I finally spoke up about needing a stool at work

I overheard my manager gossip about someone who asked for a stool at the front desk... she said it looked lazy. I was quiet for a week after that, but last Friday I just walked up and asked for one myself for my bad knee. She went red in the face but said yes, and now I can actually focus on tickets instead of trying to hide my limp. Has anyone else had to push back against that kind of attitude in a small office?

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caseyl183mo ago

Look at it from your manager's point of view, a stool at a front desk does look pretty unprofessional to customers walking in. She probably felt caught between keeping up appearances and being a decent person, which is why she went red. At the end of the day you got what you needed, but don't act like her initial hesitation came from nowhere.

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williamschmidt3mo ago

I've worked in three different front desk jobs and sat down every single time without getting fired or even a talking to. Three different managers, three different places, zero complaints. I think people overestimate how much customers actually care about seeing a stool behind a counter. Most of them are too focused on whatever they came in for to even notice. And if a stool really does make someone question the professionalism of the whole business, maybe the problem isn't the stool.

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