Woman's unusual workplace habit when she is 'overwhelmed' by being in the office: 'I get weird looks'
An employee has caused a stir online after revealing her interesting workplace habit when things become "overwhelming" at the office.
Marking professional Minnie Katzen Mayer, 36, shared a photo of herself sitting on the floor at work on LinkedIn and explained why she sometimes needs to take respite under her desk.
"Whenever I do this at work, I get weird looks," Minnie began her now-viral post, alongside a picture of herself sprawled under her desk while tapping away on her laptop.
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Minnie Katzen Mayer shared a photo of herself hiding under her desk at work. LinkedIn
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"I mean, I get it: I'm 36, a fully grown adult, with a perfectly adequate ergonomic desk chair, sitting under my standing desk."
Minnie, who is from Israel but works in the US, admitted she becomes overstimulated by the usual trappings of office life, such as bright ceiling lights and meetings, and finds comfort by hiding under her desk.
Her triggers are stress, noise and constant movement and when things become too much, she grabs her laptop and sits on the floor.
"In a word, overstimulation," she continued. "When I need to drown everything out, I take my laptop and sit under the desk; I enjoy the relative peace and physical boundaries it provides."
Minnie said she stays under the floor for as long as her back muscles permit, despite having a "perfectly adequate" ergonomic desk chair.
Mayer said she becomes overstimulated while working in an office. LinkedIn
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After posting the photo onto the professional networking platform, Minnie received dozens of comments from her connections who sympathised with her experience.
Some agreed open plan offices are hard to contend with after working from home during the pandemic.
"These open floor plan concepts are great in theory, but not for everyone. I was in the office just yesterday and was so distracted by every single noise that was happening around me," one person wrote.
"This is totally understandable: it's very related to 'I want to go in the office after 2 years of wfh'," another woman said.
Many of Minnie's LinkedIn connections agreed they often felt overwhelmed while in an open-plan office. Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Meanwhile, others on LinkedIn said Minnie's behaviour was unprofessional in a workplace.
"Nothing more mature than hiding from your problems under the table," one man said.
Minnie told Buzzfeed she was "humbled" by the response to her post and loved the comments from people who share her dislike for overstimulation.
She also claimed her workplace was supportive of her unusual habit.
"No one has ever said anything negative. I've gotten some curious looks and a couple of playful questions. My friends now recognise it for what it is, and occasionally ask to join me or if I need anything," she said.
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