Office Bullies
I've always wondered how bullies came to be bullies. Were they born with the desire to torment those around them? Did bad home lives create psychological conditions that bred bullyish behavior? Or did one morning some kid wake up and decide to be a bully from there on out?
I would suggest that all of those are very good possibilities but not an all-inclusive list. I believe that some bullies become such by accident. Some strange twist of fate places them in the wrong place at the wrong time and without realizing it they have become a bully.
That's what happened to me. How? you ask. I drank someone's juice box. That's what bullies do. They drink other kids juice boxes. I am now the office bully. Yes, we drink juice boxes at my office. Let me explain.
First, my company provides free pop, coffee and juice. Well juice boxes are cheaper than bottled juice, so those who are health conscience sit around drinking juice boxes. We look like an overgrown kindergarten class at snack time.
Second, we have weekly meetings to discuss what each group is working on. We call them Tech Chat because most of the engineers talk about their success and failures in the labs. They provide food at these meetings. So one week I walk into the meeting a little late and there are 4 juice boxes sitting on the table near the door. I assume they are part of the provided food and drink one. They weren't. As soon as I finish drinking it I realize that the guy in front of me brought them in to drink with his lunch.
I wasn't sure what to do at that point. I could play dumb and not mention it or I could apologize. I decided to play dumb - it seemed like the best option. Although now I am the girl who drinks people's juice boxes. The office bully. Crap.
I would suggest that all of those are very good possibilities but not an all-inclusive list. I believe that some bullies become such by accident. Some strange twist of fate places them in the wrong place at the wrong time and without realizing it they have become a bully.
That's what happened to me. How? you ask. I drank someone's juice box. That's what bullies do. They drink other kids juice boxes. I am now the office bully. Yes, we drink juice boxes at my office. Let me explain.
First, my company provides free pop, coffee and juice. Well juice boxes are cheaper than bottled juice, so those who are health conscience sit around drinking juice boxes. We look like an overgrown kindergarten class at snack time.
Second, we have weekly meetings to discuss what each group is working on. We call them Tech Chat because most of the engineers talk about their success and failures in the labs. They provide food at these meetings. So one week I walk into the meeting a little late and there are 4 juice boxes sitting on the table near the door. I assume they are part of the provided food and drink one. They weren't. As soon as I finish drinking it I realize that the guy in front of me brought them in to drink with his lunch.
I wasn't sure what to do at that point. I could play dumb and not mention it or I could apologize. I decided to play dumb - it seemed like the best option. Although now I am the girl who drinks people's juice boxes. The office bully. Crap.
posted by Andi at
1:30 PM
