Good natured ribbing or am I too sensitive?

[JohnnyCakes]

Lately my coworkers have jokingly (I think) been getting on my case when I leave work for the day and frankly I think it is unjustified. A couple of Fridays ago, at around 5 , my boss comes up to my coworker and me and says, "I'm going downstairs for a few, if I don't see you when I get back, have a good weekend." I still had some leftover work I had to take care of, so I stuck around for another 15 minutes or so. By that time she had returned. As I was packing up getting ready to leave, she says to me, "Leaving already?" and my coworker called me a "Slacker". I chalked it up as joking, and went on my way.

 

Now yesterday, was a different story. It was an overall busy day for everyone, but things started to slow down by the end of the day. I wound up staying later an additional 45 minutes because well, I didn't want to hear the same jokes as the previous Friday and I had some things I had to do. Anyway, by the time I was getting ready to leave (Mind you everyone else had left already except for my boss and the same coworker). I got the same talk of "Where you going?" and "No, no, no, go ahead and go home, have fun, we'll be fine.."

 

I stayed 45 minutes late! And I come in almost a full hour early before everyone, what do they want from me?! Honestly, the work they were doing was just conversations about potential work that could wait until the next day or later.

 

I fear that they view me as a slacker when I am really not, especially since I have only had this job for 7 months. Am I being too sensitive? I want to bring it up, but I don't want them to think I can't take a joke even if it does hurt my feelings.

[Eddie Edirol]

Are you a woman? Why do you care what they think, do you need their opinion of you to keep going in life? Why are you taking this victim position?

 

If you want to nip this in the bud, you have to attack them before they get at you. When youre about to leave:

"I hope you slackers can handle this by yourselves, I know how much you need me here to get your jobs done"

 

if they say "hey leaving already?"

Say:

"Yeah, I have a life, wassamatta, dont wanna go home to your people? Stay all night for all I care...make sure you get some sleep..cant have you slakin on me tomorrow, I have friends to go see"

 

get my point? You have to kill before you get killed. It will take practice, but if you own your exit, they have to leave you alone, because you shut them up. They are doing it to you because you are letting them.

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

I think you're overreacting. Coworker friendly jabbing is pretty normal, at every job I've been at, I've experienced some form of that. It doesn't mean they dislike you, they're just being goofy.