Can Your Workmates Take a Joke?

[The Great Owl]

Be friendly with your co-workers, but don't be friends with them. That rule has served me well.

Sometimes, even friendliness doesn't help, though.

A couple of years back, I was going to an out-of-town training class for a day, along with a co-worker from across the building. The co-worker and I did not know one another, but one of the managers suggested that we carpool to the class, which was three hours away, since we lived near each other. We spoke briefly, agreed that the co-worker would drive the work vehicle, and that I would meet her at a grocery store parking lot next to her place.

That morning, I arrived at the grocery store lot until the co-worker arrived, and then I got into her car. As she was driving out, I made some pleasantries and asked her about how she was liking her job, as a way of making small talk.

The co-worker angrily snapped at me. "I know that you just want to talk, but I'm not in the mood right now, and I'd appreciated it if you just stayed quiet!"

I apologized, although I had nothing to apologize for. The co-worker snapped at me once again. "Just stop talking!"

I shrugged, and then told her, "I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work for me. Pull over and let me out of the car. Right now. I'll drive my own vehicle. Pull over and let me out."

The co-worker appeared really irritated, but she pulled over and let me out. I walked a half mile back to my truck, drove by myself to the training class, listened to my favorite music at full blast on my stereo, and laughed the whole time during the drive.

The following day, my manager told me that my co-worker had complained about my driving my own vehicle to the meeting. He reminded me, "You know that you won't get reimbursed for fuel, since you drove your own vehicle when there was a work vehicle available."
I told him what had happened, and then told him that it was worth every penny of fuel money not to have to sit in a car with her all the way through the long drive and back. He just laughed and told me that he would have done the same thing.