Bosses and Underlings

Manager to waiter: What are you doing up here? Go in the fucking kitchen so I can fucking beat your ass.

Italian Restaurant
Olney, Maryland

Employee: I’d like to work the booth. I could be good at that. I’d like to travel, and go to trade shows.
Manager: You’d have to educate yourself so you can speak to clients about what we do here. You’d also have to work some weekends.
Employee: Do I get paid?
Manager: You get travel for free – meals, hotel, airfare.
Employee: Wow.
Manager: And of course your regular paycheck.
Employee: Is this scheme widely known in the company??

Rochelle Park
New Jersey

Boss: So did you work things out?
Intern: Yeah, I talked to him when I dropped the tumor off.

Martin Street
Raleigh, North Carolina

Overheard by: sleeping with my eyes open

Employee: You know my friend didn’t die the other day when they, uh, disconnected her.
Manager: Oh no?
Employee: But she’s dying right now. It took forty-eight hours. I wonder if she’s hungry.

365 West Passaic Street
Rochelle Park, New Jersey

Overheard by: Jersey Girl

Twentysomething new hire: Why is there a Harry Potter picture in our lobby?
Fortysomething manager: Actually that’s a painting of John Lennon.

Silicon Valley, California

Overheard by: Pop Culturally Literate

Underling: What do you want me to do today?
Superboss: That’s a good question. I can talk about that whenever you’re ready.

4000 Shoreline Court
San Francisco, California

CEO: I read a study that said that 50% of Canadians disapprove of Americans.
Employee: Yeah, I guess they just don’t agree with many of the US’s recent actions.
CEO: No, it’s because they’re jealous of Americans.
Employee: Err, that’s perhaps a somewhat US-centric view…
CEO: I’ve been to Canada. I’ve seen it firsthand. They are very jealous of us.
Employee: Actually, now that you mention it, I’m surprised it was only 50%.

Frederick, Maryland

Overheard by: poj

Boss: Why do you look so sad?
Employee: You really want to know?
Boss: No.

Toledo, Ohio

Overheard by: jullylully

Supervisor: Different day, same shit.
Employee: That’s my favorite saying! “Different day, same shit.”
Supervisor: We probably shouldn’t swear; I don’t want to offend the customers.
Employee: Probably.
Supervisor: You know what my favorite saying is? “Fuck that!”

Mount Prospect, Illinois

Executive: Is it okay if I take the intern with me to the meeting tomorrow?
Assistant: Sure.
Executive: Are you the person I ask about that?
Assistant: No.

Los Angeles, California

Overheard by: Not the person either