Woman Reported To HR Over Reaction To Co-Worker Naming Her Twins The Same Name — That's Also Their Last Name
She's in trouble.
Maria Moroz / Shutterstock.com It’s always a big deal when a co-worker announces a birth! All the excitement of new life, new additions to their family, new stories, and, of course, new names.
For one workplace, the announcement of a co-worker having twins was exciting, until she revealed the names she had chosen.
Taking to Reddit's r/AmITheA--hole, where users vent about personal conflicts, a woman shared a twisting tale that has gotten her in trouble at work.
Her co-worker plans to name her sons the exact same name.
She and her husband would be naming the children “Sean” and “Seen,” both pronounced the same. To make matters worse, their last name is already “Sean”.
The announcement was made after she brought the children into the office to introduce to her team, and announced that they would both be named “Sean”, just with one “a” and one with an “e.”
When the overlap of these first names with their already existing last name of “Sean” was pointed out, she responded, “yes, like Tom Tom or Jay Jay." They will have no middle names to distinguish them either.
The woman who penned the Reddit post couldn’t believe the decision and unthinkingly replied "that is the most idiotic thing I've heard, and it's going to be so confusing." Allegedly some coworkers laughed in response, although others felt that she should have kept her opinion to herself, and later texted her to let her know.
The co-workers are on good terms, and in response to her outburst, the mother simply told her that it would grow on her.
After the woman’s initial social media post about the dilemma was published, the father of the twins discovered the post and found it funny, admitting that the name choice wasn’t ideal, and the couple were taking some time to revisit the names, particularly “Seen.”
They ended up withdrawing the paperwork for Seen’s name, but are keeping Sean Sean’s name as it is.
The woman who posted the story on social media was reported to HR.
A different co-worker, not the pregnant woman, reported her which didn't go down well. HR ensured that she was aware of her company’s social media policy, and she confirmed that she was, and believed that she was not in violation of it.
“They agreed I hadn't,” she said. “And asked me "to be more considerate of co-workers’ feelings" and to "not put this meeting all over the Internet."
The meeting was more of a warning notice to remind the woman that her social media presence regarding work was subject to scrutiny, but she was not in trouble for her actions.
As for the Reddit post, the thread reached the consensus that the woman was “not the a--hole” for calling her co-worker’s naming choice “idiotic.”
“She basically named both kids the same thing,” one user wrote. “Twins already struggle enough with their own identity, this is basically abuse! My heart hurts for those poor boys.”
Another agreed heartily, saying: “There’s preferences in names and then there’s stupid names that are thoughtless, and kids don’t deserve to be saddled with them.”
Several other comments emphasized their agreement, pointing to future difficulties with identity, bullying, and generally feeling undervalued by their parents.
“Some people really forget they are naming actual people when they name their kids,” one user summarized.
However, even among the consensus, there is still debate as to where exactly the situation might have gone a bit too far.
“Yes, it’s crazy to do this to innocent children who will pay the lifetime price for parents who have no compassion,” one user wrote. “...but the truth is that it’s not anyone’s business to make insulting remarks to the parents. If you don't like what they named their child, then just don't use that name for your child.”
Another agreed: “You’re 100% right, but [the a--hole] for slamming her publicly. If you felt the need to comment, you could have done it privately.”
Several other comments agree, calling her outburst “tactless” and “unprofessional.”
“If you were family or a close friend I would give you a slight pass but you're a coworker.” The consensus seems to be that, even if her outburst was sympathetic, it still wasn’t her place to say it, especially in front of all of their other coworkers.
Hawthorn Martin is a news and entertainment writer living in Texas. They focus on social justice, pop culture, and human interest stories.