Pretty much every office has that one self-appointed “Dr. Phil” who just can’t resist meddling in everyone’s personal life. They think they’ve got a PhD inrelationshipsbecause they’ve watched a few talk shows and had a long weekend of self-reflection. Yeah, we’ve all met one.
Whether it’s offering unsolicited advice or diagnosing your love life over the breakroom coffee machine, they’re always there, ready to drop their so-called “wisdom.”
But when one Redditor found himself on the receiving end of some truly wild advice from his office’s resident know-it-all, things got awkward real fast.
More info:Reddit
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When the self-proclaimed office “relationship expert” gets the scoop on your private life, unsolicited advice and gossip flow faster than the breakroom coffee
Image credits:andreas / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits:gpointstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits:cookie_studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The coworker started spreading rumors about the husband, calling him a “creep” and telling people to stay away from him, which forced the man to involve HR
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The original poster of this weird story (let’s just call him Mike), a 30-year-old happily married man, has been with hishusbandfor six years and married for two. Things were peachy in his life, until Sara came along, the self-appointed relationship expert at the office. You know the type, someone who thinks they’ve unlocked the secrets to everyone else’s love life, despite having zero qualifications or context.
While they were casually chatting about relationships during theirlunchbreak, Sara asked Mike about his marriage and, when she found out about the 10-year gap between him and his husband, she dropped this absolute gem of wisdom: “Are you sure he didn’t groom you?” Sure, that’s a casual question you ask someone you recently met.
When it comes to grooming, it’s important to remember that the real experts (you know, the kind with actual degrees) agree that it’s all about manipulation and power. According to the pros,groomingusually involves building trust to exploit someone, often much younger and in vulnerable situations. However, age gaps alone don’t define grooming – it’s the unhealthy control behind the scenes that raises red flags.
Image credits:Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
But the story doesn’t end with the laugh. Nope, Sara just couldn’t let it go. She doubled down on her “helpful” concern, repeatedly dropping hints tocoworkersabout the supposed “creepiness” of the age gap. It got so bad that even people who didn’t know the full story were fed up with her.
Realizing this was spiraling out of control, Mike did what any level-headed person would do—he turned to HR. And, to their credit, HR set up an informal meeting with both parties. What followed was the awkward showdown we didn’t know we needed.
During the meeting, Sara, our resident relationship vigilante, tried to defend her actions with the classic “I’m just looking out for you” line, which felt about as sincere as a soggy handshake. She even added some weird claims about manipulation and grooming dynamics like she was the Dr. Phil of the office. But when Mike asked her how old she thought he was, Sara guessed, wait for it, 24. Yup, 24.
If that doesn’t work and the office chatterbox won’t stop, HR is your go-to, which is exactly what Mike did to make Sara stop spreading rumors about him and his husband. No one should have to tolerate gossip or nosy remarks in the workplace, so speak up, document it, and let HR work their magic. Plus, you’ll be setting a solid example for the next person dealing with a wannabe Dr. Phil.
Thanks! Check out the results:Shelly Fourer
Ieva Pečiulytė
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Relationships
