We got a new coworker recently and he’s a lot different than anyone I’ve ever worked with. It doesn’t bother me, but I do want to point it out as I think his beliefs have a lot to do with how he acts. His parents were missionaries in South America and he was involved in the militia before coming to America. So obviously he is very religious – arranged marriage situation and all that. No problem.
His first day, he met our transgender security guard and immediately told myself and my coworker that ‘people like that’ are just looking for validation and attention, and he’s going to avoid them, etc. It bothered me that he felt that way towards someone he doesn’t know but I bit my tongue and did my work.
A few days later he commented that he doesn’t know much about women, but believes they are all ‘grown up children.’ That one definitely made my ears hot, as I am a woman myself, but I still kept quiet.
All of these comments are unprompted – It’s like he pulls them out of thin air, and says them with no context prior. Yesterday, he asked me how much I make an hour. I politely told him I wouldn’t be disclosing that.
He has also asked me personal questions, such as whether I have any mental illnesses, what type of men I’m into, etc. and it really just makes me uncomfortable.
As far as work ethic, he complains about not having enough to do (it’s his second week), and he’s already behind on the workload. He goes on his break, then comes back for a few minutes and asks to be covered again so he can ‘make a phone call.’ This is daily.
We share a tiny room together for 8 hours. I am to the point where I’m annoyed, offended, and simply tired of being talked to all day to the point that I can’t concentrate.
Should I explain all of this to my manager to see if I can take the last single person cubicle in our office? I don’t want to cause a fuss or seem like a complainer but I want to feel comfortable at work.