I hate to put this horrible image into your heads, but I was thinking about something while taking a shower a few minutes ago. It’s a story that still annoys me, yet whenever I try to explain it… NOBODY is sympathetic. They always seize upon an unimportant part of the tale, and go off on a tangent. Almost every time.
So, I’ll see how you guys react. It’s gonna be a quickie, because Toney’s home and I’ve been upstairs chatting with her all day, instead of writing.
Anyway, when we lived in California I worked in the building above. It’s located at 101 N. Hollywood Way in Burbank, directly across the street from the main gate of Warner Bros. Studios. It was the WEA Building for decades, but is now used by Warner Bros. International, or somesuch. You know, seeing as how the once-mighty WEA doesn’t really exist anymore.
There are four levels of parking underneath, and every employee had an assigned space. Keep that fact in mind: EVERY employee had an assigned spot. Not just the big-shots, but everyone… from the CEO to the just-hired clerk.
And there was an unofficial pecking order. I didn’t create this system, it had been in existence for years before I arrived. Can you tell I’m already getting defensive? But the more important you were, the higher up in the garage was your parking space. The VPs and directors were mostly on level one, and the managers (like me) were mostly on level two, etc.
For a year or so, I had my space on level two, and all was right with the world. Then, one day I arrived at work… and there was a big-ass $50,000 pick-up truck in my space. What the? Slightly irritated, I parked in the space of a guy who was on vacation, and went upstairs to my office. Somebody just made a mistake, of course. Probably a visitor, or something. I’d just email the building manager, and he’d take care of it.
But no. It was no mistake. Some guy who was promoted from the Chicago branch had just started that day, and they freaking bumped me. Bumped me without telling me. They decided he was more important, and gave him my spot! I got moved down seven spaces, or so, right on the cusp of level three. And this guy was a manager, just like me. WTF?
I complained about it to my friend Tim, in West Virginia, and it was highly unsatisfactory. He couldn’t get past the fact I had an assigned parking spot. NOT THE POINT! I believe he called me Little Lord Fauntleroy, and said something about my delicate sensibilities. He kept talking about my private parking space “in Hollywood,” and how he’d trudged two city blocks in snowy slush that day, to get to his office.
Grrr… The assigned parking space is some kind of emotional sticking point for everybody. But It has little to do with the story. It was the bumping that bothered me. And nearly being the only manager on level three. I know it seems petty, and egotistical. But is there any sympathy out there? Even an ounce? That shit made me look bad.
Please let me know your thoughts on this important matter.
And I’ll see you guys again soon.
Now playing in the bunker
Treat yourself to something cool at Amazon!
I sympathize.
I work for a soulless corporation so being bumped or slighted or just plain ignored is the norm and it pisses me off.
We don’t have assigned spaces (except the top echelon) but I always park in the same spot mainly to avoid getting my car nicked. If someone takes my hypothetical spot, it ruins my whole day.
So Jeff, I offer you a shoulder to cry on because what they did to you is pure horseshit.
And sonovabeehive, I’m number 1!
I hear you on this one. Unacceptable, and you have my sympathies!
I think I would have lost my shit over that one.
I would have been so mad. The fact that they didn’t tell you in advance is what gets me. Not only did they bump you for no real reason (he was a manager just like you) but you had to figure it out on your own. They could have given the new manager the spot that was several spaces down. It doesn’t even make sense. It’s like they were trying to make you mad. Totally unacceptable.
Ditto Linda on this one.
That’s just wrong. It’s just like getting a demotion. I work hard and like to be appreciated and rewarded for my efforts. When I see unfairness and preferential treatment going on, it bothers me.
you should have set it on fire.
Ok we don’t have assigned spaces, but we all established our spots years ago. There is a new guy who has been here for two months and JUST started parking in my space, since they are NOT assigned I get no sympathy, and I have to walk even further now unless I get here really early. It irratates me to no end. I’m not a confrontational person, but I’m about to go off on him… don’t even get me started about my spot in the fridge at work….
Do you have your own stall too? 🙂
The fridge at work… there has to be frat houses that have cleaner fridges than ours. I’ve made it my mission this year to silently throw out expired food. Recently tossed a bunch Jamie Lee Curtis Poop-Aid dated 1-12-13.
I’m a level two guy as well. I would be a level one guy, but my truck is too big to fit in those tiny-ass, straight in parking spots on level one without geting beat all to shit by inconsiderate co-workers. I think everyone that parks on level one is Japanese and drives those matchbox cars. I enjoy level two, it allows me to enjoy the aroma of wino piss smell while walking down the stairwell. Ahhhhh, wino piss !!!
I worked for a big corporation and on the day I threatened to leave, they offered me promotion, raise, stock, you name it. I asked for an assigned parking space. I was gone by Friday.
You shoulda CUT HIS FUCKING BRAKE LINES. And everyone else who was in front of him and might have had a hand in his absurd “promotion’.
I was going to say something about workplace violence, but it’s so off color that I guess I’ll keep it to myself. Besides, I don’t want to hear a bunch of blubbering vaginas lie about how “my Aunt was shot by a maniac at IBM, not funny….” and so on.
Tell me about the workplace violence, George
I work at home, alone, and there is plenty of workplace violence here. I love it. Just hope I don’t get shot.
This sounds like a George Costanza-focused episode of “Seinfeld.”
I agree with Linda on this one. The company should have told you beforehand if they were going to move you. I don’t think the CEO would stand for his spot being taken, so why should any employee? If there was an empty spot to move YOU to, then they could have just as easily moved new guy to that spot, leaving you in yours and everyone would have been happy and we would have never gotten this story.
So, perhaps it was a good thing this happened. We got this story, after all!
I feel your pain. Sure it’s just a parking spot to some people but that’s a major slap in the face.
We are getting ready to add some offices and shuffle most of us project managers around. Someone left the drawing lay out and everyone was checking it to see where they were going. I’m supposed to move from across from the men’s room to a window office. I think I deserve it based on the revenue I bring in compared to who is currently sitting there. Most people are raising holy hell as there were only three window offices up for grabs, probably the three losing them and a couple of others I’m sure. We’ll see if I actually get it when all is said in done but I’ll be ready to resign if they screw me over because someone complained.
Yeah, that totally sucks. Not so much the matter of the actual parking space, but what it stands for; especially the fact that they didn’t move everyone between your old spot and the available spot down a space, it’s like they demoted you several spots, not just transferred someone in who was ranked above you.
That is shitty. You should have come in real early and parked in your spot and see what would happen when Mr Big Shot rolled in.
Parking is always a sore spot for me. Had a new guy start a few months ago in another department. He parks his heap next to mine… As in apartment complex close. Like WTF buddy, open your eyes and look how everybody else in this row parks. . Other days, he would park two apartment complex spaces from me, leaving not enough room for anybody, but just enough room for some dick head to try and park in. That was the final straw, I confronted the blubbering idiot (yeah, one of those mealy toe the line guys who probably won’t cross a yellow line in the road to go around a parked car) . I ask him to give me an extra foot of space cause well, I like to open my door. He blubbers on about something, I repeat my demand. Now the fucker parks in another row. Good. Too afraid to park a little further away from me, too stupid to think about the what-ifs of idiots that tend to come and go in our parking lot. (us regulars park one after the other as we arrive to keep our vehicles relatively safe from “outsiders”. But I still get a chuckle from this.
Must be a California thing.
Cry me a river…..
Maybe when you started Jeff you bumped somebody down to level 3?
I park in my unofficial spot and one day I was running late and my friend saw me approaching the parking lot. He glanced over and I realized it was on. We raced to the spot and he smugly beat me out of my usual spot. It was all in good fun.
Did they start paying you less? If yes, then you have my sympathies. Since you didnt mention, I guess they did not. I gotta go with the LLF theory on this one, fancy boy!
Yeah, this is unsatisfactory. What they did “sent a message,” intentional or not. Give the n00b the faraway space.
.
I agree with most of y’all. Move the new guy. Moving someone who has a routine for someone new is a jerk move and would make me question my place in the company.
Yes it is only a parking space but it was your parking space.
What sort of truck was it? I once had an underground parking neighbor buy one of those Hummer H2 turd wagons only to find it wouldn’t fit through the garage entrance. Laugh? I nearly died!
Epic. I would pay to see that.
I had to be at a job site for about a week, and they assigned me a parking space in their garage for that week. One day I arrived to find some douche not only parked in my space, but parked diagonally so that he blocked the next space as well. I left him a note pointing out the error of his ways.
.
Expired poop aid is extremely effective.
Sympathy? Not so much. Moved 7 spaces? Almost the only manager on level 3? The horror, the horror…
How could that story NOT garner sympathy? Not ever having had my very own, assigned parking space, I’m only up for empathy, but sympathy isn’t so far away.
Could have been worse. They could make everyone in your company back into their spots…
http://goo.gl/maps/Ntm9x
Ouch. Yeah, that is the first thing I thought of – they put your space closer to the tampon machine, or something. Only then did I run across the idea that it was kind of an unspoken snub – riddled with all kinds of implications of your job performance and such. Sorry, bro.
When has being closer to the tampon machine ever been a bad thing? You know which gals to avoid and which ones you could still get preggers at the office christmas party.