Friday, August 30, 2013
Keep Repeating Whatever
Caution With Buttons
Personnel guy explained that my psychological
tests revealed what I already knew: that I'm
a total fussbudget and a man for detail.
The job they gave me involved close monitoring
of several gauges, with instruction to
press certain buttons if particular readings
went out of range. Well, right up my alley.
The engineer in my one-day course had stressed
"Never push the blue button! Ever! End of story."
The only problem I ever had was because of
the previous shift. They left coffee cups around,
etc. So I had to do a meticulous cleanup every day.
Of course.
Then another time, housekeeping didn't keep
up with the rainy weather and the mud had
dried into a mess.
I searched out a broom and swept as cleanly
as possible.
Unfortunately, I had moved rocks in the
garden the previous day and my back was
sore.
Well, ten thousand to one! A back spasm
struck and the handle of the broom lined
up perfectly with the forbidden blue button
and I lurched and...
“What have I done?” I asked in my panic.
“Will somebody be injured or killed, or
some process be ruined and cost the
company thousands?” But I heard nothing.
When I finally got to inform the engineer, back
from a conference at national headquarters,
he said, "Blue button connected to nothing.
No danger of any type, so relax!"
"But you warned me...!"
"So? I was ordered to pass that on."
"But it was erroneous information!"
"Look! Where you been? Not a boyscout
jamboree here! Or anywhere, for that
matter. And this conversation never occurred!"
Labels: bizarre directions, conformity, detail, fussbudget, insane job, work
