Workplace Nightmares·
THE CROCHET STORM AT WORK
At a relaxed office, a crocheting habit in meetings, approved by management for focus amid ADHD and dyslexia, provokes a colleague who threatens escalation and a looming manager discussion.
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A coworker threatened to take a crocheting habit "to higherups", after the poster's manager had already told them it was okay.
In a workplace filled with meetings, video conferences, and online training, the poster says they have long needed something in their hands just to stay focused. They have ADHD and dyslexia, and they describe a lifetime of working through lectures with yarn or needles. They say they have crocheted and knitted since childhood, and even did it in university lectures, where lecturers encouraged it.
The problem started at work. After bringing up in supervision that they had trouble focusing, the poster says their manager suggested finding something to do with their hands and explicitly okayed it. So in long meetings, they brought in small, mostly hidden crafting on their lap. They say it helped them stay involved, and they still paused to write or type notes and to speak up when needed.
Then a colleague objected.
The coworker told them to stop, calling it rude and disrespectful to everyone in the meeting and to the service users the meetings were about. He also said he would take it to higher-ups if the poster kept doing it.
That threat landed hard. The poster says they were already worried because the manager had approved the setup, and now a colleague was pushing back as if it were forbidden.
Later, the poster added more context. The meetings do not include service users directly. They are usually small, around 6 to 15 people, and the environment is described as relaxed and casual. The crafting is kept unobtrusive. The poster says they only crochet in in-person meetings and knit during online ones.
They also explained that they are not medicated for ADHD, because the side effects make full-time work difficult. In a follow-up, they pushed back on the idea that they should simply try harder to focus, writing: "ADHD and other disabilities do NOT work like that. I can't just focus, i cant just 'grow up', that is NOT how it works."
Still, the dispute wasn't over. In an update, the poster said they planned to speak with their manager on Monday and ask to discuss the issue at the start of the next meeting, so everyone else could weigh in.