Man left 'confused' after pregnant colleague's furious reaction to 'friendly' question

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

A man has been left baffled after a seemingly innocent query to his workmate about her pregnancy sparked fury.

Navigating office relationships can be tricky, with most folk aiming for a peaceful and drama-free workplace. However, a 24-year-old man is now worried he's soured things with a colleague following a question about her pregnancy.

Seeking advice on Reddit, he recounted how his co-worker shared news of her pregnancy and upcoming maternity during their weekly team meeting. He said: "Everyone reacted with congratulations and excitement for her, and I did too. We all told her we're very happy for her and her family and wish her all the best."

The tension emerged shortly after when they were in the lift with a few other teammates. He added: "Just for the sake of conversation, I asked her if she is having a boy or a girl. Her face kind of fell and she grimly and shortly said 'boy'. I thought it was strange that she reacted like this, but let it go."

But the situation escalated when she later confronted him: "Then after I was back at my desk, she came up to me and said that my question was inappropriate, that she was planning on announcing the gender herself but I 'forced' her to say it like that in an elevator, so now half of our team knows and it 'killed the magic'."

The bloke admitted he was "honestly really confused" and made sure to "apologise profusely". His workmate then gave him a "lecture" on how he "shouldn't be asking personal questions" before she stormed off.

He was left baffled as to how his question could be seen as "too personal", adding: "I'm a 24-year-old dude and I don't know anything about pregnant women or babies or social customs, I guess. I was just trying to be friendly."

In the comments section, people shared their views. One person said: "Gender announcements and reveals are only special to the person announcing it and I feel they've gotten so out of hand.

"Quite frankly she could have just said, 'I'll wait to announce that myself to everyone if you don't mind' but she decided to be petty AF about it and her being pregnant and 'hormones' isn't an excuse to deflect bad behaviour onto you, someone who was being kind asking questions. Don't bother getting her a gift".

Another person asked: "Why couldn't the co-worker just say 'we're not sharing that yet'?" A third wrote: "I was gonna say she is weird AF about it. She could have politely said 'I'm leaving it a surprise!' And be done with it. She didn't HAVE to answer with the gender lol".

Another person chimed in with: "That's a perfectly appropriate question and she needs to get over herself. It's not like you ruined a family surprise. She could've answered more gracefully, along the lines of 'We're actually keeping it a secret for everyone, but I'm excited to tell you at the reveal! ' She made it awkward all by herself".

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.