Often I try to maintain a humorous rapport with the users but from time-to-time end users come up with some off the wall reactions to seemingly innocent remarks or efforts. Sometimes this escalates into comments to my boss and on a few occasions greviances.
For example, recently while working on a desktop support issue, I was conversing with the woman when we began to joke. Now I have known this woman for some time and felt comfortable joking around. She was personable and generally light hearted, always calling out to me and waving.
She made a jocular remark about women being more intellectual than men and being this women have fewer computer problems than men. I chuckled and came back with, “Intellectual? Is there such a thing?” I made reference to her personally nor did I direct it towards women.
She spun around and refused to talk to me. Several days later I approached her remarking that I was joking with her and was not expecting that response. She began patting me on the cheek with her hand and told me I insulted her then gave quite another story.
For the life of me I cannot figure out how I insulted her and how she arrived at the alternate story.
My question is should I when dealing with the end user just ignor their remarks, not converse, and put distance between me and them such as not going to lunch with them or joking around.
It seems today it is all too easy to come under attack and IT people seem to always be under fire. I wonder if in some cases people are looking for something.
