My Co-Worker Is Losing It Over My Religion

October 25, 2026
Business

Dear Work Friend,

I’m a practicing Buddhist working at a university, with a desk next to a difficult co-worker.

One recent afternoon, while a colleague and a student were talking about a campus event, she loudly wondered whether they’d be “serving Kool-Aid.” The next morning, I found a piece of paper with “the cult” on it taped to her otherwise bare desk, hanging toward my work space.

With H.R.’s blessing, I calmly asked her what the sign meant. She told me to keep her name out of my mouth, mocked my “Karen voice,” and insisted that “the cult is a band!” Since then, she has mimicked my typing, drummed on her desk whenever I stop typing, and moved the sign so it now faces only me.

I reported everything in writing to H.R., which responded that because this co-worker has a pending lawsuit against the university, they can’t take action against her right now, since it could look like retaliation. Their solution was for me to move my desk, but there is no other space.

I don’t want to sue my employer. I just want to come to work without being mocked for my faith. I’m exhausted from managing this on my own while the person causing it faces no consequences.

What can I do when H.R.’s hands seem tied? And how do I keep working next to someone who clearly wants me to feel unwelcome?

Anonymous