If reading stories on Reddit have taught me anything, it’s that managers spend way too much time making trouble where there doesn’t need to be any.
Seriously, doesn’t anyone say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” anymore?
OP and his fellow employees used chalk they bought themselves to help do a job.
This machine was made for creating grooves and cuts in cardboard.
20foot by 20foot machine made of iron, wrought iron, and cast iron.
The only piece of computer on her was an aftermarket safety system with a lock and key.
My workmates and I started to use chalk to mark out common settings and help us know if things were rubbing correctly or wrongly… ….
So we were using our own money to buy chalk to use at work.
On their downtime, they turned that chalk into figurines.
And One of the guys would buy those massive kids sidewalk chalks as thick as a candy bar.
During downtime, or setups, or while waiting for the last piece to be set up by the last guy; we would take turns carving pieces of chalk into rough shapes like buddha, tiki, cats…
And it would become The Guardian of the Machine… until we used it.
Management didn’t like the fun, so they nixed it – and found out why they shouldn’t have right away.
Cue: Management seeing us have any sort of fun or engagement as humans.
Tosses it. Demands we never have it in the building again. If it isn’t provided by the company than it isn’t allowed.
Vibration 20/7. Bolts get loose. Pieces rub. Friction. Heat. Cardboard dust. Fire.
And to this day there is probably a piece of, company bought, chalk that has been amateurly carved upon sitting on that machine.
Never mess with The Guardian of the Machine.
This is a fun little story – let’s see how Reddit responds to it!
The top comment says some managers take this too seriously.
It really doesn’t make any sense.
The machinists always know better.
Somebody always thinks they know better.
Everyone knows good juju is important.
This was not even an issue until they made it one.
What a bonehead.
Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were travelling for business.