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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Odd incident with colleague

191 replies

RainIsAGoodThing · 21/05/2016 20:12

Last night a colleague gave me a lift home from a talk we both had to attend (I KNOW, on a FRIDAY night).

I've worked with this man for about 2 years now, and we've always got on well professionally. He's about 20 years older than me, married and has a child of about 1.

He often offers me lifts home from work things after hours, because we live reasonably close and I think he has fatherly concerns about young women wandering the streets after dark, etc. Fine. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I don't. Yesterday I did as it was raining Grin

I've had a mild cold for about a week. He definitely knows this as I may have, ahem, mentioned it moaned non stop for the whole week. I didn't take any time off though as its mild and I can't be taking time off for every sniffle. I know some people think you should stay off in order to not spread germs around, but I'd probably face a disciplinary if I took time off every time I was under the weather.

Anyway. So we're driving along, and suddenly I sneeze. Not a disgusting snotty one but a reasonably normal, averagely loud sneeze.

He turns to me deadly serious and says: 'if you give me an illness that spreads to my child, I will fucking knock your teeth down your throat'.

That was that - we weren't far from my house so we said goodbye perfectly normally and off I went. But I've been thinking about it today and AIBU to think that's a really bloody odd thing to say to a colleague you've offered a lift to?!?

OP posts:
EveryoneElsie · 21/05/2016 22:09

Can you talk to HR/your supervisor and refuse to be left alone with him at work? Try to keep a third party around if you have to spend any more time with him Flowers

MayhemandMadness · 21/05/2016 22:10

FWIW sounds to me as a father with a 1 yr old who hasn't had much sleep, on top of the normal trying to support wife / family etc and hold down a job. Maybe he's just had a bad day and you caught the end of it on a Friday night after a tough week.

Could be that he meant it, could be the reasons above and he was at end of tether STS. Not saying this was the reason, just trying to offer a different perspective.

monkeywithacowface · 21/05/2016 22:18

Fairly certain when my DH was a sleep deprived father of a baby trying to support his family and hold down a job he didn't ever threaten to knock someone young woman's teeth down her throat because she sneezed Hmm

mumof4teens · 21/05/2016 22:19

Mass Murderer in the Making!
Urgh.... walk, even in dark, torrential rain & hurricanes! Shock

TheDowagerCuntess · 21/05/2016 22:20

Fairly certain when my DH was a sleep deprived father of a baby trying to support his family and hold down a job he didn't ever threaten to knock someone young woman's teeth down her throat because she sneezed Hmm

Quite.

eurochick · 21/05/2016 22:21

I could imagine to jokingly threaten to kill someone if they gave me a bug that I passed on to my child. Since she started going to groups over a year ago I don't think I have had more than a clear week without being ill. I'm so tired and run down that the thought of yet another cold could lead me to joke about something in that way!

Gide · 21/05/2016 22:23

Is his DC immuno-suppressed? Even if he is, the guy knows you've had the sniffles all week. Utterly bizarre.

stealtheatingtunnocks · 21/05/2016 22:27

We have an immuno-suppressed kid.

That is just sinister.

PinkSquash · 21/05/2016 22:27

There are NO reasons to say something that violent.

Gabilan · 21/05/2016 22:29

It has nothing to do with HR it happened outside of work hours and you have no witness

It happened when travelling home from a work event. It has a lot to do with the company - trust me, they'd act quickly enough if anyone did anything they thought affected their reputation, inside or outside of work. No witnesses makes it difficult for them to do anything but it should definitely be noted. He may have form.

As for the notion that it could be a joke - he will be deliberately hiding behind this. It doesn't stop it being intimidating. The intent was to alarm the OP.

GeekLove · 21/05/2016 22:34

I've been unwell, sleep deprived with SAD and a toddler who was a martyr to teething but I have NEVER physically threatened anyone.
That is not an excuse.

monkeywithacowface · 21/05/2016 22:35

See I can understand a jokey comment like

"Oh god if I catch your lurgy I may just have to kill you"

But:

"if you give me an illness that spreads to my child, I will fucking knock your teeth down your throat"

That's not jokey or funny and I have a fairly dark sense of humour.

Samcro · 21/05/2016 22:37

omg OP that is so not funny. YANBU

emilybohemia · 21/05/2016 22:43

'There are NO reasons to say something that violent'.

What Pink said.

georgetteheyersbonnet · 21/05/2016 22:54

That's a bloody nasty form of words, violent and misogynist. He is not a nice person. Agree with others about have a quiet word with a manager and stay well away in future. And yes, it definitely does have to do with HR/your manager if a colleague says something threatening, whether it's out of work hours or not, because it affects your professional relationship.

Flowers OP. How unsettling. I have a colleague who makes odd off comments and sometimes does slightly odd things - not to this level and nothing violent, but the odd boundary-testing comment or similar. I have as little to do with him as I can whilst remaining as professionally polite as possible. But I've marked him down as someone to be very wary of.

Glamourgates · 21/05/2016 22:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zen1 · 21/05/2016 22:58

No, you weren't being over-sensitive. Glad you will not be accepting any more lifts from him. Minimise contact with him as much as you can.

BBQsAreSooooOverrated · 21/05/2016 23:02

Can't tell if he's either got a really odd soh or if he genuinely is an aggressive a hole. Agree best to avoid lifts in future though.

Amammi · 21/05/2016 23:10

I'm sorry this happened to you Rain and I don't mean to freak you out more but does this guy know where you live?

RainIsAGoodThing · 21/05/2016 23:41

Maybe it was a joke but it was delivered in deadly seriousness. I kind of waited a beat for the laughter... that never came.

And even if it was a joke it is not one I appreciate!

He knows vaguely where I live... Not the number of my house I doubt but about where my house is on quite a long road. Why?!

OP posts:
AHellOfABird · 21/05/2016 23:53

That's awful and very deliberately phrased. If it was a "ahh, don't give me that cold or I'll kill you!" then a bit more normal but to make such a specific and aggressive threat is terrible.

Agree - tell your work as a heads up.

GertyTheGert · 22/05/2016 00:15

There are NO excuses, it WASN'T a joke, you know that because you said you waited for a sign........ I would agree, don't accept future lifts from him. He was verbally aggressive but also you do know him from work, and it appears you've also had a latent aggressive "physical" vibe from him too. Trust your instincts totally because no man would say I'LL KNOCK YOUR FUCKING TEETH DOWN YOUR THROAT. If you've not told your friends, tell them too. It isn't an over-reaction on your part because you also mentioned his moans for a week that you have a cold - chrissakes! He is odd, end of.

Foofoobum · 22/05/2016 00:24

Wtf? Stay away from that creepy fucker.

liz70 · 22/05/2016 00:25

I would be dialling 101 and reporting that to the police.

houseeveryweekend · 22/05/2016 00:36

Thats really terrifying! Dont get in a car or go anywhere alone with him again!

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