To think the receptionist at the hospital was a little odd..

[Dyinginsideatthecringe]

Hello,

I have a few mixed reviews on this so thought I would ask complete strangers what they thought -

I went to the hospital today for my 20 week scan and I went to the main entrance reception to put a mask on and do my hands etc all that and the young man on reception asked where I was heading - I couldn't think of the name antenatal and just said "oh it's for my twenty week scan" and he replied saying "ohhhhh have you been doing naughty things?", I was a bit taken back by this as obviously didn't expect it so laughed a bit then walked away but my husband thinks it was completely inappropriate and thinks I should complain (so maybe this is more is my husband BU).

What do people think? Now I don't really think much of it but I don't know if it would have made other women uncomfortable.

YABU - it was a joke.
YANBU - it was unprofessional and he shouldn't have said it.

This is the proof of sexism though isn't it.
Man makes crass joke and a lot people say get a sense of humour it's a joke.
It's a stupid and rude comment.
As some have said previous you don't know how someone has ended up pregnant.

Some reet bellends on this thread. Those telling OP to 'man up' and 'get over yourself' etc. She already said she wasn't offended or going to complain. Stop being arseholes FFS.

Just a weird sense of humour, but I wouldn’t report him. I’d rather have had that comment than face a rude and patronising receptionist, who I had the misfortune to come across at our GP last week.

I find the comment utterly humiliating and agree that you should inform the hospital so the individual can receive extra training. I wouldn't want him fired but...

When I told work about my first pregnancy I wasn't married. At a tea the HR manager kept making horrible public remarks about "Who's the man who did the dirty?" It was embarrassing and shaming and ended with me bursting into hormonal tears. Show some sensitivity people, making jokes about sex leading to pregnancy is just wrong.

My first thought was what if the baby was a result of rape. A comment like that is incredibly inappropriate and I’d be tempted to flag it up and I NEVER complain.

The op's husband heard the remark and thought it was distasteful; he could have spoken to the young man at the time and told him that sort of talk is inappropriate, far better than reporting him. After that, I doubt the chap would do it again.

OP I agree with you, I would have been taken aback too. What a bizarre thing to say.

I quite like light-hearted humour from strangers: dry comments from M&S checkout people, funny tradesmen etc.
This one fell a bit flat but it happens. I'd have found it a bit funny and never thought of it again.

The receptionists at the main Welcome/Reception desk at our (huge) local hospital are all volunteers They might well be or have been professionals in other spheres of their life but they certainly aren’t professional hospital receptionists, the professionals work at the receptions of the various clinics, departments and wards within the hospital. Quite a few of the volunteers at the main desk have some sort of developmental or learning difficulty. I’d assume this young man fell into that category and think this was a tactless and misguided attempt at humour.

I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing to say either.

I think it would be worth mentioning. It falls into one of those awkward in between complaint categories - not really worth an official complaint, but non-not worth mentioning either.

Maybe ping of an email to the hospital saying how it made you feel a little uncomfortable, even though you appreciate it was meant to be banter, and can receptionists just watch what they say.

Totally inappropriate and unprofessional.

I probably wouldn't report it though.

As a senior nurse I would certainly have a word if I overheard a member of staff exercising such poor judgement.

As a member of the public I would be sorely tempted to deliver an impromptu reproduction teaching session complete with correct anatomical terms. But then I can be arsey like that.

It reminds me of a (possibly apocryphal) tale about an anaesthetist giving a young female IV anaesthetic for a termination. He was alleged to have said “Just a little prick dear, bit like the one that got you in here”
Only she heard him and quite rightly complained.

yanbu
but i would not complain

YANBU
Technically sexual harassment. "It's just a joke" is no defense.
As a public facing member of staff, he seriously needs retraining.

I believe he's obviously just a young idiot and meant no harm, but he's currently not fit for his job.

I would complain - he sounds a bit perverted in my opinion or needs training at the very least- his comment was appalling in my opinion. Not everyone gets pregnant through doing naughty things - IVF, rape - a whole range of ways. And even if someone was doing ‘naughty things’ it’s not something you want a stranger bringing up.

I work in an antenatal clinic and I would definitely draw it to the attention of the clinic manager, it’s completely inappropriate. No need to ‘complain’ as such but I’m sure they’d want to know so they could offer some advice to the staff involved. Plenty of our women have certainly not been doing ‘naughty things’, some of them are victims of abuse, some of them are in same sex relationships and some of them have suffered years of struggling with fertility treatment and I’d be mortified if I though any of them were being greeted with that kind of comment!

I think people underestimate how hard it can be to make conversation with hundreds of people a day (I do it as retail staff). Sometimes your mouth just runs away with you as you try to make small chat with someone who's in front of you for three minutes, then on to the next, and the next and the next.

His remark was off colour and very juvenile and he's probably cringeing himself inside out today. But I agree with you, OP it was just a 'mouth running away with self' moment and maybe a letter to the hospital about more training for receptionists, but not mentioning his name or exactly what he said.

Inappropriate, yes. I would say something to him at the time or give a hard stare but wouldn't complain about it. Would he deserve a disciplinary or job loss over it?

At my local hospitals, the doors are attended by volunteers so I doubt hugely that he'd have access to records.

I wont complain and would have responded back with a rude remark .

I think you should have told him directly that you didn’t find it funny and would appreciate it if he keep his comments to himself.
Imagine though if you looked puzzled, didn’t laugh ? it didn’t give him the feedback he wanted he might stop doing it on that basis.
But I wouldn’t complain.

I wouldn't complain no, harmless comment

Inappropriate.
I would email

@Votesforpedro

I wouldn't complain no, harmless comment

Harmless? What if the next woman he says it to, is pregnant as a result of rape? Highly unprofessional

YABU