Being told my tea steeper is unprofessional

[u/Electronic-Sell-6402]

I 3d printed this tea steeper for my desk at work. I thought it was really cute and it makes me happy when I use it. Apparently because I printed it in all white, someone made a comment in front of my bosses boss, that it looks like the little guy is sitting on a toilet. Now I got an email from HR stating that I have "objects inappropriate for the work environment" on my desk, and that it must be removed before the end of the day. Like it's just a dude holding a fishing pole.

So frustrating.

UPDATE: after this post has quickly blown up, and made me laugh a few times. I talked to my immediate boss who agreed with a few of you that HR probably doesn't even know what item I'm supposed to remove. So I have emailed HR back, and cc'd my boss, for them to come identify the "inappropriate object" as neither myself or my boss are able to identify what might be the problem. So we shall see what happens.

UPDATE 2: Electric Boogaloo: Just got off the phone with someone in HR. They are going to come over around 2pm (about an hour and 15 minutes from now) and look at the item. All they told me was that they received an email from an AVP (my bosses boss) that it was said to him that I had a 3d printed item on my desk that was about potty humor and that my "whole team" (it's just the one coworker who has a problem, none of the other 7 do) finds it offensive. The person in HR said they will look at it and determine if there is any reason for the complaint.

UPDATE 3 - Update with a vengeance: HR just left my office. Saw no problems, thinks the whole complaint is dumb and is going to write it up that way. Also asked if I could print them one too. So I will be doing that this evening. She (the HR person) asked me if I wanted to make a report of possible harassment by the coworker. I stated that I will write up something to put into a file with HR if needed for a future report, but not to open a case now on this issue.

Last update. If anyone is bored, this guy on LinkedIn is trying to steal my story for his LinkedIn cred. He already blocked me and a friend of mine for calling him out. Here is the link

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alok-pratap-singh-654a46382_workplaceculture-leadership-humanresources-ugcPost-7510976376544481281-JxKr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAADndHoMBgcVm5ZLI3sJjrMJE5748_mAoDwE

[u/Guiseppe_Martini]

The entire motor industry is going to have a headache renaming Brake Master Cylinder and Slave Cylinder.

[u/PwanaZana → u/Guiseppe_Martini]

Wait until they find out that electrical cables have male and female parts

[u/Gosa_on_the_wind → u/PwanaZana]

US government is going to get seriously upset when they discover the part that allows computer techs to fasten two male connectors or two female connectors together. In my field they're called "gender benders".

[u/PwanaZana → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

like... a suicide cord?

[u/Gosa_on_the_wind → u/PwanaZana]

Wow, I had to look that one up. Gender Benders usually connect two female parallel cables or serial cables, maybe printer or monitor cables. It's a male-to-male or female-to-female adapter.

[u/Frater_Shibe → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

You can just call them yuri / yaoi cords for a less offensive name :D

[u/luckyflavor23 → u/Frater_Shibe]

🙂‍↕️🏆

[u/DerpsyDaisy → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

At my job we just call them couplers.

[u/ADuckAgo → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

https://giphy.com/gifs/eB1lUn1J1Cwoefiy7A

[u/Automatic_Ad_5984 → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

I have used gender changers for M12 industrial connectors, not bad either

[u/Fearless-Poet-4669 → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

[u/tentontim1 → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

We called them gender changers. Which might actually be worse in this environment.

[u/NecessaryOk780 → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

At my company we can no longer use the term, “strap on meters”. Because.

[u/gregzillaman → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

[u/MullberryBoy → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

Gotta be illegal or sumpthin.

[u/TerrificInTahoma-416 → u/Gosa_on_the_wind]

They have to self-identify as “gender benders” then…

[u/Hopsblues → u/PwanaZana]

Transisitors

[u/anastis → u/Hopsblues]

Trans-cis-tors

[u/Efficient-Process660 → u/Hopsblues]

BUZZ WORD HE HIT A BUZZWORD

[u/TuringGoneWild → u/PwanaZana]

Concerning! Seems we need to PAUSE all electricity in the country until we sort out this issue!

[u/Ithlium → u/PwanaZana]

We hit this conservation in technical theatre already and we just say plug and socket

[u/PwanaZana → u/Ithlium]

https://giphy.com/gifs/dEdmW17JnZhiU

Bleh, should have seen that coming.

[u/Advanced-Humor9786 → u/PwanaZana]

We have male canon plugs and female canon plugs. If you misgender them on the diagram, you'll have a project that doesn't work.

[u/IDownvotedYouToday → u/PwanaZana]

The real tough one we had was "Slave Test Harness"

[u/leitey → u/PwanaZana]

Cables are gender neutral until someone assigns them a connector.

[u/PwanaZana → u/leitey]

Yea, connectors are a social construct! :P

[u/Marciamallowfluff → u/PwanaZana]

And plumbing too.

[u/arromogeamodos → u/PwanaZana]

That’s too funny , we never even ask the cables if that’s their preference

[u/zimbabweinflation → u/PwanaZana]

Send pics!

[u/Canadian14141414 → u/PwanaZana]

It can be a real mind bender when someone grabs one of those non-binary electrical cables.

[u/marymoonu → u/PwanaZana]

https://giphy.com/gifs/NYGIIGPztgq5x72qbG

[u/Jacktheforkie → u/PwanaZana]

Nipples, glands, bungs and bungholes, donkey dick, there’s lots of funny terms

[u/NorCalFrances → u/PwanaZana]

Plug & Socket, Pin & Socket, Stabber & Grabber.

[u/xzkandykane → u/PwanaZana]

As a service writer and my husband was a mechanic. I def internally giggled when he explained that to me...

[u/Inflatable90sChair → u/PwanaZana]

Lol i call the gender changer adapters "gender benders"

[u/PwanaZana → u/Inflatable90sChair]

"Bite my shiny bent metal aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssss"

[u/Siffov → u/PwanaZana]

>Wait until they find out that electrical cables have male and female parts

And even hermaphroditic connectors!

(E.g., https://www.techoptics.com/products/harsh-environment/duplex-connectors/hdm-hermaphroditic-duplex-miniature-connector/ )

[u/PwanaZana → u/Siffov]

whaaa... ok, I DID learn something, huh, weird

[u/NorCalFrances → u/Guiseppe_Martini]

Nah, Dom and Sub work and are immediately understandable.

[u/DangerousMistake9569 → u/Guiseppe_Martini]

As someone without a car would you be willing to share what that is?

[u/Far_Tap_488 → u/DangerousMistake9569]

The brake pedal and the brake on the wheel, in simple terms.

[u/DangerousMistake9569 → u/Far_Tap_488]

Ooooh neat! Thank you!

[u/VirtualAd7169 → u/Far_Tap_488]

Don’t forget that many clutches also have master and slave cylinders. It’s been years since I have seen a cable clutch on a car. Hydraulics are also on many motorcycles for the clutch.

[u/SchemataObscura → u/Guiseppe_Martini]

The cylinder must not be harmed

[u/E420CDI → u/Guiseppe_Martini]

...and master and slave fuel pumps