30 Of The Best Answers To Jimmy Fallon’s “My Weird Coworker” Challenge

An office is a shared space, so you always have to remember to act accordingly. However comfortable we feel with our colleagues, certain etiquette still applies. But how can we know when something we did offended our colleagues? And can cracking jokes sometimes be dangerous for retaining our job?

We decided to consult a professional – the work relationship expert Louise Carnachan. We asked her whether quirky behavior in the office has any upsides and when it starts veering into the inappropriate. Louise was also kind enough to give some advice to those who have had it with their colleague's strange behavior. Should you speak up? Should you contact the management? Read on and find out!

Our work relationship expert, Louise Carnachan, broke down the responses under the #MyWeirdCoworker hashtag into five categories. First, it's the intentional or unintentional humor. Some examples could be doing voices, quoting your favorite movies, or unintentionally mispronouncing words ("oaky afterbirth," for instance.)

Then there's behavior that doesn't hurt anyone. Even if we do find it irritating. Sneezing with a "meow" or leaving the microwave door open to "air out" can be funny and annoying. Yet it doesn't offend anyone personally and is most often the result of misguided attempts to make others laugh.

What about the times a colleague comes up to your desk to chat and doesn't get the hints that you would really like to stop talking now? This, just like sharing too much personal information, can also be annoying. But coworkers usually do it out of poor judgment. Maybe Gary is going through a hard time and needs to vent to someone about his ex-wife. He probably didn't mean to take up so much of your time.

But there are other things coworkers can do that you can't easily just let slide. These can be mean-spirited things, like hiding the dishwasher rack or your favorite coffee cup because of past grievances. And a more serious case of weird behavior at work could be someone being just plain uncivilized. Unfortunately, this often has to do with the bathroom: how some people seem to be unable to flush or use a toilet brush, or how others have some trouble aiming.

"As long as the quirkiness isn't harming anyone or egregiously offensive, it's no big deal," Carnachan says. "Many traits are hilarious or endearing. We're all weird to someone. However, when it comes to humor, it's wise to remember we don't all have the same taste, so read your audience," the work relationship expert advises.

Weird coworkers are not all that bad. "It proves we're all human," Louise tells Bored Panda. "It can lighten the mood and be fun. Some work cultures foster or encourage quirkiness that's appropriate to the specific setting but would be mystifying or upsetting [to] those who are outside of it. [For] example, the dark humor used in stressful jobs such as emergency rooms."

So how do we know if something that we find funny might be offensive to our colleagues? Louise says that some things should be understandable just by plain common sense. "Uncivilized behavior like missing the toilet is always inappropriate; [being] raised by wolves comes to mind," the expert says. "What you do at home is your business, but when you're in public, class it up." 

"Far less inappropriate but annoying nevertheless is someone who interrupts your work with their shenanigans even if they mean well (i.e., constant puns or ill-timed playful antics)," Carnachan observes.

"I'm sure I've annoyed my share of colleagues with misplaced humor—you have to find those who want to play and leave everyone else out of it."

So, is it worth approaching your colleague and telling them that their behavior is irritating to you? "If someone wants to air out the microwave, you might think it's weird, but is it really worth mentioning? If it's not harming anyone, I'd err on the side of keeping quiet. But if it really irritates you, talk to the person directly rather than going to the boss," Carnachan advises.

There's one more thing to keep in mind – people are different. "Some people aren't neurotypical and/or have verbal or physical tics that might appear weird to others, but they are benign; let it go," Louise says.

"As for disruptive behavior, anything that keeps people from doing their work or gets in the way of safety, quality, or productivity is a problem. Not all issues are equal, so how you handle [them] is based on [their] seriousness. A one-time, rather insignificant issue can slide. Multiple infractions may be a different matter. If it's something dangerous, once is one time too many," the organizational expert emphasizes.

Should employees bring up these complaints to their manager or try to approach the jokesters themselves? "Speaking to the person directly is the way to go unless you feel you're putting yourself in danger if you do. Go to the boss in that case," Carnachan suggests. "And the manager should always be informed of the big stuff even if you've already addressed the situation."

"When speaking to the supervisor, remember to be specific about what you saw or heard as opposed to putting a label on the person, which leaves room for interpretation. Example: 'failed to sterilize the test tubes' is specific, 'sloppy worker' is not and could mean any number of things."