Tales From the Trenches: The 3 Strangest Things I Heard About This Week
I talk to a lot of people, and I hear a lot of stories. They range from boring to bizarre and give me great insight into the human condition. Whenever I hear strange stories, I wonder, “Why would anyone do that?” I don’t ever have the answer, but I find the behavior fascinating. Here are the top 3 strange and inappropriate tales I heard this week.
Am I the CEO’s personal trainer? A client works for a small company that is remote. On occasion, the team will meet up in a co-working space, coffee shop, or the like when they need to meet in person. My client was asked to meet the CEO in the juice bar of his gym. This in and of itself didn’t seem odd to him, as they’d had meetings in a variety of non-office spaces, including public parks. My client assumed they would sit in the juice bar and go over business before or after the CEO completed his workout. Wrong. My client arrived and was summoned to the gym floor, where the CEO had him set up his weights and mat and refill his water while he did his workout and discussed the matter at hand.
Do you need to shower first? A client who works in internal public relations/communications for a software company set up a video interview between a reporter at Reuters and one of her company’s executives. When the executive got on the call, his hair was a mess and clearly needed combing, and his shirt (which was a t-shirt) was wrinkled. After the interview was over, she addressed the issue of personal presentation with him. He did not take the criticism well. He told her that his shirt was an expensive designer shirt, blah, blah, blah. He was indignant. I hope he at least brushed his teeth that morning.
Am I at a daycare? The client met with a brand-new coworker whom she had never met before. When the new hire turned on her camera, she was sitting in her bedroom with both her toddler and her infant in her lap. My client said she was a bit taken aback since even though they are all working remotely, they are still trying to maintain a professional demeanor, but gave the new colleague the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she had a problem with childcare that day, and being a working mom has its challenges. But it gets better. At one point in the meeting, this woman got up and changed the infant’s diaper on the bed. And kept talking as if the infant wasn’t even a factor. If you’re going to do this, please don’t turn your camera on!
I know I said I had 3 examples for you, but here’s a bonus. A client works for a company notorious for underpaying its people by at least 20%. He tells me it’s an odd culture wherein there are a number of people who have lengthy tenures and were there when the company went through its IPO and that they are resistant to new ideas that come in with new hires. The pre-IPO people made a LOT of money when the company went public, so perhaps they are not bothered by not being paid the market rate. My client’s boss (one of these long-time employees) lamented how he hasn’t been able to hire anyone for the vacancies he has, and he doesn’t know why that is. He then went on to tell the team that one of the people he was interviewing flat-out said to him that the salary was low and below market. The manager found this to be rude. “It’s as if all these people care about is money!” Yes, my client is looking to leave this company.
Don’t do this. Don’t do any of this. Don’t make your employees be your caddie or your personal trainer. Maintain proper grooming and hygiene when working, even if you’re working from home. Don’t change a diaper on a work call (I never thought I would ever say that!). And don’t be offended when a candidate gives you a reality check.