We’ve all been there – long day at work, everything seems to be going wrong, and then your computer decides to freeze. After frantically hitting the tried-and-tested ctrl+alt+delete combo you stumble into uncharted territory when that fails you too. So, the only remaining option is obviously to do the sensible thing and take your computer outside for a private word. When it refuses to see reason, who could blame you for taking out a gun and shooting it eight times?
It may seem a bit farfetched, but a man in Colorado Springs in the US is now facing police action after he became so frustrated with his computer’s failings that he took it outside and repeatedly shot it. The man in question, Lucas Hinch, was detained for discharging a firearm within the city, and his fate will be decided by a judge. The computer however, wasn’t so lucky, and isn’t expected to recover.
It’s not the first time people haven’t exactly shown their best side at work, so we’ve rounded up five of the best (or worst depending on your tolerance threshold for second-hand embarrassment) examples to reassure Hinch that he’s not alone.
(1) McDonalds mania
Losing your job can be an emotional time, but it’s usually best to put a brave face on, at least until you get home. Especially if you work somewhere customer-facing, and bemused customers are likely to whip out their phones and film the incident if things get a bit out of hand. Which is exactly what happened to a furious McDonald’s employee who was fired in Minnesota, and took to smashing up the restaurant while swearing and shouting.
(2) Asleep on the job
Everyone gets over-tired and over-worked at times, but it’s not the best idea to fall asleep while on the clock if you can help it. Even less ideal is doing it on a client’s sofa. This Comcast technician was called in to assist with replacing a customer’s cable modem, but seemed to find the entire process either a little too draining or a little too mind-numbingly dull. So, he had a snooze – unfortunately, his unimpressed client was on hand to record his kip.
(3) Identity crisis I
Social media has all manner of opportunities for frustrated employees to vent their irritations, as Chrysler knows all too well. Back in 2011, someone with access to the official Twitter account, presumably an employee, tweeted: “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f**king drive.” The tweet was hastily deleted, and Chrysler posted the following:
Our apologies – our account was compromised earlier today. We are taking steps to resolve it.
— Chrysler (@Chrysler) March 9, 2011
Read more on business mistakes:
- The top 5 mistakes made by new businesses and how to avoid them
- 10 best workplace revenge stories
- How to avoid common mistakes when selling
(4) Identity crisis II
Also receiving the dubious honour of awkwardly tweeting from the wrong account is a certain StubHub employee. While many might be wistfully counting down the hours until Friday, most manage to make sure they switch logins on social media account if they’re going to announce this. The employee in question seemed to forget they were operating the company’s Twitter with the exclamation: “Thank f**k it’s Friday! Can’t wait to get out of this stubsucking hell hole,” making sure that their feelings towards the online marketplace were crystal clear. StubHub then tried to smooth things over by tweeting:
We’ve deleted an unauthorized tweet made from this Twitter handle. We apologize to all of our followers for the inappropriate language used.
— StubHub (@StubHub) October 6, 2012
(5) Office politics
And finally, apparently all it took for this employee to go on a Godzilla-like rampage through their office back in 2008 was a co-worker bumping into his desk. Where Hinch at least had the decency to take his grievance outside, this enraged employee tramples across desks, throws a computer and attempts to wreak havoc with what appears to be a lamp. All while his concerned coworkers look on.
Image: Shutterstock
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