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My first job out of college I was looking for work so I went around the office and assembled not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 rolling chairs for everyone in the office. I still remember everyone fighting over the new chairs, one of which I got because I put in the time to build it out. I wouldn't think twice about assembling my own furniture.
If the place is anything like my own, "we" as in the managers and skilled workers are typically VERY busy and don't have time to waste building out desks and stuff. You are probably new and require training and if that is a task that needs to get done it makes sense to me that you do it.
No company is going to pay a premium on IT personal to ignore their responsibilities to move furniture. No company that will survive that is. I highly doubt its going to result in an undervaluation of staff. We are talking about moving furniture... not build a new room... not run new electrical... not run new plumbing!
If I asked the networking IT guy to reboot a server or to help me move some stuff out of storage and he response with "its not my job", guess what will be on the next review for pay raises or who will be on the short list? Its the attitude.
It's a matter of degree. I don't really disagree with you in general, especially if it's something rather easy and mundane. But I've also worked in places where a small business moves from one office to a new one across town and then wants everyone to become professional movers for a day. Some people are not in the best physical shape for moving furniture, which introduces liability for worker's compensation.
It's a matter of degree. I don't really disagree with you in general, especially if it's something rather easy and mundane. But I've also worked in places where a small business moves from one office to a new one across town and then wants everyone to become professional movers for a day. Some people are not in the best physical shape for moving furniture, which introduces liability for worker's compensation.
Especially when employees have desk work jobs and maybe get the very vague "and other duties" that I am sure can be thrown out if it got to a court of law. Common sense would show that moving and putting together a new desk and chairs are not typical job duties at all. I mean yes in all likely hood you'll end up with a splinter or stubbed toe or maybe a back problem but in the larger case, I think "and other duties" can get thrown out if it's not relevant to the rule and you get hurt (enough to require medical attention and even worker's comp) doing it.
It's good to be a team player, particularly if you have a personal interest in working there, but anyone that has worked for a normal size corporation would look at a manager like they have lost their mind if someone asked them to assemble their own furniture. It really depends on the environment you're coming from.
Sure, if you're at a start-up it may make sense. But no normal, fully functioning corp is going to have a white collar professional take time out of their day to do something they could hire someone for $7 an hour to do. It doesn't make any sense. You've got someone you're paying $30-$50-$100 an hour and you're going to waste their time assembling furniture? No way. Makes absolutely no sense. Most furniture stores will deliver and assemble furniture or if it is a company beyond minuscule size they already have a maintenance staff to do things like that.
With an attitude like yours you'll talk yourself right out of 80% of the people who come through the door. Unless you're already lowballing your offers and are picking up people who have no options, haven't worked anywhere else, or don't know any better. Your standard white collar people come in to do a job, not the maintenance staff's job also.
What is a "normal size" corporation? Most companies are small businesses, with less than 25 employees. Personally, I think it was a test -- the OP passed it with flying colors. The first day on a job is often someone looking at an empty desk, trying to figure out where the office supplies are, learning where the coffee machine is, getting your computer log-ons straightened out, etc. They get shown around and introduced by someone who is really too busy to take the time to do so, but they carve out some time anyway, and then get some busy work thrown at them until someone can get around to showing them their job. I get the impression it's a small company -- so maybe they meant to put it together for the OP before they came, but got busy. Who knows? I just don't think it's the insulting, demeaning task that so many on here make it out to be. I work in an office with over 200 people, 30 of whom are on-site, in a Class A office building. There's no "maintenance staff" to assemble desks. I've put together shelves, chairs, a desk, a computer stand -- and I make a hell of a lot more than $30 an hour. I just don't see the big deal. *shrug* And if my attitude eliminates 80% of the prima donnas who are too good to get their hands dirty, that's fine by me, too. If *I* can do it, *they* can do it.
What is a "normal size" corporation? Most companies are small businesses, with less than 25 employees. Personally, I think it was a test -- the OP passed it with flying colors. The first day on a job is often someone looking at an empty desk, trying to figure out where the office supplies are, learning where the coffee machine is, getting your computer log-ons straightened out, etc. They get shown around and introduced by someone who is really too busy to take the time to do so, but they carve out some time anyway, and then get some busy work thrown at them until someone can get around to showing them their job. I get the impression it's a small company -- so maybe they meant to put it together for the OP before they came, but got busy. Who knows? I just don't think it's the insulting, demeaning task that so many on here make it out to be. I work in an office with over 200 people, 30 of whom are on-site, in a Class A office building. There's no "maintenance staff" to assemble desks. I've put together shelves, chairs, a desk, a computer stand -- and I make a hell of a lot more than $30 an hour. I just don't see the big deal. *shrug* And if my attitude eliminates 80% of the prima donnas who are too good to get their hands dirty, that's fine by me, too. If *I* can do it, *they* can do it.
Well the "testing" of someone should go on during the interview process, not after you have hired them and give them a task unrelated to the job to "test" them. You already decided to hire them.
And it may not be at all about just someone thinking "they're too good" to assemble the furniture.
There are people(both men and women, all though I doubt if the OP was a woman they would have been asked to do this) who while very good in their choice of career can't screw in a light bulb.
So it may not be a case of someone thinking they're above doing this, they simply aren't good at putting things such as furniture together. And now they're being put on the spot.
I also don't think it looks very good when you have a new employee starting to not be ready for them. We have all started new jobs, when you go in our your first day it is natural to be nervous. When they have your computer up and running, your email set up, it can pretty much take away those first day "flutters".
Sorry, but not even having a place ready for you to sit isn't very welcoming. OR at least tell the person in advance "hey we're really busy and we got you a new desk which requires you to set it up, so wear comfortable casual clothes on your first day".
The OP was dressed up trying to do this. I get the feeling that if maybe they had been given a heads up and not wearing a good pair of slacks, they wouldn't have been so put out.
It's a matter of degree. I don't really disagree with you in general, especially if it's something rather easy and mundane. But I've also worked in places where a small business moves from one office to a new one across town and then wants everyone to become professional movers for a day. Some people are not in the best physical shape for moving furniture, which introduces liability for worker's compensation.
That's not what I'm referring too... (as already said) I'm not talking about things like that along with things such as electrical build, construction, and plumbing ... etc. That's also not what this thread is about. Let's not argue the extremes here. We are talking about assembling a few chairs/furniture... maybe taking out the trash.. house keeping stuff.
I personally have not seen nor would have believed such. If it happened, its bad management taking unnecessary risk for saving a few bucks. Employee related insurance would have prevented it if they found out... worse... dropped the business as a client. I'm not even allowed on a ladder to reach the top shelf in our store room. Networking guys in a previous job were insured to be on ladders... I wasn't.
Is this the normal expectation of the incoming work force? Then they are in for a hard life lesson. Hope for the best... expect nothing.
This is a potential liability for the company. Not only could the employee injure themselves while trying to assemble a desk or bookcase or whatever, but the employee could also appear to have assembled the desk correctly when they really didn't, and the desk could collapse on their legs at some point in the future. Why would a company take that risk?
What is a "normal size" corporation? Most companies are small businesses, with less than 25 employees. Personally, I think it was a test -- the OP passed it with flying colors. The first day on a job is often someone looking at an empty desk, trying to figure out where the office supplies are, learning where the coffee machine is, getting your computer log-ons straightened out, etc. They get shown around and introduced by someone who is really too busy to take the time to do so, but they carve out some time anyway, and then get some busy work thrown at them until someone can get around to showing them their job. I get the impression it's a small company -- so maybe they meant to put it together for the OP before they came, but got busy. Who knows? I just don't think it's the insulting, demeaning task that so many on here make it out to be. I work in an office with over 200 people, 30 of whom are on-site, in a Class A office building. There's no "maintenance staff" to assemble desks. I've put together shelves, chairs, a desk, a computer stand -- and I make a hell of a lot more than $30 an hour. I just don't see the big deal. *shrug* And if my attitude eliminates 80% of the prima donnas who are too good to get their hands dirty, that's fine by me, too. If *I* can do it, *they* can do it.
That's what I'm referring to as the environment people are coming from. If you came from Proctor & Gamble and took a job at an office where they were asked to assemble their own furniture, more likely than not that person would find it highly unusual.
If I started working at a small non-profit, I would find it much less odd to be asked to assemble my own furniture.
I doubt that was a test - going through the time and expense of the entire hiring process just to test someone by assembling furniture after they've already been hired would not be a very cost effective way of screening employees.
I don't think it's some horrible task but I'm saying for a wide swath of people working in/coming from corporate America it would be highly unusual to be asked to assemble your own furniture on your first day. 200 is very small so maybe it is normal for small businesses like that, I don't know. But for me, the only time I have done things like that is when it was too much of a hassle or time sensitive to call maintenance. To be honest, the several companies I have worked for in my professional career would not have wanted me spending my time assembling furniture or vacuuming the floor because based on my pay vs maintenance it would not be a good use of my time or their money. I have worked for companies with 10,000 and over 100,000 employees so I'm sure some things are different.
id be thinking, new job, new office, new furniture- great day!
if they want me to assemble it, id be thinking they are testing me- so yes,,,id give it a shot,,,but before I said yes,, id be talking to my boss, and asking when we could be meeting today- make sure the boss knows you are assembling the furniture and that some other associate isn't doing it to break your balls, or for a joke
My friend worked for AT&T and they set up a small office in Mountain View.
There was a mixup and all the office furniture arrived in boxes... some needed a little assembly...
She was the unit secretary.
Anyway, it was going to be several days for everything to be done and one of the managers was coming out to see the location in two days.
She had a little tool kit I had given her in her car... one of those 40 pc $25 sets.
She put all the furniture together and set it up... after changing into her jeans.
When the manager came over he was so impressed and for years would tell that story.
AT&T ended up paying for her college degree and she is now a upper level manager that travels quite a bit...
She was more the professional business attire type which made it even more amazing.
Sometimes going the extra mile will reap rewards down the road.
A little off topic...
Another friend was a driver for a local delivery company... he liked having a clean truck... whenever he finished his route early he would wash and clean his truck... the other drivers just went home.
The boss noticed this and when the down turn hit... he was one of the few that kept his job even with the lowest seniority.
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