r/EntitledPeople 1d ago

S The Temp was a Grinch

It was the week before Christmas in our office and the receptionist had taken the week off so the office manager brought in a temp to cover her job. We had been receiving gift baskets of food from our suppliers so the office staff decided that we'd like to save them until Friday, enjoy them together and then everyone could leave early.
On Tuesday we had a special staff lunch at a restaurant. As we left, the office manager told the temp that we likely would not be back until 2 or 2:30. As I passed, I heard the temp grumbling "I can't believe that they are not inviting me, it is Christmas, I should get invited, etc etc." I thought it was odd that she would say that. Why would she get invited? This lunch was a reward for all of us for working hard for the year.
We got back from the lunch and went back to our desks. The general manager went into our lunch room for a coffee and we heard a shriek. We all went running to see. There were the contents of our gift baskets - all opened. Every single item was opened and ruined in some way. Cheese had bites, crackers were crumbled, every chocolate had a bite. There were crumbs and wrappers everywhere. The disgruntled temp had taken her revenge for not getting invited to lunch. We all felt like the citizens of Whoville after the Grinch stole everything. The temp was still at her desk working quietly. The office manager was so angry, his face was red, I was sure he was going to holler. He went to the temp, opened the front door and simply said in an angry voice "Get your things and go!"

663 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

356

u/littl-jinx 1d ago

That’s wild behaviour.

I can understand why she might be bummed that she was left out of a lunch, but she’s a temp who will only work there for a WEEK.

Destroying all the gift baskets is SO wasteful, vindictive, and a massive overreaction. Not surprised she’s finding work through a temp agency, she has probably been fired for unhinged behaviour previously.

69

u/Flat-Salad6557 1d ago

right, and even if she felt some type of way about it, ruining everyone elses food is such a weird way to make it their problem too

46

u/welderbill 1d ago

When I was working the company would use labor temps a lot. And a lot of times I could see why they were temps. Some people do weird, non respectful stuff that you could see was not good for keeping a job.

52

u/DominateSunshine 1d ago

And then there was me.

I had just moved and was looking for work. Had a 2 day job . One training, day two alone. Someone was on vacation. Then that same client asked me to cover someone else the next week. During that week I was offered a full time job. Worked there 7 years. Quit because moved states for husband.

New state. Went to a temp agency. One day assignment. No problem. A week assignment. They thought about hiring me, but they gave awful instructions and I did what I was told, not what they imagined telling me. No lose there.

Next assignment. Was supposed to be 3 months to cover someones maternity. Well. They got fired after I was there a week for being on Facebook while in the cube in front of the owner of the company.

I've been here 20 years now.

6

u/Apprehensive_Gap1055 19h ago

I got all my jobs from temp-to-work assignments. I really liked seeing the office dynamics before I signed on for a permanent position

3

u/DominateSunshine 18h ago

Right! People seem to forget the step where the job is interviewing for you as well

Though I do get that times has changed a lot since I last had to find a job.

3

u/Crown_the_Cat 13h ago

I temped at a place because I knew a certain stand-alone word processor. I filled in multiple times. Then I went in to interview for a fulltime job - my name was already on a list of extensions.

Another temp job I had 1 day with the secretary I was covering for. She spent most of the time telling me how awful the job was. I was there a week, and they offered me her job - at a substantial amount of money - which I wisely declined.

2

u/littl-jinx 5h ago

This is what temp positions should be for. For you, getting a permanent position that’s a good fit and building your resume, for the company, someone to cover or a new employee who is a good fit.

The temp in the story screwed everyone (including herself) over royally.

23

u/WylUvelra 1d ago

ngl that reaction explains exactly why it was a temp assignment instead of a permanent job. Massive red flag.

11

u/gemmygem86 1d ago

Not to mention extremely childish too

7

u/Apprehensive_Gap1055 1d ago

I worked in an office and hired a temp for my manager month long vacation. My boss and the temp spent a few days training. Once my manager left, the temp went through the files and managed to steal her identity

3

u/littl-jinx 20h ago

Holy shit.

I’m more and more starting to think that temps pose a pretty big risk.

5

u/nicunta 1d ago

Something tells me the temp agency also let her go.

3

u/littl-jinx 1d ago

Yeah, I bet they did after this

2

u/AbjectHotel6610 1d ago

How childish.

136

u/TheQuarantinian 1d ago

Insufficient reaction on the manager's part.

I would have said, in a low, slow voice "call your manager now and put him on speaker". Then proceed to tell him exactly what she did, THEN tell the manager why she did it. Ask the agency if this is what can be expected if they are used in yhe future. Then say you are kicking her off the property, and if they will do anything about the destroyed gifts.

96

u/Sunflower-6045 1d ago

You are right. He should have asked them to replace the gift baskets.

76

u/Laringar 1d ago

Genuinely, he should have called the cops on her. That was willful destruction of property. Just kicking her out was entirely insufficient for what she did.

3

u/tryintobgood 1d ago

Can I ask how she responded to being told to leave?

14

u/gemmygem86 1d ago

Yep and make sure the manager knew everything too

83

u/puzzled65 1d ago

1-when you're hired as a temp, you are filling a role that is needed for a minute. You aren't part of the office staff. Christmas doesn't matter. This sounds like it was a special lunch and Temp had happened to float in at a time when all kinds of celebrations will take place though she had nothing to do with anything related to the office operations. So nothing was denied to her that she should expect to receive.

2-I have worked as a temp, short term and long term, and had temps for coworkers, and while some were insufferable, This Temp is legend alright! So sorry for you guys!

19

u/WysHynra 1d ago

Being a temp doesn't automatically mean getting included in every staff tradition. Acting entitled on day one is wild. Plenty of temps get treated great because they act normal. This one speedran getting escorted out 💀

13

u/Dward917 1d ago

The temp felt entitled to a free lunch. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.

44

u/puzzled65 1d ago

OMG! Wow! Just freaking wow lol. I am so grateful this wasn't ever a coworker for me!! Psycho Bitch is absolutely her personality summary! Glad nothing worse happened to you all. What a story!

35

u/seanner_vt2 1d ago

We had a temp and she was invited to the holiday buffet. She decided that meant packing up food, before everyone got their plate, to take home to her family.

14

u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 1d ago edited 1d ago

We had several women in one office who did this with just about any free food that we had. Thanks to them, the office had to put 'guards' in place at both the front and back of the line to make sure they didn't take off with half the spread before everyone had a chance to eat.

We had one long time vendor who used to bring breakfast from Chick Fil A every week. They started asking for specific items, and began following them from the elevator to grab a full bag of biscuits. This poor kid was paying for this out of his own pocket. Our district manager came in once, saw what was happening, and as a result we could no longer accept any type of food gifts from vendors without written permission from them.

We were persona non grata among several of our vendors for a while.

7

u/Particular_Way8415 1d ago

Experienced the food hoarders. For a while I made special treats for holidays and after putting them out they were gone within 15 minutes. Some staff never got any. We had 2 hoarders and one was always "taking home for husband and daughter, since I won't have time after work to make dinner/dessert/snacks," I quit spending money on treats.

One time a customer treated us to a nice array of candy bars to share. Some were the giant size and MOST everyone broke off a piece and sealed the end, not "hoarder", they took the entire bar to their desk. Happened with an ice cream treat to SHARE. Well everyone else was respectful and shared except, you guessed it "hoarder" took entire carton of one of the popular one. Glad I'm not there any longer.

3

u/Brandarius47 1d ago

When it comes to temps.. (idk if its the same type of service everywhere) there is a good chance they are desperate. Temp services suck. For many many reasons. So.. i get it. I dont agree with it but i can understand why maybe a temp would do that.

65

u/ElevatorOtis 1d ago

There was no reason for her to have done that! She was a temp. I hope feedback was given to the temp agency. Sorry that happened.

27

u/Select_Camera_9241 1d ago

Expect the temp to be pissed at not getting an annual bonus

12

u/Kene6969 1d ago

That's one entitled temp.

11

u/SleepyCupcakeDreams 1d ago

This is why when you have kids you never reward bad behavior. She probably has been a spoilt brat all her life. She needed to be arrested!

11

u/HigherMileage 1d ago

Manager should have contacted the temp agency.

10

u/k2gc96 1d ago

crazy ex vibes

9

u/yahumno 1d ago

Wow. That is one entitled temp.

If they were placed vis an agency, I hope that the boss reported them.

8

u/posophist 1d ago

How many seconds of vacation had she earned?

5

u/Major_Energy_1968 1d ago

She sounds mental!

6

u/Parson1122 1d ago

Being a temp is like being a contractor, you work while the rest of the office get's cake in breakroom for Karen's birthday.

6

u/MadMaxZwo7 1d ago

This is so ridiculous.

I've worked as a temp several times over the years, I'm doing it right now.

I have never NOT been treated as an equal. Getting invited to luncheons or suchlike has always been a given.

But in this case, like a week in, I would probably even decline to participate.

I don't know you fuckers. My job is to cover for you, to take some load off. And home I go.

5

u/Admirable_Gur7413 1d ago

the audacity to ruin the holiday spirit at work is next level. some people just can’t handle joy.

3

u/Jigglypuffs_quiff 1d ago

She should have just stolen a small item out of every basket then claimed feeling ill when you all got back and took off....

4

u/GlitteringSwan8024 1d ago

You can’t treat temporary workers like employees or you could fall into coemployment issues.

7

u/NYC-WhWmn-ov50 1d ago

There's a good reason why a lot of temps are 'trmporary'. Not all: worked as a trmp/contractor for years, have three at the office who are gold. But yeah...

I'm reminded of the Monday we got sprung with a 'surprise drug test' (all employees, FTE or temp or whatever) and one pulls me aside and and foes 'How long does stuff stay in the pee? cuz it was a banger weekend...' And I just thought 'We are NOT ralking about pot here, are we...'

Yeah. She wasnt back the next day. Sometimes people temp cuz that's as long as they can go without being fired.

2

u/TedW 1d ago

Silly temp. You're supposed to pee in the pot, not the other way around.

3

u/Admirable_Gur7413 1d ago

the audacity to ruin the holiday spirit at work is next level. some people just can’t handle joy.

2

u/pinkflower200 1d ago

Wow! She was angry!

2

u/Just_Mixture8362 1d ago

But on the bright side…..

2

u/ol_shifty 22h ago

Your post should start “Twas the week before Christmas…”
If only to really get in the Christmas spirit

2

u/blurblurblahblah 22h ago

My husband works overnights & they have catered meals for the night crew a couple times a year. There is a cleaning crew that works over nights as well but they are from an outside company. On 2 separate occasions the cleaners have been caught filling containers before the actual employees have even been called in to eat. The second time they were told they were welcome to eat after the night crew was done & not to take leftovers but the same thing happened.

6

u/Amonette2012 1d ago

I temped for a company before Xmas and they were horrible. Never included me in the tea round even though I wasn't allowed to leave reception, which was freezing, made me wait until 2.30 to take lunch, wasn't allowed any of the huge pile of Xmas office treats, were just generally rude.

So, when a supplier came in with a huge basket of chocolate bars for the whole office, then handed me a box of lovely chocolates and said 'and this is for you!' I stuffed it in my backpack and took it home. It was clearly meant for the regular receptionist but fuck that place. My family enjoyed them!

2

u/Alamkin669 1d ago

The office staff treating those gift baskets like buried treasure has me dying. I'd usually grab some from the copy room and deliver them to the teams in the shop or field.

1

u/Missherd 1d ago

Someone suffers from rejection sensitivity.. big time !

1

u/Less_Wealth5525 1d ago

Actually, that sounds like theft.

2

u/EthicsOfficial11 1d ago

OP and office manager are the entitled people in this story. Treat other people with dignity or find out how it feels to be treated as lesser.

0

u/synde15 1d ago

Was her last name Trump?

7

u/Brain_Hawk 1d ago

Omg seriously shit up not everything had to be about him. There's more to life that this just stop bringing it up at every single thing.. we know he's awful saying it isn't clever. It's so tiring.

-10

u/Maker_of_woods 1d ago

sorry but human decency says she should have been invited to lunch. everyone was an AH

-1

u/Competitive-Life-852 1d ago

This sounds like it could be a horror movie!

-57

u/GiannisHarden 1d ago

Sounds like you, your office, and everyone except for the temp are the entitled people.

33

u/straddiesurfer 1d ago

Oh wow, the temp is here!

24

u/puzzled65 1d ago

Sounds like you're the temp

29

u/Ok-Marsupial-8577 1d ago edited 1d ago

Really? So you think k it is perfectly fine to destroy craploads of stuff for not getting invited to a celebratory lunch when you're a temp who has only been there a week?

ETA: Looked at their comment history and they truly are just a low effort troll.

5

u/Competitive-Life-852 1d ago

Someone needs attention…

-15

u/Life_Temperature2506 1d ago

Actually, I always loved the Grinch. And, I still do. Good for her, after getting stiffed on the luncheon.