Tales from the Office Space: Complain about your coworkers

[broseph]

I didn't know where else to put this and wanted some input. Spoiler tags used so the thread isn't totally jammed up with my long winded nonsense.

SpoilerShow

I'm usually a very private person, especially with coworkers, to the point of being weird about it. Like really weird about it.

I have a lifting meet next weekend and was scheduled to work that day, so I had to make a switch with a coworker. Said switch involved me telling her why I needed the coverage.

That small leak of information eventually made it to everyone in the department, who is now asking me tons of questions about it. Which is fine, I'm not THAT weird.

The problem: Some of the more meddlesome employees took to the internet, found the meet, and posted joke posters all around the department saying "Come support Broseph!" with the time, venue, and address of the meet, and a picture of some rando weightlifter doing a snatch.

This enrages me.

I feel like the internetting and posting of the time and address is a violation of privacy. I feel like it makes me look pathetic; like I'm asking my coworkers to "support me" by driving 2 hours to some scrub lifting meet (admittedly insecure). Lastly, I don't know how far these people are willing to go to troll someone, and it is possible that the more meddlesome ones might actually show up and bring signs and cheer loudly- and I will completely lose my shit.

For the record, I don't even tell friends and family about meets. And I didn't tell my coworkers about my wife's second pregnancy. I just disappeared for 2 weeks when the baby was born and told them when I got back. Also, I would be 100x less offended if they made posters saying "Broseph eats his own boogers and has a micropenis." Or "Good luck at the meet, hope your onesie fits!" It is specifically the privacy violation and implied consent for invitation that is bothering me.

Question: Am I being a baby, or is this a legitimate thing to be super pissed about and be thinking about constantly for the past 3 days?

[cwd]

(co-workers put up poster asking for people to go to Broseph's upcoming PL meet to cheer him on, w/o asking)

Question: Am I being a baby, or is this a legitimate thing to be super pissed about and be thinking about constantly for the past 3 days?

Likely the person who put up the poster genuinely meant well. Thank them, but tell them you are self-conscious about your hobby and don't want anyone to come, and don't even want to talk about lifting at work, and ask them to take the poster down.

I wouldn't worry about anyone actually showing up at the meet. That seems like a truly long shot, unless you have someone at the office who has a crush on you.

[broseph]

Likely the person who put up the poster genuinely meant well. Thank them, but tell them you are self-conscious about your hobby and don't want anyone to come, and don't even want to talk about lifting at work, and ask them to take the poster down.

I wouldn't worry about anyone actually showing up at the meet. That seems like a truly long shot, unless you have someone at the office who has a crush on you.

I don't want to sound big headed, but the ones who did this are younger females. BUT- they do stuff like to other people, and the intention is to get a rise out of the victim.

I tore down all but 2 of the posters- the 2 in the "main area" of the department and penned in some funny lines so as to appear to be a good sport. I then removed those final 2 the next day. If it matters, my specific job involves me being absent for days on end, so I see people only intermittently.

I figured if I tore them all down without saying anything, the meddlesome workers might up the ante. And if I was totally honest about how much it bothered me, they are "winning" AND I look like a baby, which is not good for advancement/general favor/networking/whatever you'd call it.

[brkriete]

I think that's weird and the note about people doing it to get a rise out of "victims" makes me think you're not really overreacting. Seems like laughing it off and minimizing it, like you are doing, is the best course of action.

[Savs]

I think that's weird and the note about people doing it to get a rise out of "victims" makes me think you're not really overreacting. Seems like laughing it off and minimizing it, like you are doing, is the best course of action.

Yeah, that's what I think.

It's so weird, though. I'd be pissed, too, broseph.

[cwd]

I don't want to sound big headed, but the ones who did this are younger females. BUT- they do stuff like to other people, and the intention is to get a rise out of the victim.

Um, that's weird. Girls can be mean in weird and subtle ways.

[Stenson]

I think that's weird and the note about people doing it to get a rise out of "victims" makes me think you're not really overreacting. Seems like laughing it off and minimizing it, like you are doing, is the best course of action.

Agreed.

That being said, this would annoy the SHIT out of me as well.

I've made the mistake of telling friends (who have never been in a gym in their life) about meets in the past. Usually it leads to them poking fun of me for wearing a "leotard" or being a "meathead". The best course of action is to just brush it off with some self deprecating humor, even though I have to admit, deep down it does bug me.

[TimK]

the ones who did this are younger females. BUT- they do stuff like to other people, and the intention is to get a rise out of the victim.

Are these your coworkers?




Seriously though, that would really piss me off too. I think you handled it well though. Sucks that you can't handle it more directly but as you point out that usually just ends up exacerbating the situation.

[Allentown]

Tell them it costs $6 to get in. No one will be willing to drive 2 hours, pay $6, and sit through the most boring sport in the world for 1/2 the day until your flight comes up.

[broseph]

Thanks guise. I was afraid I was overreacting. @Allentown one of my "joke lines" on the flyer was to write
"Admission: $200 Event Is Sold Out"

The hard part is going to be dealing with the mean girls if they directly ask me about the flyers. I think if that happens I'll whip out my Agreeableness=0 trait and make them super uncomfortable. One dude saw my initial reaction to the first flyer (it was just the 2 of us in the room) and he was visibly uncomfortable.

Again, I can take a good ribbing. But jeez... I'm glad you guys mostly agree with me.

[Allentown]

Honestly, I WISH my coworkers did stuff like that.
I replaced my boss's pics of his kids in his office with pictures of Astronaut Sloth. Not a word was said, ever.
There was a sign on top of the defibrillator right outside one of the bathrooms that said "Nothing on this Device" and I added a post-it note that said "Except this sign" that was taken down within an hour.

Every once in a while someone turns 40 or 50 or something and they put signs up all over the building.

That reminds me, I need to prank crazy catholic lady before she retires, and office hottie.

[Stenson]

I've wondered to myself, are these type of people just "hating" because you're doing something with your life other than working, watching Netflix on weeknights, and going on weekend benders? The people who have ribbed me in the past are these types...

It seems like folks who have hobbies that they're passionate about generally respect other peoples hobbies or athletic endeavors

[Root]

Also, I would be 100x less offended if they made posters saying "Broseph eats his own boogers and has a micropenis."

I think you should combat it by doing exactly ^ this. Errbody will forget about the meet.

[Root]

Honestly, I WISH my coworkers did stuff like that.
I replaced my boss's pics of his kids in his office with pictures of Astronaut Sloth. Not a word was said, ever.
There was a sign on top of the defibrillator right outside one of the bathrooms that said "Nothing on this Device" and I added a post-it note that said "Except this sign" that was taken down within an hour.

Every once in a while someone turns 40 or 50 or something and they put signs up all over the building.

That reminds me, I need to prank crazy catholic lady before she retires, and office hottie.

I like changing peoples' keyboards around. Switching the 7-8-9 row with the 1-2-3 row on the number pad is especially fun, since it doesn't look wrong because of phones. Or switch the '/' and '*'

Zip-tie down convertible standing desks.

Taking the ink out of every pen at someone's desk.

Removing 1 or 2 wheels from 5-wheeled chairs.

Steal all power cords from someone's computer/monitors

Y'know. Fun stuff.

[Allentown]

I like changing peoples' keyboards around. Switching the 7-8-9 row with the 1-2-3 row on the number pad is especially fun, since it doesn't look wrong because of phones.

I was planning on doing this to my boss's keyboard but to the letters. Swap every other letter. I could do the number thing to office hottie. Crazy catholic lady is going to get her desk covered in indoor snow, to see if she has a panic attack.

[Wilhelm]

When she freaks, become concerned that it might be anthrax.



Wait.

No.

Don't do that.

[cgeorg]

Removing 1 or 2 wheels from 5-wheeled chairs.

This one in particular seems like maybe not a great idea, depending on target and office dynamic.

[Root]

I wish we had an office hottie. Or any under-50 women whatsoever. Not that I want to gawk or creep or anything, but it sucks having an entire demographic completely missing.

[Allentown]

Dumb nurse has this obsession with a certain stapler, I've long wanted to try doing the jello thing with it, but if I didn't leave it functional I am 75% sure she would literally snap and try to murder everyone. Also, even if it did work, she would be furious and report me to HR, facilities, pretty much every one who would listen, and demand I be fired or at least reprimanded, because she is a humorless husk of a person.

I wish we had an office hottie. Or any under-50 women whatsoever. Not that I want to gawk or creep or anything, but it sucks having an entire demographic completely missing.

I'll let you in on a secret: your office hottie is you.

Alternatively: The real lesson is that the office hottie was inside us all along.

[Wilhelm]

You know who else was obsessed with a certain stapler...