Weird Workplace Stories 1: The Trousers
My boss did something very strange — something I could never have predicted
About this series
In 1986, I left college and spent 20 years working for a small company where things were not always very professional. John was the boss and the owner, and it took me a while to realise just how eccentric he was.
Some stories are funny and light-hearted, whereas others are more serious. I write them as I remember them, so they are not always in chronological order.
The Trousers
It was an ordinary day in the workshop. The 20-year-old me was working on an electronic circuit, and the radio was playing in the background. At that point, I’d worked there for around two years.
Harry, the service engineer who doubled as my supervisor, was out somewhere.
In those days, I often worked alone, because most of John’s employees worked for his other company over in the next building, which was also where he spent much of his time.
Every so often, John would come over to see how things were going. He had a background in electronics, and would often want to know all the details.
This particular day wasn’t much different to start with. When John came in, he took a look at what I was working on, and asked his usual questions.
But that’s when things suddenly took an unexpected turn.
As my technical discussion with John continued, he did something I could never have predicted.
He undid his belt, and allowed his trousers to fall down!
(I was glad his shirt was long enough to cover his underwear!)
I didn’t know how to react; I simply stopped talking, which seemed to puzzle him.
After a few moments, John prompted me to continue our conversation while he refastened his trousers, as though nothing was wrong.
Suddenly, it dawned on him that my silence might just have something to do with his actions. He then went on to explain how it was the easiest way to tuck in his shirt!
A few minutes later, everything was back to normal again. Well, as normal as it could be for that place!
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This story was previously published on Medium, on 8 February 2022.