Do others yawn or scratch their heads while trying to talk to you or passing you?

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Dariushka

Well-known member
I have spotted these behaviours in my office. Open space office. I'm quite visible to my unfortune. Everyone who happens to pass my desk and feels the silly necessity to exchange hellos ;) begins to either scratch their heads, or turns the head all of a sudden, or makes big eyes lol, or yawns.. Yawning is quite common.. As if they lack oxygen when being in my vicinity :question:
 
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onecellinthesea

onecellinthesea

Well-known member
I know that when I am trying to seem relaxed I scratch my right ear, and I know that I have yawned or averted my eyes to the door, and behaved similarly to your colleagues when; I don't know what to say to someone, don't know them very well, I am put on the spot, I am anxious, I am busy and don't have time to chat or have already passed them once already (ie in the supermarket!)

I wouldn't worry about it too much, I definitely wouldn't attribute it to you personally. It sounds like an unfortunate consequence of an open plan office :)
 
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Dariushka

Well-known member
onecellinthesea said:
I know that when I am trying to seem relaxed I scratch my right ear, and I know that I have yawned or averted my eyes to the door, and behaved similarly to your colleagues when; I don't know what to say to someone, don't know them very well, I am put on the spot, I am anxious, I am busy and don't have time to chat or have already passed them once already (ie in the supermarket!)

I wouldn't worry about it too much, I definitely wouldn't attribute it to you personally. It sounds like an unfortunate consequence of an open plan office :)
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Cheers for reply :) I've involved a friend in observation and he actually says I might be right. I have 17 people working here and all seem to behave bizarre when passing me. Yawn, scratch their noses, stretch, look at the ceiling, check their mobiles suddenly... As if they are instructed for god sake! There are days when i feel really vulnerable and it seems like mobbing! lol They don't do it when they pass other desks.. Only proves they feel uncomfortable in my presence. .:sad:
 
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Rodrigue

Member
People who pass near my friend's office look at the glass and consider it like a mirror, and start to arrange their look, then suddenly they discover that we are seeing them, and they feel shy after it! LOL.
 
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laure15

Well-known member
Are you the boss/manager of the work unit? People naturally feel uncomfortable when passing their boss' desk.
 
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Dariushka

Well-known member
laure15 said:
Are you the boss/manager of the work unit? People naturally feel uncomfortable when passing their boss' desk.
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No. I have an admin position in an IT dept. I think there may be a few contributors. First of all my SP. I might have triggered that the moment I realised what is wrong with me and, Dont know if it was a good move or not, but I revealed what I self diagnosed to my Manager. He is matey with most of the department and the director.. They began to behave like this shortly after I shared the "revelation"with him. They had bigger expectations of me I guess. More admin like lol. Going through other departments, chatting the clients nd end users etc.. I used to be good when I started. It all collapsed. The more I self discovered and named my oddness the more it began to show. Hence I told. I reached a bottom line I thought I would resign.. I never ate in the canteen apart from a few Xmas lunches (just to "behave") otherwise I'm so paralysed I cannot hold the cutlery not to mention maintain the Conversation. I am a foreigner which adds to fears. All strange cause my only recent fight against them thinking I'm mute is to call a friend who speaks my native language and with whom I can openly chat laugh etc for hours... Speaking about nonsense. Mind I was not able to do that when I was working in open space in my country.. Cause I felt judged by colleagues as they were hearing the contents of my chats. So again I felt endangered. Here I do not bother cause no one understands a word. That's my only freedom.. I work with people with wide horizons and thought that maybe my manager tried to explain why I am like I am and then they freaked out cause its not a common disorder? But now it's counter productive so to say. Cause their strange behaviour makes me even more self conscious and it shows... And then they feel more awkward and this vicious circle cannot get broken :(
 
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Dariushka

Well-known member
Rodrigue said:
People who pass near my friend's office look at the glass and consider it like a mirror, and start to arrange their look, then suddenly they discover that we are seeing them, and they feel shy after it! LOL.
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My Director is in an aquarium office on my left hand side but there is a heavy duty walking passage in the middle and my Managers glassed office is right behind me ( within hand reach). I don't think they correct their looks. Most are males.. and I hate the glass window on my far right hand side (one person sitting closer to it. A person who likes to laugh at others cause this is the only way he found to rebuilt his self esteem) Behind this window is a copying machine. A bloody meeting point for people from other dept. non stop someone meeting there.. They All began to stand in strange poses. One person backing the view so the other can hide against their silhouette and they can chat as if nothing has happened. But I can see it and again they escape once I exchange an accidental glance ( I look there only to check on VERY RARE OCCASSIONS).. I feel like a goldfish cause no matter where you are in the office you see me.. Just imagine. A small death everyday.. 😟
 
MikeyC

MikeyC

Well-known member
I don't think it's really anything. People can act in unusual ways when passing someone. At work I pass people all the time, some several times. I usually flash a smile. Some smile back, others don't even look and continue staring at the ground. It doesn't mean they hate me, but it just means they've already greeted me and it's awkward having to do it again.

So, perhaps you're reading too much into it. Do any of these people shun you or dislike you? If not, it's just a reflex, most likely.
 
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