[timv]

The article was updated. It now says > he told me it was fine

It used to say > he told me he didn't complain

They're different. The original article definitely read like

I decide to turn the lights off in a shared office without checking with anyone else, but my office-mate assures me that he wasn't the one who ratted me out

[wincy]

I was really annoyed by my coworkers turning off the lights. It was dark and it made me sleepy. Eventually we just pulled out half the light bulbs which everyone seemed happy with.

[bradknowles]

Years ago, I shared an office with a guy when I was working at UT Austin in the Communication Center (COM) building.

He liked to have the overhead fluorescent lights turned off, and use natural light coming in through the tiny window at the end of the room. I liked to have more light on for the room.

We compromised on the rule that whoever got to the office first would get to set the light switch policy for the day. It worked for us. No one needed to complain to HR or our manager.

Sometimes, if we are civil human beings to each other, we can work out solutions to problems that may not be ideal for everyone, but at least aren’t as bad as the other alternatives.

Of course, some businesses are too big to let that kind of thing happen, and some people are incapable of treating others like human beings or compromising.

And then there are cases where it simply isn’t possible to compromise.

I wish everyone good luck on this subject, and hopefully you won’t have too many of those bad situations in your life.