To not to say 'good morning' ?

[MissMich]

I have been on furlough since the beginning of April. It utter shit... maybe the first week was 'fun' but I would rather be working. Whoever thinks that being furloughed is on holiday can come and swap with me as I have been loosing my marbles the last 2 weeks...
Anyway my question is regarding to my whatsapp group chat at work. Smallish company, only 15-19 people so there is a group chat for us all. Yay, great or well is it?! A bit of back info, I'm very very new to the company, started in February so haven't even had a chance to meet many of my colleagues in person ( company is split between 4 locations)... since the lockdown we have been keeping in touch on whatsapp. Some of my colleagues are still working - lucky ducks... and there is - well I believe - a few of us who don't ... but every single morning everyone says ' morning ' good morning ' hello' ☀️🌈☀️🌈☀️☀️🌈☀️☀️☀️' morning ' hi' and it's driving me nuts. Turned off the notifications but still look obviously when I open whatsapp. I say send a morning in every now and then however I can't help it but cringe at this... I want to work, I want to be busy and productive and do my best at work however I can't ... I also am fairly new so in need of help and some training (no training packages available to do unfortunately while on furlough) so I feel very distant, left out, useless and worry if I will have a job to go back to...
But the good morning messages, every single morning .... why?

We are supposed to do this at my work - idea is to check in working from home but if you are furloughed I would just mute it. Maybe post now and then if you feel like it - just say you don't really use WhatsApp much if asked

I’m not sure how you expect to be included when you don’t even want to say good morning to them, cringe when they are pleasant, and are bitter you’re furloughed.

It would seem you’re your own worst enemy here.

saying good morning (only) on whatsapp, or any other electronic communication is totally unnecessary

I was just thinking today that lockdown has just become full of extroverts attempting to force their need for sociability on others. I know that seems harsh and as an introvert, at the beginning of lockdown I felt sorry for the extroverts. But after 5 (ish) weeks of receiving the daily company email, which i have to skim in case there is actually anything work related in it but is actually full of 'here's Annie making a chocolate cake', and 'here's a book review from Tom', plus the endless invites to virtual quizzes, simultaneous wine drinking etc, I'm thoroughly fed up with it. Not to mention the extroverts whose need for social contact is so great that they are pretty much ignoring the social distancing rules.
Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest.

Just type 'good morning everyone with a smiley face' then get on with your day. You sound utterly fed up and I can understand why, but when normal life does resume, you don't want to be seen as the churlish one who never joined in the Whatsapp chat. It will take precisely 10 seconds out of your day.

saying good morning (only) on whatsapp, or any other electronic communication is totally unnecessary

Well of course it’s “unnecessary “ when did our communications become limited to only strictly necessary,

Op, is there something going on at home? I get why you’re worried about your job, but is there something else? If not is it because you think you’ll lose your job so never be included, and as such resent your colleagues?

I was seconded to a LA for a project where I completely turned it around and sorted out a whole load of crap, fixed many mistakes and saved them a whole bunch of money.

The feedback from the team was negative, because I never said good morning to them when I went in. Some people seem to think that’s the most important thing in the world. A load of nonsense.

It can be a headcount which is keeping someone feel calmer. I know a workplace where they just lost a beloved colleague and it's hard. If it took me 3 sec to do something what can potentially make someone else feel better and worry less about whether everyone is ok, I would do it. No logical reason not to🤷🏻

NRTF - training is still permitted whilst on furlough so you may be able to get some materials? also www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses - keep the mind busy !

I usually check in with my team at least once a day if I've not had cause to speak with them as a group otherwise. One day last week I was really really busy and didn't, at about 4pm, one of my team messaged the group and said 'hi is everyone else ok?' I'm feeling a bit lonely today. Now because of the nature of the work we do it is very very important to look after mental and emotional well-being, burn out and break downs are not uncommon. She was incredibly brave to post that, and is like to think we have an atmosphere and culture that encourages that kind of emotional openness in part because it's necessary to get through the job. She lives alone but is the sole carer for her father who lives locally and has vascular dementia and is bloody awful to her. That daily check in means a lot to some, if you can't be bothered to do it, don't but it's not something to get annoyed about.

Just leave the group?

That would irritate me op. I don't even say good morning on my family Whatsapp group

You don’t have to reply every day! Just once in a while.

How miserable! Just say good morning, it literally costs you nothing. Hope you’re not in a social or customer facing role OP. Also I wish I had your problems...

I love the work WhatsApp group. There are 10 of us and we usually check in with each other most days a few times. 2 of us are furloughed for health reasons and the others are in work. We catch up on what's going on in work, talk about our days/families ect. I suppose the difference is we all just pop in when we have a minute so no one would be offended if some people for say good morning.
My dh is working mostly from home and they have an 8am good morning and it's more of a role call but they chat for a bit too.

if you are furloughed on 80% you aren't working at all not even from home so that is not what OP is talking about. she is working from home and there is a group chat whats app to keep them connected but OP finds it a bit much cringey to say even good morning

No, read the OP. She is furloughed, not working from home. But that doesn't mean her team aren't trying to keep her in the loop, so to speak...

Also I wish I had your problems...

I can’t stand comments such as these. You have no idea what problems the OP may or may not have. They are separate to this.

What a horrible remark to tack on at the end.

I’m with you OP. What a nuisance! My work WhatsApp drives me bonkers! They post constant trivial crap on there! I’m also furloughed but it drove me mad before that anyway. It was set up to communicate about work issues but is used mainly for chit chat instead. I can’t withdraw from it as the line manager does occasionally put something important on there. But at the moment I’m afraid I’m just ignoring the vast majority of the posts.

Maybe everyone is checking that everyone else is ok. I think it's fair enough and doesn't take long. It's nice they are interested rather than completely aloof.

I'm still working (from home) and my boss calls me EVERY FUCKING MORNING to check on my health and see what my plans are for the day.. I have sympathy for you OP, especially as you are furloughed, but as you are new in the job and presumably want to give a good impression I would just suck it up and join in with what everyone else is doing..

@DontStandSoCloseToMe my boss didn't make the usual check in call one day last week.. by lunch time the team were all messaging on the "minions only" WhatsApp group speculating about his untimely demise (He's fine, just had a power outage)

@ConstantlySeekingHappiness my FIL just died from COVID, my mum has stage 4 breast cancer, isn’t being treated anymore and I can’t visit her. I’ve also not got a job anymore. Want to start the misery olympics??? I really wish the most horrible thing in my life was someone on a works WhatsApp wishing me a good morning. Get over yourself.

I turnt work WhatsApp group to mute.. I dip in every now and then but I really can't be arsed with it. They are quite happy plodding along in lockdown in the group chat and good on them if it gets them through this time.

my FIL just died from COVID, my mum has stage 4 breast cancer, isn’t being treated anymore and I can’t visit her. I’ve also not got a job anymore. Want to start the misery olympics??? I really wish the most horrible thing in my life was someone on a works WhatsApp wishing me a good morning. Get over yourself

No I don’t want anyone to start misery olympics. But you seem to be keen to.

I’m sorry for your loss and difficulties. I’ve also suffered a bereavement during this lockdown. But this thread isn’t about that.

Other people are allowed to post about things that annoy them, or anything they like really, and shouldn’t be subjected to comments like “I wish I had your problems”.

I don’t need to get over myself. It’s a horrible remark to make to anyone.

say send a morning in every now and then however I can't help it but cringe at this...

What do you find embarrassing about saying "Hello" OP?