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

[Abbeymum]

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?

I'd have inwardly rolled my eyes and thought less of you.

I can’t think of many work environments I’d like less than yours.

Fortunately women are no longer feeling obligated to laugh along at unfunny comments.

Why should she laugh to make you feel better?

odd thing to say to someone who you’ve just met but I think eating eggs should be banned from offices.

They're just a bunch of wacky funsters!

That isn't a joke! It's a ridiculous childish comment ......she was probably embarrassed for you!
You weren't being funny you were being mean to a new colleague about her choice of lunch.

I’ve never heard of that either.

I would have looked blank because I didn’t understand what you meant.

How is that a joke? You’ve just suggested her lunch is somehow inappropriate and she farts at home? And you are clearly offended that she ‘can’t take a joke’. Grim.

Always best to let new staff settle in and then take your lead from them.

I think I might not have made the connection that this was a joke quickly enough to laugh. That's probably what's happening if she had a blank face.
I wouldn't find it offensive though, no. I'd just think about it a bit afterwards and conclude that you maybe didn't like me eating eggs at work.

Disgusting and unprofessional IMO. It's one thing to make jokes like that in a social setting, though still disgusting IMO (everybody farts but not quite sure how you think it's funny to reference it,). In a professional environment, where these people are not your mates and instead forced to spend time with you, you should follow their lead. Some people don't want to talk about their personal lives - don't push them. Some people don't want to have lunch with you- don't push them. Some people don't appreciate toilet humour- so don't force it on them. Not everyone enjoys 'banter'.

Eggs don't even stink. If I were banned from taking eggs I'd probably take tuna, just to make a point.

Yes, I’m sure most of us feel that way.

In my experience these office cultures tend to have one or two “jokers” who think they are just being funny, and the rest of the office who think they are twats. The culprits rarely like to be the butt of the joke.

Have a bit of professional pride and stop hazing new recruits. Or, warn people before they start, they have to be happy with people taking the piss in a very crass and immature way. Most adults have grown out of fart humour by the time they reach the world of work.

The colleague was probably embarrassed that you joked about her doing stinky farts when you'd only just met her and embarrassed on your behalf for making a cringy, unfunny "joke".

You know that people like you are tolerated in the workplace but no one actually likes that kind of humour.

Not appropriate for someone you don’t know and a work colleague

I wouldn't be offended, but it's not funny.
I'd probably have let a new colleague settle in more, and get to know them before getting stuck into jokes.

This was the picture that came in to my head too!

Usually when people are eating they don’t want to be talking about or thinking about bodily functions or bad smells.

To me, eggs have a particular smell which turns my stomach, I’m fine with Tuna. But, if someone is eating eggs and I don’t like the smell, I move away. I wouldn’t ban them, that would be ridiculous.

I wouldnt have been offended but it's not my sense of humour so I wouldnt have found it funny either.

Plus being a new member of staff I wouldnt have known what to say in response - is it ok to roll my eyes or am I expected to laugh along?

It's not funny but I'd be more offended somebody was criticising my lunch.

It's very fnaah fnaah outdated 'humour' tbh.

I wouldn't mind working with you , it was just a joke . PPs don't have much of a SOH , prefer to be offended!

It’s a very friendly and jokey culture so we are always light heartedly ribbing each other.

If that’s what you do that’s fine however it was poor form of you to aim it at a new starter that you don’t fully know yet. Just because everyone else jokes and ribs each other it’s doesn’t mean everyone has to be like that. You shouldn’t have made the joke until you know they can take it or like that sort of banter. If they don’t you just come across mean. They are not unreasonable don’t having the same sense of humour as you, you were unreasonable. Did you apologise when you realised you may of offended them?

I would have looked blank as well because I don’t associate eggs with farting. Even if I did it’s not a funny joke, just surprisingly crass to a new colleague. Would have been a good hint to avoid having lunch with the OP again though, so useful from that point of view.

Its a bit schoolboy-ish and something you probably should have kept for someone you know shares the same sense of humour. I.
Ive been retired for 5 years now but over the last few years in employment I learned never to make a joke about ANYTHING, however innocuous, as it seems that someone will find a way to be offended.
Thank god Im out of all that now😬

O God. I hate work colleagues making inane comments about other people’s lunch. I would have found that intrusive. You tried to embarrass them and got stonewalled.