-2

There's a new worker who tends to slam the wall really hard in my office for fun. After getting on my nerves (as well as my coworkers) I went over and asked him to stop. He stopped for about a week and started again. I have a feeling he's one of those guys that just enjoys being a nuisance.

Should I report him to HR?

Disgruntled
  • 1

3 Answers3

4

I suggest you talk to his direct manager (or ask your direct manager to talk to his direct manager)

IMHO, the escalation to HR should be the last resort.

Sigal Shaharabani
  • 1,580
  • 8
  • 15
1

Before going to the HR directly, I would suggest you to send him an official mail or request (a polite warning).

If required you can cc your boss or your manager in the mail.

Just observe his behavior for few days, I hope he will understand and If he does not then report to HR.

In my office, reporting to HR is taken to be the last resort.

Armin Mustafa
  • 163
  • 4
-2

Slamming the wall is totally unprofessional behavior and I would have no problem going to HR with the problem since you asked him to stop. (Always ask first before escalating.) He needs to be aware that this is serious misbehavior and he can be fired for damaging property if he manages to put a hole in the wall. There is no reason whatsoever to put up with this. This is exactly the kind of employee problem that HR is there to fix. Be aware though that if it is not fixed, he very well could get fired.

HLGEM
  • 142,324
  • 26
  • 258
  • 516
  • I miss the days when people could go to work and not only get the job done but be able to have fun at the office with their co-workers at the same time. Nowadays, I guess we are all just supposed to be automatons for fear of "offending" someone or being reported to HR for being "unprofessional". And so many people complain when their job is so easily be replaced by robots. – Dunk Oct 30 '13 at 13:39
  • HItting the wall is hardly fun. – HLGEM Oct 30 '13 at 14:56
  • Apparently this worker thinks it is fun. As in the OP's post "There's a new worker who tends to slam the wall really hard in my office for fun". I can certainly see your point, but your point is the same reason that "work" has turned into "work" over the last couple of decades. When I started, we "worked" hard but we also had a LOT OF FUN. Nowadays, everybody is to concerned with offending others and/or maintaining a professional image in order to be able to enjoy their coworkers. Enjoying your coworkers helps people feel like part of a team. – Dunk Oct 30 '13 at 22:52
  • Yes people should be concerned with offending others, that is basic courtesy. Honestly if what you think isd fun is offensive, then you should not do it anywhare. I personally don't want to return to the work world where people thought it was fun to grab me in the office or loudly discuss what bra size I probably wore and or where it was fun to laugh at a disabled person struggling to get up teh stairs or play the radio loudly or smoke in the office or a whole host of things I don't miss. Those days were NOT fun for many of your coworkers who you offended or made sick or gave PSTD to. – HLGEM Oct 31 '13 at 13:16
  • 2
    @HLGM:Unfortunately, nobody knows what will offend others nowadays. So, sure blatantly not offending others is basic courtesy, but way too frequently people get offended and the offendee had no idea they said something offensive. Even the most consciencious of people sometimes say things that come out wrong, because we are after all human and make mistakes. Thus, rather than risk being offensive, people keep their mouths shut. It is easier that way. Jokes and humor in the office nowadays is very rare indeed. You may like that, and we are all on earth to please you, so I guess you get your way. – Dunk Oct 31 '13 at 19:25
  • @dunk, I see nothing about this action (slamming the wall) that is funny or professional and it would not have been acceptable in any office I have worked in since the 1970s. Hitting a wall is not only noisy it can cause property damage. This is just as unacceptable in the workplace as throwing your computer against the wall or tossing your chair out the window. This is not about people not being allowed to have fun, it is about people behaving in a way that would not be acceptable in any office. – HLGEM Oct 31 '13 at 20:59
  • @HL:"I see..." I hinted at the impression you are conveying in my post and won't expand upon that anymore. Just because your experience (or perception of what the experience might be like) can't conceive of another perception doesn't mean your perception is the only perception. Like I said, in the past, "characters" in the office were frequent. Not so anymore and I personally think that is a shame. Everybody has different ideas of what is "funny" and the "healthy" attitude is to just shrug non-funny stuff off as "not your cup of tea", not by becoming upset and bothered and running to HR. – Dunk Nov 01 '13 at 19:26
  • @@dunk, this is a safety issue (he could hurt himself), not something funny. It is alsio something that is NEVER appropriate. It isn't about this guy being a character. It is entirely appropriate to go to HR. He is dirupting others, he is risking possible damage to the wall or injury to himself. This is NOT about someone having fun, that is an excuse to justitify his misbehavior. – HLGEM Nov 01 '13 at 21:56