The Funniest Things About Working with other People
Working with other people has many advantages. There’s teamwork, companionship and always someone nearby who might know how to fix the printer.
There are also mysterious food containers in the refrigerator, meetings that should have been emails and coworkers who begin conversations just as you’re trying to leave.
Every workplace is different, but some experiences seem to be universal.
The Thermostat Battle
No workplace has ever agreed on the correct temperature.
One person is wrapped in a blanket and typing with frozen fingers while someone three desks away has a fan blowing directly into their face.
The thermostat becomes a carefully guarded secret. Someone turns it up. Someone else turns it down. Nobody admits to touching it.
The Mysterious Refrigerator
Every shared refrigerator eventually becomes a science experiment.
It contains three nearly empty bottles of salad dressing, one unlabelled container and a yogurt that may have belonged to someone who left the company two years ago.
Everyone complains about the condition of the refrigerator, but nobody is willing to investigate the container at the back.
The Person Who Replies to Everyone
An email is sent to 48 people. One person responds with, “Thanks!”
They reply to everyone.
A second person asks to be removed from the conversation—also by replying to everyone. Before long, your inbox contains 23 messages about a subject that never involved you in the first place.
The Printer Knows When You’re in a Hurry
The printer works perfectly all day—until you urgently need one document.
Suddenly, it’s offline, out of paper or demanding a replacement cartridge in a colour you didn’t know existed.
At least one person in every workplace has somehow become the unofficial printer expert, despite receiving no training or additional pay for this responsibility.
The Great Lunch Debate
At approximately 11:30 a.m., the most important decision of the day begins: What is everyone having for lunch?
Suggestions are made and immediately rejected. One place is too far. Another is too expensive.
Someone had pizza yesterday. Someone else brought a lunch but is willing to abandon it.
By the time everyone agrees, it’s almost time to go home.
The Person Who Is Always Cheerful
Every workplace has someone who arrives early, remembers birthdays and seems genuinely happy before their first cup of coffee.
The rest of us are suspicious—but also grateful when they bring muffins.
The Friday Afternoon Transformation
On Monday morning, everyone is quiet and serious.
By Friday afternoon, people are laughing, discussing weekend plans and accomplishing very little. The same coworker who barely spoke all week suddenly has three hilarious stories to tell.
TGIF is real!
Coworkers Make Work More Interesting
Working with other people can occasionally test your patience, especially when someone reheats fish in the microwave or schedules a meeting late on Friday afternoon.
But coworkers also share the workload, make us laugh and understand exactly why the printer has ruined our day.
The strange habits, inside jokes and daily conversations are what make a workplace memorable. Work might be quieter without other people—but it certainly wouldn’t be as entertaining.
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