Page 3 | To ask if my joke to new work colleague would have offended you?

Abbeymum · 2025-10-25T06:58:01+00:00

We are quite a small team and had a new staff member join this week. It’s a very friendly and jokey culture so we are always light heartedly ribbing each other. Anyway - new colleague was eating a salad with two boiled eggs. We were chatting and she says that’s a usual weekday lunch for her. I replied that I bet she has stocked up on the air freshener for when she’s home. Blank face…sense of humour failure on her part?

Lavender14 · 25/10/2025 20:03

Abbeymum · 25/10/2025 08:02

It’s a good job you don’t work with us, then!

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This attitude of - "if you don't like it then that's on you" is telling op.

I think I'd have smiled politely to save awkwardness but internally been thinking wtf.

CaptainMyCaptain · 25/10/2025 20:00

Ponderingwindow · 25/10/2025 19:44

Also eggs don’t give me gas. It’s a stupid joke.

Same here.

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:56

Ponderingwindow · 25/10/2025 19:43

This attitude is really problematic abbeymum. It’s the kind of thing a manager and hr should be nipping in the bud.

its not the jokes themselves. It’s the pushback at being told they are unappreciated. The second someone doesn’t want to join in, you should stop and not be bothered by stopping.

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HR are not your friend……….remember that….
they are purely there to mitigate the company being sued, they will quite happily throw you under the bus if it serves the purpose.

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:50

Driftingawaynow · 25/10/2025 19:49

This kind of crap office banter is why I work in total isolation

Edited

And why we’re grateful for that

Driftingawaynow · 25/10/2025 19:49

This kind of crap office banter is why I work in total isolation

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:48

WreckedITellYou · 25/10/2025 19:32

It really shouldn’t restrict you unduly to avoid fart jokes, unless you’re a ten year old in an adult workplace, surely?

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rather a ten year old, doing their required job, whilst feeling relaxed amongst friends and colleagues and freely able to have a laugh than being surrounded by a bunch of stuffed shirts. We all have different days, home lives, troubles etc…if you don’t like someone’s inane jokes (whether about farts or whatever) say so……engage your brain……give a quality come back. Works wonders, try it sometime……

if

GreenMarigold · 25/10/2025 19:45

I hate people commenting on my lunch. I’d have felt incredibly uncomfortable in her place.

Ponderingwindow · 25/10/2025 19:44

Also eggs don’t give me gas. It’s a stupid joke.

Ponderingwindow · 25/10/2025 19:43

Abbeymum · 25/10/2025 08:02

It’s a good job you don’t work with us, then!

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This attitude is really problematic abbeymum. It’s the kind of thing a manager and hr should be nipping in the bud.

its not the jokes themselves. It’s the pushback at being told they are unappreciated. The second someone doesn’t want to join in, you should stop and not be bothered by stopping.

Clarabell77 · 25/10/2025 19:40

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:22

Really….
so you can’t ever say anything, to anyone in an office environment, beyond “wow, your lunch looks wonderful…and your hair fantastic…..and what’s that you’re wearing….i must get that myself”
be jeez…..talk about egg-shells mustn’t be crushed. What a completely false, soulless existence for…how many, 30-40 hours a week. OMG 😦 🙄😬🤪

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You’ve got quite an imagination to take that from what I wrote. 😂

I like to eat my meals in peace without morons making unnecessary comments about what I’m eating and how it will affect my bodily functions, I think most normal people would be the same. That’s about it really. Plenty of other ways to have a laugh with colleagues.

Chinsupmeloves · 25/10/2025 19:39

I wouldn't be offended and would have taken the joke further as you should the beans I have at the weekend! Probably too much too soon without sussing out if they get easily offended though. Xx

trainkeepsgoing · 25/10/2025 19:38

It’s not offensive but just not funny

User372849 · 25/10/2025 19:38

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:22

Really….
so you can’t ever say anything, to anyone in an office environment, beyond “wow, your lunch looks wonderful…and your hair fantastic…..and what’s that you’re wearing….i must get that myself”
be jeez…..talk about egg-shells mustn’t be crushed. What a completely false, soulless existence for…how many, 30-40 hours a week. OMG 😦 🙄😬🤪

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You think there is literally no middle ground whatsoever between poo jokes and "your hair is lovely" all day long?

You dont sound very socially skilled....

WreckedITellYou · 25/10/2025 19:32

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:22

Really….
so you can’t ever say anything, to anyone in an office environment, beyond “wow, your lunch looks wonderful…and your hair fantastic…..and what’s that you’re wearing….i must get that myself”
be jeez…..talk about egg-shells mustn’t be crushed. What a completely false, soulless existence for…how many, 30-40 hours a week. OMG 😦 🙄😬🤪

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It really shouldn’t restrict you unduly to avoid fart jokes, unless you’re a ten year old in an adult workplace, surely?

CaptainMyCaptain · 25/10/2025 19:30

ThatNoisyBrickGuide · 25/10/2025 19:07

I can't believe that so many people have no sense humour. It's not really a joke, she was merely gently pulling the newcomers leg, I would consider that a 'welcome to our little club' type of thing to say.

It wouldn't make me feel welcome. I would just inwardly roll my eyes.

Waitfortheguinness · 25/10/2025 19:22

Clarabell77 · 25/10/2025 18:44

Quite a silly and not very funny comment to make tbh, and I can’t be bothered with people who remark on what others are eating, beyond “that looks lovely”.

Really….
so you can’t ever say anything, to anyone in an office environment, beyond “wow, your lunch looks wonderful…and your hair fantastic…..and what’s that you’re wearing….i must get that myself”
be jeez…..talk about egg-shells mustn’t be crushed. What a completely false, soulless existence for…how many, 30-40 hours a week. OMG 😦 🙄😬🤪

RaininSummer · 25/10/2025 19:20

Seems an odd joke so she probably just thinks you're a weird one to avoid in the office.

RampantIvy · 25/10/2025 19:12

ThatNoisyBrickGuide · 25/10/2025 19:07

I can't believe that so many people have no sense humour. It's not really a joke, she was merely gently pulling the newcomers leg, I would consider that a 'welcome to our little club' type of thing to say.

As has been pointed out many, many, many times on this thread, it has nothing to do with not having a sense of humour and everything to do with how childish and unfunny the OP is.

ThatNoisyBrickGuide · 25/10/2025 19:07

I can't believe that so many people have no sense humour. It's not really a joke, she was merely gently pulling the newcomers leg, I would consider that a 'welcome to our little club' type of thing to say.

AnnaPhylax · 25/10/2025 18:58

I’m still trying to find the joke. 🤷‍♀️ I’ll excuse you if you’re under 5

maddiemookins16mum · 25/10/2025 18:57

I would hated someone saying that to me in my first week in a new job.

SliceofTosst · 25/10/2025 18:55

I bet you're office has some 'crazy' and 'bubbly' types too 🙄🥱

phoenixrosehere · 25/10/2025 18:46

Growlybear83 · 25/10/2025 18:40

But hard boiled eggs ARE very smelly and I t think it’s very anti social to take food like that into a new office.

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Not to everyone though.

Others have mentioned that they don’t thinks eggs (depending on how they’re prepared) are smelly, others have said that they don’t get eggy farts which was what OP was joking about if I read correctly, and then another poster mentioned eggs and constipation which I didn’t know that was a thing.

Clarabell77 · 25/10/2025 18:44

Quite a silly and not very funny comment to make tbh, and I can’t be bothered with people who remark on what others are eating, beyond “that looks lovely”.

Growlybear83 · 25/10/2025 18:40

phoenixrosehere · 25/10/2025 18:36

My bet is she probably didn’t know what OP was on about or if she did was processing and unsure how to respond.

Someone joking about air fresheners to me and talking about my lunch with the context of me being new would make me think they were saying my lunch is smelly and hinting I shouldn’t bring it in again. It wouldn’t occur to me that they were just making a joke since it wouldn’t be on my radar to make a joke about people’s food.

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But hard boiled eggs ARE very smelly and I t think it’s very anti social to take food like that into a new office.