Passive aggressive notes in the office–pointless…and hilarious!

“Someone has appeared to have walked off with my favorite stapler. Its only value is sentimental. If you have it, I would appreciate it if you returned it.”

“Please stop stealing my food. My mom made it special for me!”

“We’re not your maids. Wash your coffee mugs and don’t leave them in the sink. PUT THEM AWAY.”

“Were you raised in a barn? Whoever is peeing on the seat, CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!”

You know what I’m talking about. Check your office kitchenette. The break room. The bathroom. I’m sure you’ll see one of these. Whether it’s hastily scribbled on a Post-it or painstakingly typed up (with clip art, nonetheless!), every office seems to accumulate some form of passive aggressive note.

And they are hilarious!

It boggles the mind when anonymous coworkers leave dirty dishes in the sink yet again. What, do they think the dishes will magically was themselves? Did mom always come to the rescue at home? Do they just not care about having a clean office space?

It’s funny because it’s true!

No. No, they don’t care.

And, I hate to break it to you, but your note won’t make them care, either.

It won’t shame them into washing their dishes, or to stop stealing office supplies, or to practice good bathroom hygiene, or whatever office–nay, social–laws of decency they may have transgressed upon.

They’ll still do it. Maybe they’ll be a little more subtle about it, but they’ll still do it. These habits have been ingrained for many years, and one little passive-aggressive note isn’t going to change that. Plus it will annoy your other coworkers who are innocent.

Your note is actually harming you (if you sign it, anyway. But, even if you don’t, your coworkers will probably figure out who wrote it) because you end up looking holier than thou. (And if there’s one person you don’t want to be holier than, it’s thou.)

So what can you do when something offends you in the office? Short of following people around in the kitchen or bathroom so they’re humiliated and do everything right, there’s not much you can do.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop with the notes.

After all, who doesn’t enjoy some reading material while peeing on the seat in the bathroom?

Jessica Livingston
Managing Editor
jessica.livingston@e-bim.com