Recently, all of us at work had to watch a video on workplace violence. The main thing I took away from it was that one of the people mentioned in a fake “incident report” was named “James Jones.” For some reason, that seemed somewhat appropriate.
After the video, I realized I didn’t have my handout on Workplace Violence. I quickly ascertained that one of my colleagues had purloined it, so I smacked him and took it back. It was quite satisfying.
My employer insisted on mandatory sexual harassment training despite my insistence that I had already mastered that skill.
Long ago, at a company I once worked for, the department I worked in had a little sign on my wall that said ‘sexual harrassment is not reported here, it’s graded.’
Sigh. Somehow, I never got sexually harrassed there. 😉
PC police eventually made us take it down – along with every other bit of humor in the place. I quit about 6 months later – a year after that, no one I had worked with was still in that department.
3 years later, I checked around and no-one in the whole section I had worked in was still there. That division filed bankruptcy not long after that…
The best cure for workplace violence is to require employees to be armed.
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.”
— Robert A. Heinlein, “Beyond This Horizon”, 1942
Curious – does your company accept that they will provide for your security in the event of workplace violence?
Did they think “James Jones” is so generic that there is no such person? I have a co-worker named James Jones. He lives with the Jim Jones references all the time. Now I guess he has another burden.
Was the video for your work as a blogger or your paying job?
Just want to be clear.
As burdensome names go James Jones isn’t so bad. I once worked with a guy named Tony Boner…
Once again, the pendulum swings too far. I heard from a friend the other day that a VERY nice man she works with made a comment in front of a female coworker and is now up on sexual harrassment charges. He may lose his job. Apparently, someone mentioned that things had to be moved so the carpets could be cleaned. His response, “I’ll clean YOUR carpet!” – from what I’m told, he meant it more like “I’ll clean your clock”, but now he’s up on charges.
On the other end of the spectrum – I was about 22, a young mother, and was the sec. to the prez of a small corporation. The prez and vp of ops took turns chasing me around the desk – and grabbing my ass, but I needed the job until I was able to find another one. That was before anyone cared about sexual harrassment.
I have no idea where I’m going with this… LOL
But did any of you see The Office episode about Sexual Harrassment? It was hysterical.
Incidentally, talking about burdensome names – you have to love Dick Trickle of NASCAR fame.