A man says he was fired after he made a ‘joke’ to his CEO – and his gag has divided opinion.
Is there anything worse than when your joke doesn’t land?
Apparently yes, because you can get fired for it too as one man revealed in his unusual plight to Reddit, and the offensive joke in question has left many people divided.
The anonymous worker explained the CEO had come to the office for a change and almost instantly offended him.
For context, the Reddit user said the CEO is ‘completely bald’ – a condition he had become all too familiar with as he told readers that he too has been ‘dealing with a receding hairline for a while.’
He added: “It’s something I’ve come to accept, and I often joke about it with my friends and coworkers.”
However, his first meeting with the CEO went down like a lead balloon as he turned to joke about the condition, and clearly hit a nerve.
His post continued: “I was introduced to the CEO, and in a moment of what I thought was lighthearted humor, I decided to make a little joke.
“I casually said, ‘I’ll be the same as you soon.’ He looked at me a bit confused and asked, ‘The same as me how?’
“Without missing a beat, I replied, ‘Bald.'”
There was then an ‘awkward silence’ while his ‘superior’s face immediately changed’.
“[T]he CEO just stared at me for a second, then gave an awkward chuckle before moving on. I thought maybe it wasn’t a big deal.”
However, it obviously was as, ‘fast forward a few hours’ and he revealed he was dismissed that same day.
“Long story short, I was informed that my comment was inappropriate and unprofessional, and it didn’t align with the company’s values of respect and workplace decorum,” he continued, “Before I knew it, I was being let go.”
Reflecting on the moment, the now-unemployed man said he could see ‘how it might have been taken the wrong way’ but defended his gag.
He concluded: “[I]t genuinely felt like an innocent, self-deprecating joke. I guess I underestimated how seriously some people take these things, especially when they’re at the top.
“Lesson learned: maybe don’t joke about the boss’s appearance, no matter how relatable you think it is.
“Was it worth it? YES! funny af. Would I do it again? Probably yes.”
Some Reddit users have certainly had a chuckle out of the story, particularly as they say the ‘joke’ itself isn’t even that funny.
“You might want to work on your joke delivery”, one added, while another suggested he had ‘a pretty low bar for jokes that are ‘funny af.'”
Dozens of others agreed that the jest leaned more ‘towards an insult rather thank joke.’
“I’d have fired you too”, one person said, while adding they felt the jester wasn’t ‘remorseful enough’.
Another comment read: “This is a joke you make with your friends, not with your boss.”
“Next time, maybe save the bald jokes for folks not signing your paychecks?” a fifth said.
Still, while some agreed making digs at colleagues’ appearances is bound to land you in hot water, many said the boss was a little hasty in sacking him.
“Yes it was a stupid mistake and you typically want to avoid commenting on appearances,” another chimed, “But my god FIRING you over an awkward joke?”
“Send him an email. ‘So sorry for my comment earlier. What I meant to say was, ‘a punk a** b****’,” another wrote.
