Published on 12, July, 2020
I work in a warehouse of a supermarket of a hardware store. We have guys with forklift license, I myself don’t have it and I don’t need it. I hope I will not, because it’s terribly noisy. One colleague finds it funny to honk on me with the forklift and watch me jumping scared. He literally scares crap out of me! And he laughs. His fun costs me hiding and crying like a child. And I still feel bad. And all of them make terrible noise and mess around they are like a whirlwind, they talk to me make some jokes, when I’m working with the shipment letters and I need to concentrate. It’s so terribly stressful! I don’t know if I can hold down this job. There is one guy, by his style of interactions with people I would say he might be an aspie, but I don’t know him well. Anyway working with him is pleasant because he is quiet and does not talk any bs, does not make stupid comments on others, we just give each other the relevant information and each of us does the job. With him I’m less likely to make mistake because it’s silence and no pressure. The saddest thing is that tomorrow is his last day. I’m new here so I don’t know the reason why he is leaving but knowing that I will be left alone with the whirlwind makes me even sadder. I also feel bad because with the whirlwind of my other colleagues I confused two separate deliveries. I’m so sorry I’m not even sure if I want any advice just wanted to share the story.
Alienatedhuman said:His fun costs me hiding and crying like a child
If you have a diagnosis of autism then I recommend giving a copy to your HR/People dept and ask them to give Reasonable Adjustments of a quiet place to work without the "high spirits" of the warehouse crew interrupting you.
Once your probation period is over at work, I also recommend you speak to the manager of the guys harrassing you and ask if they can ask the team to be more professional as your autism makes you easily scared and is likely to result in an accident or injury as a direct result.
If nothing changes or it gets worse, email HR/People and the manager and ask for it formally to make sure your back is covered. It is likely to make you a bit of an object of derision from the forklift crew but that beats the alternative.
Joining a union as soon as you are out of probation is also essential as they will have your back on this - any team picking on someone because they don't like having pranks played on them deserves the sack frankly.
You may have to deal with some backlash but standing up for your safety is more important.
Thank you. I don’t have diagnosis, it’s too expensive and too much hustle currently. If my mom have agreed to have me tested when I was a kid, I would have probably have it, as I was picked two times by the teachers. But at work hmm honestly most of those guys behave like him. I’m not expecting to be backed up or understood. The guy is leaving tomorrow so talking to him makes no sense. I’m working on the warehouse and I really enjoy this type of job and my tasks. If it gets worse I will try to speak to the boss.