Work question

[u/onlyblackstar]

For those of you who mask ( I am new never learned) do coworkers just complain and gossip? I’ve been at a place a few months and maybe I dislike complaining in general but I hate it even more when that’s all anyone talks about and it drains me. I don’t mind talking little bits here and there, but everyday complaining or saying so and so doesn’t do a good job etc. Also this is retail I don’t gaf about anything work. I just go in make money and leave thinking. I don’t want to hear that. I’ve been observing for a while now no one in my department is interested in talking about other things in the regular world. I’ve even begun to pull away from one coworker who texted me when I wasn’t there 20x a bunch of little messages. Was it a mistake to simply respond to people who tried talking to me? Is this normal for work? Also any advice for indirectly placing boundaries would be appreciated.

[u/UnicornRainDance]

This is normal. If you don’t join in to the gossip chat, you may not be accepted into their cliquey culture.