over the top overreaction :eek:
as someone said earlier, unless there is a whole history here we’re missing, the OP’s reaction is waaaay out of line.
If someone reported something like this to me out of the blue without some serious context, I’d think the person reporting was a nutjob tattletale.
Likewise - it sounds like there’s a background that I’m missing out on, because if one of my bosses did that to me, my reaction would range from clutch chest “Ya got me…” to “WTF are you doing?” If there’s a history that would lead to it being a threat, I can understand that but don’t see it in context here.
Subtle animosity, as per the OP. Jesus…I’d need my own cabinet at the police department if I filed a report on every co-worker I felt “subtle animosity” toward. This kind of reaction to something so innocuous will certainly earn you a reputation around the office! See ya, dream job!
Generally, with that kind of behavior, she should be forbidden from going out to recess for two days, but still be allowed to participate in nap time and block stacking. However, since this is an adult, I’m not sure how she should be dealt with. Her sense of humor, however, (f that’s what it was) is dreadful.
I would say he is looking for a way of giving his boss grief.
It is a bit worrying when people react so extremely to what sounds like a puerile and tasteless joke.
No, no. When someone points their fingers at you and goes “Bang!”, you extend your straight arm at shoulder height, presenting the heel of the hand in their direction, and reply “Tank!”.
Does no-one teach this stuff any more?
I was very upset yesterday, but looking back I can see where she might have thought that she was just making a joke and not implying that someday soon, she was going to kill me. This morning, as I look back on the incident, I can see that.
I guess everyone is entitled to one really bad tasteless joke in the workplace. Even Don Imus deserves a second chance.
Also, about her public statements about whether or not she was going to give me a good review: I want everyone to know that I’m not dropping this to get any kind of a ‘deal’ regarding my review. I just want this to be over with so that I can get back to doing my job.
I’m thinking there had better be some indication of similar incidents involving others in her HR file, or this will not end well for Count Blucher.
Can you retract the police report? Can it be removed from her “permanent record?” You could do her harm if the charge shows up in any future background checks.
She probably wasn’t charged with anything so there shouldn’t be a record of any sort. At the most, she was talked to by the cops.
I would hope.
Cool. I thought maybe it would still appear as an interaction with the PO-lice.
Without more context and details, it’s really hard to figure out if this incident was playful or threatening… I’m all over the map on this.
But even if it’s a harmless joke, it’s unfunny, bizarre, and completely unprofessional. I’ve touched some of my coworkers before, but usually as a light hug when saying goodbye at an office party, and only then when I was pretty sure that it would be welcome. I would never dream of touching a coworker during a normal work day out of the blue, much less poking one in the chest. Added to that the implied violence, and my reaction would be to think, if not outright say, “What the fuck was that, you psycho bitch?”
More context is needed, but even if the behavior was playful, it’s still downright bizarre.
Put me in the what’s the big fucking deal, can’t you take a joke camp. Police? Come on now. I don’t even find the joke to be in bad taste. If she had did that last week, would you have done all that? Do you think she was implying that all Asians are in cahoots to kill whitey now? My kid did the same thing to me last week, should I call the cops on her? You’re taking up a cops time with this?
If I surprised a co-worker who wasn’t also a good friend by putting my finger in his/her chest, saying “bang,” laughing, and walking away, I would not at all be surprised if HR gave me a call. If the police called, that would be unexpected, but HR? I just made an inappropriate joke in the workplace, and there are consequences for that sort of thing.
I don’t think you should have gone to the cops and to HR on the same day. If you are being threatened, you’ve just shot your wad. If you’re not, you’ve made the same mistake twice.
Over?
It had never BEGUN.
[sub]“tank.” hee. hadn’t heard that in a while.[/sub]
Exactly. Perhaps not a police-level call, but a WTF moment at least. I’m on pretty good terms with pretty much all of my coworkers, but I simply cannot imagine any scenario where I could get away with such behavior. (Being that almost all of them are females, poking them in the chest becomes a little worse, of course.) In fact, I can’t imagine doing such a thing even to the best of my friends or family. Who the fuck does something like that?
I would also suggest that instead of escalating this to HR and the police that the OP could have retaliated by unexpectedly grabbing her tit and saying “Dirty bomb!”
If you did, indeed, report this bit of trivia to HR, the police, or both, you can forget about returning to the old daily ho-hum.
“If you shoot at a king, be sure to kill him.” If you reported this non-incident, you shot with a water gun.
I’d be on the alert for an opening in a similar position at a different company if I were you. You are now marked as a troublemaker that files frivolous complaints. As such, your days there are probably numbered.