let’s discuss wild overreactions at work

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

Inspired by yesterday’s letter about the CEO who freaked out over a very mild joke, let’s discuss wild overreactions at work. Some stories that have been shared here over the years:

• “This was a legendary story at the first restaurant where I worked, a popular downtown brunch place. A previous kitchen manager had a strong hatred of cooking egg whites – he felt like it disrupted the entire flow of everything to stop and carefully separate the yolk from the rest of the egg. Over time, he got angrier and angrier at customers who ordered egg whites, especially during the weekend rush. One Sunday, when an order for egg whites came in, he decided he’d had enough. He took the bill and demanded to know which table had ordered it. When the server told him, he marched over to the table, slammed the bill down, and said, ‘Buddy, you can cook your own f&$@! egg whites.’ He tore off his apron, walked out, and never came back.”
• “We just standardized our email signatures yesterday. People flipped out. ‘Why can’t I have this picture of my dog in my signature?’ ‘‘But I’ve always used pink cursive font — it’s cuter.’ ‘You’re crushing our individuality.’ Another department manager had employees who threatened to quit. I really didn’t think that having a standard email signature was that big of a deal. This is literally the only company that I’ve worked for that didn’t have one (until now).”
• “Our organization holds an annual event where the summer interns make presentations on their projects … One year a new administrative assistant ordered appetizers from a different vendor and there was no cheese tray. A supervisor who had worked with multiple interns came in as the event was starting, looked at the food, loudly exclaimed, ‘WHERE IS THE CHEESE WHEEL?’ and then stormed out and refused to participate when he was told there was no cheese. We had to scramble to keep the interns calm and get them the paperwork they needed to satisfy their internship requirements.”

There was also a legendary response to a decrease in speed dial buttons, the person who became livid about a joke about King Charles, and a new hire’s response to cheap-ass rolls at a potluck.

Let’s talk about wild overreactions you’ve seen at work. Please share in the comments.