To be be fed up of robots at work

[Beafortea]

I've been at my current workplace for a couple of years now, really like my job, but have always found the staff (over 400 of them) quite dismissive and robotic and I'm getting fed up with it. Absolutely nobody will engage in any conversation other than work, everyone just comes out with all the standard work cliches constantly. There's a woman on my team who has vacantly given me one word answers to everything for the past two years. It's bizarre. I'm not looking to be best mates with my work colleagues or anything but would be nice to establish some kind of working relationship with these people I spend most of my time with. I've always got on well with colleagues at previous jobs. AIBU?

Just to note morale at this company is quite low due to lots of ongoing reorganisation.

Sounds odd , no not for me . Trouble is some employers want people like robots who just follow tasks and get on with it . Then there is no thinking outside the box . You need to be challenged then leave and say why .

It probably is because the organisation is not providing a good working environment and employees have a low morale in general as a result.

Or it could be a place where 'back-stabbing' is rife and staff have learned not to trust other colleagues so avoid any personal chat.

Or it could be something to do with you as it is odd that everyone else in the organisation is not responsive. Maybe you want to talk a little bit too much or share personal information when people really want to concentrate on what they are doing.

I don''t mind a brief chat with colleagues but I don't like people who go on endlessly about their lives and expect you to tell them everything about yourself.

I have also met quite a few people who pretended to be friendly only to turn on me/use whatever you had told them against me so now I avoid sharing anything personal or considering colleagues as potential friends.

Ultimately it is a workplace and people have a right to decide they only want to interact with you on a professional basis.

@gettingolderandgrumpy

Sounds odd , no not for me . Trouble is some employers want people like robots who just follow tasks and get on with it . Then there is no thinking outside the box . You need to be challenged then leave and say why .

I think my place wants us to know ou4 place, be grat3ful, be replaceable... trouble is they underestimate how much knowledge is required so q few people leaving caus3s a panic. For the lowest two grades.

Gosh, we used to have chair racing, rubber band fights, paper-into-the-bin contests, people-watching from the window, and many different phone japes. Oh to be young again!

Is there something about the set-up of the office that is causing this? My previous company was generally very sociable and had a buzz, but there was one area that was quiet and flat. The people in it weren’t working in teams together, so everyone would go in, sit at their computer and then log in to separate calls with remote colleagues or work alone on tasks for the day. The atmosphere was hushed because nobody wanted to disturb each other or be disturbed. If you did have a chat with anyone, it was so quiet that you felt every word was being listened to.

It’s not an environment I can tolerate. Happy to actually be alone in a room or at home, happy to have a chat with colleagues too, but sitting in silence or whispering in a room with dozens of other people you can’t establish a connection with is shit.

@Monty27

OP you might be be in the wrong industry. Change your job or career. Life's not all about money. Trust me 💐

I work in the charity sector and really enjoy my job. I'm certainly not doing it for the money, it pays peanuts!