To feel bad for the new employee at work

How horrible.

I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over someone so privileged… I’m sure she’ll be just fine!
This is the flip side of sending your kids to posh schools… in the real world people are not as impressed…

but she didn't. she got interrogated and then people have found out where it is, looked online and worked out how much it cost.

It's not like she's been bragging about her free flat is it? She mentioned she was moving, and people got nosey and pushed for details.
They should mind their own business if they can't handle being jealous of a lucky young lady. Pathetic.

i was a source of frustration because i was junior and earning peanuts, which they knew.

however i had a good eye for a bargain and my mum taught me to sew. altering clothes is a quick way to make something look much better quality. i used to use an old bag which was my nan's. at the time it looked old but not old fashioned. it wasn't a brand, she'd just looked after it well and i liked it.

drove them mad that they couldn't work out the handbag, and that if they asked me where i'd bought something, the answer was usually oxfam.

She's a bit tone deaf saying that she's been given a flat worth £2m, though. Never talk about money with work colleagues!

A simple comment about moving house shouldn't elicit so much discussion.

But I agree - the less shared with colleagues the better.

It also shows the downside of work social events! If she'd not gone to that event, none of this would have happened.

She maybe will learn not to casually drop into convo that you've been gifted a 2 million pounds house as a graduation present. It's pretty jaw dropping to some people, and I would definitely think she was beyond spoilt. It sounds awful but I'd question why she even needs to work? But of course that would be feelings I was embarrassed about. And I wouldn't want anyone to know. I would try and make friends with her and see her good points. She can't help coming from a loaded family any more than we can't help being bang average/broke.
But maybe she could try and hide a bit of her privilege, at least at first impressions. It's a shame but it might be the only way.
If the worst thing that happened to her is people are jealous of her wealth then I'd say she'll get on just fine.

This is why you NEVER talk about money at work or anything to do with your private life . In my experience it's best just to go under the radar .

That’s not what happened. They interrogated her until she answered.

equally, isn't there a truism that you shouldn't ask questions when you might not like the answer?

if she'd swanned in and airily announced that she was getting a free flat, then yeah, fair enough.

but if she says she's moving and then ends up being cross-questioned by people who want to know exactly where, and what it looks like, and how she can afford it and so on - that's on them, is it not?

@MidnightBlossom I worked with someone who would take photos of handbags under desks while colleague was in the loo / meeting….and Google image search where it came from and would announce the price to the office (If it was high!)

I don't think she should be getting bullied, but I do think she needs to learn to be more discreet about her wealth. Letting everyone know the value of her free property and turning up to work in head to toe designer stuff is not going to rub people up the wrong way rightly or wrongly.

“you won’t be able to afford that on your salary”???

1 - that is absolutely no one’s business
2 - there’s no way in hell they would have said that to a man!!

If I were you I’d tell HR.

Well, it was insensitive of the girl to say the least, to mention the price of the flat, if she actually did - or that it was an outright gift.

A person with good social skills would have realised that revealing such good fortune to those who may well be a lot less fortunate, just isn’t done.

That’s awful of your colleagues to talk to her like that.

I'm quite a jealous person. I hate being like it & I’m working on it - but I’d never talk / interrogate anyone like this. It’s really shitty behaviour.

Some people are obsessed with house prices and salaries.

That’s exactly what my ex colleague was like …. “Oh such and such couldn’t afford that. I’ve checked Glassdoor / found their job spec and they couldn’t afford it. Must be getting help”

They sound jealous!
Just support her the best you can & call the arseholes out on it.

do not underestimate how nosy and determined some people can be.

i've worked with people like this, who question everything - new coat, where's it from? not seen that handbag before, is it new, how much was it? where are you going on holiday, where are you staying? all built up over time to try and work out how much money you had and what you were spending, and to judge you accordingly.

i do think the advice for her to be a little more guarded is sensible. be non-committal and don't get drawn in.

YANBU.

It's also unwise to divulge such information to colleagues you've known for 5 minutes.

I've met some incredibly wealthy people through work but can't tell you whether their homes are gifted or if they are mortgage free.

So older and more senior colleagues are being nasty about a young woman on the team because her parents are wealthy? Utterly pathetic.

Jealousy can be an ugly thing. This girl can't help where she came from or the education her parents chose for her. She didn't ask or demand for it.

She no doubt worked at uni for her grades. She will not know any different from being brought up with money, some call it privileged I would call it lucky.

What matters is her personality and of course if she does her job.

Publicly call them out on their jealousy. Green doesn’t suit anybody!

It is thoughtless of this young woman to mention a free million pound flat in the company of people who may be struggling to afford a flat share. You might suggest that to her, because if she’s always lived with rich people she may have no idea that people she now works with can be finding high cost of living hard to deal with.