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Teasing

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


It's very apparent to everyone that our manager shows favoritism toward me. While I have no problem with this, the issue is that my friends are giving me a bad time about it. How do I handle them?
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I have an East European name, and one of the managers here makes fun of it, often asking if he can "buy a vowel." I have a sense of humor, but I am tired of hearing this from him and I have told him to stop. He keeps doing it and says he means no harm and is just having fun. How do I get him to stop?
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My manager teases me often, such as by "ordering" me into his office and pretending he's upset when he isn't, calling me by several wrong names, and even making fun of my car. Afterwards, he laughs and says he was kidding. I don't think it's funny. He knows how I feel, but he doesn't stop. What can I do?
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There is one employee here who teases everyone, and I do mean everyone, and his comments are not funny. When I tried to tease him back, he became even more insulting and would not let up. His comments are not sexual or anything like that. They are just obnoxious. Since very few people here are bothered by this, what can I do?
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My supervisor enjoys kidding me, and he keeps saying that his remarks are all in fun. I do not like hearing his degrading comments, his repetition of the same annoying lines, and the so-called funny stories that he makes up about me. I was thinking about making some similar comments back to him and see how he likes them. What do you think?
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My manager makes remarks that can be hurtful and degrading, and when I call him on it, he always says that he is just teasing. He says that he doesn't mean any harm and it is all done in fun. What can I do?
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At a recent meeting, I was interested in the discussion, but I did not see a need to make any comments. After the meeting, my manager sarcastically thanked me for my important contributions. I did not know what to say or how to react. What do you make of this?
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I made a mistake about three months ago, and I admit it caused a mess. Things have been fully corrected since then, and the actual damage was minimal. Nonetheless, several employees still “jokingly” bring up my mistake practically every time I see them. I am tired of hearing it and I’ve told them that their comments are getting old, but they keep on making them. How do I get this to end?
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