His New Coworker Confronted Him For Treating Her Differently From The Rest Of The Office, But He’s Just Trying To Play It Safe After This Woman Asked HR To Give Everyone Harassment Training
Have you ever worked in an office setting that had bad vibes? Some people get stuck in strictly professional offices, and others can’t stand being in a work environment that feels too loose or unprofessional.
One man was recently confronted by one of his coworkers after he’s been treating her differently from the rest of the office because he was scared of being reported to HR.
He’s been working at the same company for a while and has had nice relationships with his coworkers. He’s not best friends with any of them, but he’s shared some laughs with them, gone out for drinks with them off the clock, and overall feels comfortable in his work environment.
Recently, his company hired a new employee. Soon after she was hired, everyone in the office received an email from human resources telling them they had to attend an employee conduct and harassment meeting.
At the meeting, they were encouraged to keep conversations unrelated to work to a minimum and stay professional. The company was also given advice they had already heard before, like never making comments on anyone’s physical appearance.
The human resources employees also played a few pre-recorded scenarios for them, one including how they should behave if they see each other outside of work. They were taught that the right way to interact with their fellow employees in public is to keep the conversation short and brief.
The meeting was odd because although they’ve had to sit through HR meetings before, this one was much more extensive than usual.
Eventually, the new employee admitted to asking HR if they could give that presentation.
“She said that she agreed with everything we learned and that it was good to know,” he remembered.
LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
“I’m not here to judge her or say she did the wrong thing. I don’t know what she experienced in [the] short time she’s worked here or at a previous job. I don’t know the kind of life she has lived or what she’s gone through.”
When he ran into his new coworker at a coffee shop, he behaved like the exemplary employees in the HR video. They had a friendly and short conversation before he went on his way. They ran into each other at the grocery store a little while later, and he did the same thing.
However, his coworker seemed to be put off by his more reserved behavior, even though he was doing exactly as HR told him.
While he’s been more reserved with the new employee, he’s continued to be more friendly and outgoing with her other coworkers. They have a history together and are a lot more “buddy-buddy.”
The difference in his behavior has bothered the new employee, who eventually confronted him and asked why she was more isolated from everyone else in the office.
“I told her I just don’t want anything to be misconstrued,” he explained.
“I’m doing what HR suggested. I’m obviously not going to give my coworkers I already have a bond [and] friendship with the cold shoulder to accommodate one new person. She said she agreed with everything we learned from HR, so I am just applying it.”
Should he be more personal with his new coworker, or is he being smart by following the rules?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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