A man with complex dietary needs was left gutted when his colleague kept trying to give him food that he couldn't eat, but he was concerned she was taking it personally

Sharing snacks with colleagues can be part of the fun of going in, but if you have specific dietary requirements, you may have to pass up on the tasty treats.

If your colleague kept offering you food, however, and you'd explained why you couldn't eat it, what would you do? A man explained that he was "small", saying that he weighed 103 pounds (7 stone 3oz) and he knew it was an "unhealthy" weight, but he was working with his doctor to "gain weight" while staying within his "dietary restrictions" which are "no meat, dairy, gluten, or nuts". He said that he was "proud" of the progress that he'd made so far, but his colleague kept trying to give him food that he didn't want - and it was getting a bit much for him.

The man took to Reddit to explain that his co-worker, Peg, 30, returned from mat leave recently, but since she'd been back she'd been "overt and uncomfortable" with regards to concern for him. "Peg made and brought in cupcakes for her return, and when I thanked her for thinking of us but refused, citing my gluten allergy, she was visibly upset. She didn't shout or complain much, just sighed heavily and said that she would put this one in the break room with the rest. I felt awful", he shared.

The next day, however, she brought him a "steak sandwich on gluten-free bread", and he said: "Again I thanked her, but I had brought in my own lunch and needed to focus on that. Peg told me it was in the fridge for when I finished. Ended up bringing it home so she wouldn't feel bad and gave it to my boyfriend."

He continued: "The next day, she approached again. I refused again. She insisted. By now we weren't alone in the break room. She joked that it was rude to refuse a home-cooked meal in favour of 'that' (my lunch). At that point, I just took it and thanked her. My boyfriend ended up eating it.

"Then she just started leaving bagged snacks on my desk. She would approach with a snack or a portion of whatever she made for dinner the night before, and not leave me be until I had taken it. I went to our boss and explained that I felt uncomfortable and was told that she was probably feeling maternal and it would negatively impact morale to discourage her." The man noted that she'd done it "23 times" in a short period of time.

So, the man felt like he had no choice but to confront his colleague, saying that he "was touched", but he'd appreciate it if she "wouldn't bring in anything else". Peg's response wasn't what he expected, and she made comments about him being too thin, which understandably upset him. "Livid, I told her that maybe I didn't feel like sharing my personal medical history with her just so that my wishes were respected", he wrote, and he "stormed off" leaving her "in tears". He was left wondering whether he should report the incident to HR, or whether he'd be an "a**hat" for that.

People encouraged the man to make a complaint with HR, so his side of the story was on record. They wrote: "Even if she stops now, you can tell HR that you had a discussion with her and you do not require action at this moment, but you want to put this on record. Consider this: what if she complains to HR about a hostile work environment? Make sure your side of the story is on record somewhere!"

Another fumed: "You should go to HR to have your side on record. Also, inform them of your boss's kind of rude dismissal of your concerns. And that when you tried to nicely talk to her about it she made rude horrible comments about you and your body."

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Danielle Kate Wroe

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