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Being forced to room with someone at meetings is so degrading and dehumanizing

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Anonymous

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I think I speak for everyone at this company when I say that this is something that is just reprehensible. Not just at training, but at regional meetings as well. Nothing says "f-this" like flying into NY from the west coast, getting to the compound at 11PM and opening the door to find a complete stranger snoring away in his underwear.

I've even asked to pay for my own fucking room with a personal card and they won't let me do it! Think about that- a place of business turning down profit just to keep us cooped up with other co-workers and not having a single minute of personal time or space!!

Is this seriously a cost cutting move or just some behavioral science initiative attempting to make us more submissive and beaten than we already are? Somebody should sue their asses for emotional stress or violation of privacy or sexual discrimination. I'm willing to try it. I'll just have to document the fact that they won't let me get my own room when that place has a couple hundred vacancies in it and I'm willing to pay for my own.
 




Anonymous said:
I think I speak for everyone at this company when I say that this is something that is just reprehensible. Not just at training, but at regional meetings as well. Nothing says "f-this" like flying into NY from the west coast, getting to the compound at 11PM and opening the door to find a complete stranger snoring away in his underwear.

I've even asked to pay for my own fucking room with a personal card and they won't let me do it! Think about that- a place of business turning down profit just to keep us cooped up with other co-workers and not having a single minute of personal time or space!!

Is this seriously a cost cutting move or just some behavioral science initiative attempting to make us more submissive and beaten than we already are? Somebody should sue their asses for emotional stress or violation of privacy or sexual discrimination. I'm willing to try it. I'll just have to document the fact that they won't let me get my own room when that place has a couple hundred vacancies in it and I'm willing to pay for my own.
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Get a life Stubby. Your roommate is not going to stare at your tiny weenie.

If this is so egregious, find another job. But just don't whine. OK?
 




Anonymous said:
I think I speak for everyone at this company when I say that this is something that is just reprehensible. Not just at training, but at regional meetings as well. Nothing says "f-this" like flying into NY from the west coast, getting to the compound at 11PM and opening the door to find a complete stranger snoring away in his underwear.

I've even asked to pay for my own fucking room with a personal card and they won't let me do it! Think about that- a place of business turning down profit just to keep us cooped up with other co-workers and not having a single minute of personal time or space!!

Is this seriously a cost cutting move or just some behavioral science initiative attempting to make us more submissive and beaten than we already are? Somebody should sue their asses for emotional stress or violation of privacy or sexual discrimination. I'm willing to try it. I'll just have to document the fact that they won't let me get my own room when that place has a couple hundred vacancies in it and I'm willing to pay for my own.
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"just some behavioral science initiative attempting to make us more submissive and beaten than we already are?" CLASSIC! I couldn't agree with you more.
 












Tell them that ur roommate snores too loudly, you can't get any sleep and that it's affecting your judgement... That u can't suffer from another sleepless night. It has worked for me.
 








Once at a National Sales Meeting they were passing the microphone around to ask questions and I said "We don't ask men and women to room together, for obvious reasons. Then by what logic do we ask two men or two women to room together? How do I know my roomate doesn't share my heterosexual view of the world?" (It was the only standing ovation I've ever had.) The Executive VP hemmed and hawed and didn't know what to say, pointing to the next VP on the stage saying 'Gary, do you want to take this one?' " Then, nervously, he said "We'll get back to you..."
A month later there was a system-wide e-mail that announced the new policy: Henceforth there would be single rooms at all meetings.

That said, many companies are coming to realize that sharing a room with a virtual stranger is a recipe for a lawsuit. Overwhelmingly reps have voted to have their own room even if it meant staying in a non-premium hotel. Meanwhile, I wouldn't hesitate to pay for my own room at a meeting, regardless of what the management team says. You can always find a way to recover your losses the next time you do a lunch. I seldom advocate cheating, but in this case it's not to personally profit but to be made whole. Yes, it's stealing clear and simple and I am not proud of it. The most charitable thing I can say for myself is that I'm not personally profiting, just staying even.
 












The big regional and national meetings were the epitome of torture. They'd serve breakfast from 6-7:30am and our DM wanted us at the meeting by 7:45 so "his team" would be on time. So with 2 people needing to shower and get ready, especially women with hair & makeup, should we get up at 4:30 or 5am to get some breakfast before the meeting? Just getting to the meals was a 20 minute walk from the elevators!

Then have meetings until 5pm and be told to meet in the lobby at 5:20 to leave for dinner, gee thanks, by the time we wait for the elevators to change, why bother? We'd eat a big rich meal, be out until 9 or 10 then have to do it all over the next day with no time to even run to the restroom during breaks due to the long lines.

One time I went to the restroom during the meeting because the lines were too long at the break and my DM later pulled me aside to ask me about it, he thought I was hung over and sick! What? I never overindulged at company events and how dare he assume that! He said it looked bad whatever the reason, good God!
 




yeah, the "team dinners" are a totally different thing: your DM wants all to meet in the lobby, then head to the restaurant for cocktails. who the hell drinks a bunch of liquor before dinner? this only ensures that the dinner will drag on... and on... and on; you're lucky if you make it in by midnight. this does nothing but further demotivate employees.

here's an idea DMs - and it'll save your company some cash in the process: let your reps decide where they individually want to go and let them do it on their own. the majority of them sure as hell won't spend the money on "whore durves," nor on a bunch of liquor and the vast majority will spend a reasonable amount for their main course. you could even limit the amount to 30 bucks.

most people don't like to go out with complete strangers (most of the time our counterparts are that), get drunk and return to our hotel rooms after midnight.

damn demotivators.
 








Anonymous said:
The big regional and national meetings were the epitome of torture. They'd serve breakfast from 6-7:30am and our DM wanted us at the meeting by 7:45 so "his team" would be on time. So with 2 people needing to shower and get ready, especially women with hair & makeup, should we get up at 4:30 or 5am to get some breakfast before the meeting? Just getting to the meals was a 20 minute walk from the elevators!

Then have meetings until 5pm and be told to meet in the lobby at 5:20 to leave for dinner, gee thanks, by the time we wait for the elevators to change, why bother? We'd eat a big rich meal, be out until 9 or 10 then have to do it all over the next day with no time to even run to the restroom during breaks due to the long lines.

One time I went to the restroom during the meeting because the lines were too long at the break and my DM later pulled me aside to ask me about it, he thought I was hung over and sick! What? I never overindulged at company events and how dare he assume that! He said it looked bad whatever the reason, good God!
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Your post is SO true!!! I'm so glad I'm out of there. Try rooming with an alcoholic.
 












Absolutely Agree with the OP!!!! I have roomed with so many 'older women' reps who SNORE like pigs!!! Because they are older ....you feel too bad waking them up...so you throw pillows at them or be really really loud going to the bathroom in hopes of waking them....it's awful...unfair and degrading to be put in that position! I also roomed with a black female at a national meeting who kept referring to me as "some white girl from the north'! to her friends and family on her cell phone discussions! I would have reported it, but I know I would have had a (white) snowball's chance in HELL of coming out of that one alive!
 




Legally, Pfizer CANNOT make you room with another person if you pay for a room yourself and on your credit card (which you can then deduct on your personal taxes as a business expense by the way).... And all you have to claim is 'personal reasons'....if your manager gives you shit, take it to HR.......why are all of you so afraid of HR....You are the ones who are creating these MONSTERS known as DM's! Our corporation is great...it REALLY is! It's our IMMEDIATE DM's that have no skill, no talent, no motivation and no business being in the positions that they are!
 








I have been attacked by a female roomate at a training session. WE stayed at the Embassy Suites. I always chose to stay in the living room qtrs bc the couch is a pull out bed-and let the other person stay in the bedroom. The girl came in drunk and I woke up and she was humping on me and trying to kiss me. We fought and I put up chairs to block her from coming into my area without me hearing her. Needless to say I never slept after that point anyway and we left the next day, thank God. I did alert management etc. but no one belived me. It enrages me to this day-but I share this with you to USE it to your advantage. Society has changed and I would sue a company without question if anything like this ever happened to me again under a forced situation. In fact, from that point on I got the roomate of my choice or my own room to keep me quiet because each meeting I started up again how I'll be derned if I was going to have to share a room after blah, blah blah..the girl was still in my district. It took another year of her getting drunk and poppin antidepressants, ending up in the managers bed b/f eyes began to open that I wasnt a trouble maker-protect yourself and I hope you get some rest.


Anonymous said:
Once at a National Sales Meeting they were passing the microphone around to ask questions and I said "We don't ask men and women to room together, for obvious reasons. Then by what logic do we ask two men or two women to room together? How do I know my roomate doesn't share my heterosexual view of the world?" (It was the only standing ovation I've ever had.) The Executive VP hemmed and hawed and didn't know what to say, pointing to the next VP on the stage saying 'Gary, do you want to take this one?' " Then, nervously, he said "We'll get back to you..."
A month later there was a system-wide e-mail that announced the new policy: Henceforth there would be single rooms at all meetings.

That said, many companies are coming to realize that sharing a room with a virtual stranger is a recipe for a lawsuit. Overwhelmingly reps have voted to have their own room even if it meant staying in a non-premium hotel. Meanwhile, I wouldn't hesitate to pay for my own room at a meeting, regardless of what the management team says. You can always find a way to recover your losses the next time you do a lunch. I seldom advocate cheating, but in this case it's not to personally profit but to be made whole. Yes, it's stealing clear and simple and I am not proud of it. The most charitable thing I can say for myself is that I'm not personally profiting, just staying even.
Click to expand...
 




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