Question by Bleh: Have you ever experienced the “Fax Test”?
What is the “Fax Test”?
This is when you leave your desk for lunch, or have a meeting, and return later to find a fax on your workspace with a note: “Please fax”, signed by your supervisor, or one of several other “higher-up-than-you”. The “higher-up-than-you” immediately swoops down complaining, asking why the “urgent” fax has not yet been dispatched.

Several scenarios ensue:
1) Immediately upon returning to find the fax sitting in your workspace, the person who left it immediately swoops down and complains that you have not yet faxed it.
2) You check the phone messages and emails before faxing, and not even a minute into this, the person who left the fax comes down to complain that you haven’t faxed it.
3) You immediately fax the document, but the person complains that you did not fax it earlier.

Is the “higher-up-than-you” trying to discern why you were not at your desk?
Then why when responding is there always the question of “why didn’t you fax it immediately upon seeing it”.

I mean, wtf? wtf is this?
They left an urgent fax on an empty desk.
There were other subordinates who were at their desks, yet they chose the empty desk.

And then there is the “swoop down”–what is that? An urgent fax sitting on an empty desk, yet the “higher-up-than-you” is only concerned about the urgency of the fax upon your return? Why didn’t they take responsibility and immediately fax it upon seeing it still sitting on the empty desk.

I have had this happen at least several times. Each time, I was blamed or made to feel like a complete idiot. I have questioned as well as pointed out the danger of leaving an “urgent” fax on an empty desk, but really, the only response they want is that you will take care of it immediately.

Have you had this happen?
What was your response?
What is this all about?
Why do they do this?

Are they insane???
I really think they are insane.
i don’t think it is about testing to see how one handles pressure because the entire situation is just bizarre and there are other gauges available. it reminds me more of the starfleet test for captain kirk, the one that is made to be unwinnable, but captain kirk reprograms it so he can win. personally i think it is some sort of power thing because i have noticed it happens with the supervisors who bark rather than talk, and act as if they have a teflon coating to responsibility.

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