Since I started working as a social worker at my new place, I always keep my office door closed. This has many reasons:
- I got tinnitus and I get easily distracted by sound
- I got ADD and have to take meds for it and people just bursting into my office disrupt my workflow
- I hate having to hear everyones phone calls and people staring at me everytime they walk by
I am naturally introverted and I don't participate in “office lunch times”. I rather eat in my office alone and then text and call my wife, rather than hearing what other peoples kids are doing. I socialize at work during smoke/coffee break with a few selected people I like. But I am generally friendly to everyone, say good morning and ask how their weekend was.
Lately the people from the secretariat kept pointing out small mistakes I do and run to my boss with it. They also complained a lot about my closed door and that I am “not part of the team spirit”. They'd also wish that I would come to talk about issues more in person instead of E-Mails (i love E-Mails over phone calls / in person, since it's easier to document later on in the client file). If something can be solved as an E-Mail, it will be dealt with as an E-Mail (also with clients). I confronted my boss about it and he doesn't see any issue with it. The mistakes I do are minor and if there would be anything I need to change, he would have talked with me about it. He seems to be super chill about my attitude that I am at work to actually work and not make friends.
I just hate the feeling that “everyone is a big family” in the office. If I want to keep my door closed, then accept it. It's not hard to knock. If a closed door offends you, because your imagination is running wild, then that is a “YOU-Problem”. Stop snooping around in my work and just let me do my shit.
Work is just… work. Not a replacement for my friend circle or my social life