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Strange/eccentric work colleagues

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  • 17-09-2020 5:05pm
    #1
    The_Dark_Lord
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭


    Have you ever worked with someone who could be considered strange/eccentric? One guy I worked with years ago had all the charm and tact of a prickly cactus. Not that he was aggressive or antagonistic, but he simply had no people skills whatsoever. To say he was blunt would be an understatement. He made Sheldon Cooper look like Mister Conviviality. He also insisted on wearing a glove puppet when working at his computer. But having said all this, he was a genius at his job.

    Have you ever had a work colleague who could be considered strange or eccentric?


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    #2
    SeaFields
    Registered Users Posts: 6,551 ✭✭✭SeaFields


    I am the strange and eccentric colleague :D


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    #3
    Nexytus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭Nexytus


    Did the glove puppet hamper his typing?

    And did it speak? To him or anyone else.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    We have a guy with some serious mental issues. He's stalked female colleagues and had several aggressive outbursts over the years. But he played golf a few times with his dept manager so whenever he goes off the rails it gets swept under the rug by said manager (who is an oddball himself).


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    #5
    KevRossi
    Registered Users Posts: 4,400 ✭✭✭KevRossi


    I worked with a guy who used to work with one of the major German car companies. I wouldn't be able to tell you what he had... Asbergers, autism, or whatever, but he was a kind of savant when it came to materials engineering. Seems he develped something to do with differentials on cars that saved a major car manufacturer about €50 million a year over the course of 10 years.

    Had a desk that was covered with miniature models of every Pokemon (150?), came and left as he pleased, but usually did a 6 hour day. Very nice, but incredibly shy lad. I'd go to lunch with him with another colleague, 3 people were fine, once a 4th person joined the table he would clam up. He was on way more than the rest of us, but he could have asked for a lot more. He lived in a one bed apartment that was an annex on his sisters house. She looked after him.

    That was about 12 years ago, he'd be 40 now, I sometimes wonder how he got on in life.


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    #6
    pgj2015
    Registered Users Posts: 8,954 ✭✭✭pgj2015


    KevRossi wrote: »
    I worked with a guy who used to work with one of the major German car companies. I wouldn't be able to tell you what he had... Asbergers, autism, or whatever, but he was a kind of savant when it came to materials engineering. Seems he develped something to do with differentials on cars that saved a major car manufacturer about €50 million a year over the course of 10 years.

    Had a desk that was covered with miniature models of every Pokemon (150?), came and left as he pleased, but usually did a 6 hour day. Very nice, but incredibly shy lad. I'd go to lunch with him with another colleague, 3 people were fine, once a 4th person joined the table he would clam up. He was on way more than the rest of us, but he could have asked for a lot more. He lived in a one bed apartment that was an annex on his sisters house. She looked after him.

    That was about 12 years ago, he'd be 40 now, I sometimes wonder how he got on in life.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7a_9CggQuE


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    #7
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,926 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    A guy in our office is constantly choking on food, because he hasn't worked out how to eat properly. He was medically examined, because he assumed there was something physically wrong with him as it was happening so often. But no, they told him that he was just shoving too much food into his gob at a time, and then trying to breathe through his mouth. He explained this to us in all seriousness one day in the canteen.

    At least once a month, someone has to thump his back to save him. He's actually had to ask his boss and team to look out for him when he's having his lunch, in case he starts silently dying.

    There's another guy I've posted about before. He's not so much eccentric as an utter abomination of a human being.


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    #8
    Rodney Bathgate
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭Rodney Bathgate


    Tell him to try the soup next time.


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    #9
    B.A._Baracus
    Registered Users Posts: 11,178 ✭✭✭✭B.A._Baracus


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Tell him to try the soup next time.

    He'd probably start drowning next...


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    #10
    cml387
    Registered Users Posts: 8,378 ✭✭✭cml387


    In a long working life I can remember several.

    One guy was a fantasist who at one stage convinced everyone that he was a superb marksman who was going to the Olympics to represent Ireland in the shooting category. So convincing was he that the plant arranged with their US counterparts to look after him when he was over there.

    Sure enough he took two weeks off around the time of the Olympics. His cover was blown when a manger saw him wandering around Douglas shopping centre when he should have been in Atlanta.


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    #11
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,926 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Tell him to try the soup next time.

    He'd drown in that.

    At the very beginning of lockdown, we had an office video chat, which was obviously the first one he had ever done.

    He was at home. Someone else said hello to him, and he waved. Then he looked at the hand that he waved as if it had done it all by itself and he was shocked that it moved. Then he waved his other hand, as if he was checking if it could do it too. Then he goes "Sorry, I'm not sure if I waved with my right hand or my left hand. It's confusing".


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    #12
    TheW1zard
    Registered Users Posts: 1,340 ✭✭✭TheW1zard


    I had a colleague who we called Jurrasic Park, he kind of looked like the guy with glasses who stole the dna. So did his desk.

    He'd work all hours, one night he shat his pants and used his shirt to wipe it up. Did a good job of cleaning but in the panic left it all on the another chaps desk.
    I came in the next morning, I saw the guys whos desk it was standing over this with a director. He had picked up the rag on his desk not realising what it was and got **** all over himself.
    There was a hilarious investigation carried out by Murray from Flight of the conchords. I was called down as a witness where he had drawn a plan of the office and lots of arrows with times of peoples movements. Obviously no one could prove what actually had happened.
    The ****ty top and paper was fished out of the bin and used as evidence, and someone recognised the top.
    Now we all guessed what had happened and the culprit was off that week (happened on a Saturday). Email went around about the 'investigation'.
    About Tuesday he comes in all flustered to suss the situation out, I asked him what hed been up to and he said he'd been working.

    A few days later there was a bad smell and we found a load of ****ty paper hidden under another desk.

    In the end the poor chap fessed up, he called us into a room describing how he had exploded and projectile ****ted all over the place.
    He was suspended for a week and sent to counselling.

    I left the company a month later.


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    #13
    Rodney Bathgate
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭Rodney Bathgate


    Gregor Samsa wrote: »
    He'd drown in that.

    At the very beginning of lockdown, we had an office video chat, which was obviously the first one he had ever done.

    He was at home. Someone else said hello to him, and he waved. Then he looked at the hand that he waved as if it had done it all by itself and he was shocked that it moved. Then he waved his other hand, as if he was checking if it could do it too. Then he goes "Sorry, I'm not sure if I waved with my right hand or my left hand. It's confusing".

    Tell him to look at his screen through a mirror when having video calls.


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    #14
    McGinniesta
    Registered Users Posts: 4,402 ✭✭✭McGinniesta


    I worked with a guy that we all suspected was a cross dresser.

    One day we were having a tidy up around the office while he wasn't there.

    He was quite a tall man but we found a pair of high heels there were clearly too big for any average sized girl. I have size 12 feet and they looked even too big for me.

    He was nicknamed Bet Lynch after that.


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    #15
    housetypeb
    Registered Users Posts: 1,184 ✭✭✭housetypeb


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Tell him to try the soup next time.

    Be careful of the soup, my great great grand uncle was seen taking the soup down an old boreen by the neighbors,caused quite a scandal and rift between the family and neighbors for some reason.


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    #16
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    The_Dark_Lord wrote:
    Have you ever worked with someone who could be considered strange/eccentric? One guy I worked with years ago had all the charm and tact of a prickly cactus. Not that he was aggressive or antagonistic, but he simply had no people skills whatsoever. To say he was blunt would be an understatement. He made Sheldon Cooper look like Mister Conviviality. He also insisted on wearing a glove puppet when working at his computer. But having said all this, he was a genius at his job.


    .....so what you mean is, he was more than likely autistic....

    No, I haven’t worked with anyone more weird than myself, I rock!


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    #17
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    KevRossi wrote:
    I worked with a guy who used to work with one of the major German car companies. I wouldn't be able to tell you what he had... Asbergers, autism, or whatever, but he was a kind of savant when it came to materials engineering. Seems he develped something to do with differentials on cars that saved a major car manufacturer about €50 million a year over the course of 10 years.


    Yup, another aspie, more than likely, but we re considered level 1 autistic nowadays


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    #18
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    I worked with a guy who modelled himself on Stalin, had a biography of Stalin on his desk and when confronted with any problem people would ask you "what would Stalin do?"

    He also prided himself on having no empathy whatsoever


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    #19
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    Stheno wrote:
    He also prided himself on having no empathy whatsoever


    Narcissistic?


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    #20
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Wanderer78 wrote: »
    Narcissistic?

    No just an absolute asshole


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    #21
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    Stheno wrote:
    No just an absolute asshole


    Same thing really, shur trump is one


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    #22
    Dr Turk Turkelton
    Registered Users Posts: 2,906 ✭✭✭Dr Turk Turkelton


    Stheno wrote: »
    I worked with a guy who modelled himself on Stalin, had a biography of Stalin on his desk and when confronted with any problem people would ask you "what would Stalin do?"

    He also prided himself on having no empathy whatsoever

    Should have answered "killed a few people and threw their families in a gulag?" just to see his reaction!


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    #23
    Jimbob1977
    Registered Users Posts: 2,239 ✭✭✭Jimbob1977


    The_Dark_Lord wrote: »
    Have you ever worked with someone who could be considered strange/eccentric? One guy I worked with years ago had all the charm and tact of a prickly cactus. Not that he was aggressive or antagonistic, but he simply had no people skills whatsoever. To say he was blunt would be an understatement. He made Sheldon Cooper look like Mister Conviviality. He also insisted on wearing a glove puppet when working at his computer. But having said all this, he was a genius at his job.

    Have you ever had a work colleague who could be considered strange or eccentric?

    Like Mr. Hat from South Park?


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    #24
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »
    Should have answered "killed a few people and threw their families in a gulag?" just to see his reaction!

    Well the two correct answers were 1. Send them to the gulag or 2. Finger across throat signal


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    #25
    bnt
    Registered Users Posts: 12,961 ✭✭✭✭bnt


    I remember one who was seriously in to cars, far more than usual. While I was there, he started off with a TVR, sold it for another TVR, then sold that for a Lotus Esprit. He should have had his own TV show by now.

    Apart from that ... I suspect I might be one myself. There are times when I’m working on something to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. A car could crash in to the building and I’d just grumble a bit and get back to work. My sense of humour and social skills shut down entirely and only reboot once I’m finished what I’m doing.

    From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch’.

    — Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 Astronaut



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    #26
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    bnt wrote:
    I remember one who was seriously in to cars, far more than usual. While I was there, he started off with a TVR, sold it for another TVR, then sold that for a Lotus Esprit. He should have had his own TV show by now.


    Nothing odd about that, petrol heads be common, and the cars mentioned are bloody nice


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    #27
    Gruffalux
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,023 ✭✭✭Gruffalux


    TheW1zard wrote: »
    I had a colleague who we called Jurrasic Park, he kind of looked like the guy with glasses who stole the dna. So did his desk.

    He'd work all hours, one night he shat his pants and used his shirt to wipe it up. Did a good job of cleaning but in the panic left it all on the another chaps desk.
    I came in the next morning, I saw the guys whos desk it was standing over this with a director. He had picked up the rag on his desk not realising what it was and got **** all over himself.
    There was a hilarious investigation carried out by Murray from Flight of the conchords. I was called down as a witness where he had drawn a plan of the office and lots of arrows with times of peoples movements. Obviously no one could prove what actually had happened.
    The ****ty top and paper was fished out of the bin and used as evidence, and someone recognised the top.
    Now we all guessed what had happened and the culprit was off that week (happened on a Saturday). Email went around about the 'investigation'.
    About Tuesday he comes in all flustered to suss the situation out, I asked him what hed been up to and he said he'd been working.

    A few days later there was a bad smell and we found a load of ****ty paper hidden under another desk.

    In the end the poor chap fessed up, he called us into a room describing how he had exploded and projectile ****ted all over the place.
    He was suspended for a week and sent to counselling.

    I left the company a month later.

    Ugh no, no one can beat that :(
    Although I did once sit beside a guy who opened a can of some kind of solid meat, wodged in a fork, hauled the whole thing out and starting eating it like it was an icepop.
    Still. Sh1t covered everything is way worse.


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    #28
    ChikiChiki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    KevRossi wrote: »
    I worked with a guy who used to work with one of the major German car companies. I wouldn't be able to tell you what he had... Asbergers, autism, or whatever, but he was a kind of savant when it came to materials engineering. Seems he develped something to do with differentials on cars that saved a major car manufacturer about €50 million a year over the course of 10 years.

    Had a desk that was covered with miniature models of every Pokemon (150?), came and left as he pleased, but usually did a 6 hour day. Very nice, but incredibly shy lad. I'd go to lunch with him with another colleague, 3 people were fine, once a 4th person joined the table he would clam up. He was on way more than the rest of us, but he could have asked for a lot more. He lived in a one bed apartment that was an annex on his sisters house. She looked after him.

    That was about 12 years ago, he'd be 40 now, I sometimes wonder how he got on in life.

    Takes allsorts. Always amazes me when such people are deemed oddballs by society in general. The reason they are oddballs is that they are not socially intelligent and instead their intelligence is weighted towards another part of their brain.


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    #29
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Gruffalox wrote: »
    Ugh no, no one can beat that :(
    Although I did once sit beside a guy who opened a can of some kind of solid meat, wodged in a fork, hauled the whole thing out and starting eating it like it was an icepop.
    Still. Sh1t covered everything is way worse.

    Well I had a female colleague who tended to have problems with sanitary wear being sufficient and left chairs stained with menstrual blood regularly.

    We hot desked, so on the first day of every shift, we would all carefully inspect the chairs at any free desks

    She was also found once underneath her desk in the middle of a call (it was a call centre) trying to change said sanitary wear


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    #30
    Purple Mountain
    Registered Users Posts: 13,028 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    If there's no strange work colleagues in your job, then you're the strange work colleague.

    To thine own self be true



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    #31
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,843 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    Purple Mountain wrote:
    If there's no strange work colleagues in your job, then you're the strange work colleague.


    Damn right, I wear my weirdness with pride


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