His Coworker Cried When He Turned Down Matching Gifts She Bought For Him And His Dog, And Now He’s Being Called Rude
Some workplace drama starts with a disagreement over Slack. Others? With a Bichon Frisé mix named Laddu and a dog-loving coworker who just won’t stop bringing gifts.
That’s the situation one 41-year-old man found himself in after a younger coworker in her 20s, described as sweet, bubbly, and objectively pretty, started taking a major interest in his dog, Laddu.
After a chance meeting outside work, she began giving him presents for Laddu. Then she added gifts for him, too. And when he politely refused? She cried. Now, some colleagues are saying he’s the one being rude.
But from his perspective, he’s just trying to maintain his boundaries—and avoid an HR-level misunderstanding.
His coworker joined his office a couple of months back, and while they don’t work in the exact same department, the place is small enough that nobody is a stranger.
He lives pretty close to his job, so his commute isn’t exhausting, and he often encounters his coworkers while he’s running errands or grocery shopping.
His dog, Laddu, comes along with him, as she adores riding around town on his scooter. A month ago, he saw some of his coworkers, including the younger one who had just started working at his company, while he was at a market with Laddu.
Everyone thought Laddu was great, and after a bit of chit-chatting, he went on with his day. Ever since, his younger coworker has been buying presents for him and Laddu.
The first things his coworker bought were a t-shirt and snacks for Laddu. He was grateful, but said it was not something he could accept.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
“She became very adamant, and thankfully, another colleague of mine took the treats for the two dogs who hang around outside our workplace,” he explained.
“The t-shirt still remained, though. I was never impolite, but I didn’t accept it and told her I’ll only take it if she lets me pay her back. Eventually, she took it back.”
Yesterday, his coworker presented him with a tie and an adorable collar for Laddu that matches. He felt so confused as to why she insisted on doing that after the last present incident.
He told his coworker he was uneasy and couldn’t take the presents, and his coworker quickly burst into tears. Instantly, other people in the office jumped in to call him rude.
He was shocked, and in the hours that followed, his other coworkers pulled back from him, and it got awkward in there.
He’s concerned that his younger coworker might continue to buy matching presents for him and Laddu, which is basically his worst nightmare.
“I don’t know how to handle this because I don’t think I’m in the wrong here. Another reason for me being uncomfortable is that she is a lot younger than me, so I don’t want people around me to think that I am somehow encouraging her behaviour,” he added.
“So [am I the jerk] here? And how [do I] navigate this without harming her professionally, which may happen if I confront her in the presence of her department head or other seniors, who are my peers?”
You can read the original post below.
More About:Relationships