Dear Blake,
A woman where I work refuses to acknowledge me. Every day for the past nine months, she walks by my desk and ignores me even after I’ve said “Hello” or “Good morning.” I hate to seem petty, but I don’t get how someone can be so rude.
Has workplace culture become so impersonal that people no longer have or employ basic social skills? It costs nothing to say hello or to smile — it’s the least she could do.
Signed, Belinda
From Chicago, Illinois
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Dear Belinda,
You’re right with your assessment that the woman is rude. However, there are some irritating ways to get her attention when she walks by… and hopefully you won’t get reported to HR. Here are some suggestions. When she walks by, have a picture of the Joker on your desk, and glance from that picture to her, indirectly telling her that her mascara makes her look like a creepy clown. Or, every time she walks pass you, giggle and point at her, and that should make her very self-conscious about her appearance, which also might prompt her into getting therapy and/or a facelift. Or this idea. Let her see you spray some Glade or Lysol every time she walks by, and when you run out of that, let her see you hold your nose. But if you don’t want to try those and you want to actually converse with her, try this. “Accidentally” trip her, and when she falls on her head, ask her if she needs an ambulance. But if you trip her and she falls through a window from a floor in a skyscraper, as she’s falling to the ground, tell her the office will remember the impact that she made… and is about to make. I hope this helps.
Blake