Was hoping for a little advice on a situation I got myself into at work.
I've never been a social butterfly, definitely not my strong suit. Recently at work I attempted to make a joke about during my shift and I guess it wasn't well thought out. It ended up really offending people (I had only said it in a convo with like 2 people where one of them apparently went around and told everyone whatever) and turning me into a bit of an outcast at work and making my work life miserable to the point where everyday I want to quit my job now.
It's made me miserable both at work and outside of work, to the point that it's having a notable negative impact on my life. Not really sure how to deal with the situation outside of just giving up and quitting. I completely want to avoid any and all contact with almost all of the people on my unit at this point.
And without going into detail into what I said it wasn't sexist racial political or anything like that. I'm still amazed that it has turned into anything. Though I haven't said that to anyone since I don't want to appear more insensitive and or like more of an ahole than I already seem to
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
One thing I've learned....people think about me or things I've done or said far less than I do.
I really bet that you've blown this up in your mind to be a far bigger thing than it is. I bet people are actually NOT whispering about you and acting weird because of an off-color joke.
I have said some very ill-conceived things in my time as well. I once called someone a walking piece of trash (I was a kid, granted, and we were all going around picking up trash, and I saw the person walk by... anyways). I was trying to be FUNNY. Definitely didn't come out that way.
You just have to apologize, and then like everyone else has said... don't let it get you down. Do you not have any friends at work? Are you so sure that everyone is against you, like you think? Give it some time to blow over. You can look for new jobs if you want, and then by the time you get an offer you'll have had time to think about whether you really want to move employers over this. And hugs. Everyone makes mistakes.
I have said some very ill-conceived things in my time as well. I once called someone a walking piece of trash (I was a kid, granted, and we were all going around picking up trash, and I saw the person walk by... anyways). I was trying to be FUNNY. Definitely didn't come out that way.
You just have to apologize, and then like everyone else has said... don't let it get you down. Do you not have any friends at work? Are you so sure that everyone is against you, like you think? Give it some time to blow over. You can look for new jobs if you want, and then by the time you get an offer you'll have had time to think about whether you really want to move employers over this. And hugs. Everyone makes mistakes.
Maybe I'm just tired, but that really made me laugh.
I have episodic exacerbations of foot in mouth disease. It's a chronic condition, you may as well learn to deal with it. Give it time, it'll blow over.
Many of us have been there, in one way or another.
My advice is apologize to the two people, but don't grovel. Then move on, with confidence. Don't let the blow to your self-confidence show.
If one of your coworkers is negative toward you to the point that it affects getting your job done, approach that situation directly. Otherwise, ignore them. Eventually they will see what kind of person you truly are and it will blow over.
If you work with people who are so unprofessional that they can NEVER get over one thing that one person said one time and continue to hold a nasty grudge forever and ever and make your life suck, find another job.
i was in that situation last week where apparently my joke went above this guy's head and he thought it was serious and not a joke. I told him he needs to learn how to take a joke and keep it moving, mad or not im not changing
klone, MSN, RN
14,857 Posts
One thing I've learned....people think about me or things I've done or said far less than I do.
I really bet that you've blown this up in your mind to be a far bigger thing than it is. I bet people are actually NOT whispering about you and acting weird because of an off-color joke.