Hazing in the workplace

Associates seem to treat me like a younger brother or a pledge, throwing digs and chirps in groups at me. They are weak and feeble boys. I am not the type to get agitated by this behavior, I have wrestled and grappled for many years so I know I can beat all of them in a fight, but how do I confront them without causing problems and being fired/not rehired for speaking out to someone "above me in rank." The world where I come from, if you have a problem, you can say it to their face and if it ends in a fight, so be it, but in IB, you have to succumb to your superiors. They act out in groups since I am young, confident, and bold, but individually, when I look them in the eyes, they are weak men. How do I confront them without being fired?

 

They're probably doing it bc they're insecure and they feel you're a threat to them. Probably harmless for now, throw some zingers back at them and see how they take it. If they laugh then they're cool and it was never that deep to begin with. If not, then they're seriously the ones with a problem (can dish it but can't take it). Just make sure this behavior doesn't bleed into them throwing you under the bus when its crunch time. Otherwise, its prob just jocky locker room ball busting

 

So if one of them tells me to shut up in a meeting (friendly shut up) how am I supposed to respond, friendly or not, in front of a client, I would smack you in your fucking face and smash your face into the table, but in IB, that doesn't work......better solutions then assault and battery?

 
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I had a long ass response that I typed on my phone and lost it so here’s the shortened versions:

Option 1: Fight everyone Mortal-Kombat style until you finally defeat the GP and take his title.

Option 2: Work on your social and emotional intelligence. Aside from intellectual intelligence, you need all 3 to be a good employee/investor/human. No, we don’t fight in the workplace. Yes, I know fighting too … owned a Boxing / HIIT gym while working on Wall Street. Mid 30s now. The workplace is a pyramid. You are at the bottom, and everyone gets shit-tested all the way up. It’s a way of ‘becoming boys’ (or girls) with your co-workers, and it’s a way to build trust. We all come out of school thinking we’re the hot shit, and all of us need a slice of humble pie. I’m guessing that the associates are probably getting shit from the people above them too. While I don’t know your exact situation, everyone has a line, and I always advise sticking up for oneself. Last, if it’s too much then maybe consider talking to a psychologist. If that doesn’t work then find a new workplace. And if that doesn’t work then maybe you should look at a different career. But know that EVERYWHERE you go there will always be someone that puts your ego in check… Try riding the NYC subway around for a week during rush hour, and you will have many annoying people who you will have the opportunity to fight and go to jail for. Do any of us like it? No. Is it worth putting our ego in check for? For 95% of us, yes.

 

Obligatory WSO post justifying bad behavior.

True, people get shit on from the top and it's understandable if superiors are hard on people. But no one shows up to work to be unnecessarily hazed. That's just bullshit and there is no excuse for it in a professional environment.

EDIT: Also, how come no one asks about the social intelligence of someone who is well into their 20s and feels like they need to haze juniors. Go see a fucking psychologist!

 

You’re assuming that the person is being hazed. I’m asking the OP to reflect on whether it is hazing, or if he’s interpreting things the wrong way. OP is talking about the potential of responding with violence, which is why my post suggests reflecting inwardly first.

There’s no justification for anyone hazing in the workplace so we are in agreement, even though you are oversimplifying my post.

There’s also no excuse for violence.

 

Like others have said, work on your social intelligence bro. The fact that you even mentioned taking them in a fight says it all. There's a lot of steps in between talking shit and actually saying something worth fighting about. I guarantee all those guys never even thought about fighting, they're literally just talking shit. The fact that your mind went there tells me that you're overthinking this. Chill out and figure out how to shit talk back to them. It's a form of language, if you can't figure it out, you won't go far

 

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