The man I work for has moved both his companies into the same premises, the company I work for is a bit more easy going, we're all more or less the same age and that's great, we've got a good working relationship and if need be we could tell each other to clear off and still be friends at the end of the day. The other company has a couple of people who have got a couple of rods shoved so far up their rear ends you can see it sticking out of their nose.

I was looking for one of the guys from the other company earlier, we tried ringing his office, we started shouting on him a couple of times and when he finally answered I asked jokingly if he was deaf while we were stil out in the store with a couple of the site guys about.

This guy has not long left my office asking me to never speak to him like that again infront of the site guys, he doesn't appreciate it.

Now anyone else in this company would've went 'What? What?' when you ask them if they are deaf but not him, he takes great offence and gurns at me for it.

So what am I meant to do? Because we're in the same building now it's not like I can avoid him completely and I will have to talk to him now and again but how do I know that anything else I might say might cause offence to his poor little delicate ears.

There's plenty about this man and what he says to me that aggrevates the life out of me but I don't take umbruge at it each time I get on with my job and ignore it. If I was talking down to him I would understand but seriously he's no better than any of the site guys so what difference does it make who heard me!