If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, you may have unknowingly picked up some strange habits along the way. Join us as we take an adventure through AskReddit and discover some of the strangest habits these redditors have picked up from the office. Are you guilty of any of these behaviors?
(Photo Credit: db Photography/Flickr)
Locking Your Computer When You’re Home, By Yourself.
If you work at a tech company, you are probably pretty guilty of this habit. User IM_OK_AMA explains that at his office, they used a webapp to make remembering to lock your screens more fun. “We have a webapp at work where you get a point if you visit from someone else’s computer and type in your name. Once we started doing that, everyone got real good at locking their computers, but not before a few of us shot to the leaderboards.” Despite how funny or malicious you think this is, security is serious business. Goal achieved.
Talking to People…From the Side.
If you work in healthcare, you now how important it is to be sensitive to patients’ needs. But what about when you start treating everyone else like a patient? Take pilgrim_pastry, for instance: “I used to work with developmentally disabled adults and got into the habit of standing sideways to them while trying to calm them down. You appear less threatening than if you’re facing them dead on, present a smaller target should they rush you, and can shift your weight to your rear foot for stability if you can’t get out of the way in time.” The problem? Although her days working in that field are over, OP says she catches herself speaking to people from a sideways stance.
Facing a Retail Store Where You Don’t Actually Work.
Retail workers are the best at being polite. When you walk into any retail establishment, you expect things like a friendly hello, a nice goodbye, and a thank-you for stopping in the store. But what if you’re just on vacation and looking for the time? Your friendly retail worker will still greet you and bid adieu as if you’d dropped a thousand bucks at the checkout. OP chumothy explains, “Back when I worked in retail, some dude asked me the time when I was on vacation. I looked at my watch, told him the time and then he thanked me, I thanked him for coming in and told him to have a nice day.” Another user added, “Having worked in retail a lot, I find myself facing [pulling products to the front of shelves] other people’s stores quite often.” Talk about life-long customer service.
Constantly Feeling Compelled to Yell at Children.
For lifeguards, the office is the water, the sun, and the sand. But what happens when the lifeguard moves on from saving lives and monitoring waves? User SwearImaChik says, “Career Lifeguard. I yell ‘walk’ at small children in public places for no reason.” Kids playing in the park? You better be walking. Elementary school track meet? Walk! It would appear that the legacy and responsibility of a lifeguard lives on.
Bowing to People at Your Local Kohl’s.
You might expect to see people bowing at a formal dance, perhaps in a Disney movie, but never at your local Kohl’s. As lipsticklady explains, “I am a martial arts instructor. Occasionally, when I’m not thinking, I bow when I walk in and out of building and sometimes to people when I meet or thank them. …We bow coming into the building to symbolize leaving all negativity at the door. On the way out, we turn in the doorway, facing back into the dojang and bow to symbolize our appreciation.” Apparently bowing out of Kohl’s is much more awkward.
Tell Us What You Think!
Do you have a strange work habit you have picked up over the years? We want to hear about it! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter.
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