Prudence had rather silly advice. In a 30-person office, there's not an "HR Department" to take a grievance to. And there's not much use taking the issue to the boss, since he is certainly at the start of this practice.

I suggest bringing in your pet rat. Either it will freak people out, or one of the dogs will eat it, and the boss will decide it's just easier to get rid of the pets.

I love the default HR answer. People just don't get it - smaller business often do not have HR. People tell me, "Oh, you should go to HR about that!" Yeah, sure, and which of our 14 employees would that be? The secretary/office manager is also our marketing department and spec writer. When we were remodeling, we had landscape architects assembling furniture! I've fixed the ladies' room toliet (we only have one and it was either fix it, use teh mens' room or go to the movie theater across teh street until the plumber could get there) and used to handle all the supply ordering. Corporate people just don't get the reality of life in a small office.

You both are so right! I work in an office of SEVEN, that's right, seven, including me. We have no HR department. I am, as the front office manager and admin assistant of the exec director who submits payroll to our service and pays the health bill, considered "HR" but it's funny because we are such a small, tight group that most typical "HR" situations are handled with regular, good old fashioned people skills and nothing more.

People like Prudie have their head floating in fantasy land, that every single workplace is in a big tall skyscraper with a mysterious corner office full of cubicles manned by HR and legal professionals who are detached from all the other employees who are causing the problems.

...i've consulted in organizations of tens of thousands. and their slogans on the wall never reflect the office culture actually practiced. reminds me a lot of the former communist states. my favorite is a floor to ceiling poster proclaiming only hard work will save us from the imperial pigs. hanging right in back of the card table, where the whole production line was playing cards and drinking beer.

my experience has been, whatever HR is saying, they're practicing the opposite when noones looking. HR knows it, that's why they're advertising the opposite.

I could not be happy in a truly coporate environment. My husband works for an immense, international coporation. I see the bullshit he deals with and I know it is NOT for me. Thankfully, he's ok with it, and navigates it quite well. For me, not having HR is a small price to pay for havign direct access to even the highest level of management!

So was the poster in Corporate America, or a People's Own Factory? (Maybe it doesn't make much difference...)

There's a reason that HR in Dilbert's company is run by Catbert: he's cute and cuddly and doesn't care if you live or die.

it's a rare gem of a person who can do the right thing, for right thing purpose. unfortunately, the right thing was often the wrong thing after we wake up, if you know what i mean. prolly not.