Rob Martin

When at work you say to somebody "you have a second? / can I ask you something?" and as a ~~""joke""~~ they respond "no". It is one of the most exhausting things, draining.

Why is it so bad? Isn’t it a joke? Or is it because of repeated use?. Genuinely asking, I want to understand your position and feeling.

I say no to "can I ask you a question?" all the time, because they already have asked me a question. =P I generally always say yes to "Do you have a second?"

It is a polite way of engaging in a conversation not an opening to a beat down joke. At work making these kind of dismissive one sided micro jokes is not the place, as it is very hard to judge if people are being a douche or trying to be funny