50 “Best Of All Time” Fails From People Who Live By The “Not My Job” Philosophy (New Pics)
Interview With ExpertWorking a job you don't like can be a drag. Here's a sad statistic for you: according to LinkedIn, 85% of employees don't like their workplace. Whether it's their boss, the location, their colleagues, the customers, or just the nature of the job itself, many people would rather slack off or do something else instead.
When a person hates their job, they probably don't do it very well. That's where the subreddit "Not My Job" comes in. They collect the best and funniest instances where employees are doing the absolute bare minimum that's in their job description. And today, we're featuring the best of the best pics from the community. Work smarter, not harder, right?
To discuss the 'Not my job' attitude in more detail, Bored Panda reached out to Louise Carnachan. She's an organization development consultant and award-winning author of Work Jerks: How to Cope with Difficult Bosses and Colleagues. Carnachan told us more about why some people feel unmotivated in the workplace and how employers can increase their motivation.
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Got The Chatbot Working, Boss
Organizational development consultant Louise Carnachan says that the r/NotMyJob subreddit is full of woefully executed work we've all probably seen in daily life. She says the "I'll show you" type behavior the subreddit is famous for can be the consequence of being micromanaged. However, while it's one way to claim power, it's not a particularly healthy way, Carnachan says.
"Obviously, some of the images [are] of acts committed by the inattentive, disinterested, or vindictive. But it's unlikely that all were saying 'Screw you, boss' or were a consequence of incompetence. Some workers may have been assigned jobs for which they had no training [and] were given poor or no instruction and/or inadequate materials."
"Some of the goofs are clearly process problems, such as not having sweepers move debris away before the road striping truck came through. In other instances, I suspect the worker was never clued into the big picture, so their part was out of context and executed inadequately. Or, they just didn't apply common sense and think about what they were there to accomplish and why," Carnachan adds.
Fixed The Broken Clock, Boss
Nah. It would have a digital clock taped over it. American students don't know how to use analog clocks.
Those big honkin' clocks are regulated by a complicated central system, and if it goes down, they all go down and you can't just replace a battery and twiddle a wheel to reset it, you have to call in a repair specialist. This is just a temporary fix to keep everyone on time
Kids learned analog, least I know my son did. He actually prefers analog and that's what he has in his room and he loves it. Sometimes i trt to make it seem later than what it is telling him he sleeps all day then he looks at his clock and says "no mom, its only almost' i tell him im going to take his clock out and he has the quick response of no
I did too. I just can't remember if it's in 2nd or 3rd grade curriculum. I know they don't teach cursive like they used to in 3rd grade. I can't imagine they would've taken this lesson too.
Load More Replies...Looks to me more like the UK's guvment system. Any swipe at the USA will do, eh ?
Oh no, I live in the UK. I've always thought America had THE best schools
Sorry but I had to laugh very hard at this Joanne… you only get to those schools when you have a big wallet…
Load More Replies...I wanna have a drink with whomever busted out that artistic clock installation!Very interesting 👌 😆
We fixed "No Child Left Behind" by not advancing ANY of them. Problem solved!
No kidding, they just keep adding clocks and not fixing or removing the broken ones. Classroom has three clocks on the wail. All systems down.
I was going to say, that would be something I saw in the schools as a teacher, but hey, that's a whole other spin to it.
Considering the state of our schools here, I am impressed they even bothered with THAT much effort.
Everyday, I have to tell people the time in the testing center because it's an analog clock, as well what number month it is because people don't know or they re counting on their fingers to figure it out. Or they ask me how to write the date because they dont know how. Many cant sign their name either. Adults of all ages too.
Has anyone ever advocated for a switch to metric time measurement?
Wow! The number '12' on the clock was actually displayed in the 12 o'clock position. This shows exquisite attention to detail on the part of the employee that made this repair.
This actually shows an acute understanding of the custom of placing the '12' in the 12 0'clock position when displaying analog clocks in a vertical mode. This employee has a future!
Resourceful - I mean, obviously there was some leftover blue tape, so...
My cousin (30 yo) didn't know how to read a clock until he was in his late 20's. Yet he has a fancy watch.... I bet he still has trouble with it.
I have mild dyslexia. I learned how to read and understand an analog clock. I couldn't verbalize it; the words and symbols just didn't mesh. It wasn't until I took Spanish in high school that I learned to say the time from an analog clock. For years, I had to translate to Spanish, then English.
Load More Replies...Workin For The Big Man
"Mistakes involving language are ubiquitous in our global economy," Carnachan notes. These types of mistakes, she says, are often done by accident. "Mistranslations abound, spelling errors aren't caught, sometimes word orientation is upside down or sideways. (You'd hope signs could be hung up accurately, though.)"
"No doubt we've all been the recipient of form emails sent without the personalized information inserted, reminiscent of the speaker who begins their talk with, 'Greet the audience and say your name.'"
Other times, mistakes, whether they're intentional or not, can have a pretty funny result. "Typos are the best," Carnachan says. "As demonstrated on a sandwich label stating it contains 'Criminalized onion relish.'"
Security Dog
A New Hobby? Alright
Thanks for the suggestion, however I am quite proficient in that particular hobby already.
Made The Name Tag, Boss
I actually know Sandi and remember laughing my head off at this, will have to send her this post (she originally shared it on twitter)
Mishaps can happen in any and all work settings, of course. "No one job classification has the corner on poor performance, but some jobs certainly have more public visibility," Carnachan tells us. "And some workers are self-motivated to be high performers, while others are not."
When scrolling through the r/NotMyJob subreddit, some people may label these types of workers as lazy. Yet, the reality is much more nuanced. "Effort is hard to evaluate because we only see results. We can't measure an individual's exertion," Carnachan explains.
"One worker may put in a lot of effort yet achieve mediocre results, while another puts in less effort but obtains good results. Skill, ability, training, and personality traits impact this. There are people who are just in the wrong jobs," she also adds.
Not My Job To Add The Subtitles
Amblivious
Packed The Violin Bow, Boss
However, even the most dedicated and hard-working employees might not produce the best results sometimes. "There are many factors out of the worker's control," Carnachan notes. "Examples are the quality of the training and materials provided and how compensation or rewards are calculated (i.e., tied to production quotas or quality measures?). If I get paid by the piece and there aren't any real quality standards, I'll put out a lot of pieces."
A Fork In The Road
Care To Elaborate??
Got The Actors Boss!
Workers should get this information from their supervisors, Carnachan says. "Managers and crew leads are responsible for communicating the 'why' of the work and how it ties into an entire project. When people have no idea of what follows their labor, they work in a vacuum, and then, it's easy for them to make assumptions and bad decisions."
Edited The Picture, Boss!
Placed The Sticker Boss
I Mean, It’s Important To Follow Safety Protocols
In an office environment, corporate culture also comes into play. Carnachan lists some questions that might impact an employee's performance. "Is teamwork expected? Are folks responsible for noting and correcting mistakes regardless of who made them? Are service and customer satisfaction important, or is the mentality to just mark it [as] done?"
"I Decided It Was Faster To Draw The QR Codes, Boss"
Made The Engraving, Boss
I do not want any comment just leave the comment section blank
There, That Should Do It
Seeing others do the bare minimum at work might be entertaining. That is until it happens at your own workplace. Indeed, sometimes, people might adopt the "Not my job" mentality to the extreme, and that might even be dangerous to others.
"The willful desire to create a safety hazard for others is beyond 'Sticking it to the man,'" Carnachan tells Bored Panda. "If it's a training issue and can be remediated, that's okay -- if not, this is the wrong person for the job, regardless of their motivation."
Sorted Out The Emergency Phone Boss!
That’s Good To Hear
Clothing Display Done Boss!
"When people are treated poorly, they tend to want to act out by sticking it to the boss," Carnachan explains the possible cause of the "Not my job" mentality. "But pushing back by refusing to do unpopular chores, like [taking] out trash, wash[ing] up, or restock[ing], becomes childish. 'We'll just see how bad it gets before somebody does something' should turn, instead, to a discussion about what needs to be done, who is doing it, and when."
Installed The Light Switch, Boss
How I Bang Your Mother
I'll take "things that make me want to poke my eyes out" for $1000, Alex...
They Will Never Know The Difference
"Every job has elements that are less interesting, even downright unappealing," Carnachan points out. "But if there's a fair distribution and rotation and everyone knows what the rules are, it goes better. If the boss won't step up to [initiate] this conversation, then a staff member can."
This Kind Of Belongs Here
Tbh This One's Kinda Impressive
Just Put Monday
"Job descriptions don't get into details like restocking the printer," she adds. "It's up to the manager to set the stage for teamwork in their department and the expectations for communication, dealing with disagreements, being attentive to safety, owning the work of the entire team instead of just their own contribution, and [contributing] to the little tasks that are required for a smooth operation."
I Posted The Job Offer Boss
Made The Title For The Ad Boss
The Clock In My School’s Band Practice Room
Carnachan says that a team should adopt the view that each member "owns the work of the team." Employees, thus, should have a less individualistic approach to their work. "When people feel responsible solely for their own work, coworkers may start evaluating each other to monitor who they think is not pulling their weight."
"If a colleague's inattentive or their inaccurate work compromises safety or the team's outcomes, speaking to the manager about your concerns makes sense. But withholding help or engaging in stupid power plays to punish the colleagues or the boss isn't okay."
Finished The Road Surfacing, Boss
Installed The Playground Boss
My Contract Never Stated I Had To Move Rocks Away. Thank You Very Much
I Dressed The Mannyqween Boss
Put The Signs On The Fuel Pumps, Boss!
Fixed Bridge, Boss
Rail Installed, Boss!
Cr*ppy Submission:
Made The Error Message Boss
Added Subtitles, Boss
The Brids
Painted The Lines Boss
Just Told The Whole City No Crime Boss!
Updated Our Working Hours, Boss
The Chosen One
Thanks, Associate's Name
Delivered The Package Boss
Installed The Water Faucet, Boss
Ok What The F**k
Completed The Road Marking Boss
I was working at a school, in a non-teaching position. A kid used a curseword and his friend saw me walking by and said "did you hear that?" I said "yeah", kid says "well?" I shrugged and said "I'm not a teacher; I don't care." I immediately became that friendship group's hero. XD
Maybe they hired them but forgot to train them before they were allowed to work unsupervised. Or they had a boss telling them "I don't care how you do it, just get the job done today."
Load More Replies...I was working at a school, in a non-teaching position. A kid used a curseword and his friend saw me walking by and said "did you hear that?" I said "yeah", kid says "well?" I shrugged and said "I'm not a teacher; I don't care." I immediately became that friendship group's hero. XD
Maybe they hired them but forgot to train them before they were allowed to work unsupervised. Or they had a boss telling them "I don't care how you do it, just get the job done today."
Load More Replies...