Tailgating Is Much More Fun At A Stadium

Bad Behavior, Employees, Laboratory, New Hires, New Mexico, Non-Dialogue, USA | Working | May 29, 2020


The lab where I work requires that you either sign in at the front desk or swipe your ID card to access one of the exterior doors. There are very strict rules, enforced by security camera, that no one is to be allowed in by “tailgating” you through the exterior doors without swiping their ID card to open the door. Even if you recognize the other person, if you are spotted letting someone in, you will get written up and pulled into security retraining. So, we don’t do it, even during the morning rush. A person comes up, swipes, walks through the door, closes it, the next person swipes, opens the door, walks through, closes it, etc.

On this particular day, I’m coming in a bit later because I’m going to be working late into the night, and I see someone I don’t recognize standing around outside holding an unlit cigarette. It is pretty common for people to come out and take a smoke break, and he is in the area where people generally do that, so I don’t think much of it as I walk up and swipe my card.

As I’m stepping in, however, I hear hurried steps, and I turn to see him running up after me. On instinct, I reach out and yank the door close, and I actually hear him impact it on the other side, rattling it a bit when it proves to be locked. Cue him audibly cursing me out.

I am pretty shocked by that, and I report the incident to my boss. He looks into it, and it turns out that the guy was a probationary new hire who disliked being “treated like a baby” and being forced to sign in while waiting for his ID card to be issued. So, he thought that sneaking his way in would be somehow better.

On the bright side for him, the company certainly won’t be treating him like a baby, as he no longer works here.