With a 2023surveyof 5,902 Americans, the Pew Research Center reinforced the idea that workplace relationships play a major role in our overall satisfaction with our jobs.That means even if employees aren’t entirely happy with their salary, workload, or career opportunities, the people around them can still make their days at the office worthwhile.At the same time, however, unnecessary drama, lack of support, and just poor communication in general can overshadow all the positive aspects of the job and significantly reduce employee happiness.So in an attempt to remind ourselves to stay aware of each other, let’s take a look at a recent online discussion. It started when Reddit userPuzzleheaded_Eye8358asked everyone on the platform to share the craziest and most inappropriate things a colleague has said to them in the workplace.This post may includeaffiliate links.
With a 2023surveyof 5,902 Americans, the Pew Research Center reinforced the idea that workplace relationships play a major role in our overall satisfaction with our jobs.
That means even if employees aren’t entirely happy with their salary, workload, or career opportunities, the people around them can still make their days at the office worthwhile.
At the same time, however, unnecessary drama, lack of support, and just poor communication in general can overshadow all the positive aspects of the job and significantly reduce employee happiness.
So in an attempt to remind ourselves to stay aware of each other, let’s take a look at a recent online discussion. It started when Reddit userPuzzleheaded_Eye8358asked everyone on the platform to share the craziest and most inappropriate things a colleague has said to them in the workplace.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
I started a new job and I told my hiring manager that I preferred the men’s uniform shirts to the women’s (polo style)I didn’t give my reasoning but for the sake of any readers this was because; there were buttons on the placket for the mens whereas the women’s were open not even just the normal placket without buttons either, it was a ‘V’ neckline on a polo shirt that was deep enough to show an uncomfortable amount of cleavage (my chest could be described as bountiful) and the length if the men’s were reasonable and didn’t have unnecessary princess seams to make it tighter or a cropped bottom that prevented tucking (I prefer to tuck my work shirts)The hiring manager responded “you lesbians get crazier and crazier, already wearing pants now you can’t even wear the shirts designed for you??”I thanked him for his time and walked down to HR (where I had just received my office access card) insisted that I do an exit interview with the lovely lady in the office and then I dropped my shiny new access card and walked away. I had received another job offer the day prior thankfully that I hadn’t responded to yet. Best snap decision I have ever made. I have worked with that company and an amazing team of people for the past seven years now.
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A coworker tried to compliment me on being “one of the good immigrants who did it correctly” … I was born and raised in the US.
We got in touch with Puzzleheaded_Eye8358 and they were kind enough to tell us more about their now-viral post.“I came up with the idea to ask Reddit this question when I was speaking with my husband about my past work incident,” they toldBored Panda. “I wanted to see what others had to say about their own experiences.”
We got in touch with Puzzleheaded_Eye8358 and they were kind enough to tell us more about their now-viral post.
“I came up with the idea to ask Reddit this question when I was speaking with my husband about my past work incident,” they toldBored Panda. “I wanted to see what others had to say about their own experiences.”
“Girl Scouts is a faith-based organization.“It absolutely is f*g NOT. Girl Scouts is for everyone. Religion is not involved and should not be involved. Literally anyone who has ever worked for any Girl Scout council for more than two minutes should know that.Long story short, this is how she tried to justify having us pray to Jesus Christ Our Lord And Savior IN STAFF MEETINGS. And then that is how the vice president of HR had to drive across the state of Georgia to physically visit every council office and have a meeting about how you really, really cannot do that. Because I dimed that st immediately. Don’t fk with my Girl Scouts.
“You shouldn’t wear that lipstick, it makes me want to kiss you. You shouldn’t wear that dress.”Then, when he caught me in the stairwell “can I kiss you?”He was in his 50s. I was in my 20s. I wanted to vomit.
Puzzleheaded_Eye8358 said that, after going through the thread, the main recurring theme they’ve noticed was, unfortunately, sexual harassment.
I was 28 or 29, and a man commented on how I should get married and have kids soon because I was “running out of time”I f*****g hated that guy.
“I believe that having a filter is very important, especially at work,” Puzzleheaded_Eye8358 added. “Just because something pops into your mind does not mean you should say it.““We are all adults and professionals. Let’s act like that and treat each other with respect. We never know what people are going through, so work should be a safe space for everyone.”
“I believe that having a filter is very important, especially at work,” Puzzleheaded_Eye8358 added. “Just because something pops into your mind does not mean you should say it.”
“We are all adults and professionals. Let’s act like that and treat each other with respect. We never know what people are going through, so work should be a safe space for everyone.”
I was all of 18 and working at a STATE AGENCY. After months of sexual harassment, I resigned. In my last couple of weeks, one of the officers said, “You know we’re going to make love at least once before you leave, right?”.
Dispatched for a towing company for almost as a decade. Had a particularly useless driver come in and describe his last customer as a “fat ner bh.” Told him to never talk to me again and reported him to management.Wasn’t even the last time a driver used that word in front of me. I knew I was out of place as a liberal, but goddamn.
Amy Gallo, who is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of theWomen at Workpodcast, and the author of the bookGetting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), said that regardless of whether the person meant to be rude, our emotional reaction in these situations is valid.When we’re deciding how to react, it’s important to remember that “we often focus on the risks of actions, our minds going directly to the worst-case scenario, rather than the downsides of not doing something,” Gallosaid. “So take time to consider the risks of not speaking up as well.“Perhaps not addressing the behavior would violate our personal values or the cultural norms we stand for. We might inadvertently condone the comment if we let it pass or miss an opportunity to help the person understand how their words impact others.
Amy Gallo, who is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of theWomen at Workpodcast, and the author of the bookGetting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), said that regardless of whether the person meant to be rude, our emotional reaction in these situations is valid.
When we’re deciding how to react, it’s important to remember that “we often focus on the risks of actions, our minds going directly to the worst-case scenario, rather than the downsides of not doing something,” Gallosaid. “So take time to consider the risks of not speaking up as well.”
Perhaps not addressing the behavior would violate our personal values or the cultural norms we stand for. We might inadvertently condone the comment if we let it pass or miss an opportunity to help the person understand how their words impact others.
Older guy that I had trained. He was a complainer, but mostly competent so we tuned it out. He grew up in a local neighborhood and was proud of it.A new company doctor was introduced, and I went to the presentation, talked a bit to her. Nice lady, seemed competent. Asian heritage.And old dude, upon hearing her name, said “Oh no. I bet she has a terrible accent.”Looking him in the eyes, I said “Yeah, it’s really hard to understand her. She grew up in your neighborhood.”Old guy blushed and suddenly went to get coffee. Our other team member was dying trying to suppress his laughter….
At my last job I had a co-worker tell me she thought she had herpes. Then proceeded to show me pictures of her bits with the symptoms. This was while we were on our lunch break…eating our lunch.
I used to have a federal job and my supervisor thought it was a good idea to ask me who I voted for in the general election. When I refused, she said she deserved to know, and then I hung up on her. I immediately called a colleague, and there would be a record of her wildly inappropriate question. The next day, she called me in a panic, claiming that her foot hurt, and that was the reason why she asked.
“Wow, you lost a lot of weight, but at least you kept your tits!”My two bosses (male and female) laughed when I told them.
I’m black (West Indian black. Not African. There’s a difference) and I was sitting in my office minding my business one day. Our chief financial officer came in during December and screeched “Happy Kwanzaa!!!” I pretended not to hear her. In an effort to make her uncomfortable, which it did. She then said my name, and I was like…what do you mean? She said, “don’t you celebrate Kwanzaa?” I replied, “I never have…didn’t even know that was going on.” And she turned super red and said “oh my gosh I’m sorry!”I was like, “ok…I’m gonna get back to work now.”.
I was once partnered with a colleague one shift and this was a day after me and my ex had broken up rather messily. It came up in conversation and then he decided it was appropriate to ask if he could buy nudes off me since I’m single now.
A coworker sent me an unsolicited picture of her hemorrhoid that was causing her to miss work. We didn’t work in the same office. I had no idea she was missing work.
When ordering uniforms, I told the assistant FOH mgr I needed a size 8 pants. He said he didn’t know they made sizes that big. I felt great after that one.
I used to work out in the chemical plants so the “worst” thing said to me was sexual harassment.Dude offered to help me in the restroom. He was more graphic but I’ll let you use your imagination.The good thing that came from that was I saw how many people I worked with and around that said it was unacceptable. They helped me file complaints and protected me till he was run off.
Former Director of the Lake Erie Research Center told me I was stupid and crazy for being pregnant. Then she regaled me with her stories of when she did research while she was pregnant. But that was different because it was her and she’s special.Did I mention she is no longer the director?
When I was in retail, less than 10 minutes after meeting a new manager, she was telling me about her awful period, her marital problems and crying. I handed her tissues and prayed for either customers or for her to stop.
This happened to a friend of mine at her old job, where her manager said to her: “I prefer you to call me ‘sir’ when we’re in bed”.
One of the dishwashers st the restaurant I was a manager of had convinced himself he was in love with me. He would tell me I was pretty, so funny, etc. Didn’t think it was a big deal, as it never seemed threatening. Around Christmas one year, he gave me a “gift” of lace underwear, a box of chocolates & attempted to kiss me (which I did not allow to happen). I let him know it was extremely inappropriate & he should not be doing that to anyone in the workplace He then told me he would quit so that we could be together (idk what reality he was in) & I pretty much assumed he wouldnt be getting the point then or ever. I let HR know, and he got fired immediately.
Lol a coworker said that it is isn’t possible to be discriminated since we weren’t in the South 🤣.My boss told me if a black woman has a PhD then she is now apart the privilege class and her race and upbringing didn’t matter anymore 🫠.I’m so glad I quit last week. This was at a state university where my first supervisor referred to me as a beaner…
The person who trained me at my current position once asked, “You don’t change your own oil? Did your dad walk out on your family when you were little or something?”.
In my first job in my 20’s, the man I worked for came in one morning and told me “I had a dream about you last night. But I can’t tell you about it” I was thoroughly grossed out and didn’t ask. Another time he had me help him find three hidden files on his computer. They were [adult videos]. He was married with three kids and a pillar of the community. I was so glad when I was able to quit.
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My first full-time job I worked with an older lady who was a pain in the a*s and had no filter - I was a few months pregnant at the time and had really bad morning sickness, so the smart thing for her to do was accuse me of being anorexic (yes, you read that right, anorexic) bc there were times in the morning she could hear me in the employee’s bathroom. “Um, that’s not anorexicia…” “yes it is, I hear you puking in the morning!!!” I did manage to make her life miserable a year or two later when I quit to go to a much better job - apparently bc of that she “couldn’t” retire and so she was pissed at me 😅 (she didn’t want to leave them short handed 🙄).
Same company, 2 different incidents, 2 different managers:1) Female manager asked if I would let her kiss me2) Male manager, while on a business trip and driving a rental car, lights up a joint, takes a hit, and asks me if I want some.Was not interested in either.
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Worked in a medical transcription pool years ago. One coworker decided it was getting a little hot and stuffy in the room where we were working, about six or eight people and a dozen or so computers. She took her shirt off. She sat there in her bra, doing transcription. It took a while before we could talk her into putting her shirt back on.We found out much later that she suffered from bipolar disorder and she was on something of a manic episode when she did that.
I had 3 grandparents die in an 8 month period. I was struggling. When I returned to work after the last death (my grandmother who I adored), my supervisor asked if there was anyone left to die.
I worked in a small office of about 20 people. My husband and I, after several years of marriage and very careful saving, were able to buy a very modest house. One of the guys who was about my age and who had a job earning more than me, got married. I didn’t like this guy and while I was polite to him, we rarely spoke much beyond greetings.About six months after his wedding, he came into my office and told me that his wife and he thought we should be able to loan them the $40k they needed for a down payment on the house they wanted to buy.
I had a coworker tell me I should be “dancing the poles”. Twice. :(.
I broke my nose over the weekend and showed up to work with a nose splint. Boss asked loudly in front of everyone “why did you choose to get a nose job when you could have gotten a boob job”. Awkward silence ensued.
After returning to work after a miscarriage a coworker asked if it was intentional or accidental?The same coworker said to me while inspecting a pair of diamond studs I was wearing that she had a pair just like mine only hers were stolen.
I used to be a mortician. One day I was trying to fasten a bra on a very large woman. I’d done it a million times, but my boss happened to walk in and see me struggling and he ordered one of the dudes who picks up bodies to assist me (unnecessary and also I believe may have been illegal to help in that manner) he got in the way and made it even more difficult. I lifted the woman up in a way that would allow him to fasten the bra on, but he still couldn’t do it. I was visibly annoyed. He said “sorry about that, I’m much better at taking these things off” then he winked at me and made a honking sound as he pretended to pinch the woman’s breast. I f*****g hated it there.
I used to work in an exceptionally conservative industry. The vast majority of companies in this industry still have a work culture that belongs on the set of Mad Men. It’s in dire need of an overhaul, but that’s just not going to happen anytime soon.My boss (a woman) at the time told me with a straight face that I “…had to wear heels and a skirt, because how else is anyone supposed to know you’re a woman?”. I was so baffled that I didn’t even respond, I just stood up and left.For context, I have proportions that could be described as extreme. I have never, and will never be mistaken for a man. Not since puberty hit me like a sack of bricks.
I was having my third child and one of the attorneys in the high profile law firm I worked for asked me “what are you a cow”?
I was working on a team of four and my manager was a super religious Church of God member, which I absolutely would never hold against anyone as I am a Christian myself. My mom had just died and I was going through my fifth miscarriage, which I had to tell my manager because it was an ectopic pregnancy and I had to have some treatment at the hospital for it. I took one day off of work for it. When I returned, we were in her car on the way to a client meeting when she said, totally unprompted, “you know, it seems pretty obvious to me that God doesn’t want you to be a mom. There must be something about your character that makes Him not want to trust you with a child. I think it’s time to let go of what you want and walk in His will.”I was speechless. We didn’t have an HR department, and our only HR rep went to her church. I told the principal of our agency and he said it was out of line but he couldn’t say anything to her because he couldn’t afford to lose anyone from the team and I guess she had one foot out the door anyway.But yeah. That was wild.
The boss said, “The only difference between me and your boyfriend is that I’ll leave you a 300 dollar tip.”.
My boss told me he hates wearing long sleeved dress shirts because sometimes when he wipes he gets poo on the sleeve 🤢.
If only I had met you first. He was married and I did NOT appreciate it.
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Justinas Keturka
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Gabija Saveiskyte
Work & Money
