Male Co-Worker Takes A Leave Of Absence After Getting Rejected By His Colleague

Dealing with rejection is never easy

This is especially the case when it comes to pursuing a romantic relationship. It can be tough to express your feelings to someone you like, and getting turned down can be devastating. Of course, it’s not fair to expect the other person to reciprocate your feelings, but it’s also important to acknowledge the emotional impact rejection can have. As long as you express your feelings respectfully and don’t pressure anyone, it’s perfectly fine to be honest about your attraction.

However, things can get complicated when it comes to workplace relationships. It’s not uncommon for romantic feelings to develop in professional settings, and it can be difficult to separate personal and professional interactions. This is especially true if your crush is a superior. But there are ways to handle these situations without causing issues. For example, in the story below, a coworker expressed their feelings to the poster of this story and was rejected. Rather than accepting the rejection and moving on, the coworker continued to pursue the poster. When they were rejected again, the coworker took time off work.

To find out what happened next, read on.

Source: Reddit

To be fair, it is a bit more nuanced than that.

But we need to understand how it started first.

He clearly liked her and made many subtle attempts.

So he laid out his feelings clearly.

When he did it again, she rejected him clearly so he would have no doubt.

He understood and took a leave of absence.

However, this has left OP in a bit of an awkward situation.

It’s understandable to empathise with OP in this situation, as it can be uncomfortable to navigate feelings in a professional environment. However, it’s important to acknowledge that the colleague in question did not cross any inappropriate boundaries or pressure OP into anything. In fact, it’s possible that he was genuinely confused about OP’s initial rejection and thought that the only reason she didn’t want to pursue anything was because of their shared workplace.

Once OP made it clear that she wasn’t interested, the colleague made the responsible decision to take some time to process his feelings and distance himself from OP—a completely acceptable course of action. While it may feel tempting to get HR involved, it’s important to recognise that the colleague never did anything wrong and the situation has already been resolved. Ultimately, it’s up to OP to decide if she wants to continue working with the colleague in a professional capacity, but in my opinion, there is no need for any further action to be taken.

People’s opinions were split.

Some people advised her to report this to HR.

While others said that he hasn’t really done anything weird outright.

However, we don’t know the whole story.

I would agree with this person.

It can be very hard for anyone to deal with these kinds of situations.

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you think it would be wise for her to report the situation to HR to prevent any future misunderstandings? Or do you believe it is unnecessary? If you were in her position, what would you do? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to share this story with your friends so they can participate in the discussion as well.