r/office

At my workplace I get along well with my colleagues. They're genuinely nice people, and I learn a lot from them professionally. The thing is, they often plan lunches, dinners, weekend outings, and other get-togethers, and as a bachelor, there's almost an expectation that I'll join because I "don't have other commitments."
The problem is that I like maintaining a clear boundary between work and personal life. Once work is over, I prefer having my own time or spending it with my close friends and family. I don't dislike my colleagues, and I don't have anything against socializing occasionally, but I don't want it to become an expectation.
I end up saying no quite often, always politely, but I still feel a little guilty or worry that I might come across as antisocial or uninterested.
Has anyone else felt this way? Is it normal to keep your work relationships mostly within office hours, or is frequent socializing with colleagues just part of workplace culture that I need to adapt to?

I genuinely want to know... do workplaces like this actually exist? 😭

I'm a content writer, so my entire job is literally sitting in front of a screen, researching, thinking, and writing for 8.5 hours straight.

I've been using one earbud while working because music helps me focus and makes the day a little less mentally exhausting. I'm not talking to anyone, not disturbing anyone, and my work gets done on time.

Then yesterday, out of nowhere, I got a message from HR saying that earphones aren't allowed during work.

Like... why? 😭

We're not on customer calls. We're not operating heavy machinery. We're just sitting at our desks trying to get through the day.

Eight and a half hours is a long time to stare at a screen in silence. Music honestly keeps me productive and stops my brain from wandering.

Is this a common office rule, or is my workplace just unusually strict? I'd love to hear if your company allows earphones or has a similar policy.

Do you keep it restricted to strictly procedural work stuff?

Gossip or complaints, small talk about vacation plans?

Or are you working through your personal issues like it’s a free therapy session lol

You know the moment…

A new task suddenly becomes the top priority, even though everyone is already swamped. The team points out it’s a completely new project and asks for a little time to figure it out. Then someone who isn’t actually doing the work says, “Come on, it’s easy,” and starts giving examples that have nothing to do with the task.
I always have to stop myself from laughing. Somehow every job looks easy when you’re not the one responsible for doing it.

Does this happen at your workplace too, or have I just been unlucky?

Sorry, I just need to rant because OMG I feel like I'm going to lose it on a coworker!

Due to a series of unfortunate events, I'm the most senior employee for the team. For about 8 months I did everything myself while new hires came and went for a bit (to be fair, it's a very tedious job and we also had multiple instances where people would finish training, be allowed to work from home, clock-in every day and then never be heard from again) but we eventually got new hires that stuck and since I was the only one who knew how to do the job, I trained all the new hires once they were finished with onboarding/basics of the job. The first 2 were a breeze. I have experience in being a trainer at other jobs, so I updated the training workflows and adjusted my training for each person.

But this 3rd person...let's call her Mia. Mia worked as a temp for about 5 months, did really well and was offered to come on full time. She accepted and then training began for more programs and tasks that you need certain clearance for. And since then, it's been a total nightmare. At first she'd ask to reschedule her training because she had to catch up on work that was going to hit compliance...so ok, understandable, certain things have sensitive time limits. Then it became an entire month of her needing to cancel or reschedule training because of deadlines she needed to meet for previously assigned work.

Then we finally got past that, but then began the constant "quick Teams chats" because she needs something explained or needed help with a task. 80% of the time it was something that she should have already known how to do while she was a temp/things I know she was trained on, and the other 20% was her asking if some of her work could be reassigned to someone else so she could meet her deadlines for other projects. Quick calls would often be upwards of an hour and me nearly banging my head into my desk because I didn't know how else to explain things to her (she had the workflow, I had shown her how to do it multiple times, I watched her do it while I navigated her through it multiple times, and yet she still needed more hand holding through it and was making day one mistakes)

Then came the training for new systems. I was tasked with training her on a system we use to resolve tickets assigned to us. The usual training was about an hour long and usually a baptism by fire, but the tickets were often so obvious since by the time you get trained on this system you're already so familiar with the accounts that you can look and know right away what is wrong/looks off. We are currently on month 2 of training in this system for her. We sit down for about 3 hours a day, 2-3 times a week, and in still repeating things I said on the first day of training and having to bring up things that were taught within her first week on the job; things that she should have been doing daily for over a year now.

Today, I ended up doing a screen share over Teams at my desk since she was work from home, and after my 3rd explanation of the same ticket, I finally heard the desk next to me sigh loudly in what sounded like annoyance and smack her desk. On one hand it was nice to get a little reassurance that it's not just me, but also just WTF????

Her inability to keep up with the work has been brought up to our manager before but I just don't know what the hell else to do!

Hello, I just want to give a little warning for spelling mistakes and grammar errors before I start.

Hi basically i’m currently starting college in september and i’m able to chose what i do right now and i’m wondering what would i have to do in order to work in an office doing a 9-5 style job? i’m aware a lot of people dislike that style of job but i don’t. i enjoy having the same (ish) routine for the day and i’d want to be able to work in the office and potentially at home.

I work in an office from retail and I was so shocked at how serious everything is, stupid things like not talking too much and not being friends with colleagues.

I got a lecture from a supervisor because I said thank you with a gif over teams and then today got another one because I was talking over the desk and told that I shouldn't be making friends at work. My work also has a ban on relationships.
Surely this cannot be the universal experience of work in an office?

I want to make clear I get my work done, I have never missed a deadline and I won an award last year for outstanding contribution, so it's not a skill issue. I would get it if it was bad for my work, but me and work friends are great workers and we get stuff done.

I know people will use arguments of you need to remain professional, but there's a line and too professional is a thing. I get being professional infront of clients and investors, but it all just feels so performative and fake and not the kind of life I want to be living to be honest.
Life is far too short to be caring about stupid stuff like that.

Am I alone on this? Am I going against the grain or does everyone feel it but do nothing about it?

So this is a first for me all my projects have been completed ahead of time and now I'm just waiting till the next batch comes in which is delayed by two weeks. Unfortunately I literally have nothing to do I've been creating work for myself like I spent an entire day just writing useless stuff on my notepad I look around me and everyones just normally working.

Do you guys have any idea on how do I look busy and stop myself from getting board?

I got "roasted" in another reddit forum for asking this question... But... I'm a huge people pleaser, so this has been eating me alive and I need to know if I messed up.

We have a small staff of about 25 and out of all of us, five (including me) are considered more "qualified" to handle certain tasks. Today I was in the middle of prepping for an event I had planned when a coworker came directly to me and asked me to assist someone. She didn't check with anyone else first — just came straight to me, which happens constantly. I asked if any of the other three qualified people were available, and that's when she checked and told me one was on break and another was busy. So there was me and one other person who was also available.

To be fair, my desk is closer than the other person's. But we have phones and extensions — it's not like she couldn't have reached them... And I was on a tight timeline while the other person had nothing urgent going on.

I helped the person anyway because I can't say no. When I got back, my coworker apologized to me. I said it was okay, but then I added that sometimes it's frustrating because I feel like people forget I'm not the ONLY person who works here and I am always asked, not Person A, B or C. It is always me. I tried to say it gently, but I could tell it upset some of my coworkers. They immediately changed their tone and haven't spoken much to me since.

Now I'm sitting here wondering if I should have just kept my mouth shut (especially since other reddit commenters were saying I am "entitled" and an "asshole"). But I know I'm the one they always come to, and I know I should probably take it as a compliment... but... I'm exhausted. And I had to say it. I always say yes, and I think they've just come to expect it. The second I said one mildly honest thing, the whole vibe shifted.

So... is it okay of me for telling my coworkers they should stop ONLY asking me? How do you handle saying "No" in the future when you are busy and there is someone else who can help? How do you NOT "feel bad" for saying "No"?

I remember a time when you could not eat in your office space. There was a reason for it. Not anymore......what's on this weeks menu.

Currently, I smell sauerkraut with sausages, yesterday was garlic spaghetti, last week was fish sticks.....

I now bring sardines, which I like, and leave the can open.

Like the old saying 'if it doesn't hurt you then you have to allow it"

we all know the commute is awful. Losing two hours of unpaid time every day is bad enough. but we are on week two of our mandatory three-day RTO, and the thing that is actually breaking my spirit isn't even the drive. It's the physical sensory overload. Since 2020 I had total control over my physical baseline (which I definitely took for granted). I kept the house at the exact temperature I wanted, it was quiet when I needed to focus, and I basically lived in socks or slippers. my body got so adjusted to a daily routine that wasn't actively hostile. Going back feels like a physical assault. The overhead fluorescent lights give me a headache by noon and the AC is always blasting at meat locker temperatures. I have to hear every single throat clear and forced laugh from the hot desks around me. Then there is the clothes. i pulled out my old business casual pants and shirts, and the collars feel like cardboard. But the worst part is the shoes. Before remote work I wore the same leather business casual shoes every single day and literally didn't even notice them. Tuesday I had to walk from the far parking garage, stand around for a 30 minute 'quick sync' on that cheap thin carpet over concrete, and then walk three blocks for an overpriced sandwich. By 3 PM my heels were slipping, my toes felt crushed, and my feet were just radiating heat. it was like wearing wooden planks.

I dont think we got weak. I think WFH was just a physical detox. We finally learned what it feels like when our bodies aren't punished for corporate norms, and we just cant un-feel it now. I guess I'm not the only one, because half the office is altering their wardrobe just to survive. I noticed a guy in my pod wearing these vuzugu hybrid shoes today, basically a dress shoe with a sneaker bottom. I used to think that whole category was kind of a goofy tech gimmick, but honestly... I completely get it now. I haven't caved to buying weird internet shoes yet, but apparently my old leather ones were only 'comfortable' because I hadn’t actually worn them for a full day since 2020. I came home today, kicked those stupid shoes into the closet, and have just been sitting on my couch in silence for the last hour. I'm too physically drained to even make dinner. rto is exhausting.

So context: I do a lot of cad drafting at my job and wrist has been hurting so much this week. About 3 years ago I had the same issue and switched to a trackball mouse but now it’s hurting again.

So I’m just wondering if:

1. there are any suggestions for quick exercises, heat/cold pain relief etc that can ease my pain quick? I figured part of the issue was the height of my chair being too low, making my wrist bent during work (I’m fixing it tomorrow) but are there ways to feel better before I go back to work tomorrow and
2. For future reference, what is the best & least expensive way to stop this from happening again? Should I try using a mouse from my non-dominant hand & take turn? Or get a foot mouse? Will fixing my posture fix the issue long term? Should I get a wrist brace? I already tried using a Wacom tablet (that I already own) but it doesn’t work with the software I use for work.

Hi everyone! First time posting here.

I work for a small, scrappy company, and over the last few months we’ve been reviewing and rewriting a lot of our SOPs, onboarding guides, and internal documentation to make them easier to understand.

I’m neurodivergent, and I’m really sensitive to how information is presented to me.

And honestly… I felt the difference almost immediately.

Instead of spending mental energy trying to interpret what something meant, I could focus on understanding the content and getting the work done.

Interestingly, this wasn’t part of a neurodiversity initiative.
It was simply a business enablement effort to make our operational content clearer and easier to use.
It was a game changer for me.

It’s also made me wonder if we sometimes underestimate how much clear documentation and well-designed processes help everyone, not just neurodivergent employees.

Has anyone else’s organization gone through a similar effort? If so, did you notice a difference?

In April I switched office jobs from a very fast county office to a smaller non profit office. Lately I feel as though I am being targeted for some things but also maybe I'm being paranoid? When I first started the Chief Executive Officer was not in office due to a death in the family. Once she returned some things started happening. Every team meeting since has had a specific thing I've done mentioned. I was told the dress code was business casual with no leggings or open toed shoes. I am a single mother so I asked if I could have some time to buy business clothes and they did say yes. After that my windshield was damaged when driving back from a meeting and I had to pay $500 to get it replaced. They did not offer to help with repairs and the CEO herself informed me I had to buy business casual clothes or else I would be sent home. When I tried to ask for some time till my next paycheck I was told that if I wore leggings again I would be sent home(ended up using money for my son's birthday presents to buy clothes). During one of our team meetings we were told we can't be on cellphones and if it's an issue they will escalate it to our phones needing to stay in our cars. When I voiced issues with my son's school calling they said they didn't care. I am in an enclosed office by myself and I am not allowed to listen to music or have a single headphone in. Just recently it was stated they don't want me in my office alone, I can't go to anybody else's office to talk to them but the managers will sit in the other workers office and have hour-long conversations. I also see every other coworker on their phone constantly with the one manager having his ringer all the way up. Then just recently I heard the CEO telling another manager to add a stipulation about smoking to the code of conduct form. I am the only one in the office who smokes cigarettes and I do so in my car on breaks with an ashtray in my car for butts. Am I being paranoid in thinking I'm being targeted for some reason or are these normal things with small offices?

I’m the youngest employee in my office. The pay is good, the amenities are fine, but I still feel a void. I don’t really have any friends at work, and some days it feels like I’m just a cog in the machine.
If anyone else is going through something similar, I’d love to connect. Maybe we can share experiences, talk about work, or just remind each other that we’re not the only ones feeling this way.

I want a fun keyboard for the office, but I want something quiet that won’t bother my coworkers. I was looking online but couldn’t find one that had consistently positive reviews