Would you be honest with a colleague if…

[Pegs11]

Would you be honest with a colleague or employee if they approached you, clearly in an anxious state, to discretely ask if they’d been observed doing something gross (eg, pimple popping) during a video conference call where they didn’t realise their camera was turned on? Or, assuming you saw them squeezing their pimples, would you lie and say you didn’t see anything, to spare them the shame?

I would say ''I must have missed that''. so not reassuring them that it didn't happen, but sparing them the shame.

Id reply honestly.

As long as it wasn't anything too gross, like picking their nose and eating it, or dewaxing their ears with a cotton bud and sniffing the end, I would tell them you saw nothing.

Diplomatic. 👏

Surely no one would ask a work colleague if they'd been seen doing something gross on a teams meeting?!

I'd just hope to God that I hadn't. I certainly wouldn't go round asking people!!

I think it depends what it was and how damaging it could be.

If they’ve picked you to approach about it then you’re obviously quite friendly/quite close colleagues or you’re a trusted colleague to them. Tell them the truth, but gently.

I think it would depend on how well you know them and what you think their reaction would be. And probably how serious the thing they were observed doing was... for example picking their nose - I'd go for the diplomatic "oh I must have missed that, I didn't see it". Its not harming anyone and nothing good will come from them besting themselves up over it.

If it was anything that was more pointed or where they'd need to apologise (making a face at a colleague speaking or giving a fingers to the camera not knowing it was on or walking about in undress, then I'd be honest and say "yes I did notice, it was clearly an accident but I'd go and speak to x about it" so they can get in front of whatever it was.

If a colleague asked me, I'd say yes but no one cares/everyone's done it/nobody's mentioned it
If I was anxious about it myself, I'd ask one close colleague but wouldn't lose sleep over it as life is too short and it wasn't as if I'd had my tits out please tell me you didn't have your tits out

I’m not sure why they’d ask in the first place, its not like they can go back and change it if everyone’s seen them doing something.

But if asked, yes I’d be honest with them.

During a lockdown teams meeting we all saw saw a colleague walk up to his desk with his hands down his pants scratching his balls and when he sat down he was having a good old sniff of his fingers.