in the middle of winter but in August??? I only wish I was kidding.

It took months for management to get an electrician out to look at the circuit (odd it took so long since the manager's office were on the same circuit). His fix? Wait for it... Move the managers onto their own circuit. Leave the rest alone. Again, I only wish I was kidding.

[toxico.livejournal.com]

You know, nary half an hour had passed after reading this when I got a notice that half the HR group can't work because they blew the breaker by plugging in a space heater.

Can you please post about hot naked female WoW players next? That'd be awesome.

[ptomblin-lj.livejournal.com]

When I was in university, the thermostats in the dorm common rooms had plastic sheilds around them to prevent us raising the temperature above 20C (about68F). The mechanical engineers and CS majors tried to pick the lock, but I was a lowly civil engineer, so when I was in the common room I'd grab a plastic bag, fill it with ice, and pack it around the sheild. Worked fine.

[anthalus.livejournal.com]

Or simply hit it at a proper angle and those things fall off...

[natertots.livejournal.com]

Why would you ever want the temp above 68F???
That's just obscene.

[awarrenfells.livejournal.com]

Luckily... everyone here is smart enough to bring a hoody when it gets rather cold inside... even though the thermostat is set to a uinversal 74 degrees all year 'round.

[laviededavid.livejournal.com]

At my last job I had the space heater issue all the time in most cases it was them plugging it into the power strip causing it to trip like 5 min after being turned on and they just couldn't understand why and more so how what they were doing was a fire hazard and against company policy....but lucky for them no one enforces policy so about once a week i'd be out there to reset the power strip for some dumb teller....:/

[berkeleyfarm.livejournal.com]

A while back I worked support in a government office where the power layout in cube-land had been done in the terminal era and was not sufficient to support a PC and a monitor and a printer and and and ... I got a lot of complaints that "the monitor was making funny lines" when the space heater or the coffee pot was plugged in the same power outlet (which might be daisy-chained ... ugh). "But it's the only one I have!" Sorry, ma'am, you might want to talk with facilities about that.

I thought those days were gone, but just set up an office where the VPs had exactly one power outlet each in their Golden Gate-view offices thanks to the brainiacs in project management, who had not bothered to consult us about our IT needs.

[http://users.livejournal.com/shiara_/]

My workplace building, an en-masse cube farm, is set between 24 and 26 degrees Celcius, regardless of the time of year. Great for the winter, not so for the summer.

I believe in sweaters and turtlenecks, too, but apparently I'm a lone bird among many.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

I used to work at a place that had a strict "No Space Heaters" policy. Something kept popping the breakers in that area of the building, so management would come around occasionally and check everyone's cubicles to make sure they didn't have one.

The power problem couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that this was an R&D facility and there were like 6 computers in my cubicle alone, nope, that couldn't be it.