Boss tells off employee for saying 'Hey' in a WhatsApp message: "It's offensive for me"

The move to digital has arguably blurred the lines between work and personal life, given that each person uses platforms differently. Some may use specific apps for social, while others could see them as business tools.

Well now, a man innocently responded to his boss on WhatsApp with "hey" and got shut down for being "offensive", sparking fury online.

The bizarre exchange certainly hasn't gone unnoticed after the employee shared a screenshot to Reddit. When asked about a test submission, the employee responded by saying, "Hey, No, not yet."

His boss was far from amused and candidly advised: "Please don't use the word 'hey'. It's offensive for me. If you can't remember my name, simply use 'Hi'." He continued to press his employee on other terms that shouldn't be used in a professional space, including "dude" and "man".

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He added that only "hello" and "hi there" should be used as greetings if you are "not targeting a wide audience."

The employee was left stunned, responding: "Well, considering that we are having a conversation over WhatsApp and not over LinkedIn or a mail chain. I'm just being casual as you are texting me on my personal number. And coming to being professional I'm not the one being offended."

To this, the boss said, "WhatsApp is not personal space anymore, it has been used for business," adding: "I am not insisting my ideology on you. If you understand it, fine; or you will understand it sooner or later," followed by a smiling emoji.

Reddit users were left just as baffled, with one saying: "Seriously. 'Hey' especially with a colleague/team member with whom you’ve had ongoing conversations, is more than acceptable, almost preferable, to keep the convo as open as possible. What a dumb ass."

Another said: "'hEy Is FoR hOrSeS.' I always hated this idea that certain greetings or word choices are disrespectful or unprofessional." The Redditor believed that people get offended because the word is "associated with certain classes of people." He sarcastically added: "And God forbid you to be addressed as someone lower class."

"I would 100% start every conversation with anything but what he asked for," a third joked, such as: "'YO!' 'Sup, dawg' 'New phone, who dis?' 'Ladies and germs, it's Sandeep!' 'Omg, how'd you get this number?'"

While another reiterated: "I'd be calling him "chap" in literally every communication."

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