We are at a regional sales dinner. This takes place in October 2016, when a certain baseball team that hasn’t won a World Series in over 100 years is in the postseason. The sales dinner is scheduled during a “win or go home” game.

I’m sitting at the back, sneaking the occasional glance at social media to see how it’s going, when I notice that a coworker at the table in front of me is stealthily live-streaming the game on his phone, but I can’t see the score.

Me: *Quietly* “Psst, [Coworker #1].”

He doesn’t respond.

Me: *Slightly louder* “Hey, [Coworker #1]!”

A different coworker turns around.

Coworker #2: “What’s up?”

Me: “I’m just trying to check the score.”

Coworker #2: “I got you.”

[Coworker #2] nudges [Coworker #1].

Coworker #2: “[Coworker #1], turn your phone to the left.”

Coworker #1: “What? Why?”

Coworker #2: “[My Name] wants to see the score, and so do I!”

Coworker #1: “Sorry! Hang on.”

He angles his phone so all three of us can watch. My boss jabs me in the arm.

Boss: “[My Name], what are you doing?”

Me: “Um… watching the game?”

Boss: “It started?! What’s the score?”

Somehow, we got away with this right under the regional sales manager’s nose, who would’ve absolutely had a fit if he’d caught us.

I work in a library. One day, the phone rings and my coworker answers it. She is a middle-aged lady who is very mature and proper.

Coworker: “Hello, [Library], how may I help you?”

I hear the garbled sound of the caller speaking over the phone.

Coworker: “Oh, my! Watch your mouth, young lady!” *Hangs up*

Me: “What did she say?”

Coworker: “She was a prankster. She said she wanted something called The V-A-G-I-N-A Monologues.“

Me: “Um, [Coworker], you do realize there is an actual book called The Vagina Monologues, right?”

My coworker turned bright red.

I work in a retirement living facility; it’s not exactly a nursing home, as it also has independent living options for older folks. It’s a fairly hoity-toity place and pretty expensive to live in.

I do part-time reception while the current health crisis is happening and I’ve only been there for about three months. Our policies are changing almost daily, since we have healthcare, as well. My shifts are all over the place and both staff and residents are having a hard time keeping up with all the new procedures.

One of these recent changes is that we cannot provide residents with masks, as we are all going through boxes like crazy; staff are excluded in this rule if they need a fresh one. We all have to wear surgical masks, not cloth ones. Their families are supposed to provide them with their own masks going forward. This seems a bit silly, as everyone in the building is required to wear one at all times; however, this is a set-in-stone rule that cannot be pardoned, as I’ve been told.

The residents are used to asking us for masks all the time, so naturally, they’re a bit confused and often upset that we no longer pass them out. The following two incidents happen within a day of each other on the weekend.

Incident #1:

A resident approaches the front desk.

Resident #1: “I need a mask, please.”

Me: “I’m very sorry, but we are not giving out masks at this time.”

Resident #1: “What do you mean? I don’t have one and I need one. You can’t give one to me?”

Me: “Unfortunately, it’s not my decision. We were told by [Boss’s Boss] directly that we cannot give out masks anymore. I know it’s a pain, but it’s out of my hands. She also told us that you can speak with her about it, if you want to.”

Resident #1: “Well, how am I supposed to get one, then?!”

I try to explain the policy further, and then a staff member from the dining room comes over, evidently hearing the argument.

Dining Staff: “You can give her a mask; it’s okay.”

Me: “I’m afraid it’s not. We’ve been instructed by [Boss’s Boss] not to give them out to anyone but staff, and even then, we have to use discretion. I can’t give her one.”

Dining Staff: “Yes. You can. Give her one.”

It’s clear she won’t leave me alone until I do it. I don’t trust myself to turn my back in case she tries to steal one, so I give the resident a mask and stress that I will not do it again. They both leave me alone, finally.

But the dining staff member comes back after a few minutes and tells me, “I need a mask”. She reaches over the desk and takes one, and then leaves quickly before I can say something.

I send off an email to my manager about the situation and do not get a reply.

Incident #2:

Resident #2: “Can you give me a mask?”

I explain the policy again. The resident sees my box of masks.

Resident #2: “You have a full box and you can’t give me one? That’s ridiculous!”

She goes off a few feet away and starts complaining to a few people about me. This time, one of the nursing staff is around and hears the arguing, so she comes to see what is happening.

Nurse: “Why can’t you give her one?”

I attempt to explain once again, but she keeps cutting me off and asking, “But why?” again and again. I really can’t get more than a few words out before she interrupts me. Then, in mid-conversation, she actually TAKES ME BY THE ARM AND SPINS ME AROUND so I face the opposite wall.

Nurse: “Look over there!”

Instead, I turn back around to see her quickly take a mask from the box, walk back to [Resident #2], and give it to her.

Nurse: “She didn’t see anything!”

I’m stunned, to put it mildly, but I march over to her; I don’t care if I’m being a hard-a** at this point, but I am NOT going to get in trouble over something like this!

Me: “I’m sorry but you can’t do that! They’ll think they can bully me into giving out masks now!”

Nurse: “She needed one, so why didn’t you give her one?”

We go back and forth some more, again getting nowhere with her interrupting me. Eventually, she just ends the conversation with:

Nurse: “I’ll give you more masks so you can hand them out.”

And she leaves.

Fuming, I fire off another email, while keeping it discreet, to my manager, and I also tell the other receptionists what happened in case something like this happens again. I tell my manager to contact me if she wants more details. My manager reads my emails and just reiterates the policy to me, which doesn’t really help. I’m off for a few days after this, and I receive a phone call one evening.

Manager: “Hi, so… I heard from one of the receptionists that something happened on your shift? Can you tell me more about it?”

I then re-tell both of the incidents, with names included. I also mention that the staff may think they can get me to bend the rule because I am still considered “new.”

Manager: *Angrily* “That is totally unacceptable. They cannot undermine you for a rule that was set by [Boss’s Boss], no matter if you have been here three months or three years. And no one has the right to touch you like that, even if she was doing it in a joking manner. Can I ask you to send me an email that includes the entire incident? I want to have the details in writing.”

I agreed and sent off a long email, which she confirmed that she got. I haven’t heard anything since, and things seem to be settling down, so hopefully, it won’t happen again.

I’m bisexual, but I only tell people if I trust them. I grow close to one girl at my work and decide to tell her. A few days later, I’m working a shift with a male coworker who treats everyone rudely and whom nobody likes.

Male Coworker: “So… [Friend] told me you’re gay.”

Me: *In shock* “Um, no, I’m not gay. I’m bisexual.”

Male Coworker: “That’s basically the same thing; you’re just confused. You’ll find a good man eventually, even with that lip piercing and weird holey ears.”

Me: “What business is it of yours, anyway?”

Male Coworker: “I’m just saying, it’s not natural.”

A few days later: 

Male Coworker: “So, my girlfriend and I were looking to try new things in the bedroom. Do you want to join us?”

Me: “No. Don’t talk to me again unless it’s about work.”

Male Coworker: “Come on! It’s not like anyone would want to date you, anyway!”

Me: “So first, I’m unnatural, and now I’m suddenly a hopeless whore? You’re twisted, [Male Coworker]. I wasn’t going to say this, but this is why nobody likes you. You’re conceited and condescending.”

Male Coworker: *Rolls his eyes* “Oh, please. I’m not here to make friends, just to make money. In ten years, I’ll be the manager and you’ll be dead in the streets!”

I talked to the Human Resource rep and the manager and they both spoke to him, but his behavior did not improve. He wound up getting fired for cussing out a gay couple.

This story is part of the bisexual-themed roundup!

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Our head of Human Resources is a fifty-nine-year-old woman from the American South. She, therefore, has some rather… ignorant… beliefs. She especially seems to have a strange hatred for homeless people and treats all of them like they are robbers and rapists.

Since we are in the middle of the health crisis and she wants a Christmas Party, I opt to make it an hour lunch outside with people who are already here. The area is very safe — as she puts it, she “wouldn’t have renewed the lease if it wasn’t” — but because there is an ongoing crisis, people have lost their jobs and homes, resulting in a few more homeless people in the area. Therefore, she acts like stepping a toe outside the building will result in being circled by marauders.

This takes place in an all-call meeting.

Human Resources: “Why did you decide to do it outside?”

Me: “The weather will be nice and it will keep us safer.”

Human Resources: “But it isn’t very safe… There are homeless people out there.”

Me: “We will be in the courtyard so it will be fine.”

Human Resources: “But… the area is swarming with homeless people. It isn’t very safe.”

I’m speechless. No one else is saying anything.

Human Resources: “I mean, I will be there. I guess we will have to bring them some cookies so they leave us alone.”

Me: “…”

Human Resources: “Why aren’t you laughing? I was trying to make you laugh.”

By stereotyping an entire group of people? They need your compassion, not your scorn! Luckily, at that moment, the CEO came on and steered the convo away from the nefarious acts of all homeless people. She did make a few more off-colored comments throughout the meeting.