A Recruiters Blog » Workplace Humor

Top 10 Bizarre Professions in History

Q.AB. — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Before the industrial era, when there was no electricity, many jobs that now require no or little labor, were undertaken by humans. This list consists mostly of those jobs which are now extinct. In this list each job contains at least one strange element. As I enjoyed writing about these jobs, lets hope that you people will also enjoy reading it.

1 – Gong Farmer

Gong farmer or gongfermor was a person who removed human excrement from privies and cesspits in Tudor England. Gong farmers worked only at night and collected the human waste, taking it out from the city or town. They were only allowed to work at night from 9pm to 5 am morning.

Now as flushing water closets became more widely used, this profession has blissfully disappeared now.

In easy words it can be said that really was a shit job.

2 – Groom of the Stool

A male servant in the household of English monarch with a royal duty at the excretion office and cleaning the monarch’s anus after defecation was called the Groom of the Stool.

This job was really prized one as it allowed one unobstructed access to the king’s attention. In spite of being bum wiper of the king, the groom of the stool was having a very high social standing.

3 – Whipping Boy

In 1600s and 1700s young boys were assigned to a young prince and was punished when the prince misbehaved or felt behind in his schooling, those boys who perform this job were called whipping boys.

During the monarchies of 15^th and 16^th century the whipping boys were established. The idea behind this was that as there was a code for kings in which it was stated that kings were appointed by God and no one can punish king’s son except king himself. As king was rarely around to punish his son when it was needed the educators and tutors face difficulty to enforce them for learning.

Whipping boys generally were of high birth and they were brought up and educated along princes since birth. As the prince and whipping boy were brought up together that’s why usually they were having strong emotional relation to each other and that idea really works as prince see his friend being punished for mistakes or if he had done something wrong, and that make clear for prince to not make such mistake.

4 – Fuller

In cloth making there is a step, which is called fulling that, means cleansing of the cloth especially to clean wool to eliminate oils, dirt and other impurities and making it thicker. In old times slaves did fulling job. They stand ankle deep in tubs of human urine and cloth.

For fulling urine was the most important element. Urine was a source of ammonium salts and assisted in cleansing and whitening the cloth.

5 – Resurrectionist

Snatching dead in Britain was only a minor crime that’s why if someone caught for that was only fine a small amount. In old times body snatching became a huge business as demand of dead bodies for anatomy in blossoming medical schools of Europe increased.

The body snatcher looks for recent dead persons and then they dig at the head of the recent burial, when they reach the coffin they break and then put a rope around the dead body then drag it out. While stealing the dead body they don’t steal the any other thing such as jewelry or clothes because that can cause them liable of felony charge.

To stop the body snatching activities in 1832 Anatomy Act was introduced and that allowed the unclaimed bodies and also the donated bodies by the deceased relatives for using in the study of anatomy. Because of that law body-snatching business ended.

6 – Dog Whipper

A church official was charged with a job to remove dogs from the premises of the church during services. In 16^th to 19^th century it was common that household dogs accompany or follow their owners to church services. To remove those dogs out from church was the job of a dog whipper.

Dog whippers were usually having a whip or wooden tong. They were paid for their dog whipping services.

7 – Toad Doctor

A specific tradition of medicinal folk magic practitioners was called toad doctors. They were operating till end of 19^th century in England. Their main object was healing scrofula although it’s said that they cure other ailments including those resulting from witchcraft.

For curing the patient they place live toad on patient or leg of toad in a muslin bag and hanging that bag around the neck of the sick person. Obviously basic need for this job was to collect a large amount of toads.

8 – Knocker – Up

Knocker up was a profession in the England and Ireland and his job was to wake up sleeping people so they can go to their job on time. This profession was lasted in the Industrial Revolution.

The knocker up was having long bamboo stick so that they can reach the windows on higher floors, and they kept on knocking until they were not assured that the client had woke up. For this service they were pain a few pence every week. Now question is that who knocks up the knocker? Well till now I cant find its answer lol.

9 – Toshers and Mudlarks

A tosher was someone who searches for collecting useful things in the sewer, especially in London during Victorian period. During 19^th century it was a common sight in London that whole families take off the manhole cover and go down to find precious things.

Same like that Mudlarks were those people who dredge the banks of the Thames in the early morning when the tide was out. They even wade through unprocessed sewerage to find little treasures to sell.

Now it’s a popular hobby of some middle class Londoners to travel along the bank of Thames for cleaning up the trash.

10 – Jester

In the stories we had read about the court jester, the fool who was having the permission to insult the king without head off penalty, as long as he made the king laugh. This was a job with a high risk. Now this job doesn’t exist anymore.

But in 1999 the kingdom of Tonga had appointed an official jester. The American jester who was appointed by the kingdom of Tonga was Jesse Bogdonoff and that’s his picture. He became government’s financial advisor also but he was later embroiled in a financial scandal.

People who liked this Post also read

Humor Can Become Offense on Workplace

Q.AB. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:58:29 +0000

A smile on face is a best exercise for face muscles, a laugh is best for heart and hypertension it’s said by doctors. But smile and laugh can be made while working when there will be any joke or humor on working place. In my opinion a good joke that makes you laugh makes you relax in workplace.

But the jokes on workplace can effect backward also I mean if a joke is misunderstood then there is possibility other will take it as insult so results wont be good for that. That’s why its necessary for us working on place where diverse workforce is working to be careful while making any joke or humor.

Place where diverse workforce is working one should have to see that the thing which will be a joke for him for other community or country person it can be an insulting thing. That’s why the places or companies where different country people work under one roof, one should have to see about that.

There is a saying that laughter is a good medicine, and that true also all cultures enjoy humor and laughter but how people perceive humor is culture specific. The cultural diversity in the workplace is increasing and before making any humor or joke we should have to look that humor is meant to be funny not insulting.

More sensitive thing on diverse culture workplace is that what perceived funny in one culture might not be understood or might even be insulting in another culture.

In some culture sarcastic words are used in conversation to tease each other. On other side in some cultures such type of humor is taken as offense. So in diverse gathering a joke can broke fire.

Tips for Better Humor on workplace

Now question is what kind of humor is made that will be appropriate according to all cultures? In my point of view if you want fun then have it on your own expense, and the safest humor is self depreciating humor. Such type of jokes will not be made which are related to physical appearance like person’s height, weight or the size of their nose, face or teeth. Humor can’t be translated into other language easily because very often it is based on word plays or puns.

Most important thing that do not tell political, religious, ethnic, racial joke, the jokes which are used to make fun of other people, culture, and religions.

Humor is funny but on workplace it can become “no funny” business. So it’s better to know about surrounding people on workplace before making any joke.

People who liked this Post also read

How to Identify 12 Type of Office Workers

faiza — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:12:29 +0000

Office is a strange place. If you have been working indoors for long enough you start to see patterns. Here is how I try to classify office workers in my workspace. I can easily classify them in 12 distinct categories. Here is my list for you to enjoy.

Arrival Time Checker

These are the workers who reach office fifteen minutes before timing and are considered pest by the other colleagues are just liked by the boss. They can be recognized by the serious looking facial characteristics.

Open Eyes Sleeper

They are the workers who say “yes sir!” on all work assigned to them. They are found in every meeting with power point presentations.

Blackberry Addict

They always seen busy with their blackberry and are prone to pranks. They are usually not aware of all the things going around them.

Smokers

They are always found in small groups in the corner outside the office despite of the weather. They are characterized by their bad odor.

Good Looking Dumb Chicks

These are least productive workers and may just be beneficial to the morale of male workers. They are seen busy with their nails sitting on their seats.

Good Looking Dumb Chumps

These are seen grooming themselves and enjoying their reflections. They also give reason to female productive employees to return to work.

Office Supplies Collector

The feeling of being less paid makes their nature harsh. They hunt the office supply and collect them in their counter.

Free Lunch Hunter

This type of specie is not yet extinct. They always look someone to pay for their lunch. Female colleagues are mostly hunted by them.

The Fat Guy with Tight Tie

They are characterized by their weird dress habit and too tight tie. They are trying to downscale the stored fat in their body by their dressing.

The But Crackers

This unpleasant species is also found in many offices. Many people accidentally see this but can’t help it out.

The Pet Lovers

She can be recognized by the photos of her pets on her desk rather the photos of the family.

She is mostly found staring at those photos with pretty smile on her face.

The Almighty IT Guy

He knows more about your computer than yourself. If you treat him respect you can assign him that work which you find difficult to do.

People who liked this Post also read

Top 10 Most Annoying Co-Workers

faiza — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:11:55 +0000

Your pain can be felt by any individual, if you work in an office and your co-workers are annoying. Sometimes the colleagues in the office make it so easy to achieve your office goals and sometimes this diversity can make the environment awful and agonizing. We have categorized The most terrible and irritating office workers into Top 10 classes. These most annoying workers are listed in reverse order of their irritating nature.

10. The Wanderer:

Some office workers just aimlessly walk in your cabin without any agenda, plan or chat/talk 3 to 4 times a day. They just wander in your cabin and when you ask them what’s up. They reply in a very pleasant way that he or she is just watching what you are doing, and after that they just leave the cabin.

9. 9 to 5 Eaters:

These are the colleague who eats in all office hours and also produce constant sound of crushing is coming from their mouth, fruits, candies, cakes, snakes and what not. Try to avoid passing by near their desk. If the bin under their desk is not properly washed, these workers can also sometimes be recognized by the odor which often comes from the rotten food items present in their bin.

8. The Toy Collector:

Some office workers don’t want to come out of their childhood. You can see different kinds of toys on their desk which give the impression of daycare center. They are also very possessive of these items and often mark their desks with the sign board of “don’t touch me”.

7. The Singers:

Some colleges sing complete songs of all singers whether the song or singer is their favorite or not. They will sing it to let you know the complete lyrics of the song. I think they do this to improve their voice quality.

6. The Cheater:

Some coworkers work as parasite on your abilities. They copy your ideas pose it as their own just to keep their salary statement higher than you. They even copy your style and even the design of your clothes.

5. The Touch Addict:

There are some coworkers that don’t rely on the information provided unless they touch the informer or give him a slight push with their arm or shoulder. Most of the time they whisper with sweet voice in your ear which cause slight tremor in your body shiver.

4. Thunderous Telephone Talker (T3):

The T3 colleagues will share their each chat with you while talking to someone else on the phone. You ought to know about their baby talk with their wife or girlfriend, their weekend plans. You have to hear all about their bank statements and about their bonuses which they announce especially on speaker phones.

3. The Smelly Guy:

Some guys in the office can be identified by their unique and offensive smell. You must be tired of gifting them with perfumes and colognes but they stay with it.

2. Chitchat colleagues:

They just take care about the affairs in the office whether true or not. They are always filled with news about their coworkers to share with. These talks are just rumors and if true yet don’t try to get involved in this.

1. Big Boss:

By default, Bosses are always right. Sometime they pose to be right and sometimes they induce you to believe they are right. In combine projects, one has to present the project in front of the boss but who will dare to ring the bell. Better is this that you should say the right thing at right time to pose the right impact. Never try to be too smart or too idle in front of your Boss.

People who liked this Post also read

To Do List By A Jobless Person

R. MAK. — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:28:32 +0000

Technorati Tags: funny,humor,unemployment

People who liked this Post also read

A glimpse from Airline Buyer’s life

R. MAK. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:02:57 +0000

Running an Airline is big business, everything is upscale there. every thing is larger than life. Those who are big know how difficult it is to be big. Ever went buying for an XXL shirt? most people don’t have them. Likewise, when you are buying for an airline, you just can’t go to local hardware shop and buy stuff. It is very difficult to source vendors in a competitive industry. To give you an idea of how difficult and bizarre it is to buy stuff for an airline, here is how airlines buy Paint. (believe me they buy shit loads of them)

First, a summary of how ordinary hardware stores sell their paint…

Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?

Clerk: We have regular quality paint for $18 a gallon and premium paint for $25. How many gallons would you like?

Customer: Five gallons of regular paint please.

Clerk: Great. That will be $90 plus tax.

Now, imagine you are buying paint from British Airways, United, Northwest, American, Delta, or ANY other full-fare airline in the world.

First you spend days trying to reach them by phone to ask if they have paint. Nobody answers. So you drive to their store, and the conversation goes something like this…

Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?

Clerk: Well, sir, that depends on quite a lot of things.

Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?

Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different prices up to $200 a gallon.

Customer: What’s the difference in the paint?

Clerk: Oh, there isn’t any difference; it’s all the same paint.

Customer: Well, then I’d like some of that $12 paint.

Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint?

Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It’s my day off.

Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.

Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?

Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks. But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.

Customer: You’ve got to be kidding!

Clerk: I’ll check and see if we have any paint available.

Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!

Clerk: But it doesn’t mean that we have paint available. We sell only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price per gallon just went to $16. We don’t have any more $12 paint.

Customer: The price went up as we were talking?

Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a day, and since you haven’t actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want?

Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I’ll have enough.

Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can’t do that. If you buy paint and don’t use it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.

Customer: WHAT?

Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will lose your remaining gallons of paint.

Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already paid you for it!

Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used, every drop. If you don’t, it causes us all sorts of problems.

Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I don’t keep painting until after Saturday night!

Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the $200 paint.

Customer: But what are all these “Paint on sale from $10 a gallon” signs?

Clerk: Well, that’s for our budget paint. It only comes in half-gallons.

One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second half-gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans.

Customer: To hell with this! I’ll buy what I need somewhere else!

Clerk: I don’t think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your bathroom and bedrooms and your kitchen and dining room from someone else, but you won’t be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway from anyone but us. And I should point out sir, that if you paint in only one direction, it will be $300 a gallon.

Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!

Clerk: That’s if you paint around the room to the point at which you started. A hallway is different.

Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one direction, you’ll confiscate the remaining paint?

Clerk: No, we’ll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference On your next gallon of paint. But I believe you’re getting it now, sir.

Customer: You’re insane!

Clerk: Thanks for painting with us … next person in the line, please.

People who liked this Post also read

How A Wrong Number Can Take Someone’s Life

R. MAK. — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:37:38 +0000

This is the best example of how a call made to wrong number can actually take someone’s life. so be careful next time you call home.

People who liked this Post also read

Ten Best Things to Say if You Get Caught Sleeping at Your Desk

R. MAK. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:00:42 +0000

List of 10 best things to say if you ever get caught sleeping on your desk by a collegue or your boss. might save your job

10. “They told me at the blood bank this might happen.”

9. “This is just a 15 minute power nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to.”

8. “Whew! Guess I left the top off the Wite-Out. You probably got here just in time!”

7. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm.”

6. “I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance.”

5. “I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminatory toward people who practice Yoga?”

4. “Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.”

3. “The coffee machine is broken.”

2. “Someone must’ve put decaf in the wrong pot.”

And the #1 best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk…

1. … in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

People who liked this Post also read

Workplace Safety and Health in Russia

R. MAK. — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:36:45 +0000

Workplace Safety and Health in Russia has improved leaps and bounds. Now when hanging off the top of a building in Russia you require at least one person to be holding you up by your legs.

However, legislation doesn’t require that person to pay attention.

Technorati Tags: workplace safety,russia,laws,workplace humor

People who liked this Post also read

The Heaviest Element Yet Discovered

R. MAK. — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:26:53 +0000

For Immediate Release:

New Chemical Element Discovered:

The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by investigators at a major US research university.

The element, tentatively, named Administratium, has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons. It is also surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since it has no electrons, Administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with. According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Administratium causes one

reaction to take over four days to complete when it would have normally occurred in less than a second. Administratium has a normal half-life of approximately three years, at which time it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which assistant neutrons, vice neutrons and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. Some studies have shown that the atomic mass actually increases after each reorganization.

Research at other laboratories indicates that Administratium occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It tends to concentrate at certain points such as government agencies, large corporations, and universities. It can usually be found in the newest, best appointed, and best maintained buildings.

Scientists point out that Administratium is known to be toxic at any level of concentration and can easily destroy any productive reaction where it is allowed to accumulate. Attempts are being made to determine how Administratium can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but results to date are not promising.