"Hey buddy, turn around. This
guy has work to do..."

Say you are having a personal conversation with one of your buddies who sits in back of you about your weekend and then your supervisor comes up to him and tells you to "turn around, this guy has work to do", in a semi-joking manner. How do you respond back to the supervisor after saying something like this to you?

Casual ChitChat

Dear Casual ChitChat ,

It's not wrong to chat at the office, but it is a balancing act between getting your work done, and shooting the breeze. Your Supervisor wants all of you to be more productive, and he's trying to remind you in a casual, friendly way.

Think of his little dig like water sliding off a duck's back, and don't get riled. But take it as a warning, a light rap on the knuckles that you, or your buddy, may need to pull up your socks and work harder. Or at the very least, communicate to him, and/or his Bosses, that you're doing a great job, and a little chit-chat around the office is healthy for everyone.

Your Supervisor's comment reminds me of the British comedy "The Office", which has just hit Canadian TV on the specialty channels. It is a really hilarious TV show -- watch it because laughter will help you to put your Supervisor's attitude in perspective. The "Boss" desperately wants to be friends with all his employees, so he's very chummy, but most of them think he's bonkers and despise him. He's not their friend, he's their Boss -- and even when they go out drinking (and he makes a fool of himself and gets into lots of trouble) they don't forget who signs the cheques, and hires and fires.

Good luck,

Franke

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