The Water Cooler

Matt Giltaji

12:02 AM

yay, time to spend votes!

jmac

12:41 AM

Hey @gnat! Long time no see.

Matt Giltaji

1:02 AM

digging through meta and it looks like we had a bunch of good ideas back in the day that seem to have died off

4

Q: What events can we schedule for Chat?

The Chat room has the amazing ability to be able to have scheduled events that overlay on the main site to encourage people to partake. The problem is we don't really seem to have anything to schedule! Space.stack exchange schedules around launches to watch together, some other sites schedule ar...

should I edit to rez it or make a new meta post?

jmac

@MattGiltaji Feel free to pick them back up! I think resurrecting the post has more impact (because it shows it was an older idea), but you can do it whichever way you think best

Matt Giltaji

2:45 AM

this seems like it should be on meta

0

Q: Is it okay to put parts of my contract online without naming client or employer?

I just broke a contract in about one month to leave for a better job. The reasons are justifiable. The employer is asking me some questions which I think are meant to trick me into not getting my wages. I want to put about 10% of my contract on this forum because I have some questions about the...

new-job job-change contracts

OP is asking if we can look at the contract and provide advice

answer is no, but should we move it to meta or straight close it?

enderland

3:13 AM

I'm not sure, I voted to close

jmac

I moved it to meta

it is a good question.

Stack Exchange

1

Q: Is it okay to put parts of my contract online without naming client or employer?

I just broke a contract in about one month to leave for a better job. The reasons are justifiable. The employer is asking me some questions which I think are meant to trick me into not getting my wages. I want to put about 10% of my contract on this forum because I have some questions about the...

discussion

enderland

@jmac isn't the answer to that question - the meta question - still basically requiring a lawyer to know? we can't know whether or not his company, contract, country, etc have confidentiality agreements or not and no one here can speak for that complicated interaction

jmac

@enderland Yep! And that's good information for people in the future who may wonder the same.

Basically, 'you can put whatever you want here, we don't know where it's from, or if it's okay'

But you can link to the legal advice meta posts, point out that our license says he is responsible for making sure it's okay to post, etc.

But it isn't a question we can answer on the main site, but it definitely is something we can explain on meta.

Matt Giltaji

3:30 AM

0

A: What events can we schedule for Chat?

Outrageous Work Stories Most of us have them. They are clearly off topic in questions and answers, but should be fine in chat. After all, isn't this what goes on at the physical water cooler?

adding an answer didn't seem to bump it into the active list, but meta posts are not editable for me, so this is what I got

enderland

man I'm going to write a "just quit" answer... !

jmac

@MattGiltaji shouldiblamecaching.com If you add an answer, it will get bumped, it just takes a few.

Matt Giltaji

ah, I forced a reload, didn't think about server side caching

love that site BTW

and I found this

trello.com/b/dbDNztpy/workplace-blog-board

we have a secret, unwritten blog!

jmac

Yep! It is unwritten.

Well, sorta unwritten.

There are a few posts on there.

enderland

heh

Matt Giltaji

3:37 AM

BTW @enderland I was thinking the same thing, but wondering how to say it without coming off biased

in The Whiteboard, 22 mins ago, by enderland

How active is maple_shaft here? I'm trying to decide if his nomination on Workplace is serious or not, since he's basically not been on the site for 8+ months

jmort253

2

Q: How to react to a co-worker who tries to be funny, but isn't?

We have a new guy at our office who several times a day makes a funny remark or joke. Unfortunately his jokes are about as funny as small talk is interesting and I am not sure how I should react. I surely don't want to encourage him to go on with his jokes so I wouldn't want to pretend being amu...

communication colleagues intervention

11

Q: How do I handle a rude coworker?

I am a manager with several direct reports. My manager also manages another team. One of his direct reports is continually rude to me in front of other employees. We have a work from home policy, and when I am in the office he makes comments like "Jane Sighting, everyone we have a Jane sighting ...

communication colleagues intervention

The 2nd question is marked as a duplicate of the first. However, I think we may have made a mistake on that and want to get a few more perspectives.

The first question tends to be more about jokes and involves people who may be in similar positions, but the second one sounds like there's a management problem, since the person taking the abuse is the manager.

enderland

The "rude coworker" one doesn't have a question, which is likely why it's closed as a dup and since it's not clarified what the actual problem is... it's hard to know

jmort253

What's more, the 2nd op describes it more as "abuse" and "aggressive" behavior, which introduces some elements that may be worth addressing.

enderland

the second is not clear imo

Matt Giltaji

it seems strange that we would have been around so long and not had an existing question about a hostile boss

enderland

3:44 AM

"how do I handle" <--- what does this mean? you want to stop the behavior? get the employee fired? etc

jmort253

@enderland How about "How do I stop this person from making aggressive, rude, and embarrassing comments while also letting others know it's not okay to treat me disrespectfully?"

I kinda feel like we can read into this one...

enderland

We don't know that though

jmort253

I'm sure we've all been in a similar situation, and the goal was to just get it to stop.

At this point, I'm not really too worried about op abandonment just saving something that could be valuable... (hang on... burning stuff...)

enderland

that question is a perfect example of why questions which are off topic should be closed before answered - I guess I never saw it, or I probably would have - it doesn't have a question and is a perfect "what should I do" question right now

Matt Giltaji

@enderland it seems that the vast majority of questions coming in boil down to what should I do

jmort253

3:48 AM

@enderland I agree 100% w/close early and want to find ways to encourage more people to close early.

Matt Giltaji

and people are banging out quick advice answers for easy rep

enderland

"What should I do" though is not meaningful for a Q/A site

jmort253

Barring that, if the ship has sailed, we should either look at ways to salvage the post or consider getting rid of the noise.

I think getting rid of the noise is actually one way to encourage more close early voting.... but that's another discussion...

I'm not entirely sure I will do anything just yet, but I will edit it to put it in the reopen queue to see if it gets any renewed attention. What I think is missing is a more diverse perspective in those answers, including my own.

enderland

the OP also hasn't logged in since the day it was posted

I guess, bad questions get scattered/uncohesive answers, which makes sense

Bad, quickly upvoted ones that don't get closed get... more of them

Matt Giltaji

the only problem I see with the early close voting is the tone in some of the comments on close reasons. OPs are getting upset and storming off in a huff

2

not everyone is using the complement sandwich type of deal

to be fair, the questions are usually outright bad,

jmort253

3:55 AM

@enderland We shouldn't be worried about the OP anymore once a post is abandoned.

At that point, it's all about salvaging the content for the future visitors who may hit that post from Google.

@MattGiltaji That's where that magic comment formula comes in handy.

I try to play the closure to your advantage "Hey, welcome to our site. We're putting this on hold for a sec just to get some clarity from you and to help you get all the details in order before opening up to answers."

Matt Giltaji

@jmort253 Yeah, i use it and have had some good results

jmort253

@MattGiltaji What upsets people is the "Y U NO READ HELP CENTER" comments....

none of us read....

whispers I didn't read the FAQ when I first came to Stack Overflow.

enderland

no one does

though everyone clicks through things saying they do

jmort253

@enderland yep :D

I think we do eventually... once we think, "Damn this is a cool site. How does this rep thing work" goes to read help section

What drew me in was the whole "We don't run SO, you do" line...

I was thinking "Wow! Joel wants me to help run his big programming site! Sweet!"

But yeh, not the first thing I read....

Matt Giltaji

i must be crazy then... i read that section cover to cover

enderland

4:00 AM

4

Q: How to evaluate applications with a bad cover letter?

I have recently been given the task to evaluate applications. Note that I am not responsible for hiring, nor do I take any active role in the decision making. Instead I am only asked to provide feedback on my judgment of the candidate based on my technical experience related to the corresponding ...

cover-letter

this is a good question, I'm surprised we haven't had it before

Matt Giltaji

then reread before posting my first answer

jmort253

@MattGiltaji That's the difference between a Workplace SE visitor and a Workplace SE community member.

jmac

@Matt, you are awesome, your comments make moderating so much easier.

Matt Giltaji

@jmac thanks, you don't have to tell me again every day :p

and as I stated in the past, I stole it from you, who stole it from jmort, who stole it from robert

jmac

I will stop saying it when I stop finding your comments that save me 5 minutes of tedium.

jmort253

4:03 AM

@MattGiltaji Eventually, @jmac will need a script to keep thanking you everyday.

jmac

(nobody tell @jmort that I already wrote one)

jmort253

Niice!

jmac

I issued the 5th close vote on this question:

61

Q: Why are interviewers unaware of what's on my resume?

For reasons that are not relevant for this question, I went to several interviews at multiple companies in the past few months. What I noticed is that, in the vast majority of cases, interviewers have absolutely no idea about what's on my resume. They just print it out right before the interview...

interviewing resume

There could be a billion reasons, none of which will help someone have their resume read and avoid the problem moving forward.

Matt Giltaji

jmac

4:20 AM

If any of you have a love of funny amazon reviews, understand Britishisms, and don't mind low-brow humor, I highly recommend these ones:

amazon.co.uk/Veet-Men-Hair-Removal-Creme/dp/B000KKNQBK

2

The second review is simply comedy gold.

Matt Giltaji

5:25 AM

@jmac that review is hilarious

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

5:59 AM

@jmac: Read the other top review also, they are fantastic. :) And now I want to buy that product :)

jmort253

7:44 AM

I went ahead and edited this post to make it more clear. If anyone sees any more edits that could be made or thinks that it could be reopened for more answers, please use your reopen votes or editing powers.

10

Q: How do I stop a rude co-worker from making aggressive/rude/embarrassing comments and keep my respect?

I am a manager with several direct reports. My manager also manages another team. One of his direct reports is continually rude to me in front of other employees. We have a work from home policy, and when I am in the office he makes comments like "Jane Sighting, everyone we have a Jane sighting ...

communication colleagues bullying intervention

jmac

8:29 AM

Pretty sure this is a no-doubt dupe of the questions I tossed in the comments, but please feel free to take a look and see if it can be saved.

0

Q: Spoon Plate Fight Noise

What would be the best way to contact HR with a suggestion for having available plastic or some other material plates at work to keep spoon plates fight noise minimum in the morning ? Context Maybe its a open plan office, 1 or 2 people eat breakfast on there desk, and the plates we got in kitch...

offices

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

8:49 AM

@jmort253: That question is marked a duplicate of
http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/30739/how-to-react-to-a-co-worker-who-tries-to-be-funny-but-isnt
but the do not seem to be duplicates at all, the answers are very different.

jmort253

@BjarkeFreund-Hansen The problems seem very different too...

Funny vs Aggressive....

funny can be passive aggressive... but it sounds less friendly and more toxic....

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

@jmort253 jmort Exactly, one is misunderstood humor the other is someone being aggressive by making rude remarks.

jmort253

@BjarkeFreund-Hansen Feel free to create a meta post making a case for it if you feel strongly about it... meta is definitely a tool for getting things like this reversed when needed.

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

@jmort253 I made a flag for moderator attention (before looking up that you are a moderator), is meta a better way to go?

jmort253

@BjarkeFreund-Hansen Probably. (Because, practically speaking, I'm already aware of it :) ). But ideally, we'd get some community support on getting it reopened... that's always best... just in case we're really missing something...

It just takes 5 reopen voters to reopen a closed post. For anyone curious.

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

9:00 AM

@jmort253 Okay, that is good to know. I haven't really participated in meta that much, but I frequently flag posts if I feel something is wrong. Mostly on SO where I also have enough rep to cast close and reopen votes.

jmort253

@BjarkeFreund-Hansen Just look around at some other meta posts first. That will give you an idea of how to approach the problem...

I find logic works best :)

as opposed to heated, emotional rants. lol

Bjarke Freund-Hansen

Of cause. :)

Stack Exchange

9:22 AM

0

Q: Is this user doing it right?

I am on Stack exchange for years and years but never seen anyone with such reputation acting so aggressively, e.g. Commented today on my question: Spoon Plate Fight Noise Plate noise is part of office noise. Go to the library or get yourself some earplugs or go to the restroom. The proble...

discussion

Bmo

10:47 AM

@jmac The question that is being asked is so specific. I mean you can answer it with any generic process change at work by airing your concerns with HR. That's not the type of Q/A we want here though is it?

jmac

11:06 AM

Probably not @Bmo

Bmo

11:28 AM

I think I'm catching on.

enderland

1:20 PM

9

Q: Is it expected to have side projects/work related hobbies in IT (especially as a woman)

I will soon have my masters degree in Computer Science and will start applying for jobs. Recently I read an answer to a question about what companies expect from a fresh graduate, where someone said they expect the graduates to work on private projects to show the future employer you have a lot...

software-industry work-experience first-job gender women

what does being a woman have to do with anything for this question

What does being a woman have to do with anything? Are you asking if interviewers expect or ask about side projects only for women? It sounds like any man in a similar situation - interviewing for a development job, without side hobbies - can ask the exact same question, except gender neutral. — enderland 5 secs ago

jmort253

2:14 PM

@enderland There's an apparent sexism that sometimes occurs in the tech community. That may be what the poster is alluding to.

2

slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/…

So many answers in a 3 hour period, and I'm not sure what the question is either.... at least not exactly....

edited to highlight question....

dirkk

2:59 PM

I just tried to use the Workplace meta for the first time, but I encounter a rather strange issue: I am not logged in. But shouldn't I automatically be logged in to the meta site, if I am on the main site. Even weirder, when I click the nice and shiny login button in the top bar, I just get to the main meta page, no login whatsoever. Ist this a known issue?

Matt Giltaji

4:15 PM

@dirkk I've seen strange login issues on some of the SE sites, but they usually happen once and don't happen again. If you can repeat this behavior easily, I recommend you report it at the meta.stackexchange site. The SE staff monitors that and might be able to better assist

Shog9

@dirkk yeah, please report that - you're not logged in because you don't have a meta user, but that should've been created when you accessed meta.

jmort253

4:45 PM

@dirkk You may have to report that on MSE...

just in case that's not clear.

dirkk

@jmort253 Thanks. Yes, I got it, it was actually crystal-clear :) just for reference, I reported it at meta.stackexchange.com/questions/237698/…

RhysW

5:11 PM

@dirkk Its not just you i had to log in earlier too, despite it having auto logged me in multiple times before hand

Bmo

5:27 PM

@MattGiltaji all over it!

Matt Giltaji

@Bmo :D @enderland's not here, someone needs to close dupes

Bmo

Enderland the dupe king, A CHALLENGER APPEARS

Matt Giltaji

Jim has been on an editing spree... He got two questions that i was in the middle of. Nicely done.

Matt Giltaji

7:44 PM

this seems like it will go opinion-based pretty quick

0

Q: Found money in my new desk

I moved desks and now I sit in a desk that previously belonged to a contractor. The desk had been vacant for a few months, the employee was fired. While rummaging through the drawers, I found some money. It's about $50. Should I present this money to my manager, the contractor's former manage...