r/AmIOverreacting • u/MeanderingDragon • Mar 06 '26

šŸ’¼work/career AIO about this text I got from HR?

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So to preface, I'm Type 1 diabetic, which means I have to take multiple daily insulin injections to live. I typically take 5-8 shots per day, and while it isn't fun, it is routine and necessary.

I was at work this morning and they had a small amount of food out for some sort of 'employee appreciation' which reminded me I hadn't had any insulin yet and my glucose levels were getting too high. I took a shot of insulin, got some breakfast, and went to my desk. A few minutes later, this text arrives.

I can understand that shots make some people uncomfortable. Trust me, I'm one of those people. But I have to take them anyway. Am I overreacting to think that if you don't want to see me talking a shot, you can turn your head? Should I have to go to the bathroom which only gets cleaned twice a week, and take my shots in secret like it's a drug addiction? Perhaps it is just me, but I feel that not everything in life that makes us a little uncomfortable is something that has to be pushed out of sight. Sometimes we would benefit more from understanding, acceptance, and perhaps acclimation.

Also for the record, while they say they "mentioned this several times", our HR manager scolded me once maybe two or three years ago publicly during lunch in our cafeteria. I ignored it that time, because friends sitting around me supported me after HR walked off.

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 07 '26

was just about to comment this, at my work we all told HR we need more areas that are private for those with medical needs sure enough few months later we have quiet rooms, private soundproof phone booth, and are now able to schedule meeting rooms in case those other areas are full

Edit: ty for the award

2nd edit: on lunch break but I did not expect this to get as many upvoted as it did thank you all so much this made my week and again ty for the awards. Only thing id like to add is to never be afraid to make these demands or requests of your employers. if they won't invest in you do not invest in them. you all have a beautiful weekend/life.

Final edit: again thanks for everything I didnt think my comment would get this much traction or attention it genuinely has made my week I even showed my fiance as its the first time I ever got a comment over 10 likes lol. thanks for the awards as well i usually lurk and read posts but this has made me feel confident with engaging more in my communities.

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u/Ecliphon Mar 06 '26

me trying to decipher if you live in Wakanda or Norway

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

Lol I actually live in America but im in a pretty heavily blue state and I also work for a union which helps.

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u/anti__thesis Mar 06 '26

Ah, the secret ingredient is the union!

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

It is the special sauce that helps, hopefully more people can get involved in unions, i used to think they were not great but once i got in one and was active in it, it changed my perspective completely, I don't think I can ever go back to non union work tbh.

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u/Amanda316 Mar 06 '26

I am also very pro-union. They saved my butt big one time. I worked in a research lab with I think 19 different rooms/labs I could be in at any time, let alone doing errands in a massive university hospital, bringing samples to specialty labs etc. I had a manager who constantly wanted to stalk me so she did not like that. Never knew what it was that she didnā€™t like about me, everyone else gave me positive reviews. Letā€™s just say things got wildly out of hand and the superstar of the lab screamed at her one time defending me. He was a very quiet professional type so it was shocking but insanely appreciated. I heard the president of the union very much wanted to talk to me but they couldnā€™t reach out unless I did first. So I met with them. They had been waiting six months to try and help me ā€” I wish I had done something sooner but I was 19. So by the time we met with my five (!) managers and the union, the president of the union and other high profile union members were there with me at a giant board room table chastising my managers for their behavior towards me.

They later wound up sabotaging my ability to go back to school as revenge so I chose school over them and left after being there for two years, but I will never forget that feeling of winning being at that table and seeing every one of my managers with their tails tucked between their legs. That would have never been possible without the union and it cost me 7-9$ a paycheck for my dues.

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

I'm sorry you went through that sounds crazy, I do not mind my dues specifically for instances like yours, its nice to have someone watching your back since a lot of legal work related things are beyond the average employee. I know I recently just spoke with the president of my union because of a time clock issue we were told we had 5 minutes to fill out punch outs at the end of the day so we all log out fill out our sheet then leave well I lost 2 days of pay because I finished my sheet in like 30 seconds and left. losing 2 days of pay for a 5 minute leave when I have no record of any disciplinary issues had my president furious. Still waiting on results but they did advise me its going to arbitration. I hope things have gotten better for you wherever you landed.

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u/Amanda316 Mar 07 '26

Donā€™t even get me started on time clocks, lol.

Iā€™m self employed doing something I love so I canā€™t complain! And I make sure if I ever hire people to work for me that itā€™s under conditions I would want to work under. Hope youā€™re in a better place too.

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u/DistinctBlueberry818 Mar 07 '26

jealous. my union laughed in my face when I told them I was being physically bullied by both my boss and coworker and they said (verbatim might I add) ā€œthat sucks. you prob deserve it. you sound like youā€™re antagonizing themā€. I wasnā€™t. I asked a question on my second day that got them investigated for malpractice because paperwork didnā€™t match. they were training me to look for this exact thing. and when I found the real issue, itā€™s because they were stealing money.

I left that job after a year and a half, the supervisor retired and the other one left the dept after me

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u/SmartTip6131 Mar 06 '26

Unions not only boost the wages of the people in that union, but they increase the wages of other non-union workers. They are good!

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/Revolutionary-Fox486 Mar 07 '26

What was the problem?

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u/AvBanoth Mar 08 '26

Unions are not great, but they are necessary.

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u/lauraz0919 Mar 06 '26

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!! If you know your rights according to the Americans with Disabilities act ADA if you are American..even not on disability but they have to make certain accommodations. Granted some shitty jobs will find a reason to get rid of you but they also donā€™t want that that group checking them out with a fine tooth comb. THEY will NOT give you those rights until they know you know about them!!!

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u/FountainPens-Lover Mar 07 '26

Blue state helps too

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u/eric_ofc Mar 07 '26

Depends on the union sadly.

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u/LepiNya Mar 07 '26

Who'd a thunk it?

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u/The_Huu Mar 07 '26

Union, some stalk of salary, and I always rely on black and white paper.

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u/McTazzle Mar 06 '26

In Australia the conservative partyā€™s blue and progressives are red, so the opposite being true in North America always makes me take a step to adjust to. It doesnā€™t help that the name of the conservative party is the Liberals šŸ˜‚

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u/slinkywitch Mar 06 '26

In Canada, Australia and the UK conservatives are blue and the more liberal party is red (probably other places too, I'm just not sure about them). In fact, that used to be true in the US as well, but they flipped it and started consistently using the blue = left, red = right in The US around the year 2000. So, it's really a modern US vs the rest of the world (mostly) thing, not an Australia is backward thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states

I think it's because traditionally the color red has been associated with socialism and communism.

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u/eattherich-1312 Mar 07 '26

It's actually much dumber than that. I can't remember when exactly, but there was talks about switching them to the same colour system as most of the rest of the world and they decided the American public was essentially too dumb and would always think Republican = Red = Right šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

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u/HippieLizLemon Mar 07 '26

Hilarious but also true, making it even more funny, with a touch of pathetic.

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u/padall Mar 07 '26

It was long before 2000. I remember watching the 1984 election results come in as a kid. The whole country was red on the map except Minnesota (Mondale's home state), and I think DC because Reagan won in a landslide.

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u/OhGod0fHangovers Mar 07 '26

It used to alternate, or different media used different colors; and some used red for the incumbent, so itā€™s quite possible they used red for the Republicans in 1984. But it wasnā€™t until 2000 because it was such a nail-biter that went on forever and garnered so much attention that red = R and blue = D got firmly established in peopleā€™s minds.

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u/throwawayplusanumber Mar 06 '26

traditionally the color red has been associated with socialism and communism

Exactly, but the US doesnt usually take the logical option. (E.g. units of measurement, healthcare, gun control).

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u/DrexlAU Mar 07 '26

the order of writing the date

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u/throwawayplusanumber Mar 07 '26

Thanks. Forgot that one.

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u/throwaway277252 Mar 06 '26

Gravity is upside down, toilets swirl the other way, you drive on the left side, it's only natural that political parties are inverted as well.

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u/KaposiaDarcy Mar 06 '26

Gravity isnā€™t upside down. Itā€™s always oriented toward the center of the earth.

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u/FernandoNylund Mar 06 '26

Nah, if I recall my Looney Tunes correctly, gravity in the northern hemisphere pulls us down, but in the southern hemisphere it pulls you up šŸ™ƒ

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u/KaposiaDarcy Mar 06 '26

At least you cited a legitimate source.

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u/Apprehensive-Pool967 Mar 06 '26

Itā€™s that way in Canada too. But the liberals are red, conservatives blue

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u/One-T-Rex-ago-go Mar 06 '26

Canada is the same, conservative blue, liberal red, socialist party is orange green party is green.

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u/continualreboot Mar 06 '26

Same here, cousin (Canadian here.) Red=progressive, Blue=conservative. The conservatives tried to fool us by calling themselves Progressive Conservative, but we weren't fooled. A conservative with a social conscience is called a Red Tory here.

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u/SufficientFunny5215 Mar 06 '26

In America all politicians liberal and conservative work towards the same goals and for the same people. Itā€™s actually not that confusing and is very transparent.

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u/Maine302 Mar 06 '26

It's confusing that you think this.

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u/SufficientFunny5215 Mar 06 '26

ā€œEverything is purpleā€ - A.S.A.P. Rocky

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u/Maine302 Mar 06 '26

Yeah, well Greg Steube ain't working for me.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '26

[deleted]

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u/pandariotinprague Mar 06 '26

They're doing the good cop/bad cop routine on you and you're too slow to see it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 06 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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Questions or comments referring to matters of USA or global politics are not allowed in this sub, including interpersonal conflicts due to differing political beliefs, discussion of subjects such as ICE or the Epstein Files, or referencing someone's political opinions. Please post in another subreddit that is more appropriate for such discussion.

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u/KaposiaDarcy Mar 06 '26

Thatā€™s the best joke Iā€™ve read today.

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u/Wild_Plastic_6500 Mar 07 '26

Tour name suits you perfectly!

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u/Ecliphon Mar 06 '26

Ahh. Iā€™m also union (or as my very red-minded mom calls it, ā€œThe mobā€) but I feel like even they would just clean out a closet and put a clean table in it with clorox wipes lol.Ā 

Then again we also donā€™t have the most active union members or representative, soā€¦

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

I hear ya there, I love most of my union brothers and sisters but a lot of them like to complain but never attend any meetings but want all the benefits, it can be frustrating, hopefully your leadership can try to get more people involved but we do live in crazy times so i also understand not everyone can go each month.

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u/morning_star984 Mar 06 '26

This was my first office when I worked in healthcare. Didn't even have a vent because it was literally a small closet in a hallway.

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u/fyxxer32 Mar 06 '26

Show this video to your mom and ask her if she's enjoyed any of these benefits that unions fought for and got for workers.

https://youtu.be/iObqguaNDdA?si=HVT20nAw2-zfp41-

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

Idk if directed at me but my mother unfortunately doesn't form her own opinion on things she trusts whatever my step dad says is best. we do not have a good relationship haven't spoken to them in a few years so I wouldn't be able to ask her sadly.

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u/Perite Mar 07 '26

Unrelatedly, is there a union for people who work for a union? Like a who watches the watchers kind of thing?

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u/ImSchizoidMan Mar 06 '26

They exist in the US. My prior employer set up 2 rooms specifically for nursing mothers to pump in.
And after 6 months, they served as wonderful examples of how godawful people can be

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u/Ecliphon Mar 07 '26

What did the people do to them?

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u/ImSchizoidMan Mar 07 '26

Trashed them, for the most part. Then there were issues where people would fight over timing. Non-mothers would start taking naps on break and get angry when someone would come in for their intended purpose. It was definitely a "this is why we can't have nice things" situation

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u/Hawkman003 Mar 07 '26

Man, that sucks. People always have to trash/ruin a good thing.

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u/whyd_I_laugh_at_that Mar 06 '26

Both are mythical utopiaā€™s, so I can see that.

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u/LiliAtReddit Mar 07 '26

I know! Iā€™m working in a global company but in the US. And we have this stuff! A quiet room, a motherā€™s room, these big comfortable soundproof booths. I can take a nap in the quiet room! Itā€™s INSANE! Iā€™ve never seen this in the US before and Iā€™m kinda old!

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u/overitallofittoo Mar 06 '26

The answer is yes.

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u/bjbyrne Mar 07 '26

Those are all standard things for the offices at the company I work for in the US.

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u/drekia Mar 06 '26

My workplace has a clinic. Thereā€™s signs in the bathroom that explicitly state you canā€™t administer medication in the bathroom, you have to go to the clinic because itā€™s safer and cleaner! I like my workplace.

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u/comicsnerd Mar 06 '26

Not a medical issue, but one of the women at my company had a baby and she needed to (forgot the word) tap her breasts for breastmilk.

She came to me (COO) with the request, we blinded a room and gave her the key. There were a few more requests, but that was it. Since she was very happy with it, the room was dedicated for women as a relax office, no questions asked.

The beautiful thing was, none of the men questioned it. All of them were fathers or uncles.

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u/SisterGoldenHair75 Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 08 '26

ā€œTap her breastsā€ has now officially entered my lexicon šŸ’€

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u/PrestigiousHedgehog8 Mar 07 '26

Iā€™m dying. Picturing a sugar maple but booby

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u/AsYooouWish Mar 06 '26

ā€œExpressā€ or ā€œexpressingā€ were the terms used when I had my kid about 15 years ago.

At that time my job, a retail store, gave me the options of A) using the office that used open shelves as the walls, B) going to my car, or C) using the womenā€™s room

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u/comicsnerd Mar 06 '26

Sorry for that. This was an IT company

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u/ArmadilloForsaken458 Mar 07 '26

Sounds like a good one, some of the ones I worked at didnt care about anyone's personal life really. Bad car accident, you get one day off to take care of it, and we want you back the following day. Someone stealing money out of your bank account, two hours go to the bank and get it sorted out and come back. A couple other things happened to me that year, anyway I was happy to leave that place at that time. Family, health, etc is more important even if they believed that work trumped all

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u/ghonig Mar 07 '26

Express yourself. Donā€™t repress yourself.

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u/D_M_A30 Mar 07 '26

Express or pump is the usual words but im loving "tap her breasts"

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u/Stencils294 Mar 07 '26

Man with spigot and hammer waiting in the room beforehand

šŸ‘Øā€āš–ļø

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u/halorbyone Mar 07 '26

Some places have lactation rooms but not enough. This is the sort of thing that is needed for many reasons. Maybe you also just need a second because you got a call about a death in the family and donā€™t want to sob in your cubicle.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/admariv Mar 07 '26

Sounds like youā€™re the snowflake if people having feelings upsets you šŸ¤£

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u/Fearless_Friend7447 Mar 09 '26

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u/Willing-Egg8423 Mar 06 '26

Lawd must be nice to have quiet spaces. I have to take my insulin during passing periods and havenā€™t had a lunch break since 2011, when I worked retail. Why does being a teacher get zero respect as a profession? The most common answer is ā€œbecause it was always a womanā€™s workā€ which is incredibly problematic within itself, and untrue.

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u/ShesPinkyImTheBrain Mar 06 '26

One year for mental health month someone gave up their office, they were traveling or wfh most days anyway, and they set up a zen room you could book.

The wall with the door was glass so they put up some cheap paper to reduce light. They put a single communal yoga mat, some random ass lamp for low light, and called it a day. No other furniture in there at all. I donā€™t remember anyone actually using it. I work for a billion dollar international company.

They really do half ass their employee appreciation and dei initiatives. We had Juneteenth as a paid holiday in 2022. Never before and not since then.

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u/brainvheart143 Mar 06 '26

Are they hiring?

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 06 '26

Dependa what you looking for but honestly most likely also its in NY.

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u/useful_idiot118 Mar 07 '26

lol are we still doing edits for thank yous? You got like 3800 upvotes lol

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u/Hott-Gravy Mar 07 '26

Honestly i got home after work saw everything got overwhelmed trying to reply to those who replied to me that I forgot to do a final edit lmao, thanks ill do that before I leave for the day.

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u/useful_idiot118 Mar 07 '26

Ahahaha thanks, if not cringe it did make me laugh.

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u/Soaptowelbrush Mar 06 '26

What if no workplace will invest in their workers though?

That seems to be the case for a lot of people and itā€™s not like jobs are a dime a dozen out here.

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u/Flutters1013 Mar 07 '26

"Oh but we have mamava pods" or everyone can mind their own fucking business.