I (23m) notice that my co-worker (20f) constantly teases me and I’m confused on why that is. For instance, if holiday t-shirts didn’t arrive because they weren’t shipped yet, she would say something like, “I blame u/OpenSesameTime for that.” Obviously, I have nothing to do with their arrival, but she’ll make the “I’m blaming you” joke a lot.
Or, if I’m just standing somewhere minding my business, she’ll be like, “Uhh, you’re in my way u/OpenSesameTime.” Other times she’ll walk up to me and say, “Boo!” to catch me off guard. I don’t exactly see her tease other people at work, at least I don’t think to that extent, but I could be wrong.
I get that she’s probably into banter, but I no longer understand how to interpret it since all the “joking” now seems to have a more negative connotation as part of the joke. So when I try and play her game, obviously still joking, she’ll be like, “Ah! Don’t try and blame me.”
4 comments
Seem like she’s being friendly in her own way. Do you have any other friends? If not then ysk that some extroverted people exaggerate their friendliness to make loners feel included. You could also just talk to her.
She might mean well but tell her you don’t appreciate being the butt of the joke. Tell her asap. Bc the more you let her do it, the less receptive she will be to your boundary
Don’t make other people’s problems your problems. If this behavior bothers you it sounds like you can just sit back, not react, and calmly state ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you, can you repeat that?’ Then when she repeats it. Do not react, just walk away
What you describe sounds like she’s trying to flirt with you. It also sounds like a bit of a red flag as well (but I’m not 100%). Personally, if you like your job, I’d keep my distance and keep it professional
I think she likes you and is flirting with you in a somewhat clunky way.