# Stupid coworker stories thread number 984,345,043 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554 "2008-10-18T20:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/1 "2008-10-18T20:36:26Z")
One of my coworkers wants me to stop checking my blood sugar at work. Let me explain. I have diabetes, and as my diagosis involved almost dying I take it seriously. So I’m on tight control, which means checking my glucose level a lot, which means pricking my finger [thus](http://www.diabetesamerica.org/Finger%20technique%201%20with%20lancet%20A.jpg)a lot: immediately upon waking, two hours after every meal, and immediately before bed. This doesn’t bother me; I make sort of a game of it, and it’s a tiny, tiny prick involving a tiny, tiny drop of blood. At job number one, we all have cubicles. On average I check my glucose level at my desk twice during the day. A woman who works two rows away–i.e., in a position from which only Clark Kent could see my desk–recently complained to the big boss about my diabetes routine. The boss called us into his office and asked me to explain to her what I am doing; she still complains. The mere knowledge of what I’m doing bothers me, she claimed, even more than the scent of my blood. :rolleyes: She’d really like me to stop checking ENTIRELY at work–not even in the bathroom–as she needs more sensitivity to her needle phobia. She advises me to check only once a day, because, she claims, her cousin is a doctor and assures her that if the fasting sugar level is fine, the blood sugar level cannot possibly go low or high during the day. She is, in short, a moron. I’m sure some of you known have even more moronic coworkers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/2 "2008-10-18T20:41:13Z")
She’s not only a moron, but an insensitive jerk. Which is more important…her irrational needle phobia, or your health? Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/3 "2008-10-18T20:43:42Z")
Well, what was the final outcome of the meeting in the boss’s office? I assume the boss told her to STFU but…you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/4 "2008-10-18T20:43:57Z")
All I can say to that is…:eek:! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/5 "2008-10-18T20:47:12Z")
I’ve dealt with some idiots at work, but good grief, this one is a real winner. She can smell your blood 2 rows away? Maybe you should just fart before you poke - that oughta mask it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/6 "2008-10-18T20:49:12Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Well, what was the final outcome of the meeting in the boss’s office? I assume the boss told her to STFU but…you never know. He actually made her repeat the story twice–ostensibly because he simply could not believe what he was hearing, but in fact because he hoped she’d realize how intensely stupid she was being. When she did not, or did but refused to admit it, he told her that he could not possibly ask me to stop checking my blood sugar level, but would ask me not to do it within sight of her. When she pointed out that that meant nothing would change, he said, “Yeah, I noticed that too.” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/7 "2008-10-18T20:50:16Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve dealt with some idiots at work, but good grief, this one is a real winner. She can smell your blood 2 rows away? Maybe you should just fart before you poke - that oughta mask it. But what if she’s secretly **10 and a Half Inches of Fun**? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/8 "2008-10-18T20:53:04Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve dealt with some idiots at work, but good grief, this one is a real winner. She can smell your blood 2 rows away? Maybe you should just fart before you poke - that oughta mask it. You are one classy dame! 😃 How did she even _know_ you do this at work **Skald**? I mean it doesn’t sound as if you stand up before checking your blood sugar and yell “Lookit!” Or, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/9 "2008-10-18T20:53:27Z")
Waitaminnit. You’re an evil overlord. Can’t you feed her to the sea bass or something? Or I guess in her case you could feed her to the dum bass. And by “Boss” I assume you mean “underling.” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/10 "2008-10-18T20:56:39Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > You are one classy dame! 😃 > > How did she even _know_ you do this at work **Skald**? I mean it doesn’t sound as if you stand up before checking your blood sugar and yell “Lookit!” Or, do you? I don’t know, but if I had to guess I’d say she overheard someone asking/reminding me to do it. One of my direct reports is an older woman who worries about my blood sugar a lot and will remind me to eat, which I sometimes forget to do. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/11 "2008-10-18T22:48:22Z")
Good for your boss and the older woman who worries about you, then! I love your bosses reaction to the situation. As for me, I still remember a couple of coworkers from a job I had a year and a half ago. One of them had two top priority projects she was urging me to finish one morning. When I asked her which of them she would like me to work on first, she said, “Do them both at once.” That would have required a split screen, a second keyboard, and me working on one project with my fingers and the other with my toes. I’ve talked about the other coworker before. He’s the one who once told me, “I can’t learn” and, a month later, “I won’t take a class.” Man, I love my current job! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/12 "2008-10-18T23:22:28Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > He actually made her repeat the story twice–ostensibly because he simply could not believe what he was hearing, but in fact because he hoped she’d realize how intensely stupid she was being. When she did not, or did but refused to admit it, he told her that he could not possibly ask me to stop checking my blood sugar level, but would ask me not to do it within sight of her. When she pointed out that that meant nothing would change, he said, “Yeah, I noticed that too.” It sounds to me like she is making it a hostile work environment for you and you have grounds to complain and ask that she be moved. However, since your boss is really cool, you may want to thank him for accommodating your medical need. If I were the boss, I’d ask that she document her phobia to needles as a medical condition, and if she doesn’t, then I’d fire her ass. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/13 "2008-10-18T23:26:27Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > It sounds to me like she is making it a hostile work environment for you and you have grounds to complain and ask that she be moved. However, since your boss is really cool, you may want to thank him for accommodating your medical need. If I were the boss, I’d ask that she document her phobia to needles as a medical condition, and if she doesn’t, then I’d fire her ass. I’m going to assume that you’re not joking and say that I think this is a bad idea. Not that I want her around, but it’s too quick an escalation. Better to let the status quo remain as it is, and if she lets it go, so should my boss. Who, by the way, jokingly suggested that he should transfer her to my team. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/14 "2008-10-18T23:27:56Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If I were the boss, I’d ask that she document her phobia to needles as a medical condition, and if she doesn’t, then I’d fire her ass. Her cousin will come though for her on that one. I’d just fire her anyway. You can do that in the US, right? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/15 "2008-10-18T23:30:12Z")
> [@bathsheba](#): > > Her cousin will come though for her on that one. I’d just fire her anyway. You can do that in the US, right? You realize the cousin is most likely fictional, and, if real, is most likely [this guy](http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/scrubs46.jpg), right? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/16 "2008-10-18T23:38:34Z")
She really needs to stop needling you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/17 "2008-10-19T00:42:09Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You realize the cousin is most likely fictional, and, if real, is most likely [this guy](http://www.tvguide.com/images/pgimg/scrubs46.jpg), right? Don’t dis that guy. If he hadn’t amputated my leg, I might have died. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/18 "2008-10-19T00:42:20Z")
How does she deal with women who are having their period? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/19 "2008-10-19T00:43:08Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > How does she deal with women who are having their period? I haven’t the faintest. I’m sure the smell of blood thing was just a cover for the needle phobia. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554/20 "2008-10-19T00:52:11Z")
I’m totally on your side re: needle-phobic co-worker, but… Dude! You check your blood sugar that close to your cuticle??? OWWWW!!! Why can’t you check it on the pads of your fingertips? Or at least on the sides of your fingers? (I’m diabetic, too.) Oh, yeah - go eat! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-coworker-stories-thread-number-984-345-043/468554.md?page=2)