Comment on I don't know how to deal with what to me is a thin skinned and gossip coworker.
Deestan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
You sound annoyed at her and the way she is greeting people. While it may not feel that way, this annoyance is not invisible to others. Especially to her.
If you appear annoyed and also respond with reluctant short answers - it is natural to interpret you as hostile if she’s not used to people who are very different from her.
Try talking to her - say you think she is a competent and friendly coworker. Say it might sound silly and weird but you find it hard and stressful to pull your head out of work to greet people, and say you hope she will understand you mean no ill if you sometimes grunt and nod.
vestmoria@linux.community 5 months ago
while I find her annoying, I don’t believe I show it: I greet with a simple hi and proceed to do my job. I don’t look angry or exasperated at her, if you mean that. I don’t leave the coffee room when we do our pause and she enters the room. I simply don’t engage with her, but answer her questions politely.
Have you ever done this with a coworker? I don’t understand why I have to give validation to somebody who is, simply, a coworker, not a friend. I’m not a therapist.
I wouldn’t even know how to approach it. I would find it creepy.
Deestan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Yes, I have resolved workplace awkwards like this on a few occasions. Sometimes it doesn’t work. Some humility in considering your social skills might be lacking goes a long way in many (not all!) cases.