To ask if you've ever been mistaken ...

[haveyoueverbeenmistaken]

Have you ever been mistaken at work for doing a different role, eg you're the CEO and someone thought you were the office junior and asked you to
make coffees for the meeting?

@Cismyfatarse that made me laugh out loud on a train! Great name btw.

In my previous job as Ops Manager I asked our work experience lad to put his phone away and crack on with some work. As I walked away he said 'Does he think he runs the place' - followed by an uproar of laughter from my colleagues when they informed him of who I was.

Not so much mistaken identity, but I used to have a very similar name to someone much further up the food chain in my last job, this person also used to be part of some GDPR steering group, they used to regularly circulate all their confidential emails to me.

Yes! Sadly it was a long time ago - I'm more likely to be mistaken for a sack of potatoes nowadays 😅

not one of mine…

but one of the most depressing I heard was Joan Smith in her book ‘Misogynies’

she was a reporter who covered the Yorkshire ripper murders…

one day, the police held a meeting for all the sex workers in the area to see if any recognised the voice in a tape sent to them by someone claiming to be the Yorkshire ripper.

The next day they held a press conference. When Joan Smith arrived with notepad and dictaphone, a policeman told her ‘ sorry love, the meeting was yesterday’

This was the 80’s ffs!!

My first week in a new job

To be fair, I knew nothing much but was included in a meeting just for my info and to meet people. I clocked a trolley of cups and vacuum coffee/tea flasks at the side and thought to myself "what is the betting they ask me to hand round the coffees"

I knew I had found the right boss when at coffee time, he got up, poured the first coffee and offered it to someone else then got himself one.

Everyone else followed his lead and helped themselves.

Really enjoyed that job.

Cleaner here... Often get mistaken for The Lady Of The House by delivery people!

I was mistaken for the domestic staff in my gym locker room the other day. The staff wear all black and I had on black gym leggings and a black vest top.

She was very rude and shouted at me, "there are no bags for my wet swimsuit!"

At that point, I hadn't realised the mistaken identity so shrugged and said sarkily, "oh what a pity".

Well, she looked at me like I'd just shat in her kettle and puffed herself up, ready to really shout, when I picked up my water bottle and boxing gloves and walked away. She obviously realised I was another member and the wind was taken out of her sails.

She tutted, shook her head indignantly and looked around sheepishly checking if anyone else had noticed. 😂😂 I hope it made her think about how she speaks to people in future.

Or because they are a woman

In hospital a doctor referred to my dad as my husband. That was fun.

I was working in a very male dominated space for a time and we were hiring. I went in to interview a candidate (I'm a very experienced interviewer so definitely would not have come across nervous or awkward). I said hello, introduced myself and to put the candidate at ease asked if the temperature was ok or should I open a window. He asked for a cup of tea. I was surprised and slightly irritated but smiled and said yes. I returned and attempted to begin the interview.

To my utter confusion every question I asked received a response along the lines of "oh yes I know that don't worry" and "yeah I'll tell them all about that thanks". No amount of probing or even staying "please tell me about it" or "could you answer the actual question" helped.

The other two members of the team came after me - both men - and I didn't get a chance to share notes. They were
disappointed with my assessment as they had liked him.

When I told the recruiter why we weren't proceeding she went to get / give feedback then phoned me with an explanation. Apparently he had assumed the interview hadn't yet begun till I left and the two men came in. He thought I was lovely, the girl on reception who came into chat while he was waiting and settle his nerves.

When me and my dp were in our early 20s I had a procedure done at a small private hospital.

He came to visit with a big bunch of flowers but rocked up at the nursing home next door and announced to the front desk that he had cone to visit his girlfriend. They were v confused as he did look really young at that time!

This also happens to me at Tesco and I don't wear blue!

@Beanbagtrap - I hope you never change. Women can be fun, playful and one of the girls and also outstanding managers and leaders.

To set the scene:

1. my husband looks very young

2. we are fortunate to live in a relatively large house

My husband answered a knock at the door from a salesman. They asked him if his mum or dad were in.

Oops, posted the last message too soon ....

Because he looks young they assumed it couldn't be his house. Bloody stupid!

One of our senior managers at work had a PA. The senior manager was very quiet, plain, almost mousey. The PA was very smartly dressed, and quite imposing. I got them
totally muddled up and assumed the PA was someone very senior.

Why would they ask you to hop off - because they know you've got so much else to do or some other reason?

Not exactly but had a call put through to me by a moany old bastard dissatisfied agent who wouldn’t accept what the TL was telling him (despite it being absolutely correct) and demanded to speak to the manager.

When I asked if I could help he replied ‘oh God you’re a woman’ 🤣

Maybe these days I could turn it back and accuse him of misgendering see if that shut him up!!

As it was he refused to listen to me , told me that both the TL were ‘bloody jobsworths’ and slammed the phone down - oh well

🤣🤣🤣

It was a confidential meeting and they thought I was surplus to requirements.

Since the age of 25 I’ve regularly been asked if I’m a teacher, (I’m not). I used to think it was because I must look similar to a local teacher. I dismissed this idea, as within a week of moving to America, I was asked the same question. This happened repeatedly, almost weekly, by random strangers, both sides of the Atlantic. Continued to get asked when I moved back to UK. This has been going on for more than thirty years! Although in the last two years it has changed to are you a dog trainer.

I work in a school office. A parent constantly kept coming in & asking for me by name, discussing various issues about her invoices (lunches & nursery fees etc.) which I assisted with. One day & asked the head to come & speak to her as it needed a decision that I couldn’t make. She dismissed him & said that she didn’t think it appropriate that my junior should be present. Apparently she thought he was at the gate every morning & afternoon as he had to unlock/lock the gate.

Often mistaken for student when I was staff, University job. I'm very scruffy.

@wellstopdoingitthen your post reminded me of my first day of teaching in a primary school, fresh out of college. At lunchtime, one of the midday supervisors came into the classroom and told me to go out to play like the other children.

Yep, I’ve been there too!