Can laughter become a problem?

Thursday, 29th of September 2022

Do you guys remember me saying that I got a new day job and it's all nice and dandy? Well, in many aspects it is indeed. Like the people I work with for example. They all like to have a good laugh, which makes for a nice atmosphere at work and I love that about my new workplace.

I never thought the day will come when I say it, but too much laugh can become a bit of an issue too. Especially when you ask for some things to be done and every time you're being brushed off with a joke and the matter gets swapped under the carpet. Eventually all those little grains under the carpet create a pile and someone is bound to slip and fall.

Well that happened with big bang yesterday. For 3 months I have been here I have been asking a couple of my co-workers to train me in the job I was supposed to be doing. With no effect obviously. I spent maybe half a day in total with them to show me how thing should be done and then nothing to practice it on for the next 6 weeks or so. Our financial Director is under the impression that I have already took over that part of responsibilities and I had to open her eyes last week and explain the situation.

Yesterday finally the day has come when the person that usually does this job was off on holiday during our most busy week of the month and... well, sh** hit the fun.

One of my joking co-workers came to our office and asked if I can send 2 off certain parts and I said yes, when I get the paperwork. To which he gave me another joking answer and that's when I lost the remainder of my patience and exploded. In fact there were many smaller and bigger explosions over the course of the day.

First one drew so many people into my office that even though I was fuming, I had to laugh too, because everyone is so nosy and wanted to know what was happening and the guy from the next room was also having a time of his life. The person who got the bad end of the stick yesterday was a salesman, who seems to have an opinion about literally everything and that opinion is usually 'this is sh** idea!'.

Needless to say that once I was on the go, he got some more of me at the emergency meeting called by our Director. I get hair standing up on my neck when I hear someone say 'Not being disrespectful, but...'. Usually the person starting the sentence in such a way is about to disrespect you. So I let him walk into it a bit deeper before I said 'Oh great, so just because I've only been here for 5 minutes does this mean that I know nothing? What about all those companies that I worked at where the standard we're aiming for was actually implemented and in working order?'. I didn't manage to get any further, as our Director rushed to put down the fire.

Once the meeting was over, majority of my co-workers came to say that they agreed with me and also how they enjoyed me telling him off 😂 Today the saga continues. Once I shook some walls, people finally have something to talk about. What's even better though, is that things finally get done. I spent most of my day with my young co-worker who's job I am taking over and by the end of the day I was able to finally go through the whole procedure all by myself.

My salesman colleague even sent me a reply to an email he ignored for a week plus he's now taking seriously all my questions. We still have a good laugh at lunch though, because after all I really do like him as much as I like many other of my colleagues. As much as I love to laugh and joke, some things just have to be taken seriously and if an explosion is needed to make it happen, then so be it.

Being a little girl in engineering has never been easy, but over the years I managed to find my ways to survive in this men dominated world. Some years ago a day like yesterday would make me walk away from my workplace with a big bang or at least run away and cry in the toilet. I guess I managed to grow a thicker skin and instead I doodled for the rest of the meeting. I hear my colleagues love my doodles and want me to design a company logo next 😂

Until next time 💙