Just had an odd issue to deal with at work that has been taken care of and all is good. Here is the setup - I've worked with a guy at work for the last 6 years on various projects and thought we had a great rapport and have joked around and even had drinks after work on a few occasions. Our names are very similar - Let's just say I'm Steve Jackson and he is Steve Johnson. I'm a 5'10" white guy of slender build, he's a 5'7" black guy and a little heavier.
We occasionally get emails for each other and in the past I've joked with him because he was getting married and another co-worker emailed me to congratulate me because they had our names mixed up.
So we're having our quarterly meeting and we always introduce new employees and my boss says "I think Steve Johnson on my team has someone to introduce." So I get up, remind him that I'm Steve JACKSON and introduce my new employee, who, for what it's worth, happens to be black.
As we're walking out of the meeting, I'm talking with the other Steve and joke with him that my boss must have thought I started darkening my skin and put on a little weight. We walk back to our office, talking about a few other things, everything seems normal.
So 3 weeks later the other Steve's manager schedules a meeting with me to say that he was taken aback by my comments and thought it was a weird thing to say and it had been on his mind for a couple weeks. In any event, I felt bad that it made him feel that way, immediately met with him to clear the air and let him know that it was nothing more than a joke and all is good.
Despite clearing the air, I found it odd that someone would be that sensitive to what was clearly a joke to make light of the situation, especially since we've had a good rapport for years. I like to joke around at work to keep the mood light, but this will definitely make me a little more guarded - maybe for the better.
We occasionally get emails for each other and in the past I've joked with him because he was getting married and another co-worker emailed me to congratulate me because they had our names mixed up.
So we're having our quarterly meeting and we always introduce new employees and my boss says "I think Steve Johnson on my team has someone to introduce." So I get up, remind him that I'm Steve JACKSON and introduce my new employee, who, for what it's worth, happens to be black.
As we're walking out of the meeting, I'm talking with the other Steve and joke with him that my boss must have thought I started darkening my skin and put on a little weight. We walk back to our office, talking about a few other things, everything seems normal.
So 3 weeks later the other Steve's manager schedules a meeting with me to say that he was taken aback by my comments and thought it was a weird thing to say and it had been on his mind for a couple weeks. In any event, I felt bad that it made him feel that way, immediately met with him to clear the air and let him know that it was nothing more than a joke and all is good.
Despite clearing the air, I found it odd that someone would be that sensitive to what was clearly a joke to make light of the situation, especially since we've had a good rapport for years. I like to joke around at work to keep the mood light, but this will definitely make me a little more guarded - maybe for the better.
