Worst Work Screw Up?

Oh dear... I struggle with the phonetic alphabet thing, too!  It seems to be the go-to here, though.  I thought all UK people learned it and used it... I guess not?

No, but we do know the 24 hour clock! 

No, but we do know the 24 hour clock! 

I grew up with a military father, so I had a head start.  But I still had to do the maths almost every time for the first couple of years.  I'm adept, now, though. 

Is this Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and all?

I'm bad at it too. I make up my own. E for elephant, a for Apple. Haha.

Yep, that's it.

Each airfield has a 4-letter ICAO code (like the 3-letter airport codes you use when booking flights), and when the aircrew give you a list of airfields, it's all spelled out phonetically, and then you have to repeat the phonetics back to them when you're reading the weather out.

So, they'll be like:
Can you give me the weather for the following airfields:
Echo Golf Lima Lima (Heathrow)
Echo Golf Charlie Charlie (Manchester)
Echo Golf Bravo Bravo (Birmingham)
Echo Golf Golf Delta (Bristol)

Once you know the alphabet, it's fairly easy to work with, but if you don't know it, you're pretty much screwed!

I grew up with a military father, so I had a head start.  But I still had to do the maths almost every time for the first couple of years.  I'm adept, now, though. 

Not only do we use the phonetic alphabet and the twenty-four hour clock at work, we also work in Zulu time (UTC)... which in the summer months is one hour different from local time (BST). And when we go overseas, we still work in Zulu time, which means that, for example, 12:00pm in the forecast is actually 09:00 am local time .

So my worst screw up at work (more of a total embarrassment really):

About 5 years ago, the flight deck of a NATO mission flight called me from the air asking for updated weather information. I had to relay it using the phonetic alphabet... only problem was, I had forgotten the entire phonetic alphabet - all I could remember was the Greek alphabet instead (thanks to years of physics equations).

I tried to struggle through, but I was making a real mess of it - I kept saying the Greek letters instead of the phonetic ones  . If that wasn't bad enough, halfway through the excruciating call, another crew came up into the office and had to listen to me making a fool of myself, before both the new crew and my colleague across the room started trying to help me out with the letters.

And that still wasn't the worst part: the call got cut off partway through and when the pilots called back, they didn't realise the phone had connected and that I could hear them talking... they were laughing and making fun of me for not knowing the alphabet  .

I was totally mortified  ! I think it took about 3 hours after that for my face to stop burning and to stop feeling flustered .

Since that day, I've made it a point to know the phonetic alphabet off by heart so that I'm prepared for every phonecall .

Oh that's did make me laugh!  I love that you were using the Greek alphabet. 

I was working as a crew member at Taco Bell during my undergrad years.  I had a tray full of food that I was about to take from the end of the line to the counter to serve it and somehow it slipped out of my hands and sprawled all over the floor.  I yelled, "Gosh darnit to heck!" and everybody in the restaurant just turned and stared at me.  Then my manager sent me to the back to compose myself while they remade the order.

I mean, I could've said something worse.  I'm glad that's all that came out, considering my vocabulary. 

If that were me, that would've literally been an instant f-bomb LOL I dropped one the other day in my work's canteen when I was alerted that there was a massive spider in my presence!

As a side note, having worked at Taco Bell, would you eat there? Definitely don't provide any detailed stories that might put me off eating hahaha Just a simple yay or nay.  EDIT : Scratch that! Read further down and am pleased with your report

A very small percentage of Trump voters actually have passports.  Probably.  But nothing beats America, so they wouldn't need to ever use their passport! 

Just choked on my coffee reading this hahahah

Fortunately, that was back when I was doing a spare-key-hidden-on-the-vehicle trick (thanks to advice from my dad that I never thought I'd use), so I was able to get back in once we found a screwdriver.   

Did he give you the old "told you so!" lecture?

Sorry. You're talking to a weirdo who hated (now is more ambivalent towards) lettuce... So I never eat a Big Mac. But I wouldnt be surprised if the sauce is slightly different. UK palate and all that.

It could possibly be the same... depending on what altitude you're used to. Flavours, particularly spicy ones, are slighlty different at high altitudes and here were pretty close to sea level.

I could try asking my husband but I don't think we ate at McDonald's in the US... he prefers Wendy's haha.

I was really worried, and so hopeful. It was really nice not to be disappointed!

I got food poisoning when I was really young (like maybe 5?) from MacDonald's so I very very rarely touch it unless absolutely necessary (like maybe one time in 3 or 4 years because it's that or nothing)...but that is a super interesting fact you've just presented about tastes at different altitudes! Thanks for sharing!

I'm not sure I've made any major mistakes, but

Spoiler: show

I have done some very naughty things during work/on work premises in my past jobs and I'm extremely lucky to never have been caught.   

. I'm older and wiser now...

Is this Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and all?

I'm bad at it too. I make up my own. E for elephant, a for Apple. Haha.

I do that too which is trouble for me because sometimes I come up with the most obscure or inappropriate stuff on the spot and then I panic because I don't want to say it so my mind just goes blank LOL I avoid it at ALLL costs.

"reply all"

nuff said!

I'm not sure I've made any major mistakes, but

Spoiler: show

I have done some very naughty things during work/on work premises in my past jobs and I'm extremely lucky to never have been caught.   

. I'm older and wiser now...

I can totally relate to this! hahaha

I'm not sure I've made any major mistakes, but

Spoiler: show

I have done some very naughty things during work/on work premises in my past jobs and I'm extremely lucky to never have been caught.   

. I'm older and wiser now...

LOL... just what I was going to say!  Same for me.  Thank GOD there was no CCTV!

Oh man, I think I've already posted about my personal low point of being naughty at work while dressed as a 7 foot bear.  And giving several children severe PTSD. 

I also completely freeze trying to use the phonetic alphabet.  I've got my post code memorised but anything else is lost.

Like KSand, you just feel like you've lost all credibility when you start talking gibberish because you can't remember the letters.  I always want to say TV for the letter T, which is of course stupid because that's just two letters.

Yep, that's it.

Each airfield has a 4-letter ICAO code (like the 3-letter airport codes you use when booking flights), and when the aircrew give you a list of airfields, it's all spelled out phonetically, and then you have to repeat the phonetics back to them when you're reading the weather out.

So, they'll be like:
Can you give me the weather for the following airfields:
Echo Golf Lima Lima (Heathrow)
Echo Golf Charlie Charlie (Manchester)
Echo Golf Bravo Bravo (Birmingham)
Echo Golf Golf Delta (Bristol)

Once you know the alphabet, it's fairly easy to work with, but if you don't know it, you're pretty much screwed!

Not only do we use the phonetic alphabet and the twenty-four hour clock at work, we also work in Zulu time (UTC)... which in the summer months is one hour different from local time (BST). And when we go overseas, we still work in Zulu time, which means that, for example, 12:00pm in the forecast is actually 09:00 am local time .

I work in a theatre, and during shows the ushers report to me.  Last week one of the ushers was trying to reseat someone who didn't like their tickets, which is fine in a non sold out show, and asked me over the radio to look at the seating map at whether certain seats were available.  I asked if she meant 'b as in bravo' for the row because I couldn't tell on the radio and she replied 'No, d as in dragon.'  I nearly cried laughing.