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?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyl181mo agoMost Upvoted

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.

williamschmidt1mo 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.