Originally Posted by
chipcom
Oh for chris' sake...even when I was in the Corps (hardly a bastion of civil behavior) nobody said much, other than the usual good-natured ribbing that we all gave each other...all the time. Same applies in just about every company I've worked at, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Either they are just giving you the business BECAUSE they consider you one of the team, or because you are not considered one of the team. Which is the actual case, only you can decide. My best advice, grow a thicker skin, give back as good as you take and have fun doing it.
If someone pinches your ass...grab em and give em a big sloppy kiss on the mouth...they will either quit doing so going forward or ask you out on a date.
I've spent much of the past 25 years on large scale industrial construction sites, and have certainly received my fair share of the jabs (as the university educated project management guy walking amidst boilermakers, pipefitters, riggers, electricians, ironworkers, etc. with schedules and productivity data) and have fared very well doing exactly what chipcom mentions. Guys that I've charactarized as "rednecks" have actually turned out to be pretty solid, hardworking guys with basic needs. These guys took great pride in their work and had a sense of professionalism, even in the midst of the ribbing.
Of course, on jobsites with hundreds to thousands of tradesmen, my interactions might have comprised 10% of those on site, and for every good-hearted exchange there were 10 un-engaged glances, smirks, glares or nods (well, the nods were returned in kind).
In the OP's case it sounds like a small office (fishbowl) and the co-workers seem to be particularly ignorant. If it were me, I'd be asking myself "do I really want to go through the effort with these guys so I can keep working here?" I'd have to REALLY love my job to answer "yes" in this circumstance.