1. Corry Clay
Intermediate English
Gina Thompson
4 August 2010
All In a Day’s Work
Many people have had some type of negative experience on their job. It may be that they
have been underpaid for the work they have done or it may be having had a simple disagreement with
a boss or co-worker. Often times, a worker may simply feel unappreciated and overlooked. Throughout
my career, I have experienced and witnessed a ton of negative actions within the workplace. Most of
these memories took place while I was working at Gulf States in Starkville, Mississippi.
Workplace disagreements can take place over some very meaningless things. One of the
negative experiences that I had at work took place because of a verbal confrontation with a co-worker.
On the morning in question, I went to work earlier than I would have normally gone. Since there was a
parking space closer to the door, I decided to park there to save time. My co-worker, a guy who had
been working at Gulf States longer than I, always parked in that same parking space. The co-worker
became angry with me for “taking his spot”. He and I argued back and forth with each other. Our
supervisor called us into his office to find out the reason behind the verbal altercation. The supervisor
told the guy, “Anyone who works here at Gulf States has the right to park in any parking space out there
in that lot.” With those words said, the co-worker and I never spoke to each other again. This was just
the first among my many lessons on ill behavior in the workplace.
Negative work experiences do not always involve confrontations and altercations. When safety
hazards and precautions are not followed properly, the job can be extremely dangerous. One experience
that I distinctly remember involves a co-worker being seriously injured on the job. This colleague, a
metal press machine worker, lost three of his fingers. The scene of the accident was so horrible that I

2. have never been able to forget the images. Blood was all over the floor and the co-worker fainted. Some
other co-workers helped him up, and the supervisor rushed him to the hospital. After the incident was
investigated, it was determined that the injured colleague was not paying attention to what he was
doing. That incident made me pay closer attention to whatever job was before me.
While the other experiences were extremely memorable, the most painful one for me was
getting laid off. Being the main breadwinner in the family is extremely important to me. Not having
enough to funds to meet the basic needs of my family was extremely frustrating. I felt as if I were letting
down those who depended on me the most. Being unemployed definitely gave me a new appreciation
for a hard day’s work.
In the workplace, there will always be personality conflicts and confrontation. In an unstable
economy, workers’ job will always be sacrificed. Even though there can be pleasant moments on a job, it
is the negative experiences that will always stand out.