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.

How bizarre?! I've worked on several switchboards and I've never known one had the ability to listen in on calls once they've been transferred? And why in god's name would you want to?

I got told off for having good attention to detail.

I had the misfortune of working in a government related call centre and was told off for being too good at my job, my customer service was too good and it impacted on my less “ able’ colleagues.

I was yelled at by an American family for putting their avocados in the fridge. I was an 18 year old au pair in the US in the 90s and I was just helping putting the shopping away. I cried and then switched family.
But I never put an avocado in the fridge again.

Also got told off for being too generous with eggs when working at a nursing home...

When I was in my 20s I was told off a few times for laughing too loudly in the office.

Now I'm older, successive workplaces have knocked almost all humour out of me 😆

Early 20s me got told off when a senior manager emailed me to say he found me to be unhelpful and obstreperous.

H’d spelt obstreperous incorrectly, so I sarcastically kindly emailed back to thank him for the feedback, and pointed out his spelling mistake as an “FYI”. Apparently this was rude 🤣

I’d have found 23 year old me VERY annoying - and VERY obstreperous - to be fair.

Their reaction was probably because you were super efficient and helpful. You showed them up 🙂

I temped in the IT dept at a very well known London hospital about 30 years ago.
The head of the dept had a PA who was perhaps one of the strangest people I’d ever met. let’s call her Caroline. She’d had a really difficult life and went off the handle about the strangest things.
Some of you may have come across this in similar organisations, but they had reusable envelopes for sending information in the internal mail. I used one of these for its proper purpose from a stack of reusable envelopes, as I often did during the course of that job. “Caroline” was off sick for a week or so as she legitimately struggled with her health. When she returned she caused a huge scene because I had used a reusable envelope that was her favoured reusable envelope (how I was supposed to know this I have no idea) whilst she was off sick and I was trying to undermine her, apparently. She completely stopped talking to me as if I had done something heinous and disrespectful. No one really said anything to her about this bat shit crazy behaviour - probably because this was not unusual from her - and tiptoed around her like I had done something really bad because I suppose to try and reason with her would have been disloyal and triggered an even bigger reaction. I was dumbstruck. It was only ever a stopgap whilst I found my next role, thank god, but it was deeply uncomfortable.

Weird if they had just had their roots done. Not weird if they had gone from natural
to bright pink.

Worked in a fast food place and for my first week was on the graveyard shift. Manager told me I got a meal free to eat on my break.
The following week I was on the shift just before the graveyard shift. Same number of hours. When I took my break, I got myself a meal and sat In the staff room with it. Manager came in and said, looking genuinely aghast, ‘ You don’t get a meal on this shift’. Honestly, his face was like it was Tiffany and he’d caught me stuffing diamonds down my bra. I apologised and said I hadn’t realised (no one had told me) And he actually took my cheap burger and chips off me 😄

Telling my boss that initially I wasn’t sure her decision was right, but I could see it then. This waa insubordinate. Laughed and left the meeting.

I used the word 'diversity' and it gave someone more senior than me... 'the ick'.

I had similar many years ago. Senior manager was an insecure twat who had been promoted way above his competence level. He used to just disappear so he didn't have to deal with anything (these were the days before mobile phones so we couldn't get hold of him). I wasn't his PA and had very little to do with him, but if the receptionist didn't know what to do with a caller she would always put them through to me. I tried to find the twat but as usual he'd disappeared, so I said I didn't know where he was but I'd take a message. He went ballistic when he reappeared. Proper hair dryer treatment. "YOU NEVER, NEVER SAY YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!!" It really shook me up. Fortunately he didn't last too much longer in that job.

It is already illegal under the Equality Act that requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for people with a disability or long term illness.

I worked in a bakery a few yrs ago, was told to get an apron, put it on about 2hrs into my shift I was told off for wearing one with a pocket on the front as apparently I might put something in the pocket! I'm not a thief & the only thing that I would put in it would of been a pen that belonged to me to write orders, anyway I left not long after absolute vile, clicky place to work.

My manager micromanaged me. On my first day I had back to back teams meetings with no break. While I sat in on a team's meeting where I was not allowed to speak I left twice for two minutes each time once to go to the toilet and once to eat a yoghurt. She shouted at me for five minutes for being unprofessional and then threatened me. I wish I had had the courage to stand up to her at the time. She really messed with me.

I cut chunks off mine whenever it gets in the way. It hasn;t died yet.

I was working out of hours and sent an email to everyone in building telling them to stop putting confidential waste in black bin bags (dedicated container bin was full hence people doing this), incase it was put out by cleaners as rubbish, and instead to keep it locked in their desk drawer until bin emptied. I had also put notes on bins to this effect). I was later copied into an email from building manager, with an exasperated tone, to other managers saying I shouldn't have sent to all. I did reply stating that I stood by what I had done, siting companies being sued for this happening (confidential waste being found in rubbish).

When I left sixth form I trained to be an early years practitioner (nursery nurse). I got told off for singing ‘the grand old Duke of York’ and marching with the children, far too lively apparently. Needed to calm it down

My manager told me I didn’t look friendly because I’d had Botox

Everyone knows kids hate jumping around!

Putting tissues in the wrong bin

Should have said you sleep in the nude but didn’t want to get put on the sex offenders register

HR tried to extend my probation because I didn’t ‘panic’ enough when colleagues came to me with problems that needed fixing (this was in media, not a life-saving job by any means). That was the exact word they used. Apparently, they could see that I dealt with any issues promptly and there were no concerns about the quality of my work, but it was felt that people would appreciate it if I looked a bit more stressed out and invested in the drama of the situation…
I suggested they never come to me with this issue again, then continued to work there for another five years before leaving to have my first child. My boss still asks me when I’m coming back 17 years’ later 😂