The Backstory
The original poster (OP) is the manager of a small retail store. She went into the store on her day off to check up on the two new hires and ensure things were going smoothly. When she arrived, Kate, who OP describes as an employee and friend, was in the back, showing the other workers some chocolate she received from her boyfriend. The chocolates were fancy gourmet dark chocolate truffles in a little box, and she only had one left. Kate said she had eaten the others since she received them as a Valentine’s Day gift last week but forgot to eat this last one.
The Issue
OP asked Kate if she could try her last chocolate truffle. OP says she looked surprised by the question and took a minute before she answered that she could buy some on the website. Kate said there was also a little pamphlet with the box showing all the flavors available and asked if OP would like to see it. OP replied yes but wanted to try the chocolate to see if it was good before she considered purchasing a box.
Kate said that her boyfriend bought them for her and she didn’t think giving her gift to someone else would be right. OP laughed and told her (supposedly in a lighthearted tone) that “if she wants to be stingy, she can just say that.” OP says a couple of the other employees laughed, but Kate didn’t find it funny. She stood quietly, which OP says is very unlike her. She closed the box of chocolates and made up an excuse to leave the room.
OP left the building twenty minutes later and then received a text from the assistant manager Marla another hour later saying that Kate asked to leave early because she wasn’t feeling well. OP approved for her to go since it wasn’t a busy time of the day. OP instructed Marla to tell Kate that she would like her to make up for those hours sometime next week if she leaves. She asked Marla if she knew what was wrong with Kate, and Marla suggested it could be regarding the incident that took place and that Kate had been quiet since then. OP is wondering if she was acting like a jerk.
The Readers Comment
The readers didn’t hold back on OP. The first comment received over 21,000 upvotes.
“So you came in on your day off, wanted to chew on your employee’s LAST VALENTINE’S DAY TRUFFLE and then GIVE IT BACK TO HER, and need to hear from strangers on the internet whether you’re TA?”
“Yeah, such a strange request! Like… I’d find it weird if one of my bosses wanted to “taste” any of my food (unless it was a work potluck or something). Then to accuse me of being “stingy”… Wow… To me that’s really three steps too far, especially coming from someone in a position of power above me who makes more than me.”
“OP says they do not care if Kate makes up the time. They definitely added the make-up time thing to remind her who the boss is. If they had said, “If you need to make up the hours, feel free on XYZ days…” That would have conveyed the sentiment they are claiming. The way they said it just feels like you can have this crumb, but you still jump through my hoops.”
Can you really take a ‘nibble’ out of a truffle?
“Exactly, if you take a bite out of an individual serving chocolate that’s now your chocolate and Kate didn’t want to do that.”
“Especially during a pandemic! Like, no, I do not want another person’s spit on my food.”
Was OP being a bully?
“It’s astounding that a 34yo boss thought nothing of bullying (and that’s what it was) a TWENTY ONE yo employee for her last fancy truffle. To see if it’s “any good.” OP is just unbelievable.”
OP is the boss, which means she called a subordinate “stingy” in front of other coworkers for not wanting to share her expensive chocolates, which caused her employee so much distress that she had to leave for the day, then has the audacity to tell her to make up the hours. I hope she goes to HR with this, OP needs a write up.”
What do you think? Should Kate have given OP a ‘nibble’ of her chocolate? Was OP bullying Kate by making the comment about her being stingy? Was OP being spiteful by asking Kate to make up the hours from leaving early?
This article was produced by This Mom is On Fire.
This post was originally on reddit.
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