Men are Moody Too

There is the stereotype that men are not emotional... and ENGINEERS are all logic and no heart.  But that is not true at all.  As a female engineer I have my monthly moods... but a few of the MALE engineers around me have moods too.  The difference is that I recognize my moods and warn my coworkers by saying: "I'm grouchy (today)/(right now), so please (leave me alone)/(don't tease me) today."  I'm sure that's not the most professional way to deal with my moods, but at least I'm civil about it.

It seems that the moody men at work either don't recognize their emotions or don't know how to handle it.

Sometimes they don't realize that they are in a bad mood.  Maybe some stress is happening in their personal lives and they bring it to work.  This is when they will be in a bad mood and get annoyed easily.  I've had several occassions where I had my head bitten off for a joke or comment that would have been perfectly okay a day ago.  I've even had the experience of a coworker getting mad at me when I brought in donuts and didn't announce it first thing in the morning.  He said I should've announced first thing in the morning before he ate his breakfast.

I have another coworker who will walk away in the middle of a conversation when he gets upset.  Just today I politely asked him to clarify what he was asking for.  (I thought I might be able to help.)  When he felt that I couldn't understand what he was saying, he just sighed and walked away quite abruptly.

There are also the male engineers who get grouchy and send off clear non-verbal signals to leave them alone.  Such signals may include growling, non-commital grunts as answers, or putting in ear plugs or ear phones when you start talking around them. 

So what have I learned?  I've learned to keep a professional distance away from the super-moody coworkers.  What is a professional distance?  It means no joking, no bantering, no sharing of food, no personal conversations, and no asking for favors.  Just say good morning, good night... and if you have to work together, be polite and courteous.  Never demand and always say "thank you."

That last rule applies to all relationships.  =)  I guess my Kindergarten teacher taught me the key to a successful life: "Always say please and thank you."