To ask for stupid reasons you've been told off at work?

[chailatte123]

I once asked a member of the Senior Team if she had dyed her hair.
Apparently this was very rude.

Oh i forgot! The same workplace as the line manager who said 'British jobs for british people' our Equity Partner said to me when I was sititng in a meeting (1-1) with him 'I don't like your face'.

My face is a little lopsided due to a genetic condition. My left eye droops mainly.

This was (and still is) a law firm. Who paid lip service to diversity and equality stuff.

I was recently diagnosed with PTSD. I lay a part of that to that job.

Telling a child they were behaving like an idiot.....after they'd called me a fucking wanker. Aged 10.

When I was a teenager I worked as an office junior for a TV Production company. I took a message on the phone one day from Jenny Eclair. I'd never heard of her before and asked her to spell her surname, she got really angry and screamed at me "It's ECLAIR, like the CAKE! before slamming the phone down on me. The next day the message recipient came to tell me off, Jenny ECLAIR had made a complaint about me. She was so enraged that some teenager didn't know who she was that she made up a bunch of lies about me being rude to her, which nobody actually believed but they had to be seen to "discipline" me for my grievous mistake!

And more reasonably, for selling off some stock at a 90% discount in my first year of work, in a famous shop. I'd naively thought I'd be applauded as it was well known in that famous London shop that this particular bunch of stock (think a type of antiques) was mostly very over-priced forgeries and fakes. I didn't realise that the company used it to inflate the value of the stock, and thus the directors' bonuses.

Just like in Devil Wears Prada ?! :)

I had no idea she was in that, I don't think I've seen it!

That is definitely rude unless she's a good friend!

I once got 'do you actually work here' as a joke because I didn't know the gossip everyone else knew.

I was a junior doctor in my first year of working (after 6 years of medical school) - couldn't get the ancient computer to work with the projector at the morning surgical meeting. Surgical consultant shouted at me in front of the room of colleagues, told me I was the worst junior he had ever worked with. Spent the whole shift trying and failing not to cry.. when working with same consultant two days later he told me I was excellent clinically and one of the best juniors he had ever worked with 🤔

Ha! It's not Jenny Eclair on the phone, but it's the same idea.
I think it was Versace on the phone, and the assistant has never heard of them.

I got told off for starting work just before 9 and finishing at 5. My contracted hours were 9-5. Overtime would kick in at 5.20 and if you worked until 5.30 would get half an hour but if you worked before 9am or until 5.15 which was expected, they'd get work from you but you'd get bugger all in renumeration. High Street bank beginning with B in the 1990s.

I was told off for arriving at work 45 minutes before my start time, for wearing trainers, as I was in the middle of swapping my shoes to heels. I had an hours walk to work each day…

Same boss also told me off for eating breakfast at my desk 30 minutes before my start time whilst letting the men in the team eat theirs at their desks at 10am.

He was a total misogynist and another colleague attempted suicide due to his bullying.

for having spinal surgery for cauda equina. There was a big meeting about my sickness record and whether it could have waited. My consultant wrote a letter which basically said “yes this could have waited, however she would have returned to work in a wheelchair”

I worked for the NHS….

Ah I see! Although in all fairness I don't think Jenny Eclair was ever as well known as Versace lol! I worked at at that company in 2000/2001, looking at her wiki page at that point she'd been in Aufwiedersehen Pet and the Bill so I have no idea why I should have known who she was! What teenager was watching that crap?!

Wearing stripey socks. I worked behind a counter so only the top third of me was ever visible to customers. I was also wearing ankle boots and trousers, somehow the subject of socks came up in conversation with a colleague and I mentioned them. Manager threatened to send me home unpaid to change them. I hated her.

It really depends. First, how well do you know the person? Do you know if the person hair colouring is common knowledge or she keeps for self as in hiding gray hair, no one needs to know about it? I would not ask this unless I know the person well as it can offend. Now, on the other hand, if someone goes from black to blonde what is the point in asking?" Did you die your hair? No, I tripped over and fell in the bucket of bleach!". No ponit, just say it looks lovely and leave it at that. If they offered to say they had it done then you have permission to be nosy.

Quite a few things on here were deserving of tellings off tbh and not ‘stupid’
at all.

I regularly tell my team that their hair looks nice. Mainly men but some women. If people get their haircut that's kind of the nicest they are going to look until they get it cut again so it's nice to notice and compliment it. Obviously if any of them said they didn't like it I would stop. But they always look chuffed I've noticed and say thank you. You can tell genuine chuffed from politeness.

Chatting to a colleague whilst waiting for a lift. Apparently, we should have been "working" whilst waiting because "standing around looks bad to the public".

Hit a muntjac deer in my company car

"if someone goes from black to blonde what is the point in asking?" Did you die your hair? No, I tripped over and fell in the bucket of bleach!""

It could be that the blonde is the natural colour and the black was dyed.

Also, it's a given that people have grey hair after a certain age. It's not something to be ashamed of.

I stayed behind after work to help put up a Christmas tree in my own time and was told I was paid too much to be doing this sort of thing.

Oh really? They're all stupid to me, but then I don't think adults need to be told off unless they're doing stupid things on purpose. No need to tell someone off for genuine mistakes they know shouldn't have happened.

And then all the nonsense ones like the person whose socks could not be seen being told off for having pink socks or stripy socks.

I just had to google Jenny Eclair.
I was an adult when she started doing stuff in public yet I have never heard if her.
I've definitely heard of Versace though.

Related, I temped in my late teens doing basic office admin. For one day only I was given the job of phoning through an order for singles that week - it was a newsagent chain and I had no idea they stocked singles. Anyway, I was reading out the list and one of them was Eloise which I had not heard of and after blinking a few times pronounced e-loy-s. There was a chuckle at the other end and we continued. I wasn't told off, but I don't think I worked there again.

Working too hard. Apparently it puts unrealistic expectations on other staff.