and how do I react next time they don’t greet me?
I started working at this department 3 weeks ago. I went into the office I now work at, greeted 2 coworkers I’ve already worked with, they looked at me, said nothing, kept talking to themselves.
How am I supposed to interpret that?
To me this is disrespectful, maybe you disagree?
Then, as I was working, I saw both of them staring at me. What am I supposed to do when that happens? To me this signals hostility and passive aggressiveness.
I separate private life from personal one but even I know that the least you can do is to greet your coworkers, unless you want them to quit.
Is it possible that they greeted you nonverbally since they were already in a conversation?
Don’t let it get to you. They’ll come around if you keep up the positive vibes. You’re also new, so you’ll be learning the behaviors of people you barely know. It’s also possible that these folks are quite friendly, but maintain a strict focus when they aren’t taking a break. There are a million different reasons why they didn’t verbally respond, so don’t take it personally.
The way I greet people at work is a basic “hey” and wave as I walk by, if they don’t seem too busy. If they respond I hear it, if they wave I’ll hopefully see it, and if they do nothing then I’ve already walked past them.