Actually, the first scenario DID happen to me before, and it was awkward and unprofessional, not to mention the fact that I felt I would be laughed out of the HR office if I complained. So I chose to ignore it.
Gigi this really seems like a trainwreck type thing for you; it bothers you so much you can’t stop dwelling on it. I’m not defending this man’s actions, but maybe this bothers you more than it should.
I am sorry for your discomfort in the er, face of this adjuster, gigi, but I love this thread. Where else could I have encountered such gems as “genital feng shui” and “scrotal origami”?
This is an excellent suggestion minus the Jockeys. If this itch is indeed fungal in nature, there needs to be air around the area. Loose fitting pants (shorts if possible) and boxers or nothing at all are the way to go. Give him some baby powder to apply periodically in the men’s, and suggest free-ballin’. Anonymously, of course.
I had to talk to a coworker once about this. He was a salesman at the company I was IS director for. Jeepers, every single time he stood up he had his hands on his dick! No one would say a word and just whispered behind his back, and one day he came into my office to ask me a question. He was standing there with his crotch eye level to my face playing with his bits and I just said “JESUS Tom- do you do that in front of customers, too? Please stop doing that, especially in my office. It’s just really nasty and gross.” I was half laughing when I said it, but I wasn’t joking and he knew it. He acted like he didn’t even realize that he did it, and I personally never saw him do it again. It was enough, I think, that it was called to his attention. Then again, he wasn’t my boss so it was easy to say something. The amazing part was that in the years and years that he’d worked there and been crotch grabbing, no one had said a word about it. I don’t get it.
If you can’t say something to his face, I second the anonymous e-mail suggestion. Just a “Psst- heads up. Everyone in the office is really grossed out at your habit of grabbing your crotch all the time. Please do something to fix whatever problem you have and stop being so nasty.”
Yeah, I had a boss who did this. After a while, I stopped noticing. I was totally desensitized to it… until I met his twin brother. Damned if the twin didn’t do the same thing.
Thank Og for people as upfront as you, BoBettie. Reminds me, one of my coworkers is an older man (maybe mid-fifties) who, in the warmer months, tends to wander around the office with his shirt unbuttoned all the way down. No, he doesn’t wear an undershirt. :eek: Finally, a female colleague of ours (who is a bit on the prim side) turned to him one day and said in an exasperated voice, “Wow, is that business casual, or just casual?” Took care of the problem right there and then.
I had an ex-bf in college who felt so comfortable around all of us pals that he’d stick his hand straight down his pants and adjust the Micro-Weiner™ all the freakin’ time. Man, that made me crazy. Reason number 1,047,284 that I’m glad I left that guy.
Just curious, given that this was a one-time thing and that you made no attempt to let him know that you were uncomfortable with his behavior… what the fuck did you expect HR to do?
Hell, maybe something got pinched and the man was in pain. I can definitely see getting a little wigged out by it [I try to be very careful about limiting adjustments in mixed company myself] but seeing as this wasn’t a regular thing why in the world did you feel it necessary to go to HR in the first place?
Now, before I go any farther, given that I wasn’t there I obviously have no idea if this was a case MAO [Major Adjustment Operations] or if he was really playing pocket-pool. For all I know your reaction may have been totally justified and if so then I apologize for jumping down your throat. It’s simply a major pet peeve of mine when people jump directly to ‘paper trail’ chanels like HR, or complaints to supervisors without ever having made an effort to let the perpetrator know there is a problem.
In my case it was getting a letter of reprimand because of what was later revealed to be a complete misunderstanding. Furthermore, that misunderstanding would have been cleared up immediately if the complaintant and just mentioned something [we had a matrix of randomly assigned words that spit out our daily ‘task orders’ and unfortunately the combination that day was “RIM JOB.” It’s a little awkward to have to call out]. Eventually, once I found out who made the complaint I was able to speak to that person and the matter was cleared up easily and to both our satisfactions. But even then all I could do was have our written accounts appended to my letter of reprimand.
Actually, you know what. This should have been it’s own rant. Too bad I hadn’t found SDMB back then.
Now wait, did the twin play with his own crotch or with your boss’ crotch because yeah, I can see how that’d be somewhat distracting.
He’s a relatively good guy and enjoys friendly banter so once I know him longer I can probably give him the stink eye and when he asks “What?!” I could make a joke or exasperated exclamation that he would know meant something.
And I agree that I can become desensitized because once I klnow what’s up I can just know “that’s the way he is”. It will still be cringeworthy when a stranger comes in, though, like those interviewing for a job here.
It’s not something I would go to HR with but I am curious why he is the only one out of 12 or so men here who seems to have this habit. The stories above have enlightened me!
(And I was tickled that “Sex and the City” last night had Samantha scratching her regrowing puby area at the lunch table. 
)
Band name!!!
“Do you think you could stop staring at my special man-spot long enough to give me my messages?”
The itch ouch of the jock is painful
No pain less bearable
You’ll want to talc before you gall
You should swallow your pride you should choke in pretense
And the lame excuse would leave us happy inside
We would swallow our :rolleyes: turn it inside out
Sac-rilege would be faith in nothing
Please put your tender parts Under Armour
Bring Big Jim around to a beautiful oblivion
Rein it in or I’m through with you
Scrotal is where your hand stays
But it’s not so businesslike
It’s just not what you should do
No scrotal origami
Suck it up and just pretend
(You’re) Contented with the status of your head
You alone are the one we know with the squeeze
No knead, leave it below
Make me cringe when your hand gropes
If worse comes to wurst
Tie it to your left thigh
My deepest apologies Eve 6
I used to wear tightie whities. They held everything more or less in check. However, activities of daily living would shift the equipment into different positions, and there it’d stay when I stopped moving around. If how it stopped was uncomfortable, I would hyperfocus on the discomfort to the point where it felt like the whole package must have been as obvious as a 5 pound tube of ground beef stuck in my trousers. Clearly everyone must be able to see my junk if it was so obvious to ME. Once all was adjusted and comfy the psychological magnification went away and I could pay attention to something else. This problem went away when I ditched the briefs completely and went with boxers part time. I was discreet about making adjustments, but I’m sure I got spied a few timed.
My favorite habit (not one that I do) is when guys stand with their hands in their jeans pockets so that their thumb & index finger are free. From across a room it looks like they’re pointing at something.
You mean they’re not ?
:eek:
No wonder they think I’m fast…
Don’t ever go to Jamaica.