Whispering at work is not automatically about you. But when two coworkers keep glancing over and laughing every time you move, answer the phone, or return to your desk, it starts to feel personal. The goal is not to accuse too soon. The goal is to protect your confidence and stop shrinking.
The Letter
Dear Donna,
I work in an office where two coworkers sit near me. They are close and whisper to each other all day. They laugh quietly and seem to have their own private world.
That part does not bother me by itself. People are allowed to have work friends. I do not need to be included in every conversation.
The problem is that I sit nearby, and lately I feel like their laughter happens at specific moments.
If I answer the phone, they glance over and laugh. If I stand up, they whisper and laugh. If I come back to my seat, I feel like they look at me and laugh again.
Each moment sounds small by itself. Nothing is obvious enough to report. Nothing I can point to and say, “They are definitely making fun of me.”
But when it happens again and again, I feel self-conscious. I wonder if I am walking strangely, talking strangely, or doing something wrong. I keep things polite and professional. I am not trying to join their friendship. I only want to do my work without feeling like I am the secret office joke.
Am I being too sensitive? What do I do without making myself look dramatic?
Signed,
T.
Donna’s Answer
First, let us be fair.
You do not know for sure that they are laughing at you.
And now let us be honest.
It is deeply unpleasant to sit near two whispering giggle machines who keep looking in your direction like you have been cast in a private comedy show you never auditioned for.
You are not wrong to feel uncomfortable.
Human beings notice social signals. Glances. Timing. Whispering. Laughter. Repetition. You are not wrong for trying to connect the dots.
The tricky part is this: your feeling is real, but the evidence is not fully clear.
So the answer needs dignity, not drama.
What Is Really Happening
The worst part of this situation is not the laughter.
It is the uncertainty.
If someone openly insults you, the problem has a name. Rude. Unprofessional. Reportable. Done.
Whispering and glancing live in the fog. You cannot fully prove it, but you cannot fully ignore it either. So your mind keeps replaying the same questions.
Were they laughing at me?
Did I look strange?
Should I say something?
Am I imagining it?
That kind of ambiguity turns a normal workday into middle school with office chairs.
And yes, adults sometimes behave like middle schoolers.
Still, you need to be careful.
If they are not laughing at you, you do not want to create unnecessary awkwardness. If they are laughing at you, you do not want to hand them the satisfaction of watching you scramble.
So we choose calm.
Very annoying for them.
Very stabilizing for you.
What To Remember
Do not make their laughter your mirror.
You answer the phone and they laugh. That does not mean your voice is weird.
You stand up and they whisper. That does not mean your body is embarrassing.
You return to your desk and they glance over. That does not mean you are the subject.
Maybe they are laughing at you. Maybe they are laughing at something on their phones. Maybe one of them has the emotional maturity of a decorative pencil.
We do not know.
But you do not need to hand them the power to define you.
Your job is not to become smaller so nearby people get to giggle comfortably.
The first boundary is internal:
I will not shrink because someone else is unclear.
That is the sentence.
What To Say Next Time
Script 1:
“Did you need something?”
Script 2:
“I noticed you looked over and laughed. Was there something you needed from me?”
Script 3:
“I have noticed this a few times when I am on calls or moving around. Is there something going on?”
Script 4:
“Okay. I wanted to check because the timing has felt uncomfortable.”
Script 5:
“I am here to work, and I would like to keep the space professional.”
Use the first script as the lightest interruption. Use the second if you want to make the glance visible. Use the third if the pattern continues. Use the fourth if they deny it. Use the fifth if they get defensive or dismissive.
The magic of “Did you need something?” is that it does not accuse. It simply turns the spotlight back on the behavior.
If they were not laughing at you, no real harm is done.
If they were laughing at you, they now know you noticed.
What Not To Do
Do not glare at them all day.
That makes you look like the office security camera.
Do not ask random coworkers if they think those two are laughing at you.
Office gossip moves faster than free cake.
Do not explode after weeks of silence.
That turns a repeated small behavior into one big dramatic scene, and suddenly people discuss your tone instead of their conduct.
Do not spend the whole day monitoring them.
That gives them rent-free office space in your nervous system.
Instead, observe patterns lightly. Are they doing this only around you? Do they whisper all day regardless of what happens? Do they laugh near other people too? Does it affect your calls, concentration, or work?
If the behavior keeps affecting your work, document it simply.
Date. Time. What happened. Who was present. Whether it affected a call, meeting, task, or focus.
A manager has more to work with when you say, “Repeated whispering and laughter near my desk is distracting during calls,” than when you say, “I think they dislike me.”
Keep it concrete.
Donna’s Final Word
You might be misreading part of it.
You might also be reading the room exactly right.
Either way, you do not need to become smaller at your own desk.
Look up, use a calm voice, and ask, “Did you need something?”
Tiny sentence. Very polite. Very professional.
Better Words Studio 
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