A new employee’s questions during his first meeting with colleagues have sparked a debate about workplace etiquette. The interaction was shared on X by user Ojas Sharma, who appeared surprised by how directly the newcomer questioned a senior employee about an appraisal rate and project budget.
Sharing the incident, Sharma wrote, “Bro. So, new guys joined my company and they spent the whole day trying to figure out who their managers were. One guy got to know his teammates and started talking about the tech stack and all. Even I was standing there, listening and introduced myself.”
He then described how the new employee asked a senior colleague he had met only a few minutes earlier, “Is our project budget good enough for an outing?”
The newcomer then asked, “What is your appraisal rate?”
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According to Sharma, the senior said his appraisal was in double digits. The new employee then asked, “Can you tell me?”
The senior, who appeared frustrated by the question, responded, “Should I show you my paycheck now?”
{{/usCountry}}The senior, who appeared frustrated by the question, responded, “Should I show you my paycheck now?”
{{/usCountry}}“I was standing there in absolute shock,” Sharma wrote. “Like, how do you ask these questions in your FIRST meeting with someone? Some questions are simply not meant to be asked, my guy.”
Take a look:
Internet divided over workplace etiquette
The post drew mixed reactions, with some users finding the new employee’s questions amusing while others argued that there was nothing inherently wrong with asking about salaries or appraisals.
“He will eventually learn,” one person commented.
Another simply wrote, “Confidence level.”
“Confidence is scared of bro,” a third user joked.
However, some defended the newcomer and said employees should be allowed to ask questions without being mocked.
“I don't see a problem in asking questions. Nahi batana hai toh mat batao, but no need to be rude to them,” one user wrote.
Another commenter suggested that the incident could be linked to the employee being inexperienced. “Perhaps your company is hiring seventeen-year-olds. This critique against the younger folks is simply unheard of, for the most part,” they wrote.
Some users pointed to the importance of workplace training. “That's why HR training is necessary. There are some questions and things that shouldn't be discussed among colleagues,” one comment read.
Others shared similar experiences from their first jobs. “Our fresher group were literally discussing each other's salary and I was not comfortable sharing at first, but they all shared, so I also shared. I thought we weren't supposed to discuss salaries,” one user said.
Another added, “Yes, freshers do this. I was low-key so annoyed. Glad I don't have to deal with this now.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)