Being in a professional environment requires a certain kind of conduct. You can't be too familiar with people and talk to them like they're your besties. You can't ask too many personal questions, like how much they earn, who they voted for in the recent elections, or what they did with their wife last night.
Religion, politics, and intimate relationships should automatically be topics people should never breach at work, whether in a job interview or just a casual conversation at lunch. Yet some people still do it. So when a person asked, "What is the most awkward question you've been asked in a professional setting?" people had all sorts of stories.
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During my interview. I am female. Interviewer was female.
"Are you a breeder or non-breeder? Cuz we just hired a non-breeder and I like to keep the department balanced".
"Oh, I breeded some chilli plants to get something flavorful not too hot. After some setbacks I decided not to breed them this season, but I am planning to breed some maybe next season. I do in fact have some promising seeds. Are you also interrested in plant breeding?"
Oh, a fellow chili breeder? I have an about 80k scoville firetruck red chili on its fourth generation. I like middle hot, compact and hadry breeds so they can survive the winter on the windowsill
Load More Replies...Should have asked if the interviewer was constipated because they are full of it.
Reply "Are you a breather or a non-breather? Cuz I don't think the oxygen in your brain is properly balanced."
Breeder? What is she, a barnyard animal? I'd be really offended by that question.
It's the opposite of what you expect (but still obviously illegal): Whether she has/plans to have children. A question never asked of men as they're supposed to just work, childfree or as absent-by-daylight father. By reflex, companies avoid hiring women that will have children the next five years as it will cost them (more emergency absences, paid maternity & hiring short-term cover, ... ). Only exception I know is medical sales --- pregnant women seem to sell so much more (to doctors) that it more than makes up for maternity costs.
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"Does your wife ever bring other women into the bedroom?"
Needless to say, it wasn't a healthy professional environment and I don't work there anymore.
"Does your wife ever bring other women into the bedroom?" Just answer: "Oh, well, it's complicated". And change topic immediately. Like Italians use to say: let them cook on their own broth.
"No, for us it's the roof. You should see all the neighbors out on their lawn chairs!"
More like our fcking business is none of your fcking business 😁😁
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Less than five minutes into a job interview they aggressively started asking if I was gay or not.
Follow-up question was : "do you know any gay people we can hire, and fast?"
I know for companies in Bulgaria that are paid to have diversity in the workplace, so they specifically look for LGBT people or minorities.
I mean it's discriminatory, but at least it sounds easy to get a job there
Load More Replies...I hope this is different than clicking the diversity hire button
Well, in a previous item, the interviewer was seeking balance. Not so much here, probably.
Read: dude had a great resume but was white and they needed a box they could check before they would be allowed to hire a white dude.
"You and your wife aren't planning on having kids soon are you? Because the goals we have here ... I'm not really sure that would work."
I was younger then, I now know how illegal that question is lol.
Was offered a job but turned it down. The place later went on to have many scandals and controversies and is regarded as a complete sh_t place to work.
"Don't worry. No interference with work. We plan to conceive the child at home and have it delivered at the hospital."
Home grown, organic, local breeders: best quality! 👍 (/jk)
Load More Replies...My teamlead in our small group within our institute used to be a "regular" coworker. Last time working directly with him at one of our gantrys he asked our new coworker (HIS new hire) if she's planning on getting pregnant. I almost lost my composure. Like DUDE! What are you asking, you're not allowed to do that! He turns around with a confused look, like, what du you mean? The times I have to remind him of our laws are mind-boggling. NO, you can't ask when they'll be back from being sick. NO, you can't ask what illness they have. 🙄 🤦🏻♀️ It's a work in progess and I hope he'll learn, yet I'm not holding my breath.
it shouldn't matter if you're planning on having kids or not. ugh.
Old guy 30 years ago: "Do you think the owner is gay? " Me: "No. Why, are you looking for a date? " Old guy: "What? No! ".
Well, that's a classic question-answer set. I've been there so many times that I automatically answer that.
Reminds me of Highlander. "You gay, Nash?" "Why, you cruisin' for some a$$?"
“Have you ever been with an older woman?”
Asked by a ~40 year old of 16 or 17 year old me. Went over my head that she was hitting on me. She told me I reminded her of her son shortly thereafter, which seriously creeped me out when I reflected on this conversation years later.
"Oh sure - 18, 19 year olds. I tried one that was 22, but that's kinda creepy, don't you think?"
I must admit that personally I am the kind of guy that would have found an "opportunity in the adversity". But, yes, it's a question totally out of place and purpose.
The other night I was with coach Klein and momma at the same time!
“Can I see your underwear?” Said by a licensed mental health professional in her office.
Sure. It's in the dryer. In fact, you can see all of the laundry. You can even put it away.
Really curious about the context, I hopped over to reddit. Still not ok but at least it makes sense now. It wasn't anything sexual; it was about curiosity of the professional seeing if she wore the normal LDS underwear as opposed to mainstream stuff. Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about. From the OP: "Oh, it was. I had to get a mental health screening for something (one of those make sure you are healthy enough to do it things) and the conversation turned to my personal life. She asked if I had any religious affiliation. I said I was LDS, and she just blurted that one out. Caught me a little off guard."
Ooooooooh. “Makes sense” isn’t quite the right phrase and it was still very unprofessionally, but it’s not quite so bad as it seemed. Thanks for that info!
Load More Replies..."Of course. Anyone can see I'm under wear and tear. That's why I'm consulting a mental health professional, silly."
That's a philosophical question, like the tree falling in the woods? It's not invisible, even though it's not visible?
Ive lost count how many times random ppl have asked me about my breast implants. (I dont have breast implants).
... big-boob syndrome or possibly woman needing breast reduction?
Load More Replies...I always liked the "Do you wear a push up bra?" I had size J's (weighed 400+ #). No, just nope!!
“Was it planned or an accident?” About my pregnancy. I’m in my 30’s and married. I don’t know why people think this is an appropriate question.
"Did you purposedly commit pregnancy with the involvement of your spouse?"
Mess with their heads. 'Yes, it was planned. Oh! I shouldn't have said that. Promise me, if you ever meet my husband, as far as he knows it was an accident.'
"Me being pregnant by his brother must remain a secret."
Load More Replies...I admit a certain amount of chance was involved. Let me detail (list of every unsafe act leading up to pregnancy)...
"Well, neither really. An angel came down from Heaven and spoke unto me..."
“We want to send you to help with our booth at the Indy 500. Is that something you’d be able to do?…You’ll need to wear a bikini.”
I was the director of market research for a nationwide tire trade publication.
"Boss, I can wear the bikini if she feels uncomfortable with this."
Said the big hairy dude sitting next to her at the conference table
Load More Replies...I'd pay to see that, and I don't even watch surfing;)
Load More Replies...Only if the CEO ( assuming the CEO is a man which , judging by these sexist practices he is ) wears swimming trunks too
With best wide-eyed, innocent look, "Wow, I ddn't realize there's a swimming pool at the Indy 500, that would be great fun!"
Sure, but my spare tires will definitely be hanging out of said bikini.
In previous role managing hospital unit, was asked the following:
Did this employee ask the other employee something about their “bun hole”?
Why yes, Employee A did ask Employee B something about their bun hole.
I had to give a verbatim description to a chief nursing officer that an ER tech put his finger in a female nurses hair bun, and then employee said that “he couldn’t NOT put his finger in that tiny little hole”
It was a low point in people leadership.
Anybody that touched other people (co-workers, bus riders, whatever) without their consent needs to learn. He "couldn't NOT do it"- big red flag.
This is like playing the game Telephone (also called Gossip). You sit in a circle and whisper something to the person next to you and so on and so on. The last person says what they were told and it's never close to the original phrase.
I didn't put my finger in my boss's bunhole, but I did waggle her antlers
Movie sets in the 90's and early 2000's were completely different. Everybody said and did whatever popped into their head. Ones I remember: "anybody wanna f**k after we're done?" "dude, is that actress playing the daughter legal?" "can you write a sex scene for me and that blonde girl?" "does anybody have any c*ke?" "you wanna feel my new b**bs?".
What does it say about me that I thought the censored word was "cake"?
Well, it looks the kind of toxicity I would have enjoyed in my last 20s middle 30s. Faculty life wasn't so different, just not freely talking about that.
Not for the c.oke though. 80s was the good ol' days of c.oke.
Load More Replies...OMG- never mind! "BOOBS" printed! The scandal is real!
Load More Replies...Wow...they really had no boundaries. Or common decency, especially for the workplace.
Maybe because I've always lived in the UK. but thankfully I missed all of these.
"Do you know any gay candidates we can hire and fast?".
Just strongly hint you're gay. It's not like they can fire you for not being gay when they find out, without losing a lawsuit.
"strongly hint" as in wear a pride flag shirt or bring in your boyfriend?
Load More Replies...You can hire gay people, but making them fast is something the employer should disclose in advance.
Yup. Some people tend to get hangry if they can't get regular meals
Load More Replies...I worry about this with today's companies. Most have diversity targets. Which I can see the point of. However to fill these targets leads to knowing details of private lives of employees which they don't named to know.
My husband and I used to work in the same department at a hospital. My old charge nurse over headed for me to come to the front office then proceeded to ask me how well endowed my husband is. Mind you, she asked me that in front of my husband and about 7 other employees.
I just know my dear wife would have to say, Oh he's hung like a Hamster! 🐹🤷♂️
I always say “hung like a buck gerbil” but I might have to add hamster to the rotation lol
Load More Replies...And today on Show and Tell, "Are you a shower or a grower?". Yeah somewhat awkward.
Do you plan to start a relationship with any coworkers and would you use a secret of your boss to blackmail them.
Not planning on it but not gonna write it off. As to blackmail, no. However, coercion is a possibility
"Why does this chat log just consist of the two of you saying balls to each other for the past two weeks?" I don't work there anymore. .
My friend and I have an old inside joke from high school. We like to randomly message each other "guess what?" (The answer is "chicken butt", but that never needs to be said.) The question alone is enough to start us cracking up. :) It's one of those "you had to be there" things that no one else finds funny.
Am I missing something or this questions seams legit? Policies on the use of resources aren't rare.
It's embarrassing on the one that has to pose the question; if you are posed the question then you should be reprimanded at the very least.
Load More Replies...an old coworker and i used to message back and forth everyday about balls with an adjective. went something like “cold balls / shiny balls / long balls” ….you get the idea. endless entertainment.
Lol just pictured a conversation where "Balls." is just typed back and forth
"Have you been r*ped or something?" -a girl i was in college with in the medical field and didn't want her giving me a breast exam.
respond with "yes, i was". she might stop if she heard that
“I bet you’re one of those quiet guys that f***s like an animal.” On an email on our company server which could be looked at any time, and I’d be surprised if certain words don’t get flagged for HR. Technically a statement but the question was implied. Think she was still married at the time to a guy like 16 years older than her and her at least half that older than me and then later remarried a woman, so while she’s still a friend, I think it’s fair to say I like things less complicated so I politely declined. (Obligatory manly bravado)…of course she *was* right. Yeah, I can’t pull off manly bravado.
She was right, just didn't specify the animal. [obligatory tortoise face.]
Turtle s3x was the sound of velociraptors in Jurassic park !
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"What would you do if you got to heaven and found out that God is a woman? "
--The new HR Manager as I was just trying to fix her printer
She wasn't around that place very long.
It looks like that HR manager would immediately start mansplaining God if She turned to be a woman.
If I somehow got into heaven, I'd keep my mouth shut and try to blend in.
In the unlikely event that I do, I promise not to shout "Michael! Never thought we'd meet here!"
Load More Replies...The christian god *is* a woman. Kevin Smith's documentary "Dogma" proved that.
I used to work in a philosophy department. We'd randomly ask each other this kind of question all the time.
That would be a great discussion! I'd love to have a sit down with that topic that wasn't hijacked by some dolt shrieking "cause it says so in the BIBLE!"
Load More Replies...You may need to sit down for this, but no. As a flying spaghetti monster they're ungendered.
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I had a business owner ask me if I was a Christian as the first question of the phone interview.
Had I been recording and a horrible human being I would have blackmailed him for the job.
There is a local mechanics shop here that is ALWAYS looking for a new mechanic. In the beginning after opening their shop the sign would actually advertise for a Christian Mechanic, someone must have finally told them that it was illegal because they only advertise for a mechanic now but I have no doubt they try to figure it out during the interview. Their sign also flashes a new religious message everyday. I think they think the messages are clever but in reality they are pretty stupid. Other than the religious messages and job advertisements, they never actually have anything about their business on the sign.
Our local lawnmower dealer knew how to separate religion from business. He had Bible verses displayed all over the walls. But he never followed any of them.
Load More Replies..."Whether I'm A. Christian? No, I'm T. Smith. You must have the wrong CV in front of you."
Same. I didn't get back in touch. I learned that if the help wanted ad in the paper had a Jesus fish logo to pass it up. This was ~30 years ago.
100% illegal, inappropriate, & has nothing to do with any job except someone working in the religious field.
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“How would you feed yourself if you lost your job?”
I ended up being laid off as well as my whole division.
It was technically after hours, but we were all out drinking after working our lame retail job at an unnamed sporting goods store. As the night rolled along, my manager eventually asked me if I would kiss her. I knew she had a boyfriend and I didn’t find her the least bit attractive. I turned her down politely and reminded her that she had a boyfriend who, "probably wouldn’t like that." We all carried on like nothing ever happened - or so I thought. A couple weeks later, I get called up to the big bosses’ office and am told that I was being let go for failing to "meet their expectations." I had been late on only a handful of occasions and never called out, so it was quite a surprise. Then it made sense, my manager had been embarrassed by my rejection and probably put my a*s under a microscope in an effort to get me fired. Ended up working out though, I went back to school and finished my degree and am very happy now not working in retail.
this is when you openly respond "is this because i wouldn't kiss my boss when she hit on me?" because at that point you either get to keep your job or you get a much bigger severance package. and it's a completely appropriate response because you were never the one in the wrong.
Did you tell them what happen in the bar? Don't know if she would hVe been question about her behavior? Sh0uld have got her boyfriends number and called him tell him what she tried to do.
“Does your husband mind that you make so much more money than him?”.
"We always can afford to pay less, in order to protect fragile masculinities".
My wife makes all the money. I make sure she has food clean clothes and take care of the basic stuff. I don't have the skills that she does. I chose to be an artist and have huge gaps in my work due to long term addiction and mental health issues. It works for us and we openly communicate. We joke that together we add up to one functional person. I was raised in a time and conservative area so I do feel like as a man I'm not doing what's expected by being the primary earner but I know that is the toxic masculinity internalized and I am trying to undo that mindset so my kids can be done with that nonsense.
Sounds like you are doing all the right things, good for you
Load More Replies...My wife made more money than me. I learned to live with us having more money to spend.
My wife makes more than I do. By a country mile. I worked two jobs while she was going to grad school (she's much smarter than I) and I have zero problem with it. LOL why would I? She worked less hours than me and makes a lot more. I don't see why that would upset me. I love her and I would hate for her to have to work more for less.
I was asked - repeatedly - about my sexlife from a co-worker (amongst other things) at work. Went to my boss and she shrugged it off as “you should be flattered…”.
Unfortunately, it's one of my bosses that does that sort of thing to almost every person that comes in, but unfortunately, most people just laugh it off because he's so fat and homely. Nobody has ever filed an official complaint about him.
At a cab company I used to work at, me and two other girls, one of them was pregnant, were standing in the breakroom. One of the road bosses came in and started talking to us. Out of the blue he said "at least I can't get one of you pregnant" and walked away. We went directly to HR and he got a verbal warning. It wasn't the first time he said inappropriate stuff to the girls in the office. He quit not to long after that thankfully.
Why do you celebrate Christmas when you are an atheist? Random question from an admin when I mentioned that I was not religious.
I'm atheist, Christmas, presents and food I'm in. I have a mate who is Indian, Diwali, count me in, another is American, Thanksgiving yep pile that plate high. Wifes mum is Irish........you got it St Patricks Day I think I will try a Guinness. Thank you.
Christmas has become more a cultural (and, alas, commercial) thing than à religious one. I'm an agnostic, but I live in a country where Christmas is celebrated, so we have à tree and exchange présents. I even know some Muslim people who do. Why deprive your kids and make them feel there's à party for everyone, but they're not invited?
But Christmas is a party for Jesus's birthday, and most people seem to ignore him!
Load More Replies...Cuz its a pagan holiday so if we're already changing things, why not change it some more
Why do you celebrate pagan Yule log holidays with magic elves and flying animals if you're a Christian. Harry Potter bad! Magic f*t man we lie to our kids about good!
Even more puzzling to me as a young reader was why Harry Potter was satanic but Narnia and Middle Earth were both completely acceptable.
Load More Replies...This was a problem for me when I was an atheist. I felt like a hypocrite. I asked people not to get me any presents, and they looked at me like I had more heads than Fluffy.
As an agnostic/atheist I celebrate winter solstice, which doesn't have a great ring to it, but the end result is I give and receive presents. It's a festive seasonal event, at its core and origin
Load More Replies...The calendar was different, but December 25th is as good a day as any other. At least it's the same every year, unlike Easter, which confuses a lot of people.
Load More Replies...The same reason other religions have Christmas trees and give presents then. Presents, food good feelings. There is a religous Christmas and secular, sorry that's how it is.
Oh, you were in Iraq... did you k*ll anyone?
"If I tell you, I have to kill you. Let's talk about wages and leave days".
Please don't. Sometimes even just saying "thank you for your service " can be hard for some our veterans. It was for my husband, until we came up with a response for him,that he was comfortable with. Which is, "thank you,for your support "
Feels really weird & always has. Thank you for being understanding.
Load More Replies...Many people ask vet or people just back this. It's rude and many do not want to keep harping on this. If they tell fine, don't ask unless you are their therapist.
Wildly inappropriate question for anyone to ask. The therapist won't be asking this particular question this way for sure. Thanks for understanding.
Load More Replies...I'm an American who lives in China and used to teach English here, mostly to adults who wanted to improve their English for business purposes. Whenever I started a new class I would let every student ask one question that I would answer honestly. Usually the first question (other than, "What's your salary?") was, "How many people have you killed (or shot)?" They see American movies, TV shows, games and such and think that every American not only owns a personal armory, but also has a body count. The students were disappointed to learn that not only did I not kill anyone, but that I never owned any guns.
Also illegal & wildly inappropriate. Asking anyone about their activities during a war without being advised previously that they don't mind is massively problematic. Don't ever do this.
(Offended) NO! I didn't kill just anyone, I have standards. Just all the shifty-looking ones.
just take that opportunity to lay into the interviewer on his stupidity and really show him what a stupid c**t he is, then leave and be glad you dodged a bullet.
I had to explain to my boss, a fully tenured professor, what a furry was after she showed our research group a pic of her cousin who goes to "conferences" in costume.
Exactly. To me, it's a form of cosplay, LARP, dragqueen: just people dressing up.
Load More Replies...Lack of familiarity with all the latest slang terms does not imply a serious ignorance.
Here we are assuming that professors are experts on every topic outside their specialty... Reality check: most aren't.
I blame TV, where "the professor" is indeed an expert on every conceivable subject, scientific or otherwise.
Load More Replies...I don't know why this is awkward. I'm 53 and I didn't know what one was either until a couple years ago. It's not like it's anything dirty.
Except a large part of furry culture is sexual in nature. Yiff, yipp, whatever you want to call it, is very much NOT innocent
Load More Replies... I use to work in one of the national chain pet stores way back in my very early twenties. Most of the staff of was about the same age as me. Anyways I hear over the intercom that a customer has a question over the phone for reptiles.
I pick up the phone and they asked if we had any one eyed snakes. I said we do not, but they said to really check. I said no we don’t try another store. Then they say what about the one in your pants. And that’s when it hit me. My manager was cracking up. It was funny but unprofessional. .
thanks for the laugh. now my math teacher knows i'm not doing my work lol
Load More Replies...I was working a construction job in a residential area of West Hollywood and a guy(neighbor) came out of home apartment and asked if I was gay, I politely said no, and he asked if I had ever tried it. Again I politely said no, he smiled and said if you ever want to try, I live over there and pointed to his door.
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Engineers say it's a good principle.
Load More Replies...Ya never know. The guy who did my yard was really hot so I wrote my number on the money I paid him with. Pleasant surprise when he texted me.
Why do some gays like this, who comprise of say 10% of the population, think there’s a good chance some random guy might likely be a) gay, b) want to have sex while at work with a random stranger? What planet are they on?
We don't randomly ask we have gaydar. A RL world. Men are pigs. We know they are pigs because we are men.
Load More Replies...I appreciate that he was respectful, but it is never good practice to make sexual come-ons to someone at their place of employment.
I was in the military, serving as an engineer, and there was a tour of high ranking officers coming through the building. We were told to brief them on the programs we were working on, but it was supposed to be fairly informal and for only maybe 2-3 minutes (they had a lot of ground to cover so they couldn't stay long). When they got to us, I did my brief, everyone was happy, until the lowest ranking in the group (an O-5) looked right at me and asked if I was on a operational experience tour (something that usually doesn't happen for a low ranking Leiutenant like me). I told her no, and in front of the whole room asked "then why are you here?". Ma'am, this is the department of engineering... I am an engineer... as are my squad mates... I didn't know how to answer her question without being an a*s, so my supervisor stepped in before I put my foot in my mouth. My oddest experience by far.
In the military, you get asked a lot of stupid questions by people who think they're smarter than you.
Sometimes the typing fingers have minds of their own. The letters I and U are side by side on a QWERTY keyboard and can easily be hit together. However, it might be better to proofread your work.
Load More Replies...She may have known you weren't qualified. "I'm an engineer." Proves nothing.
A girl and her mother asked me to join an orgy they were organizing. I was working at Spencer gifts at the time, so I'm stretching the definition of 'professional setting' a bit.
"And her mother" ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Just another Wednesday at Spencer's. The last time I went there, an employee just started barking like a yuppie dog. He sounded quite legit too.
Spencer gifts had some really weird items in their stores. Are they still even open???
When applying for certain clearances you will be asked in great detail about your p**n habits. They try and get you to admit to viewing something illegal or that can be used as blackmail. There’s a classic line of questioning that basically concludes with “how do you know she was over 18? Did you check her ID before you watched the video?” It’s designed to get you flustered and panicked.
For secret service type jobs, they don't believe you've never committed any crime/offence; they don't mind admitting smoking weed 10y before --- they strongly mind denying it when there's evidence you did. Because hiding secrets makes you blackmailable.
I got my clearance, lied about d***s, but did admit to drinking when I was under 21 while in countries where it was currently legal. I don't remember being asked about porn though, bc I'd like to know how I answered.
Load More Replies...Of course, I , personally, don't know if the actress in the porn movie is over 18. I have to assume the production company checked on that. My understanding is that ever since the Traci Lords affair they've gotten pretty rigorous about it
And many states have made Driver's Licenses more difficult to fake. At the time that Traci was working in pron the California DL was basically a black and white photo that was easily faked. Now-a-days it is a multilayered form of ID with at least one hologram and other security features.
Load More Replies...I once made it fairly far into the hiring process for a role that required a polygraph session. Prior to the polygraph, I had to fill out a 26-page questionnaire on every conceivable illegal or morally questionable thing I had every done. In the polygraph pre-interview, the polygrapher told me that I could withdraw my application and reapply later, or attempt to lie about having smoked weed in the last 3 years (the cutoff for that role). It was the ONLY illegal activity I had confirmed. I withdrew and never looked back.
The first magazine I bought of that genre was the September 1984 issue of Penthouse with Vanessa Williams in it. The really big deal about that issue is not Miss America, but that a young (15 year old at the time of the photography) Traci Lords is in it.
Did you learn that in the “streets”.
In an open office my HR director asked me if I'd like to "enter her back passage." She was referring to the fire escape staircase next to her office, instead of walking up the main stairs. She thought it was hysterical.
well ... if you want to get specific, they would be 'emerging' from the HR's office, so I'd think that would be close enough to cover it, no?
Load More Replies...You need to lie to our biggest customer, the number one software company in the world, and tell them that the team is twice as big as it really is, and those other developers - good ones - are hard at work in another state. And if the company loses this contract, it's the only one currently paying, and a hundred people lose their job. And then I sat down with our customer as a 24 year old developer, not manager, just a code monkey. And the program manager took me aside in a disused office, closed the door, sat me down, and asked flat out how many developers were really on the project. So yeah, answering that question, with a hundred jobs - including my own - all alone, a thousand miles from home, strung out from weeks of hundred plus hour work weeks, that's my vote for hardest.
Ooof, incredibly tough spot. Followup from OP when asked what they said: "The truth. All of it, the good and bad. We're engineers, we solve problems. He wanted us to succeed, and I could show him how. And together, we convinced his boss. My bosses weren't happy with my strategy, but couldn't deny results. I got a bonus (1/3 my overtime - six months of 100+ hour work weeks). Our customer? They awarded me the patent on what we built."
Do you self pleasure? After I revealed I was asexual.
Being asexual makes other people think they can just act questions like that.
Some asexual people do masturbate but it's still a highly inappropriate question to ask of anyone regardless of sexuality
Load More Replies..."that's really none of your business and also very inappropriate to ask. i think i'll leave now."
Can I give you a foot massage? The deputy director of the company told me at an office meeting and my colleagues heard it.
How about I just take that foot and kick you in the groin instead?
A married woman who works for the same company I work for suggested we should go have a beer and talk about what might “come up” I was so shocked, didn’t say a word. I’m a happily married man who will celebrate 33 years with my wife this year, so needless to say, I was floored. Thankfully, we were on the phone instead of in person. I didn’t tell anyone, but I also have the date and time that occurred. I also made a mental note to call it out if she does it again. It was very inappropriate, I was embarrassed and she shouldn’t have said that.
Come on - "What might come up" could be almost anything. She could have been selling Amway, for all the OP knows.
In this case MLM stood for Many Lascivious Moments.
Load More Replies...I applied to a tech company where the application asked who my Waifu was. And the question was required. That was pretty deeply uncomfortable.
Since a waifu is a fictional female character, it's my girlfriend obviously.
Had to look it up. If forced I'd say "Jessica Rabbit. She's not bad, she's just drawn that way."
If they’re willing to put that on the application, the interview is guaranteed to have even more inappropriate questions.
Pardon? I have no f3ckin' idea what you're asking me... Obviously not the tech company to employ a middle aged duffer like me.
I had to look it up too. I could not name a singe anime character, so would probably say either I don't know or a character from a movie.
“I’m sure my son has no problems listening to you, huh? 😉” By a dad at a parent teacher conference with his wife right there. I was fresh out of college teaching high school.
In a class taught by a women, I heard from a group of guys sitting behind me "I don't care if she has big tits - I don't like her!" A man of principle, in his way.
Typical marketing strategy, and effective. Find out what your target demo wants to see, and incorporate it into your presentation. As a wise woman is oft quoted as saying, 'A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down'. (Apologies to Robert Sherman, she was more well known)
Once when I was in the 8th grade, I came late to school. I got to my period 1 class and immediately noticed something was off. It dawned on me that all the girls were in their assigned seats. All the boys, on the other hand, were in the seats directly in front of the teacher's desk. We had a very pretty substitute that day and she sitting at our teacher's desk. So while this dad is undoubtedly correct, its best left unsaid.
My subordinate, a young girl a few years out of high school, was working at the front desk and checked in a young mother, carrying her child. This woman was young, maybe a year younger than my employee. And after that, patient was called back to the clinic, she asked me if I believed in abortion. Being a fairly new manager and caught off guard, I said something like I think every woman has the right to choose what happens to her body. And then she asked me my religious beliefs, and that’s when I shut it down.
You don't have to believe in abortions. They exist. And if you are against abortions, just don't have one.
If you are against abortions, work to provide other options pregnant woman can choose. The key word here is "choose".
Load More Replies...It is no one's business period. No debate no compromise over weeks after conception it is no one's business but the patient and the doctor. Your religion is irrelevant. Roe was the compromise and I think that since the conservatives have proven their bad faith in cooperation they have surrendered any say they may have had since they cannot be trusted. Remember the Supreme Court candidates said they thought Roe was a settled case and first chance chucked it. I am personally pretty sick of making concessions for a narrow view of a particular religion and political group. They do not reciprocate.
I feel a woman has autonomy over her own body... Much as I don't like the notion of using abortion as birth control (rather than other preventative measures when they are available and the girl/woman can access them), I see it as a better option to bringing unwanted children into this world.
No one does that. Stop perpetuating stupid myths.
Load More Replies...Your beliefs should never affect anyone byt yourself no matter what you belive.
Is it that hard to be against killing inconvenient people? Asking for a friend...
The manager at my first job asked to borrow my car to go pick up some weed. He offered some as compensation. It was some pretty s****y weed tbh.
idk I miss brickweed. Everything is too strong now. Sometimes I just want to hang out and not lay on the floor drooling.
Load More Replies...what the f**k? if he was so ashamed of it that he couldn't use his own car, then maybe he shouldn't be doing it?
weed gets you through times of no money better than money gets you through times of no weed.
Load More Replies...My first boss in my field, “why do you want kids if you can’t even take care of yourselves?” Luckily I was on the phone and didn’t hear that or I would have been arrested.
I think a very valid question if people can't take care of themselves.
Load More Replies...It's not something a boss should discuss, but I think it's a valid question.
Was being seen for a rash on the hands- probably poison sumac- but after looking she wants me to spread my fingers, but says,” let me see between you legs” Freudian slip? Who know but embarrassing for us both, especially as it was not a private setting with several people hearing this.
Since we use our hands when going to the bathroom, the request would not be unreasonable.
Unlike poison oak and ivy , sumac does not spread.
Load More Replies..."What do you do in your free time, and how do you let that impact your job performance?" Not my current job, but during a past interview, someone asked this. It's one of those poorly-worded questions made up by some corporate HR nut. WTF kind of answers do they expect?
"I hunt HR people and sacrifice them to Hew'Let't P'acar'rd, the office productivity god, so that he may grace me with better job performance"
I had a potential supervisor ask this, and later found out he was wondering if I did IT stuff at home (as well as at work). Many IT people do, and it's a way to keep up and play with emerging technology.
Well, the question might make sense, but they shouldn't expect that someone will answer that they like go clubbing until 3 AM and drink non-stop over weekend, so that might affect their 8 AM job performance... Though maybe there are some drunk dumb nuts who do that and even tell the truth?
“I heard that the lady in white dress is married. I wonder who the lucky guy is”- business colleague about my wife. Most awkward moment of my life Edit: No I’m not threatened by him nor will I ever be. It was awkward because I thought he knew she was my wife and was just joking but he was serious. Then I remembered he has actually never met my wife because I didn’t invite him to my wedding. I invited everyone else just not him. He only knew her by name and has never seen her.
I once had to explain my polyamorous relationship in a job interview for a senior dev position. It was probably my fault that it came up, but going into detail was the right move and I got the job.
i fail to understand how your relationship status would be relevant for any job
What church do you go to?
"La Ermita", Jerez de los Caballeros, Badajoz, Spain. Jerez-de-l...463462.jpg
I go Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Missoula, Montana! God bless!
Load More Replies...“I worship every Sunday without fail at the Church of St. Mattress.”
I applied (and was hired) to teach at a Catholic high school, and the principal (who was a priest) never asked me about my religion in the interview. Nor did anyone at any time during the 25 years I worked there.
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. All hail His Noodly Magnificence!
I was ordained back in 2016, may you be blessed by his noodly appendage!
Load More Replies...When I moved to southern Arkansas many years ago, EVERY SINGLE person at my new job asked me this. When I said I had just moved in, (avoiding the question), I was immediately told why I must go to whatever church the speaker attended and all the bad things about every other church. By the end of the first week, I knew every terrible thing about every church in the county and who went to each one, but not a single one of them had asked me what religion I was, or whether I was even religious in the first place! I do not live in Arkansas anymore - thanks be to the great whatever in the wherever 🤣
In a non profesional setting (between friends or something like that) I can understand that someone could ask something like "do you profess some faith" but asking which church you are automatically thinking that the other person is religious, which in my opinion is incredibly closed minded.
Depends on the setting. Is this during a job interview? If yes then it would be inappropriate. Is this between friends in a casual setting? Then no. Maybe just being curious. Is it someone they meet? Probably yes.
"Are these yours?" Male colleague holding up a super haggard black thong. We have a weird job, sometimes we do laundry at work. He and I both did laundry that day. Not mine, and we are throwing this embarrassing thing away like it never happened. We're not going person by person to find the owner of this ratty thing.
I have a friend who went to work with his wife's thong hanging out of the back of his pants half of the day, wondering why people were looking at him strangely. Everyone had a good laugh when it was discovered that the thong simply got caught in his pants in the laundry.
I was living in the dorms and apparently forgot my sports bra in the laundry room (my name was on it, but i think i was the only woman living on that floor at the that time anyway) but somebody was kind enough to hang it on my door k**b, knock on my door, and (i assume) leap around the corner to the stairwell. It was kind/thoughtful and saved us both some embarrassment.
#44. Went to a dispensary after my move to California. Never encountered such gourmet weed. They asked what kind I wanted. [In my head: The kind that gets you high, of course] So they had me smelling ‘different’ strains, asking me how it smelled. Wellllll…they all smelled like weed. My boss’ boss asked me about my weekend and I said I had learned about some of the gourmet weed in CA. He proceeded to give me the rundown of the best sativas and indicas, and the cheapest places to get them. Now THAT was a weird, but useful conversation.
It's strange. Working in the arts (theatre) I've heard SO much worse than most of these. But I guess that's just expected witrh the setting...
Working in a factory I've heard worse, lol. I had a warehouse job way back when and would be signaled by a buzzer when I was needed on the manufacturing floor. I answered the signal one morning and before I went back to the warehouse, I made the mistake of asking "anything else I can do for you ladies before I go back?" These old girls were the same age as my mother, some of the things they said to me that day embarrass me 45+ years later, lol.
Load More Replies..."Are you offended by porn?" asked my boss, right before he handed over his work computer for me to install an update on it. (1) Why is that on your work computer? (2) As long as your files aren't open, I'm not going to see it as I'm not a snoop (3) WHY IS THAT ON YOUR WORK COMPUTER?
This week a colleague asked me out of nowhere “do you have a father?” It was inappropriate but also made me laugh; “No, I sprang fully formed from the void”.
Why inappropriate? Maybe it was related to fathers day, or their fathers birthday and this collegue wanted to ask for ideas. Or maybe this collegue doesn't have a father (anymore) and is wondering who else doesn't.
Load More Replies...At the law firm I worked at, I was asked to sleep with the boss, both of us males, to go get c*ke for one of the lawyers, had to help one of the other lawyers spy on another one's desktop with a remote connection so we could see the sexting he was doing as a woman and found my boss' desk drawer full of xtc and p*lls when he asked me to go see what was in it "for fun". Needless to say, it was a wild job and I hated every minute of it. Lawyers are every bit the creeps you think they are.
I've been asked some strange questions during interviews, but luckily not inappropriate (I don't think). One was "What percentage do you think your survival would be if you were trapped on a desert island?" and the other (different job) "What's your Hogwarts house? We have to keep things even here." Needless to say I stayed far away from both jobs.
None of these invoke awkward laughing, but a bit of rage and a lot of disappointment.
#44. Went to a dispensary after my move to California. Never encountered such gourmet weed. They asked what kind I wanted. [In my head: The kind that gets you high, of course] So they had me smelling ‘different’ strains, asking me how it smelled. Wellllll…they all smelled like weed. My boss’ boss asked me about my weekend and I said I had learned about some of the gourmet weed in CA. He proceeded to give me the rundown of the best sativas and indicas, and the cheapest places to get them. Now THAT was a weird, but useful conversation.
It's strange. Working in the arts (theatre) I've heard SO much worse than most of these. But I guess that's just expected witrh the setting...
Working in a factory I've heard worse, lol. I had a warehouse job way back when and would be signaled by a buzzer when I was needed on the manufacturing floor. I answered the signal one morning and before I went back to the warehouse, I made the mistake of asking "anything else I can do for you ladies before I go back?" These old girls were the same age as my mother, some of the things they said to me that day embarrass me 45+ years later, lol.
Load More Replies..."Are you offended by porn?" asked my boss, right before he handed over his work computer for me to install an update on it. (1) Why is that on your work computer? (2) As long as your files aren't open, I'm not going to see it as I'm not a snoop (3) WHY IS THAT ON YOUR WORK COMPUTER?
This week a colleague asked me out of nowhere “do you have a father?” It was inappropriate but also made me laugh; “No, I sprang fully formed from the void”.
Why inappropriate? Maybe it was related to fathers day, or their fathers birthday and this collegue wanted to ask for ideas. Or maybe this collegue doesn't have a father (anymore) and is wondering who else doesn't.
Load More Replies...At the law firm I worked at, I was asked to sleep with the boss, both of us males, to go get c*ke for one of the lawyers, had to help one of the other lawyers spy on another one's desktop with a remote connection so we could see the sexting he was doing as a woman and found my boss' desk drawer full of xtc and p*lls when he asked me to go see what was in it "for fun". Needless to say, it was a wild job and I hated every minute of it. Lawyers are every bit the creeps you think they are.
I've been asked some strange questions during interviews, but luckily not inappropriate (I don't think). One was "What percentage do you think your survival would be if you were trapped on a desert island?" and the other (different job) "What's your Hogwarts house? We have to keep things even here." Needless to say I stayed far away from both jobs.
None of these invoke awkward laughing, but a bit of rage and a lot of disappointment.
