u/Just_Marsupial6148

Hi all, I really appreciate the input. I wanted to give a bit of an update.

After everything that happened (and reading a lot of your comments), I decided to raise it again with HR, but this time more formally. I documented specific incidents, including the spill in the communal kitchen and the ongoing jokes about me having “OCD.”

I also made it clear that I am now documenting these meetings and incidents, during the HR meeting yesterday. I think that might have been the point where things really “clicked,” because it finally felt like she understood I’m not just casually or nicely asking anymore.

To HR’s credit, she did take it more seriously… this time. She has now spoken directly to my coworker and the team. They’ve reinforced that allergens need to be handled properly and that shared spaces, and peanuts are now PERMANENTLY BAND. I thought I was a bit extreme, however it was sort of like a ‘well if you did this in first place this would not have of happened’ sort of thing.

They also addressed the “OCD jokes,” making it clear that it’s not appropriate. It’s only been a day, and if I’m honest, part of me is just waiting for things to slip back into old habits again, because that’s what’s happened before.

My coworker actually came up to me, apologised properly, and brought me flowers. She said she obviously knew about my allergy, but in her mind she thought that as long as the peanut butter stayed on her desk, it wouldn’t be an issue, and she said she genuinely didn’t realise how much it was affecting me day to day. Then she kind of laughed and said she can’t eat it at home because of her son, and now she can’t eat it at work either, so maybe “God is trying to tell her something.”

I also what to just make it very clear that this isn’t just a preference or me being difficult, this is a legitimate health risk. So this is for that one comment ‘Wear a face mask everyday’ from my last post, be better hun…

Thank you for everyones help

I honestly don’t know if I’m overreacting anymore or if this is as insane as it feels.

I have a severe, *carry-an-epipen-at-all-times*, “a trace could send me to the hospital” level peanut allergy. This isn’t something I casually mentioned once either, it’s documented with HR, my team knows, and I’ve reminded people multiple times because… you kind of have to when it can literally kill you.

I’ve worked at this company for 8 years, and this coworker has been here for 7 years, so this isn’t a situation where we barely know each other or she somehow forgot. We’ve worked side by side for a long time. Also, this isn’t some big corporation with hundreds of employees. There are literally only 10 people working here. It’s a small, shared environment, which makes this feel even more unavoidable.

She regularly brings in a jar of peanut butter and just… leaves it open on her desk. Not even loosely closed. Fully open. Sometimes with a spoon sticking out of it. And we work in a SAME office space, just us 2.

I’ve brought it up politely more than once. I said something like, “Hey, I have a severe allergy, would you mind keeping that sealed and maybe stored away?” She always says “yeah, sure,” but nothing changed.

Because of this, over the past 6 weeks I’ve started bringing wipes and spray every day to clean my desk, chair, computer, basically anything I might touch. Not because I want to, but because I feel like I have to. Now it’s somehow turned into a joke in the office that I have “OCD.” I don’t. This only started because I’m trying not to end up in the hospital. Also I don’t really like people joking about things like OCD, its just not appropriate.

The latest incident was yesterday. She moved her peanut butter into the communal kitchen and left it on the shelf where everyone’s food goes, and it had leaked down the side and onto the shelf. I pointed it out to her and said, “Hey, your peanut butter has leaked onto the shelf.” She said sorry and that she’d clean it up (she did) , but some coworkers overheard and started joking that my “OCD is so bad” that I’m asking other people to clean up their messes.

At this point I just felt angry. I’m not trying to control anyone, I’m trying to stay safe. It’s getting to the point where my anxiety is so high that I’ve been waking up in the mornings dreading going to work. That’s not normal for me, and it’s directly because I don’t feel safe in my own workplace.

And yes, I have reported this to HR on multiple occasions. What happens is she’ll stop bringing it in for a few days… and then it slowly starts again like nothing ever happened.

**ALSO… her son also has a severe peanut allergy**.

She of all people should understand how serious this is. The anxiety, the constant awareness. But at work she acts like it’s no big deal, and now other coworkers are turning it into a joke. Now I find myself constantly on edge, wiping down surfaces, avoiding shared areas (basically isolating myself), and feeling unsafe in a place I have to be every day.

I don’t want to escalate things, but I also don’t want to end up in the hospital because someone couldn’t screw a lid back on, or because people think this is all just me being “OCD.”

Am I tempted to pretend I have ‘accidentally’ touched her peanut butter to prove a point… is that wrong for thinking this is a good idea?

I honestly don’t know if I’m overreacting anymore or if this is as insane as it feels.

I have a severe, *carry-an-epipen-at-all-times*, “a trace could send me to the hospital” level peanut allergy. This isn’t something I casually mentioned once either, it’s documented with HR, my team knows, and I’ve reminded people multiple times because… you kind of have to when it can literally kill you.

I’ve worked at this company for 8 years, and this coworker has been here for 7 years, so this isn’t a situation where we barely know each other or she somehow forgot. We’ve worked side by side for a long time. Also, this isn’t some big corporation with hundreds of employees. There are literally only 10 people working here. It’s a small, shared environment, which makes this feel even more unavoidable.

She regularly brings in a jar of peanut butter and just… leaves it open on her desk. Not even loosely closed. Fully open. Sometimes with a spoon sticking out of it. And we work in a SAME office space, just us 2.

I’ve brought it up politely more than once. I said something like, “Hey, I have a severe allergy, would you mind keeping that sealed and maybe stored away?” She always says “yeah, sure,” but nothing changed.

Because of this, over the past 6 weeks I’ve started bringing wipes and spray every day to clean my desk, chair, computer, basically anything I might touch. Not because I want to, but because I feel like I have to. Now it’s somehow turned into a joke in the office that I have “OCD.” I don’t. This only started because I’m trying not to end up in the hospital. Also I don’t really like people joking about things like OCD, its just not appropriate.

The latest incident was yesterday. She moved her peanut butter into the communal kitchen and left it on the shelf where everyone’s food goes, and it had leaked down the side and onto the shelf. I pointed it out to her and said, “Hey, your peanut butter has leaked onto the shelf.” She said sorry and that she’d clean it up (she did) , but some coworkers overheard and started joking that my “OCD is so bad” that I’m asking other people to clean up their messes.

At this point I just felt angry. I’m not trying to control anyone, I’m trying to stay safe. It’s getting to the point where my anxiety is so high that I’ve been waking up in the mornings dreading going to work. That’s not normal for me, and it’s directly because I don’t feel safe in my own workplace.

And yes, I have reported this to HR on multiple occasions. What happens is she’ll stop bringing it in for a few days… and then it slowly starts again like nothing ever happened.

**ALSO… her son also has a severe peanut allergy**.

She of all people should understand how serious this is. The anxiety, the constant awareness. But at work she acts like it’s no big deal, and now other coworkers are turning it into a joke. Now I find myself constantly on edge, wiping down surfaces, avoiding shared areas (basically isolating myself), and feeling unsafe in a place I have to be every day.

I don’t want to escalate things, but I also don’t want to end up in the hospital because someone couldn’t screw a lid back on, or because people think this is all just me being “OCD.”

Am I tempted to pretend I have ‘accidentally’ touched her peanut butter to prove a point… is that wrong for thinking this is a good idea?