A big Fat load of corporate BS

[91bravo]

As an employer, I don't blame them in the least. I've seen plenty of people I wouldn't trust with sharp objects under any circumstances. If some knucklehead snaps a slipjoint closed on his finger or sticks himself in the leg with a flipper trying to open a box they get the privilege of paying higher insurance premiums on their worker's comp plan.

Not to mention a recordable incident or worse, a lost time accident for the company.

 

[Heirphoto]

I worked for a 50-60 employee heavy manufacturing company. We had no knife policy and probably 80% of our people carried a pocket folder judging by how many pocket clips I saw each day. I might also add that from what I observed none of those knives looked like they cost more than $25 It was a gas station knife paradise......except for me with Sebenza in my pocket. They were guys who felt they needed a knife, but were not "knife guys" at all.

 

[jlauffer]

Not entirely sure what my company's policy is, as I've been there 14 years and have never seen an Employee Handbook, but betting no "weapons" are allowed (and they recently added "No Firearms Allowed" signs on all the doors). That's fine, as I don't consider my pocket knife to be a weapon, but if someone noticed and told me it's not allowed I would abide.

 

[Legendary_Jarl]

Apparently no corporate policy says this is all I'm " allowed " to carry at work.

They can we knives and customers can carry them, but we can't ?

Oh well, if they wanna loose money by having me waste time using some piece of crap that can't be sharpened and doesn't have enough blade to fully get through some of the cardboard I have to cut that's on them.
If they're making me carry this piece of shit they better keep ample supply on hand.


They're not gonna know what's in my pocket or anything so it's not as bad as it could be, but they're really overreaching if you ask me.
This is just an ignorant reaction to some BS, if it gets to be a bigger deal I'm outta there.

They recently modified the PPE policy where I work as well where they stated people are not to use their personal pocket knife for work duties. Rather, we need to use company supplied "safety" knives. The thing is if you get injured at work while using any knife even if it is your own your company is liable. This is why they impose policies like this. Don't take it personal. You know your knives and how to use them. But, there are plenty of ****tards out there who start stabbing crap with their 5 dollar gas station China made liner lock who then get injured because the lock fails and because of their stupidity. This kind of policy is for them. See if they can get you one of these:
https://m.grainger.com/mobile/produ...y-22XP80?breadcrumbCatId=28409&fc=MWP2IDP2PCP

At least it is cool looking.

 

[JPD1998]

My company has a “no weapons of any kind” policy. But no definition of what is considered a weapon.
Ironically , I purchase the cutting tools for the company. Yes it’s like the fox guarding the hen house.
Needless to say, no one complains about the box cutters and multi-tools I buy.
View attachment 1271610

 

[Neko2]

I started carrying a Workpro utility knife for the small size and great quality. I much prefer my Husky utility knife for handle ergonomics but it kept nicking other things in my pocket.

 

[KHarper]

I wish they'd let each store manager use discretion.
We're always #1 in the state when it comes to inspections...ect, and besides me and my dad are the only ones who carry knives.
Both of us doing a job that has us using them constantly throughout the day.


BTW I was given one of these when I first started and I believe the boss will let us carry these which are much more useable, but I stopped carrying it because they constantly fall out and the lanyards break.

I used to use those at work. I agree, the holster and lanyard are worthless. I eventually found it worked much better to ditch them both and just carried it stuck in my "watch pocket" on my jeans. A cheap leather holster would have worked as well. I found them perfectly sufficient for cutting any and all cardboard I came across regularly on the job - the blade length is adjustable (from short to tiny). Unless you are routinely cutting through cardboard 7 plies thick, this knife would handle it just fine. I would much rather use a disposable razor blade for cutting hundreds of feet of gritty cardboard every night anyway. Why ruin your own blade? I think most people who complain the most about this are just upset because they had an excuse to use and show off their knife and are told they can't use it. I doubt that a standard knife is actually a more effective tool in most cases. I was not "allowed" to carry a knife, but I did anyway. They didn't care, they just wanted an excuse to fire you if you ever pulled it out and threatened anyone, or caused trouble in any way, and they are obligated to follow regulations if they happen to notice you (of course that depends on the supervisor). If I ever came across a job that was too tough for the box cutter I would take out my own knife and use it when no one was paying attention. But I didn't need it 99% of the time.
All these people who go on about hiring "good people", etc...who exactly do you think they have working cutting open boxes for 8-10 hours a night for $11-15 an hour? These aren't geniuses or the cream of the crop. A company like Walmart or Target has hundreds of thousands of positions to fill, the employees are generally marginal at best. No, they are not going to trust them to use their own knives when it would cost them thousands of dollars every time there was an accident. These "safety" knives are safe for a reason; you might slash yourself, but you won't trip and fall on it and stab yourself, which is far more likely to be lethal or at least to cost a lot more. I knew at least one person when I was working there who managed to cut a piece of cardboard...right into her own thigh, slicing it wide open. There is little reason to expect them to grant a single worker an exception. If he REALLY needs a different tool, he can appeal through the chain of command to have a different tool allowed. His personal pocketknife is verboten, for all the above reasons. I was caught once carrying my own personal roll of packing tape on a cheap plastic dispenser: the boss chewed me out for it. We are only allowed to use COMPANY tape on the job. Which was only available in single rolls without dispenser, making it much more difficult to use.
Remember, they aren't trying to keep everyone safe for their own sakes, they are trying to keep everyone safe because it costs them lots of money. It's easy to say "oh, but I'm different, I know what I'm doing", but how many of your fellow employees do you think would say anything else? They ALL think they know what they are doing, and are sure they'd never stab themselves in an artery one moment while daydreaming about the TV show they watched last night.
Yes, it's annoying, but it's perfectly logical and reasonable. At the last equation, THEY are paying YOUR paycheck. You aren't there doing them a favor. If they want you to work in a certain way using certain tools, that's their right. You are selling them your time, it belongs to them. If it's a waste of time, that's not your problem, it's theirs, and their number crunchers have decided the wasted time is more than made up by the saved money on liability and medical and workers comp...the company would have to pay double premiums even if they FAILED to say "no weapons" on the policy. That's why they always say that. If you really cannot stand being forced to work with "inferior" tools and having your skills and common sense so insulted, you are always free to go seek a job elsewhere. That's how it works. All you are offering this partnership is your labor. They have a right to tell you how and what they want done.

 

[bemymonkey]

Honestly, a box cutter is the best tool available for opening boxes and similar work.

My employer would have to pay me quite a bit to convince me to use one of my knives for company work.

How are you the first person to mention this? If I was cutting boxes all day as part of my actual job description the first thing I'd do is get a dedicated tool for the job, preferably one that's company approved. The more you're cutting as part of your job, the more likely it is you'll cut yourself or, even worse, hit a staple and take a chunk out of your edge

My workplace has no restrictions of any sort in regard to knives (other than not scaring anyone, but that's something that you should generally keep in mind when out in public or a place of work), so I can use my personal knives all day for, well, personal use. Lunch, opening a package here or there, or small cutting tasks where I can't be arsed to go get a pair of scissors... I would NOT use it for an actual repetitive work task where I need to perform many cuts for an extended period of time.

 

[Hale Storm]

Well I do, because it's a " Weapons " issue that is prompting this, the whole thing mentions knives guns chains and " razor blades ".

Ridiculous at best. I work in an office full of things that I could use as a 'weapon'. I know a guy who heard about a guy who possessed the skills to kill you with a #2 pencil.

 

[colin.p]

Just stop trying so hard. Do enough work and no more. Don’t stay late or come in early. Don’t volunteer for anything. Stop chasing promotions and pay rises and focus on minimising expenses.

That's pretty well my mantra. Only 199 days to go, then I'll be free.

 

[herisson]

I know a guy who heard about a guy who possessed the skills to kill you with a #2 pencil.

Well, yeah, you're right, I heard that rumour, too. He killed six thugs just with a pencil. Just with a pencil !

 

[onionfan]

Just think what he could have done with a Sharpie.

 

[herisson]

Or a paint brush ! Oh, the horror !

 

[Hickory n steel]

Ridiculous at best. I work in an office full of things that I could use as a 'weapon'. I know a guy who heard about a guy who possessed the skills to kill you with a #2 pencil.

When I was in middle school a kid got stabbed with a pencil during a fight, and there was a rumour going around that the school was considering limiting us to short golf pencils or something.

 

[herisson]

A pencil used in an evil way is nothing to be ridiculed. I was stabbed in the nose by a chick I found fun to bore out of her skull when I was a kid. I thank her she didn't stab one of my eyes. Still got the little black spot on one side of my nose. It's a reminder for not being an asshole.

 

[unwisefool]

Just stop trying so hard. Do enough work and no more. Don’t stay late or come in early. Don’t volunteer for anything. Stop chasing promotions and pay rises and focus on minimising expenses.

Advice like this is a good way to get nowhere. Sometimes you have to come in early for a job and leave late. If it's constant, then you need to find a new solution or a new job. You aren't going to get a good career or job prospects without putting in effort*. If you just want to cruise along at the minimum and have no responsibilities for just enough money to live on, that's fine. But not everyone wants to do that.

*Unless you are very pretty like me. Then it's easy sailing.

 

[BMCGear]

Reading this thread was interesting. I've worked at places that didn't allow me to carry a knife but I never took it personally.

The term "triggered" came to mind quite a bit.

 

[Korean Hog]

This isn't sound advice, but like some other people have said, I've been on commercial and industrial jobs, not to mention this service contract thing we did with a college
where they said no knives over 2" but me and basically everybody else carried our 3-4" folders anyway with locking blades and sharp tips and all

Never used them in front of anyone like college kids, safety inspectors or whatever, but it's not like anyone put us through metal detectors and patted us down.
Your mileage may vary and you should probably just follow the rules, if it takes longer or you can't cut something just tell the boss its because of those safety knives, other people
will likely have trouble too if the safety cutter is that bad.

If I think I can get away with it and won't get in too big a trouble, I just carry whatever knife I feel like within reason.
If you can keep things low key, some rules are worth breaking. I usually just make the sure the knife is small enough to be covered by my hand while in use.

Don't get fired, but their insurance is their problem. If a company is going to have people doing work where they need to cut things, they should get insurance that covers people being cut,
and they should fire people that can't cut safely. If you're working for someone that scaredy and touchy about something as simple as a pocket knife you're sitting on a ticking time bomb and
you'll likely get fired for something simple and stupid anyway, might as well look for a better employer.

 

[termite]

Well, yeah, you're right, I heard that rumour, too. He killed six thugs just with a pencil. Just with a pencil !

Then there's no way it could've been a regular #2. Probably a 4H and most certainly NOT a 4B! Admitted (or probably should be) pencil geek here. Worse than being a knife nerd/steel junkie if that's possible. :^)

 

[unwisefool]

Then there's no way it could've been a regular #2. Probably a 4H and most certainly NOT a 4B! Admitted (or probably should be) pencil geek here. Worse than being a knife nerd/steel junkie if that's possible. :^)

You know you can edit out this whole post and no one ever has to know...