telling my coworker that I really don’t care about her kid?
I mostly WFH but there are days when I need to be in the office. I like to get out of the office ASAP not just because I don’t like being there but because of traffic.
I have one coworker named Megan who happens to be in the office on days when I’m there. Literally every single time I see her, she just wants to talk about her 2yo daughter.
I cannot think of anything more boring than a 2yo getting a cold let alone while I’m trying to get work done. That’s why I refer Megan as “Meh-gan.”
I don’t initiate any conversation with her. She does. And any conversation is quickly turned into something about her daughter.
The other day I had a major unexpected fire to put out. I was under a lot of stress. Meh-gan comes around and asks if I want to see a picture of her daughter at her first gymnastics class.
I snapped at her that I’m trying to clean up this mess made by someone and needed to focus. She apologized.
I later went to her desk and explained why I snapped and apologized if I came across as rude. I said honestly I really don’t care for all this kid stuff you’re bringing to my desk.
If I’m in the office it’s because I have to be in the office to do office work. You’re just interrupting me with kid banter.
She was offended that I basically told her not to bother me unless it was work related. I am wayyyy more busier than her too.
Netizens’ comments
I’m a bit torn here. You’re not obliged to care about her kid and YES it can get a bit boring when people stand telling me the minutiae of the lives of children I don’t know.
- Calling your colleague names centred around her being boring. Not cool. She’s never done anything malicious to you and you talk about her like you’re better than her.
- There are ways to communicate that you prefer not to talk about personal stuff that aren’t hurtful to someone.
- You may not be a sociable work person, but she is. She’s not trying to bother you. She’s trying to be friendly. It might annoy you but it’s not a crime.