[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Ideal08
I would NEVER post that in my office!!!! I work in an office full of women, and I honestly think it would hurt their feelings. For real. Let alone start a rumormill around here. But yall go 'head on!!! Shooooot, I need to let them get used to the afro first, LOL!!! But anyway...

How are yall surviving on the job? I mean, what do you do? Let me tell you what I'm up against here.

Scenario 1: My boss tells me she doesn't understand my communication style. But it's really very simple, you ask, I tell. That is how I communicate at work. You don't ask, you most likely won't hear my voice. You want something, ask for it. If you don't I won't offer it. But really. We went on to discuss our Myers-Briggs indicator. Just because I'm not all up in everybody's face and gigglin' and carryin' on does not mean I'm unapproachable or whatever. Shoot, I'm very personable! Moving on...

Scenario 2: We're at lunch last week for a co-worker who was quitting. They ask me what I'm doing over the weekend. I reply, "I'm walking in the African-American Wellness Walk." The lady next to me said, "What's it for?" Y'all, she stumped me!! I ain't know what to say, so I just looked at her and said, "It's the African-American Wellness Walk." WTF you think it's for is what I wanted to say.

Now, this mess is just silly. I so badly want to tell my boss that sometimes, this is silly. But I know she wouldn't take it the right way. Man, at my last job, I could say whatever I wanted, it was bliss, and they actually appreciated my candidness. That was the only job where I haven't come off as overbearing or intimidating. So lately I've been trying to figure out, am I intimidating, or do THEY just think that I am?

I guess I needed to vent some more, and this seemed like the appropo thread.

Soror Ideal, I suspect it's "their" issue, not yours. So relax there.

BTW, I empathise with your first scenario because I'm not the most approachable person. It takes me a long while to warm up to folx -- I think it is a result of being taunted too much when I was growing up. I don't come up and giggle in people's faces, either.