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Programmer: Okay, so he asked us for a digital signature solution to document tracking and approval... Ideas?
Analyst: What if we got a couple midgets, and bought a few Etch A Sketches...?
1932 Wildcat Canyon Road
San Diego, California
Presenter, during company-wide meeting: As this slide demonstrates, the company did it in arrears. [Giggling from the back, and presenter sighs.] Yes, your mom and I did it in arrears. Moving on...
Peachtree Road
Atlanta, Georgia
Overheard by: Christin
Boss, holding meeting: So, you want to handle this thing?
Female employee: No.
Boss: What's the matter? You can't handle Harlem at night?
Female employee: No.
Boss: Faggot.
Queer employee: I'm surprised you used that word.
Boss: What? 'Faggot'?
Queer employee: Yes.
Boss: Obviously I don't think she's gay. I said 'faggot' in the sense of, you know, a sissy. No guts.
Drama queen employee: Besides, you faggots call each other 'faggot' all the time. I know you do.
Queer employee: I guess.
Boss: Glad we settled that. [To female employee] Now... I expect you to take your sissy ass to Harlem and take care of this thing.
Law firm
Long Island, New York
Overheard by: Big Larry
President, referring to company's succession plan: I just want to hold out until it gets turned over to you guys. I want to see you guys take it.
Assistant: You see us take it every day.
Rodeo Park Drive
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Manager in motivational meeting: Just try brainwashing yourself sometime. There is nothing wrong with being brainwashed.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Overheard by: the other admin
Manager: I just want to know -- what is the penetration of 12 to 17-year-old girls?
Analyst: I'm not sure we want to show that...
Manager: They need to know how many 12 to 17-year-olds have been penetrated!
28 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Worker bee: There was an employee fitness challenge here today. Hilarity ensued.
Less productive bee: I imagine it would anytime you throw 'employee' and 'challenge' together in one sentence.
Wausau, Wisconsin
Chipper corporate trainer: You put an extra '-umph' at the end of 'tri-', and what do you get? Triumph!
4635 East Elwood Street
Phoenix, Arizona
Secretary: Does it involve undergarments? If so, I'm not there.
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Overheard by: Lan
Supervisor: Hey, we're all here today... Let's have a meeting!
Employee #1: About what?
Employee #2: American Idol!
Financial center
New York, New York
Overheard by: working hard
Boss in team meeting: I know these conversations are going nowhere, but we're on a deadline so we need to get nowhere faster!
Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
Manager #1: Time for the meeting.
Manager #2: Can I just tie a fucking bag of stray cats over my head instead?
Circle Centre Mall
Indianapolis, Indiana
Overheard by: Shatmandu
Owner: What kinds of social situations can you use to help market our firm?
Peon #1: I meet lots of guys at the bars and give them my cards -- especially those in the construction fields.
Peon #2, as others laugh: He didn't ask how you picked up men.
Peon #3: Is that why we never get any new projects?
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Overheard by: glad it wasn't me
Boss: I don't want it turning into a mega gangbang.
226 Penarth Road
Cardiff
UK
Partner to associates at attorney meeting: Billable hours are down for the year. Based on what we've billed so far, we have approximately four attorneys too many... assuming people are fungible.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Sales guy, entering a meeting: Sorry I'm late...
Director of marketing: You brought doughnuts? Coffee?
Sales guy: No.
Director of marketing: Then you're dead to us. Get out.
105 Madison Avenue
New York, New York
Boss: I want Joan* helicoptered into this afternoon's meeting.
Peon: But Joan works in this building. She could just walk.
Boss: I wasn't being literal -- it's a metaphysical helicopter.
Aberdeen
Scotland
Overheard by: metaphysical, my arse
Peon to another at two-hour mark in meeting: I'd poop in my chair if I thought it would make this meeting more interesting.
Lakewood, Colorado
Overheard by: Couldn't have hurt -- mighta helped
Manager in meeting: We'll hit that bridge when we come to it.
London
England
Partner #1: What's on the agenda for my meeting with Jerry*?
Partner #2: Ask whether his HIV is full-blown AIDS. Find out if he's using client money to pay for his crystal meth habit. Ask if he's ready to face the NASD, SIPC, and SEC.
2999 North 44th Street
Phoenix, Arizona
Lady peon: Oh, for fuck's sake! I'm going to have to draw on my breasts now.
Bolton, Lancashire
United Kingdom
Manager: There is a difference between playing with ourselves and playing with our customers.
8033 Lory Student Center, Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado
Overheard by: Alli
Analyst #1: It's perfect -- it's like a unicorn.
Analyst #2: We'll see some disagreements on perfect.
Empire Avenue
Burbank, California
Overheard by: Statja K
Cowboy #1 looking at catered lunch: Well, they sure didn't leave us any knives or anything to use with these cold cuts!
Cowboy #2: You're right!
Cowboy #1: I'd use mine, but I don't know if it's been rinsed this week... Haha!
Cowboy #2: Haha! Mine either!
Cowboy #1: Haha, yeah, and I know where mine's been!
Hospital conference room
Twin Falls, Idaho
Coworker on phone: I'll meet you down at the corner. Bring me anything you have that is SpongeBobby or princessy.
East Marshall Street
Richmond, Virginia
Manager: Instead of wine night, we call it 'book club.'
1400 Douglas Street
Omaha, Nebraska
Overheard by: Doug's Mom
Analyst: I can give you the numbers in those divisions, but you can't go public with it.
Marketing manager: I'm not going to go public with it, just present it at a meeting.
Analyst: Who's going to be at the meeting?
Marketing manager: It's a stakeholder meeting. So, whoever wants to, you know. It's open to the public.
16340 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona
Boss: Let's be clear about this... Actually, no, let's be unclear.
10900 Martin Luther King Drive
Cleveland, Ohio
CEO: Everyone was at that meeting! If your name began with a consonant or a vowel, you were in the fuckin' meeting!
Elmsford, New York
Overheard by: Bored Beyond Belief
Project manger: From now on all of the questions are going to be rhetorical.
Group on speakerphone: [Silence.]
Project manager: You know what rhetorical means, don't you?
Group on speakerphone: [Silence.]
Project manager: Anyway...
Fairfax, Virginia
CEO at company-wide meeting: You have to understand -- we are a relatively young company, and we are in Helen Keller mode right now.
13500 Heritage Parkway
Fort Worth, Texas
Controller to president: I'm ready, baby, what do you wanna do? You wanna do it in my office? C'mon baby, what do you wanna do?
President: I want for you not to touch me with your viral infections.
150 Batson Drive
Manchester, Connecticut
Guy #1: How was your meeting?
Guy #2: Short and sweet -- I have absolutely no action items, except for one.
2141 Rosecrans Avenue
El Segundo, California
Overheard by: they think my iPod is on
Cube dweller #1: I just want to make sure we are communicating on this project.
Cube dweller #2: Yeah, we're communicating. [Yells over cubicles] Hey, Roy*, are we communicating?
Roy: Uh, I'm communicating with my sandwich.
Vienna, Virginia
Overheard by: The Communicator
Guy #1: I love the Jell-O here.
Guy #2: Yeah... Want to go take a shower?
Guy #3: Hell yeah, let's go take a shower!
Guy #1: Alright, I'll run to my room, drop off my stuff, and we can head over to take a shower.
Kinsolving dining room
Austin, Texas
Overheard by: HornFan
Customer service associate to graphic artist: Yeah, I just wanted to get your uninformed opinion on that file.
Nashville, Tennessee
Lowly assistant: We are supposed to have our monthly, quarterly, and annual goals prepared for Tuesday's meeting.
Lawyer: Really? Tell the office manager to send me everyone else's goals.
Office manager: I probably won't have them before the meeting.
Lawyer: But I don't know what my goals are.
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Overheard by: It's Comcastic
Magazine writer #1: So, it turned out the chick I took home from the party was a gymnast!
Staff members: Wow... That's hot... Lucky git...
Magazine writer #2: Why, what's so great about gymnasts?
Magazine writer #1: Um... Well, they're really flexible...
Magazine writer #2: Oh, well, you should see the guy gymnasts, then!
Staff members: [Silence.]
35-51 Mitchell Street
Sydney
Australia
Overheard by: and he's OUT!
CEO: By a show of hands, how many of you believe that I believe in this company?
Ballantyne Office Park
Charlotte, North Carolina
Receptionist: I just can't get the song from Pinocchio out of my head.
Marketing director: Funny what pops into your head on the first round.
Receptionist, singing: I've got no strings to hold me back...
Marketing director: Later on, when we're drinking, I'll tell you about the midgets.
City Center Building
Bellevue, Washington
Secretary: Well, I'm out for the rest of the day. I've got a doctor's appointment.
Coworker: Oh, have fun!
Secretary: Yeah... Because nothing says 'party' like bloodwork and pap smears...
401 Church Street
Nashville, Tennessee
Manager #1: So, what do we do if any of our employees don't show up for the mandatory Ethics Training?
VP: You direct them to the supplemental Ethics Training, online.
Manager #2: Couldn't we just write their names in on the sign-in sheet and say that they were at the ethics thing?
Melville, New York
Woman on way to meeting: Are my boobs sticking out enough?
1515 Broadway
New York, New York
Coworker: It's just a motivational meeting. I don't care if I miss it.
1180 Jefferson Road
Rochester, New York
Employee #1: Ok, I'm taking breakfast orders for the meeting, what do you guys want?
Employee #2: Ummm, I'll have the western omelette.
Employee #1: Ok.
Employee #2: Oh, wait...are there eggs in that?
Employee #1: Uh, yeah!
Employee #2: Okay then!
Falls Church, Virginia
Overheard by: You've got to be kidding
Coworker #1: Can you believe the whole company needs to take an ethics exam? It's online, but still...
Coworker #2: Yeah, it sucks. I heard that one department's doing the whole thing on a conference call together.
Coworker #1: But there's a test...
Coworker #2: Yeah, they're all taking the test together. One person says the answer and everybody enters it on their screen after the first person confirms it's right.
Midtown
New York, New York
VP: Hi! Nice to see you. I hope we'll be meeting soon!
Ad agency rep: Yes, like right now? Since that's why we're here.
Central Park South
New York, New York
Co-Worker #1: I have to go expose myself to Bob* and Mike* in a meeting now.
Co-Worker #2: Maybe I should skip that meeting.
1701 North Collins Boulevard
Richardson, Texas
Co-Worker #1: Are you going to the training class later today?
Co-Worker #2: No, I don't have to. I was grandfather clocked into the old training.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Woman #1: I don't think I can handle a two-hour meeting.
Woman #2: The trick is to doodle in your notebook the whole time; it looks like you're taking notes.
Woman #1: I can design outfits for my cat rodeo!
330 South 3rd Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Overheard by: Cora
Boss: I'm just going to stop taking notes and just use yours after the meeting, because I have no idea what's going on.
545 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York
GM: How were you days off?
Supervisor: Pretty good. Did some hiking.
GM: How was the conference?
Supervisor: What conference?
GM: I e-mailed you Wednesday about the loss prevention meeting on Thursday morning. I know it was short notice.
Supervisor: Thursday was my day off. Wednesday was my day off. I wasn't here to check my e-mails.
GM: So you didn't go to the mandatory meeting?
Supervisor: Um.
GM: You have to check your e-mail every day. No excuses.
Supervisor: I wasn't here to check my e-mail.
GM: No excuses.
687 12th Street
Gresham, Oregon
Overheard by: I love 50 e-mails a day
Contracts officer: Frankly, I think she'll be tickled shitless...I could have said she'd be shittled titless, but I thought that would be offensive.
HR lady: This meeting has now offically gone on too long.
1010 North Glebe Road
Arlington, Virginia
Office grunt #1: I hate all these fucking meetings!
Office grunt #2: Didn't you set this meeting up?
Office grunt #1: Yeah, but that's not the point.
Oil company office
Houston, Texas
Overheard by: Lara
Guy: I always thought we would go out Thelma and Louise style when we were both in our 90's.
Girl: That sounds about right.
Guy: I'm going to move that up about 60 years if this meeting doesn't end soon.
32 Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
Overheard by: I agree
Flood vic #1: So I said to my boss, "I won't be able to make the meeting in NYC, because my house is flooded and I had to evacuate."
Flood vic #2: So what did she say?
Flood vic #1: She said that she was stressed out about having to cancel the meeting and incoveniencing the people in NYC.
Flood shelter cot
Overheard by: sitting on a cot waiting for Noah.
Coworker: Okay, I'm headed out to the meeting. I have the cell phone if you need me...Does this have to be turned on, or will it turn itself on when a call comes in?
1001 North 19th Street
Arlington, Virginia
Employee: Well, did we decide against boobs?
163 Freelon Street
San Francisco, California
Overheard by: Eve S. Dropper
Visiting salesgirl: Hi, I'm here to see Carrie Bradshaw.
Receptionist: Do you mean Carrie Schwartz?
Visiting salesgirl: No, I'm pretty sure her name was Carrie Bradshaw.
Receptionist: We don't have a Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie Bradshaw is from Sex and the City.
245 5th Avenue
New York, New York
Call leader: Whoever has your phone on hold, please take us off hold. We can hear the music.
151 Major Reynolds Place
Knoxville, Tennessee
Overheard by: mba
Manager: Ok. Since it seems like [Dougie] doesn't want to be a part of the team and show up for meetings, [Steve], from now on, when you send out meeting requests, make sure the invitation is sent to him personally.
[Steve]: So basically, I should click a few more times to enable this otherwise unacceptable behavior?
Manager: Right.
[Steve]: Got it.
214 West 39th Street
New York, New York
Account manager: Hey, [the customer] wants us to come in and make a presentation. Are you available to come with me next week?
Sales director: No. What I'm planning to do is to put together an entire project team -- sales, marketing, engineering, quality, manufacturing, maybe even finance. I want to show that we have a comprehensive cross-functional team in place, so that we look like we know what we're doing, no matter that the customer asks.
Account manager: That sounds great. Who else is gonna be on the team?
Sales director: Well, it looks like just me and you for now. Ask me again next month.
28100 Cabot Drive
Novi, Michigan
Program manager: I think we should adopt the behaviours from the charter for meetings of the [Partnerships] section. [Steven], why don't you read them out?
[Steven]: Respect other's opinions and feelings, stay focused, turn off mobile phones, question self before others, participate enthusiastically and share experience and knowledge, have some fun....
Employee: Anyone telling me to have some fun at meetings better think again.
Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills
Sydney, Australia
Overheard by: Ness
Tenured faculty guy: You know you really should start attending faculty meetings.
Non-tenured faculty guy: Why? I'm not allowed to vote on any departmental issues.
Tenured faculty guy: It would still be professionally instructive for you to attend.
Non-tenured faculty guy: But I'm already aware of the fact that this department is full of petulant egomaniacs.
Department of Mathematics
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Director: I have you down for 8AM.
Analyst: I can't at that time. I have to drop off my son at day care.
Director: That's okay, I'll do you later.
4302 Town Center Boulevard
El Dorado Hills, California
Department Head: So, can we update your job description tomorrow morning?
Employee: No, I have a color correction session to attend.
Department Head: Well, I notice you don't take lunch. You're usually at your desk. What about then?
Employee: I do take lunch. I just eat at my desk and read a book or something.
Department Head: Well, how about doing something more productive with that time? Do you want to meet then?
Employee: No.
6423 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Meeting Attendee #1: When's a good time to schedule the meeting with [Gary]?
Meeting Attendee #2: Well, he will be back from his heart attack next week.
2964 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, Georgia
Worker #1: I can't believe [Jim] didn't show up for the meeting.
Worker #2: I know. He has some nerve.
Worker #1: I hope he gets a painful rash in the anal region...if you know what I mean.
245 5th Avenue
New York, NY
VP: Wow that sounds bad. Do we need to have a pre-meeting about that meeting?
3415 Vision Drive
Columbus, Ohio
Officer: So apparently the greeting of the day is "Rock that ass".
3rd Infantry Division Headquarters
Baghdad, Iraq
Employee #1: Can you print the report for the meeting?
Employee #2: Should I print a copy for everyone who will be there?
Employee #1: No, one should be fine; all 15 of them can crowd around and look at it together.
2240 North 1st Street
San Jose, California
Manager: It's just our department in this meeting, [the other department] isn't coming.
Supervisor: How do you know?
Manager: I went to [Brenda] and asked where her meeting is, and she said she doesn't have a meeting.
Employee: So if this is our meeting, where are we supposed to be?
Supervisor: I reserved the conference room for my meeting, but the door is closed. Is this my meeting?
Manager: I think so. It's nobody else's.
Supervisor: So then, where are we going?
535 Routes 6 & 209
Milford, Pennsyvlania
Employee: It's called toxic shock syndrome. We have to hurry and finish this meeting.
23133 Outer Drive
Allen Park, Michigan
Co-worker #1: I have my big meeting tomorrow.
Co-worker #2: What meeting?
Co-worker #1: You know! The meeting where I'm going to stand up and say, "Fuck this! I quit!"
122 South Main Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Co-worker #1: I swear, you'd think we never eat the way we jump on the free food.
Co-worker #2: If it weren't for work I don't think I would eat.
Co-worker #1: Yeah, but I always forget and eat and then I have to eat again when it's free.
Co-worker #2: Not me. I wait for it. But sometimes that's bad, 'cause like, then one day I'll be hungry and I'll be all like, "Why didn't you guys have a meeting today?!"
640 5th Avenue
New York, NY
Person: Hi, I'm here for my 1 o'clock meeting. I know I'm a little early...
Receptionist: I'm sorry, what?
Person: I'm here for my meeting at 1; I'm early. Sorry about that.
Receptionist: Um...Yeah, it's almost 3...So...
Person: Oh sorry, right, 3, must be in a different time zone.
9250 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Co-worker #1: Are we loud in meetings?
Co-worker #2: Some of us are.
Co-worker #1: Let me correct that: are we allowed in meetings?
3650 131st Avenue SE
Bellevue, Washington
Worker #1: Do you have any time available to meet on Thursday?
Worker #2: It will be pretty tough; I have back to back meetings all day.
Worker #1: How about 11AM?
Worker #2: Okay, I have nothing scheduled at all between 9AM and 5PM.
140 Broadway
New York, NY
Overheard by: HardlyWorking
Boss: So why did they start having this weekly meeting anyway?
Co-worker: It started out with all of us sitting around eating pizza, talking casually; you know, just shooting the fan.
525 East 68th Street
New york, NY
Department Head: You don't get to choose what the conference is on, there is a pre-set list and they will be allocated around the team.
Co-worker: In that case I think I'll run a conference on Pathfinders.
Websters Ropery
Ropery Road, Sunderland
UK
Overheard by: Jennifer Stevenson
General Manager: It's up to every one of you to better yourselves. You can either stay or grow!
1520 Front Street
Yorktown Heights, New York
Overheard by: miss eves dropping
Secretary #1: It looks nice, don't it?
Secretary #2: Did you just say, "it looks nice, don't it?"...Doesn't it! I'm just trying to get us ready for the bigwigs next week!
Secretary #1: It don't matter, sweetie.
10559 Citation Drive
Brighton, Michigan
Overheard by: Abigail Fisher
Office worker: Is this the meeting or the meeting about the meeting?
8687 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California
Chair: The beauty of this meeting is that we don't need to make any decisions.
2000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, DC
Co-worker #1: There's an all-hands meeting today at 11:45.
Co-worker #2: Oh, I'm going to be busy then. Do I have to go?
Co-worker #1: Do you have hands?
4540 Lacey Boulevard SE
Lacey, Washington
Overheard by: Melisa
Co-worker: One of the people I was meeting with was Ray Charles...the white, Jewish Ray Charles.
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY
Director: Like all of my meetings, I don't have an agenda. I like to just let people talk and it usually turns up interesting discussions.
5720 Peachtree Parkway
Norcross, Georgia
Manager: Will you guys stop talking during my presentation?
Underling: I wasn't talking, I was asleep...
Abingdon Science Park
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
UK
VP: You'll need to sit between [Jake] and I at the next meeting so I don't kick his ass.
Peon: I'll hold him if you'll hit him.
1500 Hampton Street
Columbia, South Carolina
Manager #1: Are we meeting sometime, today?
Manager #2: We already met.
Manager #1: Oh. Did I miss anything important?
Manager #2: Well, you missed the meeting.
19 N. 6th Street
Reading, Pennsylvania
Facilitator: Would you like me to advance to the next slide?
Presenter: No, thank you. I'll catch up in a moment. I just thought myself into a corner.
200 Seaport Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts
Boss: So, uh, essentially, this meeting is about a meeting we're going to have. Sometime.
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY
Producer: One of the things that came out of the meetings is that they
wanted more diversity.
Consultant: Who?
12 West 27th Street
New York, NY
Consultant: So what is this meeting about, anyway?
Boss: Why is everyone so concerned about this meeting?
Consultant: Well, for starters it's 3 hours long--
Boss: Don't worry, we can't fire all of you...
595 Madison Street
New York, NY
Overheard by: Trouble
JP Morgan Office Manager: Do he know he have a meeting? Her said he have a meeting.
38 W. 75th Street
New York, NY