I have been here for several years and have always wondered why so many people wear these backpacks to work everyday. It is so weird. I have worked at many places and have never seen anything like this. It is almost like some kind of cult behavior. A full time (blue badge) person told me about robot employees with no real personality who only speak in corporate TLA's (three letter acronym) and how they were referred to as chevroids. He told me that backpack people were chevroid types. We both laughed. How many suck up backpacking chevroids have been laid off? It is almost too funny to someone who has not been indoctrinated. PS - I know I may be cut soon, but I just don't care.
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I always figured it was so you could use the stairs without being written up for a BBS. It is weird. It looks like a bunch of kids running around.
I use a small backpack to carry my lunch and laptop. I just prefer having my hands free and not having to hold a briefcase or rolling bag. I did the same at previous employer as well. Easier to run and catch the bus.
@kde - You summed it up nicely. I just wonder when the employee ever has time to be productive. With all those micro-pauses interrupting one's train of thought and all the RSI prevention gear, you can see how this plays into a component of unproductive time spent at Chevron.
it depends: if you are referring at backpacks with Chevron logos, then they probably got them from their HR rep when they started or as a team reward (instead of a t-shirt, jacked or baseball cap). If you are talking about the laptop backpacks (used to be Swiss Army/Wenger when times were better, lately OGIO brand), then these are what is called the 'road warrior kit'
When you start at Chevron you will get a visit by an ergonomics consultant within the first couple of days who will show you how to adjust your fancy office chair and sit/stand desk and correct posture while working at your desk. They will also provide you with a number of keyboards and mice for trying out to ensure you have an ergonomically correct input device and to reduce repetitive stress injury (RSI). They will also make you familiar with the RSI software on your company PC which will interrupt you every 5-7 minutes or 2 paragraphs of typing for a so -called 'micro break' of 7 seconds and a 5 minute break every hour or so during which you cannot type anything or move your mouse.
They will also ask you if you will travel, to which you should answer yes. This will net you the 'road warrior kit' consisting of the backpack or case, portable ergonomic keyboard, travel mouse and portable laptop stand (to ensure your laptop screen is at eye level so you don't have to look down). All of this is to prevent RSI, time away from work and possible lawsuits.
The backpacks I notice are really big. Much more than what is needed for a small laptop. Who would want to take their laptop home every night? there is something much larger at work here.
The backpack toting employee may find it more convenient to carry a backpack over hauling a laptop/file cart. It is less bulky and quicker to grab and take off with. Yes, it's a Chevron culture thing, especially when the company will buy it for you. I remember when the laptop carts were all the rage. Now it's backpacks. I bet you 10-1 if the employee had to foot the bill to pay for anything, they would leave everything at the office.