Im introverted and have always enjoyed my solitude. Some people have complained that I don’t talk much, which is true, I don’t need to talk to feel good.
After changing workplaces, I decided to be proactive and introduce myself to my new coworkers. I was friendly and did it properly: my name, smiley face and what I do, eager to help them.
Some of them are friendly, greet back when I greet, but jesus christ, others outright avoid even eye contact with me like the plague, even though I kept greeting them for at least 2 more days.
Now I’ve returned the favor and I ignore them, not even asking them to do anything for me because last time I did, one of them said she would take a batch of documents to a nearby department but then outright ignored it and I had to do it myself.
It’s also a bit funny: 2 coworkers that the first day had small but normal conversations with me now look elsewhere when they see me… and I give them back the same treatment. Childish and petty? extremely, but I ask you: what should I do?
Introverted me says: what were you expecting? This is what people are, don’t bother trying to be extroverted, see what this brought you, return to your introverted self, do your job and go home, but this might sabotage me.
I confess neither do I know how to react when people are friendly when I’m talking to a coworker they like but the moment this coworker leaves, they turn to a mute.
To me, those of you who can play this silly workplace theater so well are geniuses. I cannot fake that a boring person interests me, nor can I fake respect for a person who treats me like I described.
I’d like to read your feedback.
So those people being cold and not talking to you?
That’s how you came off to the people at your last job. Probably why they complained.
Then instead of focusing on the people who responded to you positively, you’re using the people who acted like you as an excuse to go back to your previous behavior.
I think that your attitude to the situation might be stemming from some misanthropy from some past trauma or something, idk. This is something you might want to talk to a therapist about or at least think over and objectively assess yourself.
What type of socialization do you want? Do you actually want to talk to people and have positive experiences at the risk of negative ones, or would you want to be left alone and not take that risk, but instead take on the risk of people disliking you?
Personally, I’d suggest just talk to the people who are nice to you and get to know them and leave be the ones who want to be left alone.
