ArcaMax

Dear Amy: I'm a woman working for a software startup. We are all millennials. I really enjoy my job, except for this: Picture a group of (mostly male) software developers shooting Nerf guns at each other, with Nerf darts whistling past you, hitting windows, office equipment and other employees.

There is nowhere to physically "hide" from these battles. Only a few higher-ups have offices.

I'm caught in the crossfire on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis and have gotten hit by darts multiple times. If it's somewhere below my neck, it doesn't bother me as much. But recently I was hit in the back of the head. I just think this goes beyond normal workplace fun, and is a huge distraction.

A few months back another employee got hit in the eye and had to seek medical attention for a scratched cornea.

Am I overreacting here, or do I have valid concerns? Is this an HR issue, or should I accept this as a normal office activity that management knows about?

I don't want to voice my concerns for fear of being labeled difficult to work with. But at the same time, I don't think it's too much to ask not to have to worry about getting injured at work in an office.

I'm pretty sure there are quite a few other co-workers who quietly feel the same way but I suspect they are also afraid of voicing a concern and being labeled as a bad apple.

-- Battle Scarred

Dear Battle Scarred: I don't have much personal insight into the crazy world of Silicon Valley, so I asked my friend, Axios tech journalist Ina Fried, for some advice. Here's her response:

"While it's great that your colleagues have so much, um, enthusiasm, you certainly have the right to do your work without having to constantly worry about friendly fire. That said, no one wants to be known as the office killjoy, so some diplomacy makes sense, too.

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