- The individual detailed his employment fiasco in a lengthy post on Reddit.
When it comes to cracking a joke at work, many people would rather sacrifice a witty remark for fear that it might get them into trouble.
While a good sense of humor is considered an important personality trait, no one wants to be the center of attention in their office if their comments land them in a dreaded meeting with their HR department.
Unfortunately for one individual, that was the fate he met for laughing at a colleague who gave his twins variations of the same name.
On Reddit, the user said that after posting on the site about the ordeal, he was summoned by HR and has since deleted the post on the platform.
Recounting how the incident initially occurred, they wrote: ‘{My colleague} made her first appearance in the office with her new babies to introduce them to our team.
While it might seem like a reasonable act to question why someone would give their twins the same name, especially if said name was the same as their last name, doing so did not sit well with one person (file image)
‘When I asked her what she had named the children (since until this appearance she hadn’t decided), she told me she would name them “Sean.”
“When I asked him about the other baby, he said, ‘No, they’re both named Sean, one with an ‘A’ and the other with an ‘E,’ meaning Sean and Seen. This coworker’s last name is also ‘Sean.’ When I pointed this out to him, he said, ‘Yeah, like Tom Tom or Jay Jay.'”
While it might seem like a reasonable thing to question why someone would give their two twins the same name (especially if that name was the same as their last name), doing so did not sit well with the individual.
After describing it as “the most idiotic thing they’ve ever heard,” the individual began receiving messages from other colleagues telling him he shouldn’t judge them.
While the person was summoned to a meeting by their HR department, their actions did not prove fruitless as the husband of the colleague who received the comment found her post on Reddit and admitted that it prompted them to change their children’s names.
Continuing the Reddit story, the original poster added: ‘They had a good laugh and ended up agreeing with the responses that the naming process wasn’t ideal and maybe the overwhelming process of having two newborns left them too tired to think straight.
‘Even though they had already sent the paperwork to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office (the place where births are registered in Australia), they called the Brisbane office and the paperwork had only been processed provisionally, and they have used this time to reassess it.
‘They’ve pulled the paperwork (for Seen only) and will think about a new name, but they’re sticking with Sean Sean because they like it. I’ve also been reported to HR for making this Reddit post (not by the parents, they think it’s hilarious), so oh well, if that’s not the consequences of my actions.
While the person was summoned to a meeting by their HR department, their actions were not fruitless as the husband of the colleague who received the comment came across her Reddit post (file image)
“They also want everyone to know that ‘calling her an idiot is not the worst thing I’ve said to her this year.’”
The person added that their meeting with HR was “disappointing” as they were asked to “be more considerate of coworkers’ feelings” and “not post this meeting on the internet.”
Moving on to the comments section, other users agreed that there was no reason to feel guilty about her comment, as they said:
“Sean isn’t a stupid name, but Seen is. I don’t care if you were rude. It’s better for the mother to have a rude awakening before her children are born than after.”
“My friend literally named her son Beetle. Yeah, people are dumb.”
“I’m an identical twin. Giving them identical names is probably the cruelest thing you can do to a person. Not only does it create confusion, but it also prevents them from developing identities beyond their twin status.”
‘The best advice I received regarding my twins was, “the world will focus on their twinness, your job is to nurture their individuality.”