(no subject)

[conuly]

Dear Miss Manners: What is the protocol in responding to a “joke” that is repeated ad nauseam?

I have a co-worker who says, each and every time she returns from the office restroom, “Gee, I forgot my coat and gloves!” or “I forgot to bring my parka!” or some other inane comment referencing the temperature of the bathroom.
Yes, it is cold in our office bathroom. I don't think my co-workers and I should have to politely smile/laugh/agree with her every single day, multiple times per day. The obvious solution is to ignore her, which I do.

My co-workers are much more genteel than I am, and they smile/chuckle/nod in agreement, then roll their eyes and complain when she isn't around.

Perhaps there is some clever thing to say to put an end to it?

Treating a joke as if it were meant seriously is the best way to defuse it. In this case, Miss Manners suggests, “Oh no! We thought we asked management to fix that. If you need to borrow a blanket, though, I think I have one in my car.”

Eventually your would-be comedian will get tired of explaining the “humor” to you — and find another target.

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Comments

[melannen]

I also wonder how much the others are actually "complaining" about the jokes, unless she's making a massive disruptive production every time. This really does sound like a BEC situation (by which I mean, LW is BEC about coworker and coworker is BEC about the broken climate control.) If there's widespread agreement in the office that the bathroom is too cold, this may not even be so much a "repeated joke" as "what I am saying instead of cussing out management".

(Source: I work in a building where people do have to keep blankets, scarves and gloves on hand if they have to work in certain rooms in the summer.)