h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I work with someone who does some really strange things some of the, well most of the time. Most of what involves me, I just ignore.

The thing I can't figure out is this: This person will do something that seems to be done solely to be told off for doing it. Is that passive aggressive or something else?

I'm not talking about kids on a playground, no matter how much it feels that way. This is a work place environment mostly involving people 24 to 50+.

do they have OCD????

Not that I know of.

There are and have been staff members with A.D.D. and/or A.D.H.D. and dyslexia and one with OCD.

what strange things do they do???

How much time have you got?

Making rude gestures behind people when they walk past. Bows and does this ZZ Top sort of *flourish* when passing someone in the hall. Lurks and peeks down the aisles instead of just walking down the aisle or past the end of the aisle in the first place.

There's much more... peeled a bumper sticker off a co worker's car and replaced it with something different. Locked out a few co workers when they stepped outside for various reasons. Locked someone in the office on purpose.

That's nowhere near the half of it.

The place where I worked canned somebody for stuff less serious than what your co-worker has done. Locking someone in an office is pretty bad, particularly when there is no apparent reason for it.

do you want rid of him?? or do you want him to stop??

Ideally, I'd prefer him gone before someone gets hurt.

I'm open to suggestions for making him stop as well.

It sounds like he thinks he's try to be funny. But it also sounds like a very idiosyncratic sense of humour...


Geggs

collect evidence

video him playing the fool

complain about him!

if you want him to stop show him the evidence

if you want him gone show the boss the evidence

One of his favorite excuses is 'it's just a joke'. Really? How come no one is laughing?

I don't see the humor in having someone older enough to be my father acting like a twelve year old trying to disrupt everyone's day. It really incenses me when the target is a minor.

It would have to be hidden cameras because he hides or ducks behind something to avoid cameras and even phones without cameras.

Well, on one level he seems to be trying to call people's attention to him. Maybe he was neglected or blown off as a child. How often are you the target of his "humor?" From what you've described, he respects *some* boundaries based on the amount of damage people can do to him. Younger people (especially minors) can't or won't fight back because it would be a minor's word against an adult.

It sounds as though you aren't his target very much if at all.

I get the *flourish* and fanfare every time I pass him in the hall, which is several times a day.

No clue if he still does the gestures behind me as he does to most people. I don't look over my shoulder because some days I don't care and other days I'd be really tempted to make a scene myself and I'm not taking his bait.

After the worst of things aimed at me, I told the boss 'This time, I called you. I have no problem with calling the police instead'. I know a stern talking to followed, no idea what it included.

Am I right in assuming that people who do things like this probably would not handle it well if everyone decided to either 'reply in kind' or blow up at them?

""I get the *flourish* and fanfare every time I pass him in the hall, which is several times a day. ""

turn around and walk passed him, again and again, he will soon get tired of doing it

We have done the two and three at a time parade through the hall to the front office and back.

About a month ago, he told me 'FYI, you should tell M___ that I have a knife too.'. I asked 'are you threatening?' to get 'oh no, but you should tell him.'. I answered with 'Tell him yourself.'. He did. The 'joke' was that his swiss army knife won't open. See, that's the kind of thing that someone is going to take the exact wrong way.

I have a utility knife for work because we open and break down boxes.

invite him for a drink after work and then 'outside of office hours'

lay it all out for him

you can then use nice terms like him being a contration of richard and how his behaviour gets right on your mammarys

and how if he carries on you are going to kick hin in the legumes that jimmy carter grew"!!!!!

He doesn't drink alcohol and won't accept food or beverages from anyone, not even the 'free lunch' from our Café.

does he socialize with work collegues at all???



there is a 'fast show' character he sound like, i'll go dig about

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/colin_hunt.shtml

try looking him up on youtube and tell me is there any correlation